2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

2025 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament

Season	2024–25
Teams	68
Finals site	Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida
Champions	UConn Huskies (12th title, 13th title game, 24th Final Four)
Runner-up	South Carolina Gamecocks (4th title game, 7th Final Four)
Semifinalists	Texas Longhorns (4th Final Four) UCLA Bruins (1st Final Four)
Winning coach	Geno Auriemma (12th title)
MOP	Azzi Fudd (UConn)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments « 2024 2026 »

The 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was a 68-team single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 43rd edition of the tournament began on March 19, 2025, and concluded with the championship game on April 6, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Atlantic 10 champion George Mason, Big West champion UC San Diego, NEC champion Fairleigh Dickinson, Sun Belt champion Arkansas State, WAC champion Grand Canyon, and CAA champion William & Mary all made their NCAA tournament debuts. Additionally, SoCon champion UNC Greensboro made their first appearance since 1998 and second appearance overall.

For the first time since 1987, Stanford did not qualify for the tournament.

For the first time in Women's March Madness history since expanding to 64-plus teams, no team successfully completed an official upset, defined by the NCAA as by five or more seeding lines. ^[1]

Tournament procedure

Further information: NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament § Tournament format

Out of 355 eligible Division I teams, 68 participated in the tournament. ^[a] A total of 31 automatic bids are awarded to each program that win a conference tournament. The remaining 37 bids are issued "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee on Selection Sunday, March 16. The Selection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68.

Eight teams (the four-lowest seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at large-teams) play in the First Four. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket.

First four out

NET	School	Conference	Record
47	Virginia Tech	ACC	18–12
53	Saint Joseph's	A-10	23–9
60	James Madison	Sun Belt	28–5
49	UNLV	MWC	25–7

2025 NCAA Tournament schedule and venues

First Four ^[2]

• March 19 and 20
  • Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California (Host: University of California, Los Angeles)
  • Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, Indiana (Host: University of Notre Dame)
  • Moody Center, Austin, Texas (Host: University of Texas at Austin)
  • Carmichael Arena, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Host: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Subregionals (First and Second Rounds)

• March 21 and 23 (Fri/Sun)
  • Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California (Host: University of California, Los Angeles)
  • Foster Pavilion, Waco, Texas (Host: Baylor University)
  • Memorial Coliseum, Lexington, Kentucky (Host: University of Kentucky)
  • Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina (Host: University of South Carolina)
  • Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina (Host: Duke University)
  • Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio (Host: Ohio State University)
  • Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, Indiana (Host: University of Notre Dame)
  • Schollmaier Arena, Fort Worth, Texas (Host: Texas Christian University)

• March 22 and 24 (Sat/Mon)
  • Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut (Host: University of Connecticut)
  • Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Host: Louisiana State University)
  • Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina (Host: North Carolina State University)
  • Galen Center, Los Angeles, California (Host: University of Southern California)
  • Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Oklahoma (Host: University of Oklahoma)
  • Xfinity Center, College Park, Maryland (Host: University of Maryland, College Park)
  • Carmichael Arena, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (Host: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
  • Moody Center, Austin, Texas (Host: University of Texas at Austin)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

• March 28–31
  • Birmingham Regional, Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama (Hosts: Southeastern Conference)
  • Spokane Regional, Spokane Arena, Spokane, Washington (Hosts: University of Idaho)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship)

• April 4 and April 6
  • Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida (Host: University of South Florida)

Tampa is scheduled to host the women's Final Four for the fourth time; the third was in 2019. ^[3]

Qualification and selection of teams

Further information: 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament qualifying teams

The 68 teams came from 36 states.

