Women’s NCAA March Madness: Keys to a deep run
Local reporters break down some of the top teams, and their keys to victory in the 2025 March Madness tournament.
The women’s March Madness Round of 64 continues with an exciting Saturday featuring 16 games throughout the day, keeping women’s basketball fans on the edge of their seats.
The day’s action kicks off with a highly anticipated matchup between no. 11 seed Murray State and No. 6 seed Iowa. This game is set to be a thrilling start to the day, with Murray State making their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament and their first since 2008, up against formidable Iowa, which is making its sixth consecutive appearance in the tournament and has reached the national championship game in the last two seasons.
Throughout the day, the UConn Huskies led by Paige Bueckers, the Oklahoma Sooners with Reagan Beers, the USC Trojans under JuJu Watkins, and the Texas Longhorns, guided by Madison Booker, will all take the court. These teams are filled with determination, hoping to kick off their NCAA Tournament journey on a strong note.
Stay tuned for all the women’s March Madness action on Saturday as teams battle it out in the crucial Round of 64.
What time are March Madness games today?
Women’s March Madness continues Saturday with another 16 games slated throughout the day. The action kicks off with No. 11 Murray State taking on No. 6 Iowa at 12 p.m. ET. The first-round concludes with No. 14 San Diego State vs. No. 3 LSU at 10:10 p.m. ET.
How to watch March Madness Friday: TV, streaming coverage
- TV channels: Coverage across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN News
- Live stream: March Madness Live | ESPN app | Fubo
Watch Women’s March Madness with Fubo
Coverage for Saturday’s Day 2 action will be broadcast The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament will air on the ESPN family of networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. ABC will also carry two games today. You can also watch the conclusion of the first round via streaming options: March Madness Live, ESPN app and Fubo, which offers a free trial subscription to new users.
March Madness championship odds, according to BetMGM. Odds as of Friday, March 21.
Here’s a full look at the favorites to win the women’s tournament, everyone who sits at better odds than +5000.
- South Carolina (+220)
- UConn (+240)
- UCLA (+550)
- Texas (+700)
- USC (+700)
- Notre Dame (+1100)
- NC State (+3500)
- LSU (+5000)
- Duke (+5000)
- TCU (+5000)
USA TODAY experts set their picks ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Here is who they picked to win the national championship.
- Nancy Armour, USA TODAY: UConn over Duke
- Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: USC over South Carolina
- Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY: South Carolina over UCLA
- Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel: South Carolina over UConn
- Lulu Kesin, Greenville News: South Carolina over UConn
- Meghan Hall, For The Win: South Carolina over USC
- Mike Sykes, For The Win: UConn over South Carolina
- Cory Diaz, The Daily Advertiser: UConn over Notre Dame
- Maxwell Donaldson, Gadsden Times: UConn over South Carolina
- Jenna Ortiz, Arizona Republic: UConn over South Carolina
No. 13 Norfolk State enters today’s game against No. 4 Maryland on a 19-game win streak and a 30-4 overall record. The Spartans earned their third consecutive trip to March Madness and reached 30 wins for the second time in school history.
The team is led by guard Diamond Johnson, a graduate student who averages 19 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Johnson, who transferred from NC State two seasons ago, says she’s proud to show the world what HBCU basketball is all about. It’s not just Norfolk State, Johnson says, after watching Southern beat San Diego in Wednesday’s play-in game.
“HBCU’s we kind of like the underdog. Like you said, the SWAC, the MEAC, not a lot people know about a lot of HBCUs,” she said Friday. “It’s not just for us, it’s for literally every HBCU in the world and even just mid-majors that don’t get the recognition that I feel like they should.”— Roxanna Scott
All times Eastern.
Wednesday, March 19 (First Four)
Thursday, March 20 (First Four)
Friday, March 21 (First Round/Round of 64)
Saturday, March 22 (First Round/Round of 64)
- No. 6 Iowa vs. No. 11 Murray State, 12 p.m.| ESPN
- No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Arkansas State, 1 p.m. | ABC
- No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Green Bay, 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2
- No. 2 NC State vs. No. 15 Vermont, 2 p.m. | ESPN
- No. 6 West Virginia vs. No. 11 Columbia 2 p.m. | ESPNews
- No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 FGCU, 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU
- No. 1 Southern California vs. No. 16 UNC Greensboro, 3 p.m. | ABC
- No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 South Dakota State, 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
- No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Norfolk State, 4 p.m. | ESPN
- No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Oregon State, 4:30 p.m. | ESPNU
- No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard, 4:30 p.m. | ESPNews
- No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Mississippi State, 5:30 p.m. | ESPN2
- No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 9 Creighton, 7:15 p.m. | ESPNews
- No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason, 7:45 p.m. | ESPN2
- No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 William & Mary, 9:45 p.m. | ESPN2
- No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State, 10:15 p.m. | ESPN
Sunday, March 23 (Second Round/Round of 32)
Monday, March 24 (Second Round/Round of 32)
Friday, March 28 (Sweet 16)
- TBD vs. TBD, 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
- TBD vs. TBD, 5 p.m. | ESPN
- TBD vs. TBD, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
- TBD vs. TBD, 10 p.m. | ESPN
Saturday, March 29 (Sweet 16)
- TBD vs. TBD, 1 p.m. | ABC
- TBD vs. TBD, 3:30 p.m. | ABC
- TBD vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m. | ABC
- TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. | ESPN
Sunday, March 30 (Elite Eight)
- TBD vs. TBD, 1 p.m. | ABC
- TBD vs. TBD, 3 p.m. | ABC
Monday, March 31 (Elite Eight)
- TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. | ESPN
- TBD vs. TBD, 9 p.m. | ESPN
Friday, April 4 (Final Four)
- TBD vs. TBD, 7 p.m. | ESPN
- TBD vs. TBD, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN
Sunday, April 6 (National Championship game)
- TBD vs. TBD, 3 p.m. | ABC
Ahead of the NCAA Tournament, USA TODAY experts highlight several potential bracket busters. Here is who they picked.
- No. 13 Grand Canyon
- No. 12 Green Bay
- No. 10 Harvard
- No. 7 Vanderbilt
- No. 6 Florida State
- No. 6 Michigan
- No. 5 Tennessee
The women’s NCAA Tournament comes to a close starting on Friday, April 4 at 7 p.m. with the second semifinal starting 30 minutes after the first game ends. Both games will be held at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
The championship game will take place two days later on Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET at Amalie Arena.
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