The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament is finally here.
The most pressing question that comes with the arrival of March Madness, of course, is who will emerge on the other end as national champion. The likely suspects include No. 1 seeds South Carolina, winner of two of the last three titles; USC, with likely player of the year JuJu Watkins on the roster; UCLA, which beat the Trojans in the women’s Big Ten title game; and Texas, which had an outside shot at the No. 1 overall seed prior to its loss to the Gamecocks in the SEC championship.
REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracket 2025: AI picks every women’s NCAA Tournament game winner
To seek no other answer, however, is a reduction of the madness that is March. What awaits between the start of the tournament and its end remains to be seen, though fans can only hope that bracket-breaking underdogs, buzzer-beaters and lovable Cinderellas are present throughout.
The only thing left to do is to watch the madness unfold.
WOMEN’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s Women’s Bracket Challenge for a chance at $1 million prize.
With that, follow along for live updates, scores, highlights and more from Friday’s first-round action of the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament.
Women’s March Madness games today
All times Eastern
- (6) Michigan vs. (11) Iowa State | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- (4) Kentucky vs. (13) Liberty | noon | ESPN (Fubo)
- (8) Utah vs. (9) Indiana | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- (3) Notre Dame vs. (14) Stephen F. Austin | 2 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- (5) Kansas State vs. (12) Fairfield | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNews (Fubo)
- (4) Baylor vs. (13) Grand Canyon | 3:30 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
- (2) TCU vs. (15) FDU | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- (1) South Carolina vs. (16) Tennessee Tech | 4 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- (7) Vanderbilt vs. (10) Oregon | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNews (Fubo)
- (4) Ohio State vs. (13) Montana State | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- (5) Ole Miss vs. (12) Ball State | 6 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
- (7) Louisville vs. (10) Nebraska | 6 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- (8) Richmond vs. (9) Georgia Tech | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNews (Fubo)
- (2) Duke vs. (15) Lehigh | 8 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
- (5) Tennessee vs. (12) South Florida | 8 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
- (1) UCLA vs. (16) Southern | 10 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
Watch women’s March Madness with Fubo (free trial)
Jordan Hobbs gives Michigan lead late
Jordan Hobbs is up to a career-high 26 points and Michigan leads Iowa State 75-69 at the media timeout with 3:27 left in the game.
Kentucky gains separation; Michigan-Iowa State tightening up
Kentucky has opened the second half with a strong run and pushed its lead to 55-39, while Michigan is leading Iowa State 60-57 in the fourth quarter with 7:09 remaining.
Georgia Amoore hit another 3-pointer for Kentucky and is at 26 points now.
Iowa State leads Michigan 56-53 heading into fourth
Iowa State holds a slim 56-53 lead over Michigan heading into the fourth quarter. Audi Crooks leads the Cyclones with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. She’s shooting 9 of 11 from the field.
Jordan Hobbs is keeping the Wolverines in the game with 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting. She also has three rebounds and two assists.
What is the women’s NCAA Tournament record for points in a game?
Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore scored 23 points in the first half against Liberty. That begs the question: What’s the NCAA Tournament record for points, and does Amoore have a chance to break it?
According to NCAA.com, Drake’s Lorri Bauman scored 50 points in a 1982 tournament game against Maryland, the record for most points in a tournament game.
Amoore also made five 3-pointers in the first half. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark (2024), Connecticut’s Kia Nurse (2017) and Purdue’s Courtney Moses (2012) hold the NCAA Tournament game record with nine.
Georgia Amoore leads Kentucky to a 10-point halftime lead
Kentucky leads Liberty 44-34 at halftime on the first-round matchup behind a 23-point effort from Georgia Amoore. The senior has shot 9 of 13 from the field and has five 3-pointers. She has also added three assists.
Georgia Amoore with 20 points early against Liberty
Kentucky star Georgia Amoore is off to a hot start with 20 points early in the second quarter. Amoore had 15 points in the first quarter and already has hit four 3-pointers. Kentucky leads Liberty 32-19 with 6:36 left in the second quarter.
Iowa State uses 10-0 run to take control before halftime
Led by Audi Crooks, Iowa State went on a 10-0 run to take a 37-29 lead over Michigan. Syla Sword hit a 3-pointer right before the halftime buzzer to make it a 37-32 halftime score.
Crooks leads all scorers with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting. Jordan Hobbs has 13 points to lead the Wolverines.
Kentucky-Liberty tips off
The second game of the afternoon has tipped off now too, between No. 3 seed Kentucky and No. 14 seed Liberty. The Wildcats hold an early 13-8 lead midway through the first quarter.
