The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament has reached the Sweet 16.

We’ve got a strong four-game slate today that includes a heated rivalry and two top seeds in action: No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 UNC, No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Maryland, No. 2 NC State vs. No. 3 LSU and No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 5 Ole Miss.

Here is Friday’s full Sweet 16 March Madness schedule and expert predictions from reporters across the USA TODAY Sports Network.

Women’s basketball predictions for March Madness

All times EST.

Duke vs. North Carolina women’s basketball predictions

Time, TV: 2:30 p.m. | ESPN (Watch on Fubo) | Follow Duke vs. UNC live updates

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY: Duke 
Cora Hall, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Duke 
Meghan L. Hall, For The Win: Duke 
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY: Duke 
Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: UNC 
Cory Diaz, Lafayette Advertiser: Duke 
Maxwell Donaldson, The Gadsden Times: Duke 
Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic: Duke 

South Carolina vs. Maryland women’s basketball predictions 

Time, TV: 5 p.m. | ESPN (Watch on Fubo)

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY: South Carolina 
Cora Hall, Knoxville News-Sentinel: South Carolina 
Meghan L. Hall, For The Win: South Carolina 
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY: South Carolina 
Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: South Carolina 
Cory Diaz, Lafayette Advertiser: South Carolina 
Maxwell Donaldson, The Gadsden Times: South Carolina 
Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic: South Carolina 

NC State vs. LSU women’s basketball predictions

Time, TV: 7:30 p.m. | ESPN (Watch on Fubo)

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY: NC State 
Cora Hall, Knoxville News-Sentinel: NC State 
Meghan L. Hall, For The Win: NC State 
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY: NC State 
Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: LSU 
Cory Diaz, Lafayette Advertiser: LSU 
Maxwell Donaldson, The Gadsden Times: LSU 
Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic: NC State 

UCLA vs. Ole Miss women’s basketball predictions 

Time, TV: 10 p.m. | ESPN (Watch on Fubo)

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY: UCLA 
Cora Hall, Knoxville News-Sentinel: Ole Miss 
Meghan L. Hall, For The Win: UCLA 
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY: UCLA 
Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: UCLA 
Cory Diaz, Lafayette Advertiser: UCLA 
Maxwell Donaldson, The Gadsden Times: UCLA 
Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic: UCLA 

Former Barcelona star and Brazilian soccer player Dani Alves had his rape conviction overturned on appeal by a court in Spain’s Catalonia region on Friday, the latest twist in a high-profile case stemming from an alleged incident in a nightclub on New Year’s Eve more than two years ago.

The ruling was levied by Catalon’s top court, according to Reuters, due to ‘inadequacies of the evidence’ that did not meet the standard required by the presumption of innocence. The court also noted ‘a series of gaps, inaccuracies, inconsistencies and contradictions concerning the facts, the legal assessment and its consequences.’

Alves, 41, had been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in the bathroom of a Barcelona, Spain night club last year and was sentenced to four-and-a-half-years in prison. The court instead concluded Friday the alleged victim ‘voluntarily went to the bathroom area for the purpose of being with the defendant in a more intimate space,’ according to Reuters.

Alves was released from prison in March 2024 on 1 million Euro (about $1 million) bail while awaiting a decision in his appeals case, but had to surrender his Brazil and Spain passports. He had been imprisoned since January 2023. Friday’s ruling lifted all travel restrictions against Alves and a restraining order that had been put in place in relation to the alleged victim. The case can still be appealed to Spain’s Supreme Court.

Alves is regarded as one of the most decorated fullbacks in international soccer history, most notably due to his eight-year tenure with Barcelona and 126 appearances with the Brazilian national team. He helped Barcelona clinch five La Liga titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, and three Supercopa de Espana titles and won two World Cups with Brazil.

Alves last played professionally with Pumas UNAM in Liga MX in Mexico during the 2022-23 season. His contract with the club was terminated after his arrest in Spain more than two years ago.

As the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament enters the second weekend, it’s time to reset our Final Four picks after action-packed first and second rounds.

