Hannah Hidalgo explains impact of support in women’s basketball
Hannah Hidalgo explains impact of support in women’s basketball
The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament is finally here.
The most pressing question that comes with the arrival of March Madness, of course, is who will emerge on the other end as national champion. The likely suspects include No. 1 seeds South Carolina, winner of two of the last three titles; USC, with likely player of the year JuJu Watkins on the roster; UCLA, which beat the Trojans in the women’s Big Ten title game; and Texas, which had an outside shot at the No. 1 overall seed prior to its loss to the Gamecocks in the SEC championship.
To seek no other answer, however, is a reduction of the madness that is March. What awaits between the start of the tournament and its end remains to be seen, though fans can only hope that bracket-breaking underdogs, buzzer-beaters and lovable Cinderellas are present throughout.
The only thing left to do is to watch the madness unfold.
With that, follow along for live updates, scores, highlights and more from Friday’s first-round action of the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament.
All times Eastern
- (6) Michigan 80, (11) Iowa State 74
- (4) Kentucky 79, (13) Liberty 78
- (9) Indiana 76, (8) Utah 68
- (3) Notre Dame 106, (14) Stephen F. Austin 54
- (5) Kansas State vs. (12) Fairfield | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNews (Fubo)
- (4) Baylor vs. (13) Grand Canyon | 3:30 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
- (2) TCU vs. (15) FDU | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- (1) South Carolina vs. (16) Tennessee Tech | 4 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- (7) Vanderbilt vs. (10) Oregon | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNews (Fubo)
- (4) Ohio State vs. (13) Montana State | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- (5) Ole Miss vs. (12) Ball State | 6 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
- (7) Louisville vs. (10) Nebraska | 6 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- (8) Richmond vs. (9) Georgia Tech | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNews (Fubo)
- (2) Duke vs. (15) Lehigh | 8 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
- (5) Tennessee vs. (12) South Florida | 8 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- (1) UCLA vs. (16) Southern | 10 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
The defending national championship, No. 1 seed South Carolina, has tipped off at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina against No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech.
Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks are looking to become the first program since UConn to win back-to-back national championship titles since 2013-16. The winner of this game will get No. 9 Indiana, which upset No. 8 Utah earlier Friday.
The Irish are on to the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a decisive 106-54 win over No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin on Friday at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana.
Notre Dame, which was led by Sonia Citron and Hannah Hidalgo’s 24 points, now faces No. 6 seed Michigan, which beat No. 11 seed Iowa State earlier Friday. A story to keep an eye on surrounding the Irish is the health of guard Olivia Miles, who exited the game around the 8:15 mark of the fourth quarter with an apparent ankle injury.
Game 7 of the day between No. 2 seed TCU and No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson has tipped off down in Fort Worth, Texas at Schollmaier Arena.
Madison Conner has a quick five points for the Horned Frogs, who lead 8-6 at the 4:40 mark of the first quarter.
Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles exits the game at the 8:15 mark of the fourth quarter after tweaking her ankle. ESPN’s cameras show Miles walking off the court in South Bend, Indiana on her own power but with a significant hobble.
No. 5 seed Kansas State heads into the locker room with a 37-25 lead over No. 12 seed Fairfield.
The Stags put together a much better second-quarter performance than its first, as they scored an even 16 points with the Wildcats in the second frame alone. To put into a compare-contrast of the first and second quarters in Lexington, Kentucky, Kansas State led 21-9 after the opening 10 minutes.
Defense is leading to offense for Notre Dame — literally.
Already up 60-33 in the third quarter against No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin, the No. 3 seeded Irish force three consecutive turnovers on defense, leading to six quick points. Notre Dame is out in front of Stephen F. Austin 67-33 in South Bend right now.
The first upset of the women’s NCAA Tournament has taken place, as No. 9 seed Indiana knocks off No. 8 seed Utah 76-68 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. Yarden Garzon led Indiana with 17 points on the afternoon.
The Hoosiers will now get the winner of No. 1 seed South Carolina vs. No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech on Sunday, March 23 in the second round of the Region 2 Birmingham side of the bracket.
Olivia Miles hits Liatu King inside the paint for the layup to extend Notre Dame’s lead over Stephen F. Austin to 56-28 in Friday’s first-round game of the Region 3 Birmingham side of the bracket.
A real smooth pass from Miles who found King while on the run. The Irish are out to a hot 10-0 run to start the third quarter in South Bend.
No. 5 seed Kansas State has jumped out to a 23-9 lead over No. 12 seed Fairfield with eight minutes remaining in the first half of this Region 4 Spokane first-round matchup.
