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.
There is also no shortage of storylines. UCLA is in the (NCAA) Final Four for the first time in program history, South Carolina is trying to pull off a repeat, Texas is looking for its first title in nearly 40 years and UConn is trying to get Paige Bueckers her first championship. Plus, the other three teams in the field are the only ones who have beaten South Carolina since the Final Four in 2023.
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) 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.
(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) 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.
(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.