As the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament progresses to the regional semifinals, all four No. 1 seeds remain in contention, while one No. 2 seed has been eliminated.
The tournament has seen significant performances, particularly from Virginia, which has made history by advancing from the First Four to the Sweet 16.
Defending champion UConn, along with UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas, has advanced to the Sweet 16 with relative ease. Virginia’s remarkable journey includes victories over Arizona State, Georgia, and a stunning double-overtime win against Iowa, the No. 2 seed in the Sacramento 4 Region.
Tournament Overview
UConn aims for its 13th national title, while UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina strive to return to the Final Four. The NCAA Tournament has become an annual tradition, inviting fans to engage by filling out brackets and participating in office pools.
This year, the NCAA has introduced penalties for teams that fail to provide player availability reports, with fines starting at $10,000. Discussions about expanding the tournament field beyond 68 teams are ongoing, potentially increasing the number of participating teams.
Betting Favorites
BetMGM Sportsbook lists UConn as the favorite to win the national championship at minus-300. Following UConn, UCLA is at plus-475, Texas at plus-700, and South Carolina at plus-900, with LSU at plus-1700 rounding out the top contenders.
Key Matchups
This Friday, Vanderbilt (29-4) faces Notre Dame (24-10) at 2:30 p.m. Eastern in a Fort Worth 1 Region semifinal, featuring standout players Mikayla Blakes and Hannah Hidalgo. Blakes leads Division I in scoring, while Hidalgo is a top performer in steals.
Later, LSU (29-5) will compete against Duke (26-8) at 10 p.m. in the Sacramento 2 Region. LSU previously defeated Duke 93-77 earlier in the season.
On Saturday, Michigan (27-6) will take on Louisville (29-7) at 12:30 p.m., while TCU (31-5) faces Virginia (22-11) at 8:30 p.m. Both teams have had close calls in their previous games, with Virginia making its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2000.
Viewing Information
All games of the women’s tournament will be broadcasted on ESPN’s networks and streaming services. The championship game will be aired on ABC for the fourth consecutive season.
Tournament Structure
The tournament features 31 automatic bids awarded to league tournament champions, with the selection committee selecting 37 at-large teams. The Sweet 16 includes notable teams such as UConn, Duke, Kentucky, and Virginia.
The second week of the tournament will occur at two locations: Fort Worth and Sacramento, with Sweet 16 matchups scheduled for March 27-28 and regional finals on March 29-30. The Final Four will take place in Phoenix on April 3, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern, followed by the championship game on April 5 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern.