March Madness women’s tournament analysis: Teams and players to watch

The NCAA women’s basketball tournament bracket is set and the games will begin Wednesday with the start of the First Four.

Here’s a rundown of the players to watch, potential Cinderella teams and game previews for every region in the 2025 NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

UCLA players huddle during a game against Illinois at Pauley Pavilion in February.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

No. 1 UCLA: The Bruins claim the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history behind a junior class that has come of age. Center Lauren Betts is a dominant force down low, but Kiki Rice’s three-point shooting could be the key. The guard more known for her crafty finishes in the lane is shooting a career-best 33.3% from three-point range.

No. 2 NORTH CAROLINA STATE: The Wolfpack play a unique four-guard lineup around 6-foot-6 freshman forward Tilda Trygger. With no other starter taller than 6-foot-1, the small lineup could be a favorable Elite Eight matchup for UCLA if seeding holds.

No. 3 LOUISIANA STATE: The Tigers are a No. 3 seed for the fourth consecutive season and won the NCAA title in 2023 from the No. 3 line. Flau’jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow have stepped up after Angel Reese’s departure to average 18.9 and 18.5 points per game, respectively.

No. 4 BAYLOR: Baylor has five players who average double digits in points, led by 14.6 points per game from senior center Aaronette Vonleh. The Bears were without star forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs (14.3 points per game, 10.5 rebounds) in the Big 12 tournament but she is expected to return from a knee injury.

UCLA Sports

UCLA sets school record by earning No. 1 overall seed in women’s NCAA tournament

No. 1 UCLA earned its highest women’s NCAA tournament seed and will face No. 16 seed UC San Diego or Southern at Pauley Pavilion Friday.

March 16, 2025

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No. 10 Harvard earned its highest seed in program history and its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007 by knocking off top-seeded Columbia in the Ivy League championship. With three teams in the NCAA tournament for the first time in history, the Ivy League is proving to be a deep conference that could make noise in March.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lauren Betts, center, UCLA: The Big Ten defensive player of the year not only leads UCLA with 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds, but ranks third on the team in assists with 78 total.

Aneesha Morrow, forward, LSU: The DePaul transfer in her second year at LSU leads the country in rebounds with 13.6 per game and is the second Division I player to record 100 career double-doubles.

Ta’Niya Latson, guard, Florida State: Latson leads the country in scoring with 24.9 points per game. The junior was one of three Florida State players named first-team All-ACC.

RIM SHOTS

• Harvard’s 24 wins are the most in program history, surpassing the 23 wins in 1997-98. That team made NCAA history as the first No. 16 seed to upset a No. 1, taking down Stanford.
  
• Three of the six NCAA tournament rookies reside in Spokane regional 1, as George Mason, Grand Canyon and UC San Diego are all dancing on the biggest stage for the first time.
  
• Ole Miss will make its fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, but it’s the first time in school history that the women’s and men’s basketball programs will play in the NCAA tournament during the same season.

— Thuc Nhi Nguyen

South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwiley shoots against Auburn on Feb. 2.

(Nell Redmond / Associated Press)

No. 1 SOUTH CAROLINA: The Gamecocks were indifferent when ESPN cameras cut to the players after revealing their No. 1 seed, clearly irked they were not the No. 1 overall seed after routing Texas 64-45 to win the SEC tournament title. Dawn Staley’s team is riding a seven-game win streak and enters the tournament fired up to defend its national title.

No. 2 DUKE: The Blue Devils are riding a six-game win streak that includes victories over tough tournament teams North Carolina, Florida State, Louisville, Notre Dame and NC State. Oluchi Okananwa and Ashlon Jackson scored 22 points apiece during Duke’s ACC tournament title win, the school’s first since 2013.

No. 3 NORTH CAROLINA: The Tar Heels are making their fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament and enter the postseason with 27 wins, the most of coach Courtney Banghart’s tenure. All-ACC first team selection Alyssa Ustby and All-ACC second team honorees Maria Gakdeng and Reniya Kelly have played key roles for the Tar Heels.