UCLA

NC State

LSU

Baylor

Ole Miss

Florida State

Michigan State

Richmond

Georgia Tech

Harvard

George Mason

Ball State

Grand Canyon

San Diego State

Vermont

UC San Diego

Southern

South Carolina

Duke

North Carolina

Maryland

Alabama

West Virginia

Vanderbilt

Utah

Indiana

Oregon

Columbia

Washington

Green Bay

Norfolk State

Oregon State

Lehigh

Tennessee Tech

Texas

TCU

Notre Dame

Ohio State

Tennessee

Michigan

Louisville

Illinois

Creighton

Nebraska

Iowa State

Princeton

South Florida

Montana State

Stephen F. Austin

FDU

High Point

W&M

USC

UConn

Oklahoma

Kentucky

Kansas State

Iowa

Oklahoma State

California

Miss State

South Dakota State

Murray State

Fairfield

FGCU

Arkansas State

UNCG

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Teams that participated in the 2025 tournament. Spokane 1 Region (red), Birmingham 2 Region (blue), Birmingham 3 Region (green), and Spokane 4 Region (purple)

Automatic qualifiers

Teams who won their conference championships automatically qualify.

Automatic qualifiers in the 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

Conference	Team	Appearance	Last bid
America East	Vermont	8th	2023
American	South Florida	10th	2023
Atlantic 10	George Mason	1st	Never
ACC	Duke	27th	2024
ASUN	Florida Gulf Coast	11th	2024
Big 12	TCU	10th	2010
Big East	UConn	36th	2024
Big Sky	Montana State	4th	2022
Big South	High Point	2nd	2021
Big Ten	UCLA	20th	2024
Big West	UC San Diego	1st	Never
CAA	William & Mary	1st	Never
CUSA	Liberty	18th	2018
Horizon	Green Bay	20th	2024
Ivy League	Harvard	7th	2007
MAAC	Fairfield	7th	2024
MAC	Ball State	2nd	2009
MEAC	Norfolk State	4th	2024
Missouri Valley	Murray State	2nd	2008
Mountain West	San Diego State	10th	2012
NEC	Fairleigh Dickinson	1st	Never
Ohio Valley	Tennessee Tech	12th	2023
Patriot	Lehigh	5th	2021
SEC	South Carolina	21st	2024
Southern	UNC Greensboro	2nd	1998
Southland	Stephen F. Austin	21st	2022
SWAC	Southern	7th	2023
Summit League	South Dakota State	13th	2024
Sun Belt	Arkansas State	1st	Never
WAC	Grand Canyon	1st	Never
WCC	Oregon State	14th	2024

Seeds

The tournament seeds and regions are determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and were published by the selection committee after the brackets are released on March 16.

Spokane Regional 1 – Spokane Arena; Spokane, WA Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type Last bid 1 UCLA Big Ten 30–2 1 Automatic 2024 2 NC State ACC 25–8 8 At Large 2024 3 LSU SEC 28–5 10 At Large 2024 4 Baylor Big 12 27–6 14 At Large 2024 5 Ole Miss SEC 20–10 17 At Large 2024 6 Florida State ACC 23–8 23 At Large 2024 7 Michigan State Big Ten 21–9 25 At Large 2024 8 Richmond Atlantic 10 27–6 32 At Large 2024 9 Georgia Tech ACC 22–10 35 At Large 2022 10 Harvard Ivy 24–4 40 Automatic 2007 11 George Mason Atlantic 10 27–5 45 Automatic Never 12 Ball State Mid American 27–7 50 Automatic 2009 13 Grand Canyon WAC 32–2 51 Automatic Never 14 San Diego State Mountain West 25–9 58 Automatic 2012 15 Vermont America East 21–12 59 Automatic 2023 16* UC San Diego Big West 20–15 65 Automatic Never Southern SWAC 20–14 66 Automatic 2023

Spokane Regional 4 – Spokane Arena; Spokane, WA Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type Last bid 1 USC Big Ten 28–3 4 At-Large 2024 2 UConn Big East 31–3 5 Automatic 2024 3 Oklahoma SEC 25–7 11 At Large 2024 4 Kentucky SEC 22–7 13 At Large 2022 5 Kansas State Big 12 26–7 20 At Large 2024 6 Iowa Big Ten 22–10 21 At Large 2024 7 Oklahoma State Big 12 25–6 27 At Large 2023 8 California ACC 25–8 29 At Large 2019 9 Mississippi State SEC 21–11 36 At Large 2023 10 South Dakota State Summit League 29–3 37 Automatic 2024 11 Murray State Missouri Valley 25–7 46 Automatic 2008 12 Fairfield MAAC 28–4 47 Automatic 2024 13 Liberty CUSA 26–6 54 Automatic 2018 14 Florida Gulf Coast Atlantic Sun 30–3 55 Automatic 2024 15 Arkansas State Sun Belt 21–10 62 Automatic Never 16 UNC Greensboro Southern 25–6 64 Automatic 1998

