Women's NCAA Tournament winners, losers: Virginia's historic run continues; Big Ten has rough day

Loser: No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes

On the other side of that double-OT thriller was Iowa, a program that also struggled to put away 15-seed Fairleigh Dickinson, 58-48, in the first round. This is now the second straight season the Hawkeyes have failed to make it out of the second round since record-setting star Caitlin Clark was selected No. 1 overall by the WNBA's Indiana Fever in 2024.

Winner: Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo

Hidalgo continued her climb into the record books in No. 6 Notre Dame's 83-73 upset win over three-seed Ohio State (27-8, 13-5 Big Ten). The three-time first-team All-ACC guard had 26 points (9-of-23 FG), 13 rebounds and eight steals, only adding to her decorated career and showcasing her tenacious defense as she looks to lead Notre Dame (24-10, 12-6 ACC) beyond the Sweet 16 for the first time in her career.

Loser: Ohio State's supporting cast

Hidalgo had a game to remember against the Buckeyes, but Ohio State sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge did not go down without a fight, with 41 points (13-of-25 FG). Unfortunately for the team's leading scorer, none of her teammates had more than nine points, leading to the third consecutive second-round exit for the Buckeyes.

Winner: Connecticut guard Azzi Fudd

The top-seeded Huskies (36-0, 20-0 Big East) looked unbeatable once again in a 98-45 rout over nine-seed Syracuse (24-9, 12-6 ACC), a game they led 65-12 at the break. The star of the game was the Associated Press first-team All-American, who equaled her career-high of 34 points (13-of-18 FG, 8-of-11 3PT).

"It wasn't about me. It was about this team," Fudd told ESPN's Holly Rowe after the game. "And we played really good team basketball tonight."

Loser: Big Ten

Two-seed Michigan (27-6, 15-3 Big Ten) and four-seed Minnesota (24-8, 13-5 Big Ten) advanced to the Sweet 16 on Sunday, but that success did not ring true for their Big Ten counterparts on Monday. One-seed UCLA (33-1, 18-0 Big Ten) took care of business as expected, but Iowa, Ohio State, seven-seed Illinois (22-12, 9-9 Big Ten) and nine-seed USC (18-14, 9-9 Big Ten) were each sent packing on what turned out to be a rough day for the conference.

Winner: Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes

With Monday's 75-57 win over seven-seed Illinois, two-seed Vanderbilt (29-4, 13-3 SEC) punched its first Sweet 16 ticket since 2009. That success stems from the consistent production of Blakes, who went for 25 points (10-of-22 FG), 10 rebounds and nine assists and has now scored the fourth-most points (1,661) of any player during their first two Division I seasons.