Sidelines with Lily

  In an absolutely stacked Elite Eight, the four No. 1 seeds remain with zero upsets. As all of the No. 1 seeds took an Elite Eight and advanced to the Final Four, each squad showed that they're the best of the best. Elite Talent on Display The Texas Longhorns Showing complete dominance in their 36-point victory over No. 2 Michigan, the No. 1 Texas Longhorns dance to the Final Four with momentum. In a game where shutting down Michigan's Syla Swords and Olivia Olson was crucial, not only was Texas successful in that, but also in the scoring column. The Longhorns seemed patient and relaxed in this matchup with the Wolverines, they didn't force anything unnecessary, letting the game play itself. Madison Booker once again led the team in scoring with 19 points. Although she didn't necessarily put up a crazy stat-line this game, the large lead Texas was able to maintain throughout the game allowed for three other Texas Longhorns to score in double figures: Justice Carlton, K...

Entering the Sweet Sixteen, the madness hasn't ended and surely doesn't appear to be soon. Statement Wins Continue The UCLA Bruins Taking on No. 4 Minnesota, the UCLA Bruins were looking to make their second straight Elite Eight. Coming off an Amaya Battle game winner against No. 5 Ole Miss, Minnesota was hoping to keep the momentum against a strong UCLA team. Throughout this matchup, UCLA remained in control despite a slow start. Minnesota hung tight with UCLA for a while, as the Bruins' lead was manageable, but they couldn't top UCLA's senior guard, Kiki Rice. Rice led UCLA with 21 points followed by her partner in crime, Lauren Betts with 16 points of her own. Although they've been slow to start many games in the tournament, UCLA was able to hold off Minnesota's leading scorer, Tori McKinney to just 9 points. Minnesota struggled to shoot the ball in this matchup, with a team field-goal percentage below 40%. Displaying pure dominance, UCLA won 80-56, an el...

Early Thursday morning, sophomore forward, Kayl Petersen announced on Instagram her plans to depart from Virginia Tech to enter the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kayl petersen (@petersenkayl) Petersen's Beginnings as a Hokie In her senior year of high school, Petersen was committed to play for Marquette under current Virginia Tech head coach, Megan Duffy until the coaching changes from Kenny Brooks to Duffy occurred in Blacksburg. The only freshman commit for Coach Duffy to move to Virginia Tech, Petersen showed promise. Standing at 6'0" at the forward position, Petersen was a little undersized for the Hokies, though she was able to make opponents work as she was fundamentally sound. In her freshman debut when the Hokies hosted UNC Wilmington, Petersen recorded a strong 12-point game accompanied by 3 rebounds on 71.2% shooting. This performance got Hokie Nation excited, and Petersen...

Looking to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, the matchups in the Women's Round of 32 were not ones to miss. Top Performing Teams and Players Madison Booker and the Texas Longhorns Facing off against an Oregon team that just made their way past Virginia Tech in the Round of 64, the Texas Longhorns were not only hoping to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, but to make a statement. Led by a monstrous 40-point 8-rebound game from Madison Booker, Texas cruised by Oregon, 100-58. In the running for National Player of the Year, Madison Booker is proving each and every day that she deserves her flowers. Vic Shafer's Texas squad shot a 56% field-goal percentage and shot 67% from deep, an efficient game to say the least from the No. 1 team in Regional 3. After making it out the Round of 32 with ease, Booker and the Longhorns look to take on Clara Strack and the Kentucky Wildcats, the No. 5 team in Regional 3 that just upset No. 4 West Virginia. Will Booker be able to continue this momentum yet ag...