Birmingham Regional 2 – Legacy Arena; Birmingham, AL Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type Last bid 1 South Carolina SEC 30–3 2 Automatic 2024 2 Duke ACC 26–7 7 Automatic 2024 3 North Carolina ACC 27–7 12 At Large 2024 4 Maryland Big Ten 23–7 16 At Large 2024 5 Alabama SEC 23–8 18 At Large 2024 6 West Virginia Big 12 24-7 24 At Large 2024 7 Vanderbilt SEC 22–10 28 At Large 2024 8 Utah Big 12 22–8 31 At Large 2024 9 Indiana Big Ten 19–12 33 At Large 2024 10 Oregon Big Ten 19–11 39 At Large 2022 11* Columbia Ivy 23–6 41 At Large 2024 Washington Big Ten 19–13 42 At Large 2017 12 Green Bay Horizon 29–5 49 Automatic 2024 13 Norfolk State MEAC 30–4 52 Automatic 2024 14 Oregon State WCC 19–15 57 Automatic 2024 15 Lehigh Patriot 27–6 60 Automatic 2021 16 Tennessee Tech Ohio Valley 26–5 63 Automatic 2023

Birmingham Regional 3 – Legacy Arena; Birmingham, AL Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type Last bid 1 Texas SEC 31–3 3 Automatic 2024 2 TCU Big 12 31–3 6 Automatic 2010 3 Notre Dame ACC 26–5 9 At Large 2024 4 Ohio State Big Ten 25–6 15 At Large 2024 5 Tennessee SEC 22–9 19 At Large 2024 6 Michigan Big Ten 22-10 22 At Large 2024 7 Louisville ACC 21–10 26 At Large 2023 8 Illinois Big Ten 21–9 30 At Large 2023 9 Creighton Big East 26–6 34 At Large 2024 10 Nebraska Big Ten 21–11 38 At Large 2024 11* Iowa State Big 12 22–11 43 At Large 2024 Princeton Ivy 21–7 44 At Large 2024 12 South Florida AAC 23–10 48 Automatic 2023 13 Montana State Big Sky 30–3 53 Automatic 2022 14 Stephen F. Austin Southland 29–5 56 Automatic 2022 15 Fairleigh Dickinson NEC 29–3 61 Automatic Never 16* High Point Big South 21–11 67 Automatic Never William & Mary CAA 15–18 68 Automatic Never

*See First Four
Source: ^[4]

Tournament bracket

All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).

First Four

The First Four games involve eight teams: the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams.

	March 19 – Spokane Regional 1 Los Angeles, California
	16	UC San Diego	56
	16	Southern	68

	March 19 – Birmingham Regional 3 Notre Dame, Indiana
	11	Iowa State	68
	11	Princeton	63

	March 20 – Birmingham Regional 3 Austin, Texas
	16	High Point	63
	16	William & Mary	69

	March 20 – Birmingham Regional 2 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
	11	Columbia	63
	11	Washington	60

Spokane regional 1 – Spokane, WA

	First round Round of 64 March 21–22					Second round Round of 32 March 23–24					Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 28					Regional Final Elite 8 March 30
	1	UCLA	84
	16	Southern	46
						1	UCLA	84
	Los Angeles, California – Fri/Sun
						8	Richmond	67
	8	Richmond	74
	9	Georgia Tech	49
											1	UCLA	76
											5	Ole Miss	62
	5	Ole Miss	83
	12	Ball State	65
						5	Ole Miss	69
	Waco, Texas – Fri/Sun
						4	Baylor	63
	4	Baylor	73
	13	Grand Canyon	60
																1	UCLA	72
																3	LSU	65
	6	Florida State	94
	11	George Mason	59
						6	Florida State	71
	Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Sat/Mon
						3	LSU	101
	3	LSU	103
	14	San Diego State	48
											3	LSU	80
											2	NC State	73
	7	Michigan State	64
	10	Harvard	50
						7	Michigan State	49
	Raleigh, North Carolina – Sat/Mon
						2	NC State	83
	2	NC State	75
	15	Vermont	55

