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The 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament is officially underway, and although we are still at the very beginning of the action, a lot of first round matchups are worth circling on your calendar now.
The field of 68 with be reduced to 64 after the First Four games Wednesday and Thursday. The sports has seen plenty of parity this season, so as you fill out your bracket, make sure to clear your schedule for what could be a historic tournament.
Here are the top five matchups to watch in the first round of the women’s tournament:
5. West Virginia vs. Columbia/Washington
We still don’t know who will face West Virginia in the first round, but either team could make this an entertaining matchup. This was the second time in program history West Virginia ranked in all 20 weeks of the AP Top 25 of the regular season. The team is led by senior guard JJ Quinerly and her 20.6 points per game.
Columbia made it into the tournament after earning the Ivy League regular-season title and giving Harvard a tough fight in the conference tournament championship game. Sophomore guard Riley Weiss leads the Lions with 17.8 points per contest.
Washington is also not a team to be taken lightly, as the Huskies gave USC a difficult fight on Feb. 16 before falling 69-64. They followed that close loss with a five-game winning streak that included victories over Nebraska and Oregon. The Huskies are led by junior guard Elle Ladine and her 17.1 points per game.
Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNews
4. Harvard vs. Michigan State
Michigan State is a combined 5-0 against Ivy League teams, but this is the first time the Spartans face Harvard.
Robyn Fralick is the first coach in program history to lead Michigan State into the NCAA Tournament in their first two seasons at the helm of the program. The Spartans are dancing as a No. 7 seed — their best seeding since 2016. The team has three double-digit scorers in Grace Van Slooten, Julia Ayrault and Theryn Hallock.
Harvard was a bubble team that took control of its own destiny by winning the Ivy League tournament. This is the program’s first appearance in the tournament since 2007, and they have done so under the leadership of Ivy League Player of the Year Harmoni Turner.
Turner has been a powerful scoring weapon with 22.5 points per game, which ranks top 10 nationally. She is also in the top 20 in steals with 2.79 per game. Turner scored a career-high 44 points against Princeton in the conference tournament semifinals.
Saturday, March 22 at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPNews
3. Illinois vs. Creighton
Creighton didn’t make it past the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year, but this is a team that can’t be taken lightly. Creighton’s three leading scorers this season — Lauren Jensen, Morgan Maly and Molly Mogensen — were part of the Bluejays’ Elite Eight run in 2022.
The Bluejays are dangerous from beyond the arc and rank 12th nationally with 9.2 3-pointers per game. They hold a 26-6 record this season, but three of those losses were to UConn, the No. 1 team in the NET rankings. Another loss was to UCLA, the No. 1 overall seed of the NCAA Tournament.
Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini went dancing in 2023 as a First Four team, but this is the first time they play in the first round of the tournament since 2003. Illinois is having a strong season with three wins against AP Top 25 opponents — their most in a single season since 1999-2000. The Illini have three players averaging over 13 points per game, and they are led by fifth-year forward Kendall Bostic, who averages 15.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
Illinois has had plenty of time to rest because the team has not played since losing to Nebraska in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on March 6.
Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPNews
2. Louisville vs. Nebraska
These two teams have never met in the postseason before, but they have an interesting connection. When she played for the Huskers, Nebraska coach Amy Williams played for now-Louisville coach Jeff Walz.
Louisville will be especially hungry to win because last year the Cardinals got upset by Middle Tennessee in the first round. That was the first time in program history the Cardinals lost that early in the tournament.
This is a team with a good mixture of experience and youth. The top three scorers are senior guard Jayda Curry, freshman guard Tajianna Roberts and grad student forward Olivia Cochran.
Nebraska is led by four-time All-Big Ten center Alexis Markowski, who is averaging a team-best 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The team also has Big Ten All-Freshman selection Britt Prince, who put up 24 points against UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
Friday at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN
1. Utah vs. Indiana
Indiana has had a bumpy season, but the Hoosiers seem to be peaking at the right time. The Hoosiers gave USC a tough battle during the Big Ten quarterfinals, and that was the second time this season they kept it within single digits against the Trojans. Indiana has also grabbed wins over ranked Baylor and Iowa teams. The Hoosiers have five players averaging double figures, led by Yarden Garzon. Sydney Parish and Chloe Morre-McNeil are two other key players who bring valuable experience as grad students.
Utah is another team with a roller coaster type of season, as coach Lynne Roberts resigned mid-November to take a job in the WNBA. However, the Utes picked up a statement win against Notre Dame later that month. The team made two appearances in the AP Top 25 in January, but they are not entering the NCAA Tournament with momentum as they have lost three of their last five games — including a loss to Texas Tech in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.
Regardless, this is a dangerous team from beyond the arc as they average 10 3-pointers per game, sixth best in the country. The Utes have multiple weapons with six players averaging at least eight points per game. They are led by Gianna Kneepkens, one of the top 30 scorers in the nation at 19.2 points per contest.
Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2
