Matchups

• No. 1 South Carolina faces No. 16 Southern at 1 p.m. ET on ABC, while No. 1 UConn plays No. 16 UTSA at 3 p.m. ET in the Women's NCAA Tournament first round. • No. 2 Iowa takes on No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Howard at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2. • These games mark the start of bracket action across multiple sites, with CBS Sports providing live updates and highlights throughout Saturday.

• NCAA March Madness first-round games begin Thursday, March 19, featuring TCU vs. Ohio State at 12:15 p.m. ET in Greenville, S.C., on CBS, marking the start of 48 games over two days. • Additional early contests include Troy vs. Nebraska at 12:40 p.m. on truTV in Oklahoma City and South Florida vs. Louisville at 1:30 p.m. on TNT in Buffalo, N.Y., with evening games like VCU vs. North Carolina at 6:50 p.m.. • Tournament schedule spans first round on March 19-20, second round March 21-22, progressing to Final Four on April 4-6 in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted across sites like Portland, Ore., and Oklahoma City.

The NWSL 2026 season opened Saturday with NJ/NY Gotham FC visiting Boston Fleet at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC, followed by Utah Royals at Kansas City at 4 p.m. Other matchups include Denver at Bay FC and Houston at San Diego Wave. 'This season promises more parity and star power,' said commissioner Jessica Berman. Attendance is projected up 20% after last year's record crowds, with playoffs set for November.

The NWSL 2026 season kicks off March 14 with Gotham FC visiting Boston Impact at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC, followed by Utah Royals at Kansas City 4 p.m. and Denver at Bay FC 6:30 p.m. on ION. Houston Dash faces San Diego Wave at 8:45 p.m., marking key US women's soccer rivalries with stars like Alex Morgan expected to feature. These openers set early standings in the 14-team league expanding playoff contention. Expansion side Boston aims to surprise, per coach Ali Krieger.