March Madness 2024 viewer's guide: What to watch and skip on Monday

Nick Bromberg

The frenetic first five days of the men's and women's NCAA tournaments concludes on Monday as the women wrap up the second round.

Eight teams earned spots in the Sweet 16 on Sunday and Monday gives us the chance to see if teams like Iowa, USC and UConn can also advance to the third round of March Madness. Here's everything you need to know to brighten your Monday with more basketball.

Women's second-round schedule (All times Eastern)

2 p.m. — No. 2 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Ole Miss (ESPN)

4 p.m. — No. 4 NC State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (ESPN)

6 p.m. — No. 3 UConn vs. No. 6 Syracuse (ESPN)

6:30 p.m. — No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Oklahoma (ESPN2)

8 p.m. — No. 1 Iowa vs. No. 8 West Virginia (ESPN)

8:30 p.m. — No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 7 Creighton (ESPN2)

10 p.m. — No. 1 USC vs. No. 8 Kansas (ESPN)

10:30 p.m. — No. 4 Gonzaga vs. No. 5 Utah (ESPN2)

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 23: Alissa Pili #35 of the Utah Utes dribbles against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the first round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at McCarthey Athletic Center on March 23, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Alissa Pili and Utah take on Gonzaga on Monday. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) (Steph Chambers via Getty Images)

Must-see: It’s the late game on the schedule, but Utah and Gonzaga could provide the most competitive matchup of the day. The Zags are favored by just a half-point at home and the game has the closest spread of the day by far. Gonzaga lost just three times all season and Utah finished sixth in a Pac-12 that produced six top-five seeds. The matchup between Utah’s Alissa Pili (21 points per game) and Gonzaga’s Yvonne Ejim (20 ppg) should be great.

Must-skip: This is a tough one; the two games with spreads over 15 points feature two of the biggest stars in women’s college basketball. There’s a chance Notre Dame could put Ole Miss away early and make the first game of the day uncompetitive. The Fighting Irish are favored by 9.5 points and the total of 130.5 is the lowest of any of the eight games.

Most likely potential upset: Keep an eye on Tennessee at North Carolina State. The Vols are 4.5-point underdogs after beating Green Bay by 29 points in the first round. NC State cruised to a win over Chattanooga on Saturday in a game more known for the officiating swap at halftime than anything else. If Tennessee is able to pull the upset, it’ll be just the second team to win on NC State’s home court this season. The Wolfpack’s only home loss this season came to a Virginia Tech team that featured a healthy Elizabeth Kitley.

STORRS, CT - MARCH 23: UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) defended by Jackson State Lady Tigers guard Hayleigh Breland (30) during the Jackson State Lady Tigers game versus the UConn Huskies in the first round of the NCAA Division I Women's Championship on March 23, 2024, at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Paige Bueckers and UConn take on Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Monday. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Player to watch: Iowa star Caitlin Clark is the obvious pick and she’s the reason why the Hawkeyes have the prime spot on ESPN during the evening. But you should also check out Paige Bueckers before Clark takes the court. The UConn star is fully healthy and had 28 points against Jackson State on Saturday. Bueckers was 11-of-19 from the field and also grabbed 11 rebounds. UConn isn’t very deep, so it relies a lot on Bueckers, Ashlynn Shade and Aaliyah Edwards. But they’re talented enough to make a Final Four run as long as foul trouble isn’t an issue.

Advertisement