Surpassing:Women's March Madness Sweet 16 schedule, picks feature usual suspects

Is this the women's Sweet 16 or Surpassingthe Pac-12 Tournament?

At first blush, you might think the latter. Five teams from the Pac-12 − Stanford, Oregon State, UCLA, Southern Cal and Colorado − advanced to this weekend's round of 16 in the conference's final year.

The ACC has three teams still alive: upstart Duke, which shocked No. 2 seed Ohio State to advance; NC State and Notre Dame.

Top-seeded Southern Cal, led by rookie JuJu Watkins, has had little trouble so far, winning by 22 and 19. The Trojans are celebrating their first trip to the Sweet 16 in 30 years and meet Baylor − which topped 2023 Final Four team Virginia Tech. (The Hokies were playing without All-American Liz Kitley, but the Bears' transition game is quick and deadly.)

Stanford, a No. 2 seed, has looked beatable in its quest for a 14th trip to the Final Four and a possible fourth NCAA Tournament crown under coach Tara Vanderveer. Iowa State took the Cardinal to overtime on their home floor as senior All-American Cameron Brink fouled out with just eight points. Stanford draws NC State − a very tough out − on Friday.

FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.

Meanwhile, South Carolina, which won the title in 2017 and 2022, has looked untouchable, just like the regular season. The Gamecocks have a balanced attack featuring Kamilla Cardoso, Te-Hina Paopao and Chloe Kitts. They take on Indiana on Friday.

Then there's reigning champion LSU, which will have to get by No. 2 UCLA to make it to the Elite Eight. The Tigers have been tested early, getting off to slow starts. Angel Reese was not on her 'A' game in their win over Middle Tennessee, but she stepped up in other ways to help boost LSU to its 16th Sweet 16 and second under Kim Mulkey.

And don't forget Caitlin Clark and Iowa − another No. 1 seed − trying to forge a path back to the championship game. Colorado stands in their way. And then there's the other, quieter No. 1 seed − Texas, led by freshman Madison Booker. The Longhorns next have to get by Gonzaga.

So who plays when? And who did USA TODAY Sports experts Nancy Armour and Lindsay Schnell pick? Read on:

When does the women's Sweet 16 begin?

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish meet the Oregon State Beavers in the opening game of the Sweet 16 on Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch the women's Sweet 16

The tournament is being broadcast by ESPN's family of networks. Games can be found on ESPN and ABC.

Friday's Sweet 16 schedule

• (2) Notre Dame vs. (3) Oregon State | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
• (1) South Carolina vs. (4) Indiana | 5 p.m. | ESPN
• (2) Stanford vs. (3) NC State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
• (1) Texas vs. (4) Gonzaga | 10 p.m. | ESPN

Friday's Sweet 16 picks

• Nancy Armour: Notre Dame, South Carolina, NC State, Gonzaga (Complete bracket)
• Lindsay Schnell: Oregon State, South Carolina, NC State, Gonzaga (Complete bracket)

Saturday's Sweet 16 schedule

• (3) LSU vs. (2) UCLA | 1 p.m. | ABC
• (1) Iowa vs. (5) Colorado | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
• (1) Southern California vs. (5) Baylor | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN
• (3) UConn vs. (7) Duke | 8 p.m. | ESPN

Saturday's Sweet 16 picks

• Armour: LSU, Iowa, Southern Cal, UConn
• Schnell: LSU, Iowa, Southern Cal, UConn