No. 4 MARYLAND:The Terrapins have five wins over AP top 25 teams this season, most recently knocking off No. 12 Ohio State in overtime. Maryland is making its 15 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and has made 11 Sweet 16 appearances under coach Brenda Frese.

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No. 10 seed Indiana could surprise No. 7 seed Utah. The Hoosiers own four wins over teams ranked in the AP top 25 poll. With 23 points and eight rebounds from guard Yarden Garzon, the Hoosiers briefly led No. 1 seed USC before losing by five points during the Big Ten conference tournament.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Mikayla Blakes, guard, Vanderbilt: The SEC Freshman of the Year is ranked No. 7 nationally in scoring with 23.2 points per game and No. 21 in steals (75).

MiLaysia Fulwiley, guard, South Carolina: The SEC Sixth Woman of the Year averaged 13.4 points per game in SEC play on 41.5% shooting. Defensively, she ranked ninth in steals (1.94) and 10th in blocks (0.94) per league game.

Toby Fournier, forward, Duke: Fournier earned ACC Rookie of the Year and All-ACC first team honors. The Toronto native leads the Blue Devils with 14.1 points per game and shot 55% from the field during the regular season.

RIM SHOTS

• South Carolina earned a No. 1 seed for the fifth consecutive season and Las Vegas oddsmakers favor the Gamecocks to repeat as national champions following Sunday’s bracket reveal.
  
• Oregon State is a No. 14 seed, but the Beavers are a seasoned program that reached the Elite Eight last season.
  
• No. 5 seed Alabama boasts three wins over teams in the AP top 25 poll, including an 88-85 overtime win against No. 7 LSU in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Feb. 27.

— Iliana Limón Romero

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo controls the ball against Duke in the semifinals of the ACC tournament on March 8.

(Ben McKeown / Associated Press)

No. 1 TEXAS: Texas earned back-to-back No. 1 seeds for the first time since 1987-88, entering the tournament with 15 wins in its last 16 games — losing to fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference tournament final. Tied with Texas Christian for the most wins this season (31), it posted a 15-1 SEC record and secured three top-10 victories over the Gamecocks, Kentucky and LSU.

No. 2 TEXAS CHRISTIAN: Last season, TCU forfeited games and held open tryouts to help fill gaps after a string of player injuries. Now, the rejuvenated Horned Frogs are a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Led by transfer Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince, TCU is the only Power Four team to win outright regular season and conference tournament titles.

No. 3 NOTRE DAME: Notre Dame’s seeding came as a shock after being ranked No. 1 just three weeks ago, but the Irish have slipped, losing two of their last five games. Still, they earned a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title, with ACC player of the year Hannah Hidalgo averaging 24.2 points per game and fellow scoring threat Olivia Miles chipping in 16.2 points per contest.

No. 4 OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes have won 25-plus games in four consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. Scoring and assist leaders Cotie McMahon and Jaloni Cambridge left the Big Ten tournament with injuries, but they are expected to return ahead of their first-round matchup.

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Iowa State started the season in the top 10, but after ups and downs, the Cyclones now find themselves as a First Four participant. However, back-to-back All-Big 12 selection Audi Cooks was a breakout star of last year’s NCAA tournament and could make a big impact again this season. Cooks leads the nation in made field goals (304), breaking her own record of 285, and has tallied seven 30-plus point games and 10 double-doubles.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Hannah Hidalgo, guard, Notre Dame: One of only two players in school history to post multiple 700-point seasons, Hidalgo leads on both ends of the court, averaging 24.2 points and 3.7 steals per game — both ranked fourth in the nation.

Hailey Van Lith, guard, TCU: The Big 12 player of the year and newcomer of the year recipient averaged 17.9 points, 5.3 assists, 4.4 rebounds per game and a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. She was the only Big 12 player in top 10 of each category.

Madison Booker, forward, Texas: Booker earned back-to-back player of the year honors, following her Big 12 accolade with SEC recognition this season. She averaged 20.5 points and 7.6 rebounds — scoring in double figures during 27 games.