All four No. 1 seeds are still in it to win it, but USC suffered a major blow on Monday when superstar guard JuJu Watkins went down with a season-ending knee injury in a second-round game against Mississippi State. The Trojans still stomped to a big win behind Kiki Iriafen and her 36 points, but they are on a collision course with Paige Bueckers and UConn in the Elite Eight with room for only one in the Final Four.

So, here are Final Four predictions from reporters across the USA TODAY Sports Network.

Women’s Final Four picks

Nancy Armour, USA TODAY: UCLA, UConn, Texas, Duke 
Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel: South Carolina, UConn, NC State, Notre Dame  
Meghan Hall, For The Win: UCLA, UConn, Notre Dame, South Carolina 
Mike Sykes, For The Win: NC State, UConn, South Carolina, Texas  
Lulu Kesin, Greenville News: South Carolina, UConn, LSU, Texas  
Jenna Ortiz, Arizona Republic: South Carolina, UConn, UCLA, TCU 
Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY: UCLA, UConn, South Carolina, TCU  
Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY: UCLA, USC, South Carolina, Notre Dame   
Cory Diaz, Lafayette Advertiser: UCLA, UConn, South Carolina, Notre Dame 
Maxwell Donaldson, The Gadsden Times: LSU, UConn, South Carolina, TCU 

Who will win Women’s March Madness?

Here are national championship predictions from our experts.

Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY: South Carolina over UCLA 
Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel: South Carolina over UConn 
Lulu Kesin, Greenville News: South Carolina over UConn 
Meghan Hall, For The Win: South Carolina over UConn 
Mike Sykes, For The Win: UConn over South Carolina 
Cory Diaz, Lafayette Advertiser: UConn over South Carolina 
Maxwell Donaldson, The Gadsden Times: UConn over South Carolina 

When is women’s Final Four?

The Final Four of the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament is Friday, April 4 with the first game tipping off at 7 p.m. and the second game followng 30 minutes after the first game ends.

Where is women’s Final Four?

The Final Four is in Tampa, Fla., at Amalie Arena.

Down by 16 points with 10 minutes left in the second half, Texas Tech pulled off the second-largest comeback in Sweet 16 history.

‘What an unbelievable college basketball game,’ said Texas Tech head coach Grant McCasland.

Entering the night, Arkansas ranked 265th out of 355 Division I teams in 3-point percentage (32.4%) and averaged 6.9 made 3-pointers a game. 

But Arkansas eclipsed that mark in the first 20 minutes with seven made 3-pointers on 14 attempts (50%), which had to surprise Texas Tech – given how the Razorbacks had most of their success in the opening weekend in the paint. In the upset win against St. John’s on Saturday, Arkansas was 2-for-19 from 3-point range. 

Meanwhile the Red Raiders – a solid team from beyond the arc – struggled from deep, going 3-for-18 (18.8%) in the first half. The Razorbacks went on a 15-2 run to take an early lead and were in front by as much as 13 points in the first half.

The shooting from deep cooled off in the second half, but the Razorbacks went back to doing what got them to this point: grinding out teams inside the arc. Arkansas found success near the rim while Texas Tech continued to struggle from deep. The Razorbacks’ lead grew to as much as 16 points in the second half.

With six minutes to go, Texas Tech still trailed by 13 points and looked to be done. However, the 3-pointers started to fall in a 16-3 run to tie the game, capped by Darrion Williams’ deep bucket with nine seconds to go, forcing overtime. 

In the extra period, Texas Tech’s shooting remained hot and Williams − playing near his hometown of Sacramento − continued his clutch night, hitting the go-ahead bucket with seven seconds to go.

‘Give Texas Tech credit. They made plays down the stretch that gave them a chance and they won the game,’ said Arkansas head coach John Calipari.

Thursday’s win also snapped an incredible streak for Calipari. In his NCAA Tournament career, he was 35-0 when leading by at least six points at halftime. The Red Raiders trailed by seven points at the break, but became the first one to overcome Calipari’s track record.

‘In the huddle, Coach kept saying we’re gonna find a way to win this no matter how much we were down,’ said Texas Tech freshman guard Christian Anderson, who had a team-high 22 points. ‘As a team, we kind of had that look like we’re not losing this game no matter what.’

