The Final Four for the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament is set.
No. 1 overall seed UCLA is in, along with fellow No. 1 seeds South Carolina and Texas, and the final spot is occupied by No. 2 seed UConn. All of the action will tip off on Friday in Tampa, Florida, and conclude on Sunday with the national championship game.
While there have been some complaints throughout the tournament about the lack of upsets and exciting games, the upside is a stacked Final Four. This quartet has been the best four teams in the country for the majority of the season, and are the top-four in the NET rankings.
The action begins on Friday night in Tampa, Florida, when the Gamecocks take on the Longhorns for the fourth time this season and the Bruins battle the Huskies. South Carolina is looking to go back-to-back as champions after completing an undefeated season last year at 38-0. In fact, this season has had as many losses as the last three seasons combined for Dawn Staley’s squad (3). One of those came against Texas in a regular season upset that the Longhorns will try to replicate on the biggest stage.
In the other semifinal, Paige Bueckers looks to take another step toward collegiate immortality when she leads UConn against No. 1 overall seed UCLA and Lauren Betts. Bueckers posted one of the best statistical seasons in the history of the sport this year and has continued to stay hot throughout the tournament. Now, she’s one win away from finally reaching the national championship game in a career that has been marred by injury.
Now that the teams and matchups are locked in, here’s a first glance at the 2025 women’s Final Four.
Final Four schedule
Final Four: Friday, April 4
- No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 1 Texas, 7 p.m. ET — ESPN
- No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 2 UConn, approximately 30 minutes after conclusion of first game — ESPN
National championship: Sunday, April 6
TBD vs. TBD, 3 p.m. ET — ABC
Here’s what you need to know about each team.
(1) South Carolina (35-3)
Path to the Final Four
- First round: defeated No. 16 Tennessee Tech, 108-48
- Second round: defeated No. 9 Indiana, 64-53
- Sweet 16: defeated No. 4 Maryland, 71-67
- Elite Eight: defeated No. 2 Duke, 54-50
Key players
- Chloe Kitts, F: 10.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, two assists, 52.5% FG
- Joyce Edwards, F: 12.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 54.1% FG
Key stat
- The Gamecocks lead the nation in points in the paint per game at 42.1. This is the third consecutive year they’ve been at the top of that category.
(1) Texas (35-3)
Path to the Final Four
- First round: defeated No. 16 William & Mary, 105-61
- Second round: defeated No. 8 Illinois, 65-48
- Sweet 16: defeated No. 5 Tennessee, 67-59
- Elite Eight: defeated No. 2 TCU, 58-47
Key players
- Madison Booker, G/F: 16.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 46.1% FG
- Rori Harmon, G: 9.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2.2 steals
Key stat
- Texas is last in the country in 3-point rate, with just 16.3% of their shots coming from behind the arc. That is the lowest 3-point rate for a Final Four team since Baylor in 2019 (12.7%). It’s worth noting the Bears won the national title that year.
(1) UCLA (34-2)
Path to the Final Four
- First round: defeated No. 16 Southern, 84-46
- Second round: defeated No. 8 Richmond, 84-67
- Sweet 16: defeated No. 5 Ole Miss, 76-62
- Elite Eight: defeated No. 3 LSU, 72-65
Key players
- Lauren Betts, C: 20 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3 blocks, 64.9% FG
- Kiki Rice, G: 12.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.5 steals, 36.1% 3FG
Key stat
- The Bruins have the fewest losses of any team in the Final Four, and both of those defeats came against the same team — USC, which is no longer alive in the tournament.
(2) UConn (35-3)
Path to the Final Four
- First round: defeated No. 15 Arkansas State, 103-43
- Second round: defeated No. 10 South Dakota State, 91-57
- Sweet 16: defeated No. 3 Oklahoma, 82-59
- Elite Eight: defeated No. 1 USC, 78-64
Key players
- Paige Bueckers, G: 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.1 steals, 54.3% FG, 43.2% 3FG
- Sarah Strong, F: 16.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.3 steals, 1.6 blocks, 58% FG
Key stat
- The Huskies have the best net rating (plus-43.4) and best offensive rating (119.6) in the country. The same is true if you filter only for Quad 1 games. In those contests the Huskies’ net rating is plus-25.0 and their offensive rating is 111.1.