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2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

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2025 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
Season2024–25
Teams68
Finals siteAmalie Arena,
Tampa, Florida
ChampionsUConn Huskies (12th title, 13th title game,
24th Final Four)
Runner-upSouth Carolina Gamecocks (4th title game,
7th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachGeno Auriemma (12th title)
MOPAzzi Fudd (UConn)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
«2024 2026»

The 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was a 68-team single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2024–25 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 43rd edition of the tournament began on March 19, 2025, and concluded with the championship game on April 6, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Atlantic 10 champion George Mason, Big West champion UC San Diego, NEC champion Fairleigh Dickinson, Sun Belt champion Arkansas State, WAC champion Grand Canyon, and CAA champion William & Mary all made their NCAA tournament debuts. Additionally, SoCon champion UNC Greensboro made their first appearance since 1998 and second appearance overall.

For the first time since 1987, Stanford did not qualify for the tournament.

For the first time since expanding to 64 teams in NCAA March Madness history (counting both the men’s and the women’s tournaments), no team successfully completed an official upset. [citation needed]

Tournament procedure

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Out of 355 eligible Division I teams, 68 participated in the tournament.[a] A total of 31 automatic bids are awarded to each program that win a conference tournament. The remaining 37 bids are issued "at-large", with selections extended by the NCAA Selection Committee on Selection Sunday, March 16. The Selection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68.

Eight teams (the four-lowest seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at large-teams) play in the First Four. The winners of these games will advance to the main tournament bracket.

First four out
NET School Conference Record
47 Virginia Tech ACC 18–12
53 Saint Joseph's A-10 23–9
60 James Madison Sun Belt 28–5
49 UNLV MWC 25–7

2025 NCAA Tournament schedule and venues

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First Four[1]

Subregionals (First and Second Rounds)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship)

Tampa is scheduled to host the women's Final Four for the fourth time; the third was in 2019.[2]


Qualification and selection of teams

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The 68 teams came from 36 states.

Automatic qualifiers

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Teams who won their conference championships automatically qualify.

Automatic qualifiers in the 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
Conference Team Appearance Last bid
America East Vermont 8th 2023
American South Florida 10th 2023
Atlantic 10 George Mason 1st Never
ACC Duke 27th 2024
ASUN Florida Gulf Coast 11th 2024
Big 12 TCU 10th 2010
Big East UConn 36th 2024
Big Sky Montana State 4th 2022
Big South High Point 2nd 2021
Big Ten UCLA 20th 2024
Big West UC San Diego 1st Never
CAA William & Mary 1st Never
CUSA Liberty 18th 2018
Horizon Green Bay 20th 2024
Ivy League Harvard 7th 2007
MAAC Fairfield 7th 2024
MAC Ball State 2nd 2009
MEAC Norfolk State 4th 2024
Missouri Valley Murray State 2nd 2008
Mountain West San Diego State 10th 2012
NEC Fairleigh Dickinson 1st Never
Ohio Valley Tennessee Tech 12th 2023
Patriot Lehigh 5th 2021
SEC South Carolina 21st 2024
Southern UNC Greensboro 2nd 1998
Southland Stephen F. Austin 21st 2022
SWAC Southern 7th 2023
Summit League South Dakota State 13th 2024
Sun Belt Arkansas State 1st Never
WAC Grand Canyon 1st Never
WCC Oregon State 14th 2024

Seeds

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The tournament seeds and regions are determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and were published by the selection committee after the brackets are released on March 16.