Texas Tech now advances to its first Elite Eight since 2019, the same year it made the Final Four for the first time in school history. The Red Raiders will face No. 1 seed Florida on Saturday. 

This story has been updated with new information.

The field of 68-teams in the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament has been whittled down to 16.

All No. 1 seeds — UCLA, South Carolina, USC and Texas — advanced to the Sweet 16, which tips off Friday and runs through Saturday. All the No. 2 seeds and No. 3 seeds also moved on to Sweet 16. In fact, the lowest seeds to advance are No. 5 seeds Kansas State and Tennessee.

The biggest news coming out of the tournament’s second round is that USC star JuJu Watkins will miss the remainder of the tournament after suffering a season-ending knee injury.

‘I am so sad that JuJu is not playing in the tournament anymore, but I am excited for other players that are going to step into that spotlight,’ UCLA head coach Cori Close said. ‘And it’s not even about my players. It’s about the sport in general… There are so many elite players in our game, and I can’t wait to see some new faces shine.’

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament, including a breakdown of each region, the best Sweet 16 games and players to watch.

SPOKANE REGION 1

All times Eastern.

No. 2 NC State vs. No. 3 LSU | Friday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 5 Ole Miss | Friday, 10 p.m. (ESPN)

UCLA, the No. 1 overall seed, is one step closer to earning its first Final Four berth following Lauren Betts’ 17th double-double of the season, finishing with a game-high 30 points and 14 rebounds against No. 8 Richmond. UCLA will next face a gritty Ole Miss team that advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years following a narrow 69-63 win over No. 4 Baylor. The Rebels did so by forcing a season-high 21 turnovers from the Bears to earn the win. Meanwhile, NC State will look to contain a LSU team that has scored 100+ points in back-to-back March Madness games for the first time in program history. Aneesah Morrow nearly reached a triple-double in their second-round win over No. 6 FSU, finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. The Wolfpack is clicking offensively too. NC State had four players in double figures in their win over No. 7 Michigan State and the team collectively knocked down 15 threes, a program NCAA Tournament record. Leading scorer Aziaha James had six of those 3-pointers, while Madison Hayes had five.

BEST SWEET 16 GAME: No. 2 NC State vs. No. 3 LSU: The two teams faced each other in November, with the Tigers coming away with a 82-65 win over the Wolfpack. Morrow led the way for LSU with 20 points, 15 rebounds, three steals and one block. The Wolfpack were out rebounded 44-24 by the Tigers and only shot 35.9% from the field and 9-of-26 from three, but look for NC State to rebound. The team’s shooting an improved 44.2% from the field and 19-of-50 from three through two games in the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament.

BIRMINGHAM REGION 2

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 North Carolina | Friday, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 4 Maryland | Friday 5 p.m. (ESPN)

Duke vs. North Carolina is one of the most storied rivalries in sports, but Friday will mark the schools’ first time meeting in the women’s NCAA Tournament. Duke coach Kara Lawson, however, said she’s ‘not really moved’ by the history surrounding the game. Maybe because this will mark Duke and North Carolina’s third matchup of the season. Duke is only focused on surpassing their Sweet-16 last year. The Blue Devils will have freshman Toby Fournier back in the lineup after missing the Blue Devils’ second-round tournament matchup due to an illness. Duke will look to break out against North Carolina’s stout defense, which held both opponents under 50 points for the first since 1995. Meanwhile, No. 1 South Carolina advanced to its 11th consecutive Sweet 16 appearance, the second-longest streak in the nation. The Gamecocks have depth and defense, ranking first in the nation in bench points per game (41.5) and fifth in blocks per game (5.8). They’ll face a No. 4 Maryland team that outlasted No. 5 Alabama in double overtime to advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time five years.

