Women’s NCAA Tournament Preview: UW Huskies vs South Dakota State

The sixth-seeded UW Huskies will take on No. 11 seed South Dakota State on Friday in the first round of the women's basketball NCAA Tournament.

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Mar 19, 2026, 1:11 PM

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Avery Howell of the UW Huskies reacts after making a 3-pointer against Stanford. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament

No. 6 UW Huskies (21-10, 11-9 Big Ten) vs. No. 11 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (27-6, 17-2 Summit)

Fort Worth, Texas | Friday, 11:30 a.m. | ESPNEWS

• BOTTOM LINE: Sixth-seeded Washington plays in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament against 11th-seed South Dakota State.

The Huskies went 11-9 against Big Ten teams, with a 10-1 record in non-conference play. UW is 2-1 in games decided by less than 4 points.

The Jackrabbits’ record in Summit action is 17-2. South Dakota State averages 16.0 assists per game to lead the Summit, paced by Brooklyn Meyer with 2.7.

UW Huskies, Gonzaga Bulldogs both in women’s NCAA Tournament

Washington makes 44.9% of its shots from the field this season, which is 7.1 percentage points higher than South Dakota State has allowed to its opponents (37.8%). South Dakota State averages 7.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.0 more made shots on average than the 5.1 per game Washington allows.

• TOP PERFORMERS: Avery Howell averages 2.4 made 3-pointers per game for the Huskies, scoring 13.7 points while shooting 41.9% from beyond the arc. Sayvia Sellers is averaging 18.5 points, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals over the last 10 games.

Meyer is averaging 22.4 points, eight rebounds and 1.9 blocks for the Jackrabbits. Madison Mathiowetz is averaging 16.9 points over the last 10 games.

• LAST 10 GAMES: Huskies: 4-6, averaging 66.2 points, 30.5 rebounds, 13.2 assists, 5.4 steals and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.8 points per game.

Jackrabbits: 10-0, averaging 79.1 points, 36.3 rebounds, 16.3 assists, 6.4 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 51.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 55.1 points.

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