Spokane regional 1 final

ABC

March 30 12:00 pm PDT

No. 1 UCLA Bruins72, No. 3 LSU Tigers 65
Scoring by quarter: 9–13, 22–12, 15–16, 26–24
Pts: Gabriela Jaquez (18) Rebs: Gabriela Jaquez (8) Asts: Kiki Rice (8)		Pts: Flau'jae Johnson (28) Rebs: Sa'Myah Smith (10) Asts: Flau'jae Johnson (4)

Spokane Arena – Spokane, Washington Attendance: 9,299 Referees: Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, Brian Hall, Brenda Pantoja

Spokane regional 4 – Spokane, WA

	First round Round of 64 March 21–22					Second round Round of 32 March 23–24					Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 29					Regional Final Elite 8 March 31
	1	USC	72
	16	UNC Greensboro	25
						1	USC	96
	Los Angeles, California – Sat/Mon
						9	Mississippi State	59
	8	California	46
	9	Mississippi State	59
											1	USC	67
											5	Kansas State	61
	5	Kansas State	85
	12	Fairfield	41
						5	Kansas State	80OT
	Lexington, Kentucky – Fri/Sun
						4	Kentucky	79
	4	Kentucky	79
	13	Liberty	78
																1	USC	64
																2	UConn	78
	6	Iowa	92
	11	Murray State	57
						6	Iowa	62
	Norman, Oklahoma – Sat/Mon
						3	Oklahoma	96
	3	Oklahoma	81
	14	Florida Gulf Coast	58
											3	Oklahoma	59
											2	UConn	82
	7	Oklahoma State	68
	10	South Dakota State	74
						10	South Dakota State	57
	Storrs, Connecticut – Sat/Mon
						2	UConn	91
	2	UConn	103
	15	Arkansas State	34

Spokane 4 regional final

ESPN

March 31 6:00 pm PDT

No. 1 USC Trojans 64, No. 2 UConn Huskies78
Scoring by quarter: 11–14, 14–25, 21–12, 18–27
Pts: Rayah Marshall (23) Rebs: Rayah Marshall (15) Asts:Tied (2)		Pts: Paige Bueckers (31) Rebs: Sarah Strong (17) Asts: Paige Bueckers (6)

Spokane Arena – Spokane, Washington Attendance: 10,141 Referees: Maj Forsberg, Roy Gulbeyan, Katie Lukanich

Birmingham regional 2 – Birmingham, Alabama

	First round Round of 64 March 21–22					Second round Round of 32 March 23–24					Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 28					Regional Final Elite 8 March 30
	1	South Carolina	108
	16	Tennessee Tech	48
						1	South Carolina	64
	Columbia, South Carolina – Fri/Sun
						9	Indiana	53
	8	Utah	68
	9	Indiana	76
											1	South Carolina	71
											4	Maryland	67
	5	Alabama	81
	12	Green Bay	67
						5	Alabama	108
	College Park, Maryland – Sat/Mon
						4	Maryland	1112OT
	4	Maryland	82
	13	Norfolk State	69
																1	South Carolina	54
																2	Duke	50
	6	West Virginia	78
	11	Columbia	59
						6	West Virginia	47
	Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Sat/Mon
						3	North Carolina	58
	3	North Carolina	70
	14	Oregon State	49
											3	North Carolina	38
											2	Duke	47
	7	Vanderbilt	73
	10	Oregon	77OT
						10	Oregon	53
	Durham, North Carolina – Fri/Sun
						2	Duke	59
	2	Duke	86
	15	Lehigh	25

