The night after the NCAA men’s basketball tournament tipped off, the women’s tournament is doing the same.
March Madness will officially be underway for women’s college basketball Wednesday night with a pair of First Four games. No. 11 seeds Iowa State and Princeton will face off at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana in the first matchup, which will be followed by a game between No. 16 seeds UC San Diego and Southern at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles.
The Cyclones were a preseason top-10 team that struggled at times over the past four months, with a 22-11 record. Still, they have one of the country’s best frontcourt players in center Audi Crooks, who’s eighth among all Division I players in scoring this season at 23.2 points per game. They’ll face off against a Princeton team that made the field as an at-large inclusion after losing in the semifinals of its conference tournament. The Tigers are one of three Ivy League teams in the NCAA Tournament this season.
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The winner between Iowa State and Princeton will square off Friday against No. 6 seed Michigan while either UC San Diego or Southern will advance to take on UCLA, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.
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Here’s what you need to know about Wednesday’s First Four games, including start times, TV channels, streaming information and predictions:
March Madness 2025 games today: NCAA Tournament First Four schedule
All times Eastern
Wednesday, March 19
- No. 11 Iowa State vs. No. 11 Princeton, 7 p.m.
- No. 16 UC San Diego vs. No. 16 Southern, 9 p.m.
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NCAA Tournament 2025: Iowa State vs Princeton predictions
Watch First Four games with Fubo (free trial)
March Madness 2025: How to watch NCAA Tournament First Four
- Date: March 19
- Time: 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Purcell Pavilion (South Bend, Indiana) and Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles)
- TV: ESPNU
- Streaming: ESPN App | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)
Both women’s First Four games are airing Wednesday night on ESPNU. The first game between No. 11 seeds Iowa State and Princeton is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. from Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana, with the second game, between No. 16 seeds UC San Diego and Southern, set to follow from Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles at 9 p.m. ET, though the tip time for that could be pushed back depending on how long the preceding matchup takes to finish.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN App, ESPN+ – ESPN’s subscription streaming service – and Fubo, the last of which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
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