As noted by ESPN’s broadcast, Fairfield has not scored since the 3:53 mark of the first quarter. Total domination by the Wildcats right now in Lexington, Kentucky.
An extended time off since the ACC tournament appears to have been what Notre Dame needed, as the No. 3 seeded Irish lead No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin 46-25 at halftime.
Sonia Citron leads Notre Dame with 11 points on 4 of 7 shooting (3 of 5 3-point shooting). Hannah Hidalgo has just eight points on 4 of 8 shooting from the field at halftime. The Irish outscored the Lady Jacks 22-6 inside the paint in the first 20 minutes of action in South Bend, Indiana.
Dawn Staley always seems to make a fashion statement. She did so again on Friday ahead of South Carolina’s matchup against Tennessee Tech. Staley was seen sporting a cream-colored matching Louis Vuitton set.
South Carolina won the national championship last season, defeating Caitlin Clark and Iowa 87-75.
The Hoosiers have gained some separation from Utah in the first-round matchup with a 44-38 lead at the media timeout with 4:44 left in the third quarter. Gianna Kneepkens is up to 15 points to lead Indiana.
After one quarter, Notre Dame leads Stephen F. Austin 26-13. The Lumberjacks opened the game with the first six points, but were outscored 26-7 after that. Hannah Hidalgo leads the Fighting Irish with eight points.
Utah and Indiana head to halftime tied at 31. Gianna Kneepkens leads the Badgers with 11 points, while Lilly Meister has eight points to lead the Hooisers off the bench.
The matchup between Notre Dame and Stephen F. Austin State has tipped off in South Bend, Indiana. The Lumberjacks started on an 8-2 run to start the game, but Notre Dame uses a 10-0 run to the media timeout to lead 12-8.
The winner of this game plays No. 6 Michigan.
Kentucky survived with a 79-78 win over Liberty after the Flames could not foul Georgia Amoore with 2.8 seconds left, allowing the Wildcats to shoot free throws and keep themselves alive.
The Wildcats will play the winner of Iowa-Murray State. Amoore finished with 34 points ― tying a Kentucky NCAA Tournament game record ― and eight assists in 40 minutes.
With 6.8 seconds left, Georgia Amoore hits one of two free throws to tie the Kentucky record for points in an NCAA Tournament game with 34. Kentucky leads 79-78 with 2.8 seconds left after a 3-pointer from Emma Hess.
Kentucky’s lead is down to just one point, as Liberty guard Avery Mills hits a 3-pointer to bring the game to 74-73 with 1:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.
It is the first shot from the field and points of the day for Mills. Liberty is on a 16-6 run in the last 6:12 of the game.
Potential upset alert in Lexington, Kentucky, as No. 13 seed Liberty has gone on a 13-2 run over the last 4:47 in the fourth quarter to cut No. 4 seed Kentucky’s lead to 74-68.
The Wildcats are one for their last nine from the field, and once had a 17-point lead at the 9:36 mark of the fourth quarter.
The first game of the day at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina is underway between No. 8 seed Utah and No. 9 seed Indiana. Shay Ciezki gets the scoring going as she hits a 3-pointer off the assist from Yarden Garzon to put the Hoosiers then-up 3-0.
Indiana is making its seventh women’s NCAA Tournament appearance under Teri Moren. The winner of this game will get the winner of No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech.
The first game of the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament is in the books, and it goes to No. 6 seed Michigan.
The Wolverines receive a big-time jumper with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter from freshman guard Olivia Olson to get a five-point cushion to eventually defeat No. 11 seed Iowa State 80-74 in Friday’s first-round game in the Birmingham 3 regional.
Watch women’s March Madness with Fubo (free trial)
Jordan Hobbs is up to a career-high 26 points and Michigan leads Iowa State 75-69 at the media timeout with 3:27 left in the game.
Kentucky has opened the second half with a strong run and pushed its lead to 55-39, while Michigan is leading Iowa State 60-57 in the fourth quarter with 7:09 remaining.
Georgia Amoore hit another 3-pointer for Kentucky and is at 26 points now.
Iowa State holds a slim 56-53 lead over Michigan heading into the fourth quarter. Audi Crooks leads the Cyclones with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. She’s shooting 9 of 11 from the field.
Jordan Hobbs is keeping the Wolverines in the game with 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting. She also has three rebounds and two assists.
Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore scored 23 points in the first half against Liberty. That begs the question: What’s the NCAA Tournament record for points, and does Amoore have a chance to break it?
According to NCAA.com, Drake’s Lorri Bauman scored 50 points in a 1982 tournament game against Maryland, the record for most points in a tournament game.
Amoore also made five 3-pointers in the first half. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (2024), Connecticut’s Kia Nurse (2017) and Purdue’s Courtney Moses (2012) hold the NCAA Tournament game record with nine.