Audi Crooks heating up for Iowa State
Audi Crooks, who had 27 points in the First Four, is heating up for Iowa State. She scores back-to-back baskets to cut the Michigan lead to 26-25 at the media timeout with 4:40 left in the first half.
Crooks has nine points, three rebounds and a block in 11 minutes.
Michigan leads Iowa State after first quarter
The first quarter of the first 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament first-round game is in the books. Michigan forces seven turnovers and allows just four made shots to Iowa State to hold a 19-13 lead after the first quarter.
Jordan Hobbs leads all scorers with 10 points. She has half of the six baskets for the Wolverines.
Michigan holds slim advantage early vs Iowa State
At the first media timeout, Michigan leads Iowa State 10-8. Jordan Hobbs leads all scorers with six points for the Wolverines early.
Women’s NCAA Tournament tips off
The women’s NCAA Tournament is underway from South Bend, as No. 6 Michigan takes on No. 11 Iowa State. Iowa State won a First Four game over Princeton to earn this matchup, and is looking to make a run as a double-digit seed.
Michigan-Iowa State predictions
Here’s how our experts at USA TODAY Sports predicted the Michigan vs. Iowa State matchup.
Score predictions for round one games
In an hour, the first game of the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament will tip off. Here’s a prediction for scores for all the games in the first round.
Women’s March Madness can’t miss first-round games
The first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament will feature 32 games across two days. Here’s a look at the seven games you cannot miss this weekend, including three games on Friday.
Quarters vs halves: Why women’s, men’s NCAA tournament games use different formats
Why do men’s and women’s basketball have different formats for game structure? The men’s side plays two 20-minute halves, while the women play four 10-minute quarters. Read about why that is the case here.
Women’s March Madness upset picks
Filling out what could be the perfect bracket is fun. But once the games begin, watching upsets and brackets being destroyed is also fun during March Madness. Check out seven potential bracket-busters here.
Women’s March Madness locations
Here’s a full look at the locations for the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament, beginning with the first round:
First, second rounds
- Purcell Pavilion (South Bend, Indiana)
- Memorial Coliseum (Lexington, Kentucky)
- Colonial Life Arena (Columbia, South Carolina)
- Schollmaier Arena (Fort Worth, Texas)
- Foster Pavilion (Waco, Texas)
- Schottenstein Center (Columbus, Ohio)
- Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, North Carolina)
- Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles)
- Lloyd Noble Center (Norman, Oklahoma)
- Gampell Pavilion (Storrs, Connecticut)
- XFINITY Center (College Park, Maryland)
- Reynolds Coliseum (Raleigh, North Carolina)
- Carmichael Arena (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
- Galen Center (Los Angeles)
- Moody Center (Austin, Texas)
- Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
Women’s March Madness schedule by round
Here’s a round-by-round look at the women’s March Madness schedule, from the first round through the national title game:
- First round: March 21-22
- Second round: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 27-28
- Elite Eight: March 29-30
- Final Four: April 4
- National championship: April 6
What time is first women’s NCAA Tournament game?
The first tip of the day will come at 11:30 a.m. ET, when No. 6 seed Michigan takes on No. 11 seed Iowa State at 11:30 a.m.
How to stream women’s March Madness games for free
While there are no ways to stream women’s March Madness games for absolutely free, there are a few ways to watch it at no cost. For those who already have a cable subscription, March Madness Live will cover every game online. Another option is Fubo, which covers the entire ESPN family of networks and offers a limited free trial.
Printable March Madness bracket
Time is running out to fill out a bracket for women’s March Madness. Click here for a printable copy.
Where to watch women’s March Madness
- TV channels: ESPN | ESPN2 | ESPNU | ESPNews
- Streaming: March Madness Live | ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament will air on the ESPN family of networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. Streaming options include March Madness Live and the ESPN app, both of which require a valid cable login.
Another option is Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
REQUIRED READING: Women’s March Madness bold predictions: 9 shocking picks for 2025 NCAA Tournament
Women’s March Madness bracket predictions
Here’s a look at the bracket predictions for several experts throughout the USA TODAY Sports Network:
Nancy Armour
- Final Four: UCLA, UConn, Texas, Duke
Cora Hall
- Final Four: South Carolina, UConn, NC State, Notre Dame
Meghan L. Hall
- Final Four: UCLA, USC, South Carolina, Notre Dame
Cydney Henderson
- Final Four: UCLA, UConn, South Carolina, TCU
Jordan Mendoza
- Final Four: UCLA, USC, South Carolina, Notre Dame
For a full look at each expert’s Final Four and national champion picks, click here.
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