RIM SHOTS

• Tennessee continued its run of appearing every year in the field since the first NCAA tournament in 1982, earning a No. 5 seed this season.
  
• The region showcases four Naismith Trophy women’s player of the year semifinalists — the most of any region: Texas’ Booker, TCU’s Van Lith and Notre Dame’s Hidalgo and Miles.
  
• Notre Dame has double-digit wins over four current AP top 10 teams: No. 3 UConn, No. 4 USC, No. 5 Texas and No. 7 Duke.

— Anthony De Leon

USC star JuJu Watkins runs onto the court before a game against Michigan at Galen Center in December.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

No. 1 USC: At their best, no team in the tournament field has more firepower than the Trojans, who boast not only the favorite for national player of the year in JuJu Watkins, but also another potential All-American in forward Kiki Iriafen. But it’s USC’s defense that makes it particularly dominant. The Trojans held opponents to a meager 36.3% shooting this season, while their rim protection (6.8 blocks per game) is elite.

No. 2 CONNECTICUT: Once an unstoppable juggernaut in women’s college basketball, UConn hasn’t won a national title in eight years — which, given Geno Auriemma’s track record as coach, is actually a relatively long wait. But the Huskies have as much talent this season as at any point in the last decade. Paige Bueckers is the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, while Sarah Strong is likely to be named national freshman of the year. Add a sharpshooter such as Azzi Fudd to the mix, and you have one of the most potent attacks in America.

No. 3 OKLAHOMA: The Sooners were on a tear leading into March, before South Carolina upended them in the Southeastern Conference tournament semifinals. With a fast-paced attack and a dominant center in transfer Raegan Beers, Oklahoma has one of the more dangerous offenses in the tournament. Its losses have all come against teams seeded one, two or three in this tournament.

No. 4 KENTUCKY: Kentucky changed coaches after missing the last two tournaments and now finds itself hosting the first two rounds. Kenny Brooks brought with him two transfers from Virginia Tech who have since become integral in guard Georgia Amoore (19.1 points per game) and center Clara Strack (15.2). But the Wildcats struggled a bit down the stretch, with losses in five of their last eight games.

USC Sports

Fired up No. 1 seed USC feels disrespected by spot in women’s NCAA tournament bracket

The No. 1 USC Trojans, led by star JuJu Watkins, believe their schedule and success should have translated to a better NCAA tournament regional draw.

March 16, 2025

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Liberty, the No. 13 seed, is in the tournament for the first team since 2018 after winning the Conference USA tournament, and it has all the makings of a possible Cinderella. Not only do the Flames face Kentucky, a team going the wrong direction at tournament time, but they also have a deep rotation and are one of the better three-point shooting teams in the nation (37%).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sarah Strong, forward, Connecticut: Bueckers is the main attraction for the Huskies, but Strong at her best makes them impossible to stop. She averaged 16 points and 8.4 rebounds as a freshman.

Raegan Beers, center, Oklahoma: Beers was just as much a force in the SEC as she was at Oregon State last season. At 66%, no one in the conference shot better from the field.

Ayoka Lee, center, Kansas State: Before Lee got hurt, the Wildcats were 18-1. They lost six of 14 without her after that, but could be ready to return by tournament time.

RIM SHOTS

• The region features the two best shot-blocking defenses in all of college basketball in Kentucky (6.9 blocks per game) and USC (6.8). The Wildcats relied on Clara Strack, the SEC’s defensive player of the year, to do most of that work, while USC was led unexpectedly in that department by Watkins.
  
• Despite being a No. 2 seed, Connecticut has the second-best odds to win the national title at +300, while USC’s odds sit at 6-to-1. The oddsmakers, it seems, see the Huskies edging the Trojans once again in the Elite Eight.
  
• Oklahoma has perhaps the deepest bench in the tournament, with 10 players who average 10 or more minutes per game. Because of that depth, Beers, the Sooners’ star, plays just 22 minutes per game on average, but still contributes 17.5 points per contest.

— Ryan Kartje