NCAAW: Harvard-Michigan State highlights second day of tournament

Early round upsets, at least in comparison to men’s March Madness, are a bit of a rarity in the women’s game. Because players can’t go one-and-done, the top teams accumulate talent that spreads across different graduating classes, making it that much harder for double-digit seeds make noise.

Although we may not see any of the top-seeded teams face a real threat until the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight, here are some matchups that deserve your time on day two of the first round:

No. 8-seed Cal vs. No. 9-seed Mississippi State

Cal was able to hang around with No. 8 Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament, an encouraging sign after being routed by the Irish 91-52 in February. That’s how a couple of marquee matchups have played out for the Golden Bears this year. They’ve been absolutely smothered a few too many times for comfortability, but went 25-8 in a good ACC conference. They don’t project to be a team to make noise beyond the first round, but they have a high likelihood of giving the…