A 3-minute cheat sheet for your 2025 women's March Madness bracket
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Coach Dawn Staley and South Carolina have won three national championships, including two of the last three. Photo: Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images
March Madness is officially here and, with it, the time to get irrationally frustrated at your bracket.
Why it matters: It probably doesn't! Nobody has ever filled out a perfect bracket, and, because there are fewer upsets in the women's NCAA Tournament than the men's, the margins for error on your bracket are lower.
- But if you're serious about winning your office pool this year, there are a few general tips to follow.
Pick the favorites
In 2024, only one double-digit women's seed advanced past the first round. Historically, No. 1 seeds have not only won 32 of 42 national championships, but in 35 tournaments, two or more No. 1 seeds made the semifinals, per the NCAA.
- So: Wait to pick your upsets until the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. Lean on the powerhouses early.
- This year, the four No. 1 seeds are UCLA (Regional 1 - Spokane), South Carolina (Regional 2 - Birmingham), Texas (Regional 3 - Birmingham) and USC (Regional 4 - Spokane).
The intrigue: These teams are full of future WNBA players, including Te-Hina Paopao (guard, South Carolina), Kiki Iriafen (forward, USC), Lauren Betts (center, UCLA) and potential future No. 1 overall pick JuJu Watkins (guard, USC).
Star power
For everything we just wrote about No. 1 seeds, two non-top seeds this year have enough talent to potentially go on deep runs.
- No. 2 seed UConn is one of the most storied programs in the sport, but this might be the last shot for stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to win championships as Huskies.
- Notre Dame is a No. 3 seed, but Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo are two of the best players in the country.
Avoid seeds 13-16
If you are compelled to pick a first-round upset, look to a No. 11 or 12 seed. Teams seeded Nos. 14-16 are a combined 1-360 in tournament history, according to the NCAA, but 12 seeds average about one win a year.
Study the 3 seeds
While a top seed should probably be your winner pick, last year, all four Elite Eight games featured No. 1 vs. No. 3 seeds.
- March is unpredictable enough that the trend will either continue this year, or the 3 seeds — LSU, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Oklahoma — will all lose in the second round.
Ignore the First Four
The First Four games, which give the four lowest-ranked teams in the field a chance to make the 64-team bracket, are Wednesday and Thursday.
- You don't need to pick the First Four games, as most brackets will automatically include the winner, and you should probably avoid picking one of those teams to advance in the round of 64 — First Four squads are 1-11 in first-round games all time, per Sports Illustrated.
The bottom line: The first round begins Friday. Upsets are common and most days, anything can happen.
- So pick your bracket based on colors, or which mascot would win in a fight, or where your exes live. Follow your heart and fly close to the sun. It's March, and you earned it.
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