Birmingham regional 2 final

ABC

March 30 12:00 pm CDT

No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks54, No. 2 Duke Blue Devils 50
Scoring by quarter:16–10, 10–12, 12–20, 16–8
Pts: Chloe Kitts (14) Rebs: Sania Feagin (8) Asts: Sania Feagin (3)		Pts: Toby Fournier (18) Rebs: Oluchi Okananwa (7) Asts: Ashlon Jackson (6)

Legacy Arena – Birmingham, Alabama Attendance: 11,252 Referees: Natasha Camy, In'Fini Robinson, Joseph Vaszily

Birmingham regional 2 all-tournament team

• Chloe Kitts (MOP) - South Carolina
• Sania Feagin - South Carolina
• MiLaysia Fulwiley - South Carolina
• Toby Fournier - Duke
• Ashlon Jackson - Duke

Birmingham regional 3 – Birmingham, Alabama

	First round Round of 64 March 21–22					Second round Round of 32 March 23–24					Regional semifinals Sweet 16 March 29					Regional Final Elite 8 March 31
	1	Texas	105
	16	William & Mary	61
						1	Texas	65
	Austin, Texas – Sat/Mon
						8	Illinois	48
	8	Illinois	66
	9	Creighton	57
											1	Texas	67
											5	Tennessee	59
	5	Tennessee	101
	12	South Florida	66
						5	Tennessee	82
	Columbus, Ohio – Fri/Sun
						4	Ohio State	67
	4	Ohio State	71
	13	Montana State	51
																1	Texas	58
																2	TCU	47
	6	Michigan	80
	11	Iowa State	74
						6	Michigan	55
	Notre Dame, Indiana – Fri/Sun
						3	Notre Dame	76
	3	Notre Dame	106
	14	Stephen F. Austin	54
											3	Notre Dame	62
											2	TCU	71
	7	Louisville	63
	10	Nebraska	58
						7	Louisville	70
	Fort Worth, Texas – Fri/Sun
						2	TCU	85
	2	TCU	73
	15	Fairleigh Dickinson	51

Birmingham regional 3 final

ESPN

March 31 6:00 pm CDT

No. 1 Texas Longhorns58, No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs 47
Scoring by quarter:13–9, 10–12, 19–12, 16–14
Pts: Madison Booker (18) Rebs:Tied (6) Asts: Rori Harmon (5)		Pts: Hailey Van Lith (17) Rebs: Sedona Prince (9) Asts: Madison Conner (3)

Legacy Arena – Birmingham, Alabama Attendance: 12,175 Referees: Felicia Grinter, Karen Preato, William Smith

Birmingham regional 3 all-tournament team

• Madison Booker (MOP) - Texas
• Rori Harmon - Texas
• Liatu King - Notre Dame
• Hailey Van Lith - TCU
• Sedona Prince - TCU

Final Four – Tampa, Florida

	National Semifinals Final Four Friday, April 4					National Championship Game Sunday, April 6
	S1 (1)	UCLA	51
	S4 (2)	UConn	85
						S4 (2)	UConn	82
						B2 (1)	South Carolina	59
	B2 (1)	South Carolina	74
	B3 (1)	Texas	57

National semifinals

ESPN

April 4 7:00 p.m.

South Carolina Gamecocks74, Texas Longhorns 57
Scoring by quarter: 18–19, 20–16, 20–9, 16–13
Pts: Te-Hina Paopao (14) Rebs: Joyce Edwards (11) Asts: Joyce Edwards (6)		Pts: Jordan Lee (16) Rebs: Taylor Jones (8) Asts: Rori Harmon (4)

Amalie Arena – Tampa, Florida Referees: Kyle Bacon, Tiffany Bird, Brenda Pantoja

ESPN

April 4 9:30 p.m

UCLA Bruins 51, UConn Huskies85
Scoring by quarter: 13–23, 9–19, 15–18, 14–25
Pts: Lauren Betts (26) Rebs: Gabriela Jaquez (8) Asts:Tied (3)		Pts: Sarah Strong (22) Rebs:Tied (8) Asts: Kaitlyn Chen (5)

Amalie Arena – Tampa, Florida Attendance: 19,731 Referees: Brian Hall, In'Fini Robinson, Joseph Vaszily

National championship

Main article: 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game

ABC

April 6 3:00 p.m.