BEST SWEET 16 GAME: No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 North Carolina: The Sweet 16 will mark the third matchup between the two teams this season. North Carolina won the first matchup 53-46 in overtime in January after leading by as many as 16 points, while Duke took the second matchup 68-53 in February. Duke freshman Toby Fournier and North Carolina’s Alyssa Ustby will be X-factors on Friday. Fournier missed all eight of her shots in the Blue Devils loss to UNC, but she scored 19 points and 10 rebounds in Duke’s win over the Tar Heels. On the other hand, Ustby had 10 points and 12 rebounds in their first matchup, but was absent from their second matchup with a knee injury.

BIRMINGHAM REGION 3

No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | Saturday, 1 p.m. (ABC/ESPN+)
No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Tennessee | Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

No. 1 seed Texas will face a familiar SEC foe in the Sweet 16 in No. 5 Tennessee. The Longhorns narrowly won their first regular-season matchup against the Lady Volunteers in January following a go-ahead basket from SEC Player of the Year, Madison Booker. Tennessee’s Talaysia Cooper struggled during that matchup, only recording seven points on 3-of-12 shooting, but look for her to bounce back in Tennessee’s 37th Sweet 16 appearance, marking the most of any school. No. 2 TCU and No. 3 Notre Dame also will have a Sweet 16 rematch. (More on this later.) The Horned Frogs advanced to their first Sweet 16 appearance in school history following Hailey Van Lith’s 16-point, 10-assist double-double against her former team — Louisville — marking the seventh of her career. The Fighting Irish also breezed past Michigan thanks to Liatu King, who became the fourth player in program history to record 15 points and 15+ rebounds. More history is on the line. The Horned Frogs are in pursuit of its first Elite Eight appearance in school history, while the Fighting Irish are looking for their first Elite Eight berth since 2019.

BEST SWEET 16 GAME: No. 2 TCU vs. No. 3 Notre Dame: If the Sweet 16 matchup between the Horned Frogs and Fighting Irish is anything like their first matchup earlier in the season, expect fireworks. Notre Dame jumped to a 14-point lead over TCU during their regular-season matchup in November, but the Fighting Irish’s defense faltered down the stretch. Sedona Prince went off for 20 points, 20 rebounds and 8 blocks in TCU’s comeback win. Notre Dame will have to step up their defense to contain Prince and four-time All-American Hailey Van Lith.

SPOKANE REGION 4

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Oklahoma | Saturday, 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Kansas State | Saturday, 8 p.m. (ESPN)

When the women’s NCAA Tournament bracket was first unveiled on Selection Sunday, many circled the potential Elite Eight matchup between No. 1 USC and No. 2 UConn, setting up a highly anticipated rematch between JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers. But Waktins’ unfortunate season-ending injury has turned the bracket upside down. Watkins has started 33 of USC’s 34 games this year, leaving a big hole for the Trojans to fill. But don’t count out the supporting cast of Kiki Iriafen and Kennedy Smith, who led the Trojans to a dominant 37-point victory over No. 9 Mississippi State. Kansas State, however, is firing on all cylinders. The Wildcats outlasted No. 4 Kentucky in an overtime thriller to notch their 28th win of the season — tying the second-most wins in program history — following an impressive performance from seniors Temira Poindexter (8-of-15 3PT) and Serena Sundell. The veteran group set a school record for the most points in a season (2,781 points) and is the only team in the nation with 300+ steals and 200+ this year. Meanwhile, No. 3 Oklahoma will look to slow down Paige Bueckers and No. 2 UConn, which is in pursuit of its first championship since 2016. The Sooners are 0-13 against the Huskies all-time, including two losses in the NCAA Tournament. But Oklahoma has been defensively stout with 136 rebounds in the first two games of the tournament, marking the most in a two-game span in NCAA Tournament history 

BEST SWEET 16 GAME: No. 1 USC vs. No. 5 Kansas State: Don’t count out USC just yet. Although the Trojans will be without Watkins, the supporting cast of Iriafen and Kennedy Smith are more than capable of righting the ship against Kansas State, which features the dangerous duo of Serena Sundell and Ayoka Lee.

2025 women’s NCAA Tournament schedule

Sweet 16: March 28-29 
Elite Eight: March 30-31
Final Four: Friday, April 4, 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)  
NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 6, 3 p.m. ET (ABC)

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.