- Women’s March Madness is here! The 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket will be released on Selection Sunday.
- Follow along for live updates and news on the 68-team women’s basketball bracket, including time, TV channel and stream for the women’s selection show and a printable bracket with times and locations.
The women’s college basketball bracket reveal for the 2025 NCAA tournament starts tonight on the Selection Sunday show. It will determine which 68 teams will make it to March Madness. Poised to take the top seeds are: Lauren Betts and UCLA, JuJu Watkins and USC, MiLaysia Fulwiley and South Carolina, Madison Booker and Texas. Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers and UConn are in line for a No. 2 seed.
USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest bracket reveal updates, news, analysis and more throughout the day. Follow along.
When will March Madness brackets be out?
The women’s NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed today, Sunday, March 16, 2025.
When is Selection Sunday show for March Madness?
The women’s selection show begins at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 16. ESPN is airing the show.
WOMEN’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s Women’s Bracket Challenge for a chance at $1 million prize.
Watch Women’s Selection Sunday show with Fubo (free trial)
William & Mary women’s basketball makes history with NCAA Tournament bid
The William & Mary women’s basketball team pulled off a 66-63 win over Campbell in the Coastal Athletic Association tournament on Sunday to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament, the first time the school has reached March Madness. It was also the first time in program history the Tribe captured a CAA tournament championship. Bella Nascimento led the way with a double-double of 11 rebounds and 33 points on 14-of-26 shooting.
NCAA women’s basketball tournament projections
Here are the latest women’s bracket projections from experts.
- USA Today staff (as of Saturday evening): South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, USC
- ESPN’s Charlie Creme (as of Saturday evening): South Carolina, UCLA, USC, Texas
- NCAA’s Autumn Johnson (as of Tuesday): UCLA, South Carolina, USC, Texas
- CBS’ Connor Groel (as of Tuesday): UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, USC
SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?
Blank printable March Madness bracket
Here’s a blank printable NCAA women’s tournament bracket.
JuJu Watkins’ defense is what makes USC so dangerous
JuJu Watkins’ glitzy offensive stats are enough to earn her national player of the year honors. It’s her defense that’s going to make USC so dangerous heading into the NCAA tournament.
“How she has developed into the two-way player that she is is really remarkable,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said after the Trojans’ escaped with an 84-79 win that was even tighter than the scoreline indicates.
“The ways that she makes game-changing plays and makes something out of nothing for us and takes away something that looks easy for the other team is really tremendous,” Gottlieb added. “Look, you guys probably know how I feel about it. I think she’s the Player of the Year nationally for a number of different reasons. But I am glad that her game-changing ability on the defensive end is being talked about a little bit more because you see it.”
Read Nancy Armour’s full story on JuJu Watkins’ defense.
UConn’s Paige Bueckers talks March Madness
It takes a lot to set yourself apart at UConn, but Paige Bueckers has managed to do it. Bueckers was named Most Outstanding Player of the Big East tournament, making her the first player to win it three times. Bueckers had 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in UConn’s 70-50 win over Creighton.
“You work entirely for this moment,” Bueckers said.
Bueckers was the first to win national Player of the Year honors as a freshman, when she also led UConn to the Final Four. Injuries derailed her next two seasons, and she played just 17 games. But she has been outstanding the last two years, leading UConn back to the Final Four last year and putting them in position to make another deep run this year.
“It was a dream since I was a kid, and it’s been everything I could dream of,” Bueckers said of her UConn career. “I can’t be grateful enough.” — Nancy Armour
Women’s basketball stars to watch in March Madness
The NCAA Tournament championship is going to come down to stellar performances from the best players on the court. So here are the top 10 players in women’s basketball. The list includes: USC’s JuJu Watkins, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles and UCLA’s Lauren Betts.
George Mason women’s basketball makes turnaround to reach March Madness
George Mason was winless in the Atlantic 10 four years ago. Last week, the Patriots beat St. Joseph’s to win the conference tournament. It also was George Mason’s 28th win, extending the program’s single-season record.
“We asked these players, four years ago, to believe in something that was nowhere near present,” Patriots coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis said, according to The Washington Post.
How many teams in women’s March Madness?
Sixty-eight teams make the tournament, including the eight teams that will have to play in the First Four games. There are 31 conference tournaments that produce 31 automatic bids. The other 37 at-large teams selected to the field will be announced on Selection Sunday. Here are the teams that won their conference tournaments to secure automatic bids.
- American East: Vermont
- American Athletic: South Florida
- Atlantic 10: George Mason
- ACC: Duke
- ASUN: Florida Gulf Coast
- Big 12: TCU
- Big East: UConn
- Big Sky: Montana State
- Big South: High Point
- Big Ten: UCLA
- Big West: UC San Diego
- CAA: William & Mary
- Conference USA: Liberty
- Horizon League: Green Bay
- Ivy League: Harvard
- MAAC: Fairfield
- MAC: Ball State
- MEAC: Norfolk State
- Missouri Valley: Murray State
- Mountain West: San Diego State
- Northeast: FDU
- Ohio Valley: Tennessee Tech
- Patriot League: Lehigh
- SEC: South Carolina
- SoCon: UNC Greensboro
- Southland: Stephen F. Austin
- SWAC: Southern
- Summit League: South Dakota State
- Sun Belt: Arkansas State
- West Coast: Oregon State
- WAC: Grand Canyon
Paige Bueckers stats
2024-25 stats: 19.0 PPG, 4.9 APG, 4.5 RPG, 53.6 FG%, 40.6 3PT%
The 2025 WNBA draft isn’t called the Paige Bueckers sweepstakes for nothing. Bueckers burst onto the scene in 2021 with a breakout freshman campaign that earned her AP Player of the Year and Naismith College Player of the Year honors. Although a string of injuries forced Bueckers to miss significant time, including the entire 2022-23 season with an ACL tear, the fifth-year senior guard has returned to form and is looking to lead the Huskies to the Final Four for the fourth time in her career. Bueckers is currently UConn women’s basketball’s sixth all-time leading scorer with 2,290 points and is widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick of the draft.
Women’s March Madness 2025 dates
Here is the women’s schedule:
- Selection Sunday: 8 p.m. ET Sunday, March 16 on ESPN
- First Four: March 19-20
- First round: March 21-22
- Second round: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 28-29
- Elite Eight: March 30-March 31
- Final Four: Friday, April 4, 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Second game starts 30 minutes after first game ends.
- NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC, hosted at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
NCAA Tournament bracket challenge 2025
The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. There’s a $1 million grand prize for a perfect bracke. The Challenge is free to enter for those age 21 and over. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See official rules and get in the game.
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