Kentucky leads Liberty 44-34 at halftime on the first-round matchup behind a 23-point effort from Georgia Amoore. The senior has shot 9 of 13 from the field and has five 3-pointers. She has also added three assists.
Kentucky star Georgia Amoore is off to a hot start with 20 points early in the second quarter. Amoore had 15 points in the first quarter and already has hit four 3-pointers. Kentucky leads Liberty 32-19 with 6:36 left in the second quarter.
Led by Audi Crooks, Iowa State went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-29 lead over Michigan. Syla Sword hit a 3-pointer right before the halftime buzzer to make it a 37-32 halftime score.
Crooks leads all scorers with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting. Jordan Hobbs has 13 points to lead the Wolverines.
The second game of the afternoon has tipped off now too, between No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 14 seed Liberty. The Wildcats hold an early 13-8 lead midway through the first quarter.
Audi Crooks, who had 27 points in the First Four, is heating up for Iowa State. She scores back-to-back baskets to cut the Michigan lead to 26-25 at the media timeout with 4:40 left in the first half.
Crooks has nine points, three rebounds and a block in 11 minutes.
The first quarter of the first 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament first-round game is in the books. Michigan forces seven turnovers and allows just four made shots to Iowa State to hold a 19-13 lead after the first quarter.
Jordan Hobbs leads all scorers with 10 points. She has half of the six baskets for the Wolverines.
At the first media timeout, Michigan leads Iowa State 10-8. Jordan Hobbs leads all scorers with six points for the Wolverines early.
The women’s NCAA Tournament is underway from South Bend, as No. 6 Michigan takes on No. 11 Iowa State. Iowa State won a First Four game over Princeton to earn this matchup, and is looking to make a run as a double-digit seed.
Here’s how our experts at USA TODAY Sports predicted the Michigan vs. Iowa State matchup.
In an hour, the first game of the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament will tip off. Here’s a prediction for scores for all the games in the first round.
The first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament will feature 32 games across two days. Here’s a look at the seven games you cannot miss this weekend, including three games on Friday.
Why do men’s and women’s basketball have different formats for game structure? The men’s side plays two 20-minute halves, while the women play four 10-minute quarters. Read about why that is the case here.
Filling out what could be the perfect bracket is fun. But once the games begin, watching upsets and brackets being destroyed is also fun during March Madness. Check out seven potential bracket-busters here.
Here’s a full look at the locations for the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament, beginning with the first round:
First, second rounds
- Purcell Pavilion (South Bend, Indiana)
- Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, Kentucky)
- Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, South Carolina)
- Schollmaier Arena (Fort Worth, Texas)
- Foster Pavilion (Waco, Texas)
- Schottenstein Center (Columbus, Ohio)
- Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, North Carolina)
- Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles)
- Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Oklahoma)
- Gampell Pavilion (Storrs, Connecticut)
- XFINITY Center (College Park, Maryland)
- Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- Carmichael Arena (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
- Galen Center (Los Angeles)
- Moody Center (Austin, Texas)
- Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Here’s a round-by-round look at the women’s March Madness schedule, from the first round through the national title game:
- First round: March 21-22
- Second round: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 27-28
- Elite Eight: March 29-30
- Final Four: April 4
- National championship: April 6
The first tip of the day will come at 11:30 a.m. ET, when No. 6 seed Michigan takes on No. 11 seed Iowa State at 11:30 a.m.
While there are no ways to stream women’s March Madness games for absolutely free, there are a few ways to watch it at no cost. For those who already have a cable subscription, March Madness Live will cover every game online. Another option is Fubo, which covers the entire ESPN family of networks and offers a limited free trial.
Time is running out to fill out a bracket for women’s March Madness. Click here for a printable copy.
Where to watch women’s March Madness
- TV channels: ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPNU | ESPNews
- Streaming: March Madness Live | ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament will air on the ESPN family of networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. Streaming options include March Madness Live and the ESPN app, both of which require a valid cable login.
Another option is Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Women’s March Madness bracket predictions
Here’s a look at the bracket predictions for several experts throughout the USA TODAY Sports Network:
Nancy Armour
- Final Four: UCLA, UConn, Texas, Duke
Cora Hall
- Final Four: South Carolina, UConn, NC State, Notre Dame
Meghan L. Hall
- Final Four: UCLA, USC, South Carolina, Notre Dame
Cydney Henderson
- Final Four: UCLA, UConn, South Carolina, TCU
Jordan Mendoza
- Final Four: UCLA, USC, South Carolina, Notre Dame
For a full look at each expert’s Final Four and national champion picks, click here.
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