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March 13 (UPI) -- Defending champion South Carolina is favored to win the 2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament. Sixty-seven other teams will attempt to dethrone the Gamecocks at the annual competition, which starts Wednesday. The 67-game tournament field was announced Sunday on ESPN. Games will air through April 2 and air on ESPN, ESPNU, ESPN2, ESPNews and ABC.
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"We know what it felt like to win," South Carolina guard Brea Beal told reporters Sunday. "We know what it felt like to lose in this situation.
"We want the same feeling we had last year."
First Four games will tip off the tournament Wednesday and Thursday. No. 11 seeds Mississippi State and Illinois will meet in the first game at 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday on ESPNU. No. 16 seeds Sacred Heart and Southern will play in the second game at 9 p.m. on the same network.
Mississippi State or Illinois will meet No. 6 Creighton in the Round of 64. Southern or Sacred Heart will meet No. 1 Stanford in the Round of 64.
No. 11 seeds St. John's and Purdue will meet in another First Four game at 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2. No. 16 seeds Monmouth and Tennessee Tech will play at 9 p.m. Thursday on ESPN2.
No. 1 Indiana will meet Tennessee Tech or Monmouth in the first round. No. 6 North Carolina will face the winner of the Purdue/St. John's matchup.
Virginia Tech and South Carolina are the other top seeds. The Gamecocks, the No. 1 overall seed, will open the tournament against No. 16 Norfolk State. Virginia Tech will play No. 16 Chattanooga in the Round of 64.
"I know we aren't the same team, but there is some familiarity as you go down the bracket," Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley told reporters. "But, first thing's first, is Norfolk State. They are having a historical year. We have to take care of business on Friday."
Boston, the reigning National Player of the Year, averaged 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, and is the obvious player to watch. The four-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year and 2022 NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft.
Boston, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, Villanova forward Maddy Siegrist, Stanford forward Cameron Brink, Iowa State guard-forward Ashley Joens and Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley are among the Wood Award finalists who will participate in the tournament.
Siegrist led the nation with 28.9 points per game this season.
LSU forward Angel Reese, Indiana forward Mackenzie Holmes and Utah forward Alissa Pili are among the other players to watch this March.
Schedule in EDT
Wednesday
First Four
No. 11 Mississippi State vs. No. 11 Illinois at 7 p.m. on ESPNU
No. 16 Sacred Heart vs. No. 16 Southern at 9 p.m. on ESPNU
Thursday
First Four
No. 11 St. John's vs. No. 11 Purdue at 7 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 16 Monmouth vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech at 9 p.m. on ESPN2
Friday
Round of 64
No. 9 Marquette vs. No. 8 South Florida at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2
No. 10 West Virginia vs. No. 7 Arizona at noon on ESPN
No. 10 Georgia vs. No. 7 Florida State at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 16 Norfolk State vs. No. 1 South Carolina at 2 p.m. on ESPN
No. 15 Holy Cross vs. No. 2 Maryland at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNews
No. 11 UNLV vs. No. 6 Michigan at 3 p.m. on ESPNU
No. 14 Southern Utah vs. No. 14 Notre Dame at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 15 Southeastern Louisiana vs. No. 2 Iowa at 4 p.m on ESPN
No. 14 Hawaii vs. No. 3 LSU at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 16 Chattanooga vs. No. 1 Virginia Tech at 5:30 p.m. on ESPNU
No. 11 Illinois/Mississippi State vs. No. 6 Creighton at 6 p.m. on ESPNews
No. 16 Southern/Sacred Heart vs. No. 1 Stanford at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 15 Gardner-Webb vs. No. 2 Utah at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU
No. 9 South Dakota State vs. No. 8 USC at 8 p.m. on ESPNews
No. 10 Princeton vs. No. 7 NC State at 10 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 9 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 Ole Miss at 10 p.m. on ESPNU
Saturday
Round of 64
No. 16 Tennessee Tech/Monmouth vs. No. 1 Indiana at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN2
No. 13 Saint Louis vs. No. 4 Tennessee at 1 p.m. on ABC
No. 14 James Madison vs. No. 3 Ohio State at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 9 Miami vs. No. 8 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. on ESPN
No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast vs. No. 5 Washington State at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU
No. 15 Vermont vs. No. 2 UConn at 3 p.m. on ABC
No. 12 Toledo vs. No. 5 Iowa State at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 11 Purdue/St. John's vs. No. 6 North Carolina at 4 p.m on ESPN
No. 13 Cleveland State vs. No. 4 Villanova at 5 p.m. on ESPNU
No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 7 Baylor at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 11 Middle Tennessee vs. No. 6 Colorado at 7 p.m. on ESPNews
No. 12 Drake vs. No. 5 Louisville at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 12 Portland vs. No. 5 Oklahoma at 9 p.m. on ESPNU
No. 14 Iona vs. No. 3 Duke at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2
No. 13 East Carolina vs. No. 4 Texas at 10 p.m. on ESPN
No. 13 Sacramento State vs. No. 4 UCLA at 11:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Sunday
Round of 32
TBD vs. TBD at 1 p.m. on ABC
TBD vs. TBD at 3 p.m. on ABC
TBD vs. TBD at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 5 p.m. on ESPN2
TBD vs. TBD at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on ESPN2
TBD vs. TBD at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
March 20
Round of 32
TBD vs. TBD at 4 p.m. on ESPN2
TBD vs. TBD at 6 p.m. on ESPN2
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on ESPNU
TBD vs. TBD at 8 p.m. on ESPN2
TBD vs. TBD at 9 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 9 p.m. on ESPNU
TBD vs. TBD at 10 p.m on ESPN2
March 24
Sweet 16
TBD vs. TBD at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 5 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 10 p.m. on ESPN
March 25
Sweet 16
TBD vs. TBD at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 2 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 4 p.m. on ABC
TBD vs. TBD at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2
March 26
Elite Eight
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 9 p.m. on ESPN
March 27
Elite Eight
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 9 p.m. on ESPN
March 31
Final Four
TBD vs. TBD at 7 p.m. on ESPN
TBD vs. TBD at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
April 2
National Championship game
TBD vs. TBD at 3:30 p.m. on ABC