UConn Huskies82, South Carolina Gamecocks 59
Scoring by quarter:19–14, 17–12, 26–16, 20–17
Pts:Tied (24) Rebs: Sarah Strong (15) Asts: Sarah Strong (5)		Pts:Tied (10) Rebs: Raven Johnson (7) Asts: MiLaysia Fulwiley (4)

Amalie Arena – Tampa, Florida Referees: Gina Cross, Maj Forsberg, Felicia Grinter

Final Four all-tournament team

• Azzi Fudd (MOP) – UConn
• Paige Bueckers – UConn
• Sarah Strong – UConn
• Joyce Edwards – South Carolina
• Lauren Betts – UCLA

Record by conference

Overview of conference performance in the 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

Conference	Bids	Record	Win %	FF	R64	R32	S16	E8	F4	CG	NC
Big East	2	6–1	.857	–	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
SEC	10	21-10	.677	–	10	9	6	3	2	1	–
ACC	8	11–8	.579	–	8	6	4	1	-	-	-
Big Ten	12	16–12	.571	1	11	10	3	2	1	–	–
Big 12	7	8–7	.533	1	7	4	2	1	–	–	–
Atlantic 10	2	1–2	.333	–	2	1	–	–	–	–	–
Summit	1	1–1	.500	–	1	1	–	–	–	–	–
Ivy League	3	1–3	.250	2	2	–	–	–	–	–	–
CAA	1	1–1	.500	1	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
SWAC	1	1–1	.500	1	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
American East	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
American	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
ASUN	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Big Sky	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
CUSA	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Horizon	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
MAAC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
MAC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
MEAC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Missouri Valley	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Mountain West	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
NEC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Ohio Valley	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Patriot	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Southern	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Southland	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Sun Belt	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
WAC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
WCC	1	0–1	.000	–	1	–	–	–	–	–	–
Big South	1	0–1	.000	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
Big West	1	0–1	.000	1	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

1. Nine teams are ineligible, all due to being in the process of reclassifying to Division I from a lower division: East Texas A&M, Le Moyne, Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, Queens, St. Thomas, Southern Indiana, Stonehill, and West Georgia.

• The FF, R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the first four, round of 64 (first round), round of 32 (second round), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively.

Game summaries and tournament notes

The “seed composition” of the Elite Eight was the exact same in both the men’s and women’s tournament: ^[5]

Men’s Elite Eight:

Four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, one #3 seed

Women’s Elite Eight:

Four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, one #3 seed

Tournament upsets

Per the NCAA, an upset occurs "when the losing team in an NCAA tournament game was seeded at least five seed lines better than the winning team." ^[1]

For the first time in NCAA women’s March Madness history since expanding to 64 teams, no team successfully completed an official upset. In addition, this was also the first time no team completed an upset in the Round of 64 alone, meaning no team seeded 11th or lower won in the first round. Both events have never occurred in the men’s tournament since its expansion to 64 teams.

In addition, no team seeded 6th through 10th won their Round of 32 game, ensuring the tournament would have no upsets following the loss of the final such team remaining.

Media coverage

Television

ESPN broadcast each game of the tournament across either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, or ABC. For the third consecutive season, the national championship game aired on ABC. ^{[6] [7]}

Studio host and analysts

• Elle Duncan (host) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four, and national championship)
• Kelsey Riggs (host) (first/second rounds and regional semifinals)
• Andraya Carter (analyst) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship)
• Chiney Ogwumike (analyst) (first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship)
• Muffet McGraw (analyst) (first/second rounds and regional semifinals)
• Meghan McKeown (analyst) (first/second rounds and regional semifinals)
• Lisa Mattingly (rules analyst) (first four, first/second rounds, and regionals)
• Violet Palmer (rules analyst) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four, and national championship)

