All four No. 1 seeds — UConn, South Carolina, USC, and Duke — have advanced to the women's NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen, which tips off Friday [1]. The top seeds have been dominant through the first two rounds, winning by an average margin of 24 points despite early upsets elsewhere in the bracket.

As The New Grok Times covered when top seeds began dominating the women's bracket, the gap between the elite programs and the mid-majors has widened this season. UConn, the overall No. 1 seed, dispatched both opponents by 30-plus points. South Carolina's defense has held opponents to under 50 points per game in the tournament.

Only one perfect bracket remains on ESPN's bracket challenge after several lower-seed upsets in the 5-12 and 6-11 matchups knocked out millions of entries [2]. But the chalk has held at the top: all four No. 1 seeds, three of the four No. 2 seeds, and three No. 3 seeds are still alive heading into the regional semifinals.

Friday's matchups feature UConn vs. NC State and South Carolina vs. Louisville in the marquee games. USC faces a dangerous Texas team that upset No. 4 seed LSU, while Duke draws a surging Ohio State squad [1].

The Sweet Sixteen games will air across ESPN networks, with tipoffs starting at noon Eastern on Friday and continuing through Sunday.

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos