The 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament enters the Sweet 16 with all four No. 1 seeds still alive. UCLA, South Carolina, USC and Texas have moved handily through the first two rounds. We also have a couple surprise teams still left in the March Madness bracket. But does any of that change this round?
We asked our USA TODAY Sports Network experts for their bold predictions for the Sweet 16, which starts on Friday. Here are the possible upsets on their radars.
TCU vs. Notre Dame prediction
TCU will top the Fighting Irish.Notre Dame won’t have an answer for TCU’s size, and Hailey Van Lith will