Spokane Regional 1 – Spokane Arena; Spokane, WA
Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type Last bid
1 UCLA Big Ten 30–2 1 Automatic 2024
2 NC State ACC 25–8 8 At Large 2024
3 LSU SEC 28–5 10 At Large 2024
4 Baylor Big 12 27–6 14 At Large 2024
5 Ole Miss SEC 20–10 17 At Large 2024
6 Florida State ACC 23–8 23 At Large 2024
7 Michigan State Big Ten 21–9 25 At Large 2024
8 Richmond Atlantic 10 27–6 32 At Large 2024
9 Georgia Tech ACC 22–10 35 At Large 2022
10 Harvard Ivy 24–4 40 Automatic 2007
11 George Mason Atlantic 10 27–5 45 Automatic Never
12 Ball State Mid American 27–7 50 Automatic 2009
13 Grand Canyon WAC 32–2 51 Automatic Never
14 San Diego State Mountain West 25–9 58 Automatic 2012
15 Vermont America East 21–12 59 Automatic 2023
16* UC San Diego Big West 20–15 65 Automatic Never
Southern SWAC 20–14 66 Automatic 2023
Spokane Regional 4 – Spokane Arena; Spokane, WA
Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type Last bid
1 USC Big Ten 28–3 4 At-Large 2024
2 UConn Big East 31–3 5 Automatic 2024
3 Oklahoma SEC 25–7 11 At Large 2024
4 Kentucky SEC 22–7 13 At Large 2022
5 Kansas State Big 12 26–7 20 At Large 2024
6 Iowa Big Ten 22–10 21 At Large 2024
7 Oklahoma State Big 12 25–6 27 At Large 2023
8 California ACC 25–8 29 At Large 2019
9 Mississippi State SEC 21–11 36 At Large 2023
10 South Dakota State Summit League 29–3 37 Automatic 2024
11 Murray State Missouri Valley 25–7 46 Automatic 2008
12 Fairfield MAAC 28–4 47 Automatic 2024
13 Liberty CUSA 26–6 54 Automatic 2018
14 Florida Gulf Coast Atlantic Sun 30–3 55 Automatic 2024
15 Arkansas State Sun Belt 21–10 62 Automatic Never
16 UNC Greensboro Southern 25–6 64 Automatic 1998
Birmingham Regional 2 – Legacy Arena; Birmingham, AL
Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type Last bid
1 South Carolina SEC 30–3 2 Automatic 2024
2 Duke ACC 26–7 7 Automatic 2024
3 North Carolina ACC 27–7 12 At Large 2024
4 Maryland Big Ten 23–7 16 At Large 2024
5 Alabama SEC 23–8 18 At Large 2024
6 West Virginia Big 12 24-7 24 At Large 2024
7 Vanderbilt SEC 22–10 28 At Large 2024
8 Utah Big 12 22–8 31 At Large 2024
9 Indiana Big Ten 19–12 33 At Large 2024
10 Oregon Big Ten 19–11 39 At Large 2022
11* Columbia Ivy 23–6 41 At Large 2024
Washington Big Ten 19–13 42 At Large 2017
12 Green Bay Horizon 29–5 49 Automatic 2024
13 Norfolk State MEAC 30–4 52 Automatic 2024
14 Oregon State WCC 19–15 57 Automatic 2024
15 Lehigh Patriot 27–6 60 Automatic 2021
16 Tennessee Tech Ohio Valley 26–5 63 Automatic 2023
Birmingham Regional 3 – Legacy Arena; Birmingham, AL
Seed School Conference Record Overall Seed Berth type Last bid
1 Texas SEC 31–3 3 Automatic 2024
2 TCU Big 12 31–3 6 Automatic 2010
3 Notre Dame ACC 26–5 9 At Large 2024
4 Ohio State Big Ten 25–6 15 At Large 2024
5 Tennessee SEC 22–9 19 At Large 2024
6 Michigan Big Ten 22-10 22 At Large 2024
7 Louisville ACC 21–10 26 At Large 2023
8 Illinois Big Ten 21–9 30 At Large 2023
9 Creighton Big East 26–6 34 At Large 2024
10 Nebraska Big Ten 21–11 38 At Large 2024
11* Iowa State Big 12 22–11 43 At Large 2024
Princeton Ivy 21–7 44 At Large 2024
12 South Florida AAC 23–10 48 Automatic 2023
13 Montana State Big Sky 30–3 53 Automatic 2022
14 Stephen F. Austin Southland 29–5 56 Automatic 2022
15 Fairleigh Dickinson NEC 29–3 61 Automatic Never
16* High Point Big South 21–11 67 Automatic Never
William & Mary CAA 15–18 68 Automatic Never

*See First Four
Source:[3]


Tournament bracket

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All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).

First Four

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The First Four games involve eight teams: the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams.

March 19 – Spokane Regional 1
Los Angeles, California
   
16 UC San Diego 56
16 Southern 68
March 19 – Birmingham Regional 3
Notre Dame, Indiana
   
11 Iowa State 68
11 Princeton 63
March 20 – Birmingham Regional 3
Austin, Texas
   
16 High Point 63
16 William & Mary 69
March 20 – Birmingham Regional 2
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
   
11 Columbia 63
11 Washington 60

Spokane regional 1 – Spokane, WA

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First round
Round of 64
March 21–22
Second round
Round of 32
March 23–24
Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 28
Regional Final
Elite 8
March 30
            