Commentary teams

First Four [8] Eric Frede, Christy Thomaskutty, and Holly Rowe – Los Angeles, California Pam Ward and Stephanie White – North Dame, Indiana Tiffany Greene and Steffi Sorensen – Austin, Texas Angel Gray and Aja Ellison – Chapel Hill, North Carolina First & second rounds Friday/Sunday (Subregionals) [8] Dave O'Brien, Christy Winters-Scott, and Holly Rowe – Los Angeles, California (UCLA) Krista Blunk and Mary Murphy – Waco, Texas Sam Gore and Tamika Catchings – Lexington, Kentucky Beth Mowins and Rebecca Lobo – Storrs, Connecticut Courtney Lyle and Carolyn Peck – Columbia, South Carolina Jenn Hildreth and Kelly Gramlich – Durham, North Carolina Matt Schumacker and Brooke Weisbrod – Columbus, Ohio Pam Ward and Stephanie White – Notre Dame, Indiana First & second rounds Saturday/Monday (Subregionals) [8] Roy Philpott and Jimmy Dykes – Baton Rouge, Louisiana Wes Durham and Angela Taylor – Raleigh, North Carolina Eric Frede, Christy Thomaskutty, and Holly Rowe – Los Angeles, California (USC) Kevin Fitzgerald and Kim Adams – Norman, Oklahoma Jay Alter and Helen Williams – College Park, Maryland Angel Gray and Aja Ellison – Chapel Hill, North Carolina Tiffany Greene and Steffi Sorensen – Austin, Texas Brenda VanLengen and Andrea Lloyd-Curry – Fort Worth, Texas

Regionals (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) [8] [9] Pam Ward, Stephanie White, and Holly Rowe – Spokane, Washington (Regional 1 – Sweet 16 games only) Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, and Holly Rowe – Spokane, Washington (Regional 4 – Sweet 16/Regionals 1 & 2 – Elite Eight) Courtney Lyle, Carolyn Peck, and Kris Budden – Birmingham, Alabama (Regional 2) Beth Mowins, Debbie Antonelli, and Angel Gray – Birmingham, Alabama (Regional 3) Final Four and National Championship [8] [10] Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, and Holly Rowe – Tampa, Florida

Radio

Westwood One will serve as radio broadcaster of the tournament.

Regionals (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight)

• Lance Medow and Kim Adams – Spokane, Washington 1
• Sam Neidermann and Mary Murphy – Spokane, Washington 4
• Danny Reed and Debbie Antonelli – Birmingham, Alabama 2
• Nate Gatter and Isis Young – Birmingham, Alabama 3

Final Four and National Championship

• Ryan Radtke, Debbie Antonelli, and Ros Gold-Onwude – Tampa, Florida

See also

• 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
• 2025 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament
• 2025 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament
• 2025 NAIA women's basketball tournament

References

1. Staats, Wayne (March 6, 2026). "Here's how to pick March Madness women's upsets, according to the data".
2. Kassim, Ehsan (March 16, 2025). "When is the First Four for Women's March Madness? Dates, location for play-in tournament". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
3. "Women's Final Four: Future dates & sites". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
4. National Collegiate Athletic Association (March 18, 2025). "Division I Women's Basketball AQ/At-Large Breakdown" (PDF). NCAA.com. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
5. Athletic, The (March 30, 2025). "March Madness Women's Sweet 16 live updates: Scores, results and bracket for NCAA Tournament".
6. "ESPN acquires NCAA rights for US$500 million". SportsPro Media. April 2, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
7. "Sights Set on Tampa: ESPN Is the Exclusive Home of NCAA March Madness Women's Basketball for the 30th Year". ESPN Press Room U.S. March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
8. "ESPN Announces Commentator Pairings for Exclusive Coverage of NCAA March Madness Women's Basketball". ESPN Press Room U.S. March 17, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
9. "ESPN's Exclusive Coverage of NCAA Women's March Madness Marches On To the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight". ESPN Press Room U.S. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
10. "Tip Off Time in Tampa! ESPN's MegaCast Presentation of the 2025 NCAA Women's Final Four Begins Friday, April 4". ESPN Press Room U.S. April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.

External links

• NCAA Women's Basketball Division I