Officially kicking off Women's March Madness, the Round of 64 did not disappoint. Impressive Performances The UConn Huskies Coming off an undefeated, 34-0 season, the UConn Huskies have all eyes on them, with little room for error. That said, time and time again, they prove haters wrong and show their dominance. Matched up with No. 16 seed UTSA, the Huskies were rolling. Sarah Strong lead UConn in scoring with 18 points, joined by Ashlynn Shade, Kayleigh Heckel, and Blanca Quinonez who all scored in double figures. One name you may think I'm forgetting in that group is none other than Azzi Fudd. Earning three fouls in the first quarter, Coach Geno Auriemma gave Fudd time on the bench to prevent her from fouling out. Playing just 17 minutes in the first round of the tournament, Fudd was able to contribute 7 points, 2 assists, and 4 rebounds for the Huskies. UConn was able to comfortably hold off UTSA, 90-52, and advance to the Round of 32. Will the Huskies be able to repeat thes...

  In a heartbreaker of a loss ending a historical season for No. 9 Virginia Tech, the No. 8 Oregon Ducks advance to the Round of 32. A Tough First Round Exit, What Went Wrong? In their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2024, the Virginia Tech Hokies had a lot to be proud of coming into this game, regardless of the outcome. Proving critics wrong and finishing 6th in the ACC and dancing in March Madness, Coach Duffy and her team gave everything they had. Cold Shooting at the Wrong Time Towards the end of the regular season, Virginia Tech began to have stretches in games where it felt like no shot went in. Such cold stretches allowed for teams to come back despite a large lead. An example of this was in their regular season finale against UVA. The Hokies led by as much as 23 points, but a sloppy second half let Virginia creep back in. Although Virginia Tech pulled off a 1-point victory, there were many times this season that periods of cold shooting let them down, and this was se...

March Madness is Here! The 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament is here, and the madness is just getting started. Although there typically aren't as many major upsets within the women's tournament as seen in the men's tournament in recent years, not all hope is lost for an upset. Specifically, upsets within the women's tournament are most likely to be found in the 8 vs. 9 and 7 vs. 10 matchups in the Round of 64.  One game between an 8 seed and a 9 seed to keep an eye on is No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech. This contest with the Ducks facing the Hokies is much closer than many give it credit for. Facing off Friday, March 20, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN 2, the Oregon Ducks enter this matchup with a 22-12 record in comparison to Virginia Tech's 23-9. Although Virginia Tech has a better record on the surface and their higher conference ranking in the ACC being 8th, outdoing Oregon's 11th place in the Big Ten, the Ducks remain a 4.5-point favori...

  With a First Round bye and a Second Round win against Georgia Tech, the Virginia Tech Hokies fell to the North Carolina Tarheels in the Quarterfinals. Slow Start Against Georgia Tech Getting extra rest and a bye can be a both a blessing and a curse. You get time off to take extra time to prepare, but the momentum built towards the end of the regular season may be lost. A similar case was seen in Virginia Tech's matchup with Georgia Tech in the Second Round of the ACC Tournament. On March 5, 2026, the No. 6 Virginia Tech Hokies took on the No. 11 Georgia Tech Yellowjackets in what was a very slow start for the Hokies. Putting up a season low 7 points in the first quarter, Coach Duffy's Virginia Tech team looked like a disaster. Finally taking the lead 20-19 over halfway through the second quarter, the Hokies picked up their feet ever so slightly. Although they shot a field goal percentage of 36% as a team, Georgia Tech's was barely better at 37% and shooting much worse fro...

  Finishing with a regular season record of 22-8 and an ACC record of 12-6, the Virginia Tech Hokies earned the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament, beating all odds and preseason rankings. Pivotal Conference Wins Syracuse Blowout Looking to gain traction in ACC play after falling to 2-3, the Hokies needed to find a way to make Syracuse work and get the win. With five players for Virginia Tech scoring in double figures, the Hokies got the job done with ease, beating the Orange 77-57. Holding Syracuse's Uche Izoje to 14 points, Sophie Burrows to 7 points, and Laila Phelia to 12 points was huge as it limited the Orange's scoring ability to come from their "Big 3." Although Virginia Tech's backup forward, Kayl Petersen sustained a nose injury that would take her out of the game in the third quarter, the Hokies remained united until the final whistle. This win was defining for Virginia Tech as it brough their conference record to .500 and gave them hope to prove critics ...