March has arrived, which means one thing: It’s time for madness in women’s college basketball.
Hours later, No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 7 LSU lost to No. 24 Florida State and No. 20 Alabama, respectively. Those two losses potentially shook up the brackets, with the Fighting Irish likely in a losing battle for a No. 1 seed and LSU potentially slipping from a No. 2 seed.
The biggest game of the weekend for the women’s side happened on Saturday, when No. 3 USC defeated No. 1 UCLA 80-67. The win likely cements the Trohans as the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. Both teams entered Saturday as No. 1 seeds in Thursday’s top-16 bracket reveal. The Trojans finished the season series sweep after defeating the Bruins 71-60 on Feb. 13.
With only two weeks remaining until the final brackets are revealed, here are the experts’ predictions on how the Big Dance will look this season:
Predictions for 2025 women’s March Madness
Predictions as of Saturday, March 1:
Charlie Creme, ESPN: Major shakeup following top 16-reveal
Creme writes, ‘Thursday was the second and final top-16 reveal from the NCAA tournament selection committee. Just like with the first reveal, this one’s relevance didn’t last long. Every seed line was impacted, and 12 hours later the top 16 looks quite different. The most noteworthy news from Thursday evening was South Carolina’s dip to a No. 2 seed. After Notre Dame’s shocking home loss to Florida State, the Gamecocks are back on the 1-line as the Irish fell to a No. 2.’
Mark Schindler, The Athletic: Should South Carolina be ahead of UConn?
In his latest bracketology, Schindler had UCLA, Texas, USC and South Carolina as the No. 1 seeds. The Gamecocks are ahead of UConn despite the Huskies earning the head-to-head win on Feb. 16. Notre Dame’s loss to Florida State on Thursday played a role in Schindler’s moving the Gamecocks to a No. 1 seed:
‘With Notre Dame’s loss to Florida State and South Carolina’s win over Ole Miss, I swapped Notre Dame and South Carolina. Based on how the committee has continued to reflect its values in its top 16 seedings, I presumed this is how they would handle it.’
When does the women’s March Madness tournament begin?
The brackets for the tournament are revealed on Sunday, March 16. Three days later, the tournament begins with the First Four on Wednesday, March 19 and Thursday March 20. The first round officially starts two days later, on Friday March 21 and Saturday March 22.
The Final Four is set to be played at the University of South Florida at Amalie Arena in Tampa, with the championship game scheduled for April 6.