1 UCLA 84
16 Southern 46
1 UCLA 84
Los Angeles, California – Fri/Sun
8 Richmond 67
8 Richmond 74
9 Georgia Tech 49
1 UCLA 76
5 Ole Miss 62
5 Ole Miss 83
12 Ball State 65
5 Ole Miss 69
Waco, Texas – Fri/Sun
4 Baylor 63
4 Baylor 73
13 Grand Canyon 60
1 UCLA 72
3 LSU 65
6 Florida State 94
11 George Mason 59
6 Florida State 71
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Sat/Mon
3 LSU 101
3 LSU 103
14 San Diego State 48
3 LSU 80
2 NC State 73
7 Michigan State 64
10 Harvard 50
7 Michigan State 49
Raleigh, North Carolina – Sat/Mon
2 NC State 83
2 NC State 75
15 Vermont 55

Spokane regional 1 final

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ABC
March 30
12:00 pm PDT
No. 1 UCLA Bruins 72, No. 3 LSU Tigers 65
Scoring by quarter: 9–13, 22–12, 15–16, 26–24
Pts: Gabriela Jaquez (18)
Rebs: Gabriela Jaquez (8)
Asts: Kiki Rice (8)
Pts: Flau'jae Johnson (28)
Rebs: Sa'Myah Smith (10)
Asts: Flau'jae Johnson (4)
Spokane ArenaSpokane, Washington
Attendance: 9,299
Referees: Fatou Cissoko-Stephens, Brian Hall, Brenda Pantoja

Spokane regional 1 all-tournament team

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Spokane regional 4 – Spokane, WA

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First round
Round of 64
March 21–22
Second round
Round of 32
March 23–24
Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 29
Regional Final
Elite 8
March 31
            
1 USC 72
16 UNC Greensboro 25
1 USC 96
Los Angeles, California – Sat/Mon
9 Mississippi State 59
8 California 46
9 Mississippi State 59
1 USC 67
5 Kansas State 61
5 Kansas State 85
12 Fairfield 41
5 Kansas State 80OT
Lexington, Kentucky – Fri/Sun
4 Kentucky 79
4 Kentucky 79
13 Liberty 78
1 USC 64
2 UConn 78
6 Iowa 92
11 Murray State 57
6 Iowa 62
Norman, Oklahoma – Sat/Mon
3 Oklahoma 96
3 Oklahoma 81
14 Florida Gulf Coast 58
3 Oklahoma 59
2 UConn 82
7 Oklahoma State 68
10 South Dakota State 74
10 South Dakota State 57
Storrs, Connecticut – Sat/Mon
2 UConn 91
2 UConn 103
15 Arkansas State 34

Spokane 4 regional final

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ESPN
March 31
6:00 pm PDT
No. 1 USC Trojans 64, No. 2 UConn Huskies 78
Scoring by quarter: 11–14, 14–25, 21–12, 18–27
Pts: Rayah Marshall (23)
Rebs: Rayah Marshall (15)
Asts: Tied (2)
Pts: Paige Bueckers (31)
Rebs: Sarah Strong (17)
Asts: Paige Bueckers (6)
Spokane ArenaSpokane, Washington
Attendance: 10,141
Referees: Maj Forsberg, Roy Gulbeyan, Katie Lukanich

Spokane 4 regional all-tournament team

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Birmingham regional 2 – Birmingham, Alabama

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First round
Round of 64
March 21–22
Second round
Round of 32
March 23–24
Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 28
Regional Final
Elite 8
March 30
            
1 South Carolina 108
16 Tennessee Tech 48
1 South Carolina 64
Columbia, South Carolina – Fri/Sun
9 Indiana 53
8 Utah 68
9 Indiana 76
1 South Carolina 71
4 Maryland 67
5 Alabama 81
12 Green Bay 67
5 Alabama 108
College Park, Maryland – Sat/Mon
4 Maryland 1112OT
4 Maryland 82
13 Norfolk State 69
1 South Carolina 54
2 Duke 50
6 West Virginia 78
11 Columbia 59
6 West Virginia 47
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Sat/Mon
3 North Carolina 58
3 North Carolina 70
14 Oregon State 49
3 North Carolina 38
2 Duke 47
7 Vanderbilt 73
10 Oregon 77OT
10 Oregon 53
Durham, North Carolina – Fri/Sun
2 Duke 59
2 Duke 86
15 Lehigh 25

Birmingham regional 2 final

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ABC
March 30
12:00 pm CDT
No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks 54, No. 2 Duke Blue Devils 50
Scoring by quarter: 16–10, 10–12, 12–20, 16–8
Pts: Chloe Kitts (14)
Rebs: Sania Feagin (8)
Asts: Sania Feagin (3)
Pts: Toby Fournier (18)
Rebs: Oluchi Okananwa (7)
Asts: Ashlon Jackson (6)
Legacy ArenaBirmingham, Alabama
Attendance: 11,252
Referees: Natasha Camy, In'Fini Robinson, Joseph Vaszily

