March Madness is finally here! Selection Sunday is wrapped up, and the fates of the 68 teams are sealed. The stage is set, and the country’s top programs are ready to battle it out to become the best in the country. It’s the most thrilling three weeks in sports calendar, and it all kicks off on March 18. Get ready for upsets, buzzer-beaters, and unforgettable moments–this is the madness we’ve all been waiting for!
The NCAA women’s tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday, with UCLA securing the overall No. 1 seed over Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks. Texas and USC grabbed the other two No. 1 seeds, while UConn settled for a No. 2 seed. The Huskies, who haven’t won a national title since 2016, will look to end that drought in Paige Bueckers’ final season. A No. 1 seed has won the tournament 23 times since 1982, including South Carolina’s 38-0 run last year, setting high stakes for UCLA, USC, and Texas this March.
Prediction for the first-round games
First Four games:
#11 Columbia (-130) vs. #11 Washington
#11 Iowa State(-188) vs. #11 Princeton
#16 UC San Diego (-184) vs. #16 Southern
#16 High Point(-310) vs. #16 William & Mary
Spokane 1 Region games:
#1 UCLA vs. #16 UC San Diego/Southern (TBD)
#5 Ole Miss vs. #12 Ball State (TBD)
#4 Baylor (-3000) vs. #13 Grand Canyon- watch for Grand Canyon’s shooters (37.8% from deep) to test Baylor’s perimeter defense
#6 Florida State vs. #11 George Mason (TBD)
#3 LSU (-8000) vs. #14 San Diego State
#7 Michigan State vs. #10 Harvard (TBD)
#2 NC State (-4500) vs. #15 Vermont
Spokane 2 region games
#1 USC vs. #16 UNC-Greensboro (TBD)
#8 California vs. #9 Mississippi State (TBD)
#5 Kansas State (-2000) vs. #12 Fairfield—Fairfield’s 25-game win streak makes them a sleeper
#4 Kentucky(-2200) vs. #13 Liberty
#6 Iowa vs. #11 Murray State (TBD)
#3 Oklahoma vs. #14 Florida Gulf Coast (TBD)
#7 Oklahoma State vs. #10 South Dakota State
#2 UConn (-42.5) vs. #15 Arkansas State
Birmingham 1 region games
#1 South Carolina (-36.5) vs. #16 Tennessee Tech
#8 Utah (-130) vs. #9 Indiana—Utah’s zone could challenge South Carolina in round two
#5 Alabama vs. #12 Green Bay (TBD)
#4 Maryland vs. #13 Norfolk State (TBD)
#6 West Virginia vs. #11 Columbia/Washington (TBD)
#3 North Carolina (-5000) vs. #14 Oregon State
#7 Vanderbilt (-250) vs. #10 Oregon-Vanderbilt’s Khamil Pierre (22.8 PPG) is an X-factor
#2 Duke (-20000) vs. #15 LeHigh
Birmingham 2 region games
#1 Texas vs. #16 High Point/William & Mary (TBD)
#8 Illinois vs. #9 Creighton (TBD)
#5 Tennessee(-4500) vs. #12 South Florida
#4 Ohio State (-1050) vs. #13 Montana State
#6 Michigan vs. #11 Iowa State/Princeton (TBD)
#3 Notre Dame vs. #14 Stephen F. Austin (TBD)
#7 Louisville vs. #10 Nebraska (TBD)
#2 TCU vs. #15 Fairleigh Dickinson (TBD)
The favorites to win the big dance
UCLA Bruins
The Bruins (30-2) have had a historic season in Westwood, recording the program’s first-ever 30-win campaign and holding the No. 1 spot in the AP poll for 12 straight weeks. Their impressive run included a second-place finish in the Big Ten regular season and their first conference tournament title since 2006.
Dec 29, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Lauren Betts (51) heads to the bench during the fourth quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Junior center Lauren Betts has been dominant, averaging nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. UCLA will begin their March Madness run at Pauley Pavilion on Friday, hosting the winner of No. 16 Southern U and UC San Diego. Coach Cori Close couldn’t be prouder of her squad. “Thankful and humbled to watch them persevere, to grow, to find ways to win, to be committed to selflessness. Just so grateful.” Close said. Confidence is sky-high for UCLA, and they head into the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all.
USC Trojans
The Trojans (28-3) have delivered on the hype in JuJu Watkins’ sophomore season. They kicked off the year with wins over Ole Miss and UConn and suffered just one loss to Notre Dame, starting 19-1 — their best since 1981-82. USC swept UCLA to clinch their first regular-season conference title since 1994 and secured their first win over a No. 1 team since 1983. The impressive run earned the Trojans their highest Associated Press ranking, No. 2, since 1984.
Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts after scoring in the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Coach Lindsay Gottlieb didn’t hide her frustration after USC was named the fourth No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday.“This was not on my bingo card to be a little bit frustrated after being a one seed. It’s not an arrogance of any kind. I think there’s a lot of really good teams and you’ve got to play the first game in front of you and earn your way from there and that’s what we’ll do. Sometimes I don’t understand people who make decisions in women’s basketball and why they do what they do and certainly with this committee I would love to ask them questions,” said Gottlieb expressing her frustrations. Despite the frustration, the Trojans are locked in as the No. 1 seed in their region. They’ll face No. 16 UNC Greensboro on Saturday at Galen Center in Los Angeles to kick off their March Madness run.
South Carolina Gamecocks
After entering the last two NCAA tournaments undefeated, the Gamecocks ended the season at 30-3, which is still elite. Despite losing Kamilla Cardoso to the WNBA draft (No. 3 pick) and Ashlyn Watkins to a knee injury in January, South Carolina remains dominant in the post. Chloe Kitts, Sania Feagin, and Joyce Edwards combine for over 31 points and 17 rebounds per game, making the frontcourt tough to handle. Without a single go-to player, South Carolina’s attack makes them incredibly hard to guard.
Jan 9, 2025; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley speaks with guard Raven Johnson (25) in the first half at Colonial Life Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Like Gottlieb, Coach Staley wasn’t thrilled about UCLA getting the top overall seed. “I’m not in the (selection) room, but I think we did more than probably any other No. 1 overall seed,” she said. The defending champions will kick off their March Madness run by hosting No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech on Friday.
UConn Huskies
UConn (31-3) heads into March with its best chance in years to win a national title and end its eight-year championship drought. After years of injury struggles, the Huskies have enjoyed better health this season, giving them a deep and talented roster that’s had Coach Geno Auriemma excited all year. It also helps to have arguably the best trio in women’s college basketball, led by expected No. 1 WNBA draft pick Paige Bueckers, with strong support from Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong.
Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper (55) defends UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) during a women’s college basketball game between the Lady Vols and UConn at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville on Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Auriemma wasn’t happy to see only two Big East teams make the big dance. “That’s a problem, that’s a big problem. And that’s a problem that has to be addressed, and needs to be addressed ASAP …” Auriemma said. “I know since we’ve been back (in the Big East), we’ve had five in. So we go from five to two. That’s not good. When we go to these meetings, some of these things are gonna have to be addressed, and they’re not just women’s basketball issues, they’re big-picture issues.” Huskies will be hosting No. 15 Arkansas State to begin their March madness journey on Saturday.
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