Birmingham regional 2 all-tournament team

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Birmingham regional 3 – Birmingham, Alabama

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First round
Round of 64
March 21–22
Second round
Round of 32
March 23–24
Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 29
Regional Final
Elite 8
March 31
            
1 Texas 105
16 William & Mary 61
1 Texas 65
Austin, Texas – Sat/Mon
8 Illinois 48
8 Illinois 66
9 Creighton 57
1 Texas 67
5 Tennessee 59
5 Tennessee 101
12 South Florida 66
5 Tennessee 82
Columbus, Ohio – Fri/Sun
4 Ohio State 67
4 Ohio State 71
13 Montana State 51
1 Texas 58
2 TCU 47
6 Michigan 80
11 Iowa State 74
6 Michigan 55
Notre Dame, Indiana – Fri/Sun
3 Notre Dame 76
3 Notre Dame 106
14 Stephen F. Austin 54
3 Notre Dame 62
2 TCU 71
7 Louisville 63
10 Nebraska 58
7 Louisville 70
Fort Worth, Texas – Fri/Sun
2 TCU 85
2 TCU 73
15 Fairleigh Dickinson 51

Birmingham regional 3 final

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ESPN
March 31
6:00 pm CDT
No. 1 Texas Longhorns 58, No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs 47
Scoring by quarter: 13–9, 10–12, 19–12, 16–14
Pts: Madison Booker (18)
Rebs: Tied (6)
Asts: Rori Harmon (5)
Pts: Hailey Van Lith (17)
Rebs: Sedona Prince (9)
Asts: Madison Conner (3)
Legacy ArenaBirmingham, Alabama
Attendance: 12,175
Referees: Felicia Grinter, Karen Preato, William Smith

Birmingham regional 3 all-tournament team

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Final Four – Tampa, Florida

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National Semifinals
Final Four
Friday, April 4
National Championship Game
Sunday, April 6
      
S1 (1) UCLA 51
S4 (2) UConn 85
S4 (2) UConn 82
B2 (1) South Carolina 59
B2 (1) South Carolina 74
B3 (1) Texas 57

National semifinals

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ESPN
April 4
7:00 p.m.
South Carolina Gamecocks 74, Texas Longhorns 57
Scoring by quarter: 18–19, 20–16, 20–9, 16–13
Pts: Te-Hina Paopao (14)
Rebs: Joyce Edwards (11)
Asts: Joyce Edwards (6)
Pts: Jordan Lee (16)
Rebs: Taylor Jones (8)
Asts: Rori Harmon (4)
Amalie ArenaTampa, Florida
Referees: Kyle Bacon, Tiffany Bird, Brenda Pantoja
ESPN
April 4
9:30 p.m
UCLA Bruins 51, UConn Huskies 85
Scoring by quarter: 13–23, 9–19, 15–18, 14–25
Pts: Lauren Betts (26)
Rebs: Gabriela Jaquez (8)
Asts: Tied (3)
Pts: Sarah Strong (22)
Rebs: Tied (8)
Asts: Kaitlyn Chen (5)
Amalie Arena – Tampa, Florida
Attendance: 19,731
Referees: Brian Hall, In'Fini Robinson, Joseph Vaszily

National championship

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ABC
April 6
3:00 p.m.
UConn Huskies 82, South Carolina Gamecocks 59
Scoring by quarter: 19–14, 17–12, 26–16, 20–17
Pts: Tied (24)
Rebs: Sarah Strong (15)
Asts: Sarah Strong (5)
Pts: Tied (10)
Rebs: Raven Johnson (7)
Asts: MiLaysia Fulwiley (4)
Amalie Arena – Tampa, Florida
Referees: Gina Cross, Maj Forsberg, Felicia Grinter

Final Four all-tournament team

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Record by conference

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Overview of conference performance in the 2025 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
Conference Bids Record Win % FF R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 CG NC
Big East 2 6–1 .857 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
SEC 10 21-10 .677 10 9 6 3 2 1
ACC 8 11–8 .579 8 6 4 1 - - -
Big Ten 12 16–12 .571 1 11 10 3 2 1
Big 12 7 8–7 .533 1 7 4 2 1
Atlantic 10 2 1–2 .333 2 1
Summit 1 1–1 .500 1 1
Ivy League 3 1–3 .250 2 2
CAA 1 1–1 .500 1 1
SWAC 1 1–1 .500 1 1
American East 1 0–1 .000 1
American 1 0–1 .000 1
ASUN 1 0–1 .000 1
Big Sky 1 0–1 .000 1
CUSA 1 0–1 .000 1
Horizon 1 0–1 .000 1
MAAC 1 0–1 .000 1
MAC 1 0–1 .000 1
MEAC 1 0–1 .000 1
Missouri Valley 1 0–1 .000 1
Mountain West 1 0–1 .000 1
NEC 1 0–1 .000 1
Ohio Valley 1 0–1 .000 1
Patriot 1 0–1 .000 1
Southern 1 0–1 .000 1
Southland 1 0–1 .000 1
Sun Belt 1 0–1 .000 1
WAC 1 0–1 .000 1
WCC 1 0–1 .000 1
Big South 1 0–1 .000 1
Big West 1 0–1 .000 1
  1. ^ Nine teams are ineligible, all due to being in the process of reclassifying to Division I from a lower division: East Texas A&M, Le Moyne, Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, Queens, St. Thomas, Southern Indiana, Stonehill, and West Georgia.
  • The FF, R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the first four, round of 64 (first round), round of 32 (second round), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively.

Game summaries and tournament notes

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The “seed composition” of the Elite Eight was the exact same in both the men’s and women’s tournament[4]:

Men’s Elite Eight:

Four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, one #3 seed

Women’s Elite Eight:

Four #1 seeds, three #2 seeds, one #3 seed

Tournament upsets

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Per the NCAA, an upset occurs "when the losing team in an NCAA tournament game was seeded at least five seed lines better than the winning team."[5]

For the first time in NCAA women’s March Madness history since expanding to 64 teams, no team successfully completed an official upset. In addition, this was also the first time no team completed an upset in the Round of 64 alone, meaning no team seeded 11th or lower won in the first round. Both events have never occurred in the men’s tournament since its expansion to 64 teams.

In addition, no team seeded 6th through 10th won their Round of 32 game, ensuring the tournament would have no upsets following the loss of the final such team remaining.

Media coverage

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Television

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ESPN broadcast each game of the tournament across either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, or ABC. For the third consecutive season, the national championship game aired on ABC.[6][7]

Studio host and analysts

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  • Elle Duncan (host) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four, and national championship)
  • Kelsey Riggs (host) (first/second rounds and regional semifinals)
  • Andraya Carter (analyst) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship)
  • Chiney Ogwumike (analyst) (first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship)
  • Muffet McGraw (analyst) (first/second rounds and regional semifinals)
  • Meghan McKeown (analyst) (first/second rounds and regional semifinals)
  • Lisa Mattingly (rules analyst) (first four, first/second rounds, and regionals)
  • Violet Palmer (rules analyst) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four, and national championship)

Commentary teams

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Radio

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Westwood One will serve as radio broadcaster of the tournament.

Regionals (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight)

  • Lance Medow and Kim Adams – Spokane, Washington 1
  • Sam Neidermann and Mary Murphy – Spokane, Washington 4
  • Danny Reed and Debbie Antonelli – Birmingham, Alabama 2
  • Nate Gatter and Isis Young – Birmingham, Alabama 3

Final Four and National Championship

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kassim, Ehsan (March 16, 2025). "When is the First Four for Women's March Madness? Dates, location for play-in tournament". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  2. ^ "Women's Final Four: Future dates & sites". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  3. ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (March 18, 2025). "Division I Women's Basketball AQ/At-Large Breakdown" (PDF). NCAA.com. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  4. ^ Athletic, The (March 30, 2025). "March Madness Women's Sweet 16 live updates: Scores, results and bracket for NCAA Tournament".
  5. ^ Staats, Wayne (March 6, 2026). "Here's how to pick March Madness women's upsets, according to the data".
  6. ^ "ESPN acquires NCAA rights for US$500 million". SportsPro Media. April 2, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "Sights Set on Tampa: ESPN Is the Exclusive Home of NCAA March Madness Women's Basketball for the 30th Year". ESPN Press Room U.S. March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e "ESPN Announces Commentator Pairings for Exclusive Coverage of NCAA March Madness Women's Basketball". ESPN Press Room U.S. March 17, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  9. ^ "ESPN's Exclusive Coverage of NCAA Women's March Madness Marches On To the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight". ESPN Press Room U.S. March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  10. ^ "Tip Off Time in Tampa! ESPN's MegaCast Presentation of the 2025 NCAA Women's Final Four Begins Friday, April 4". ESPN Press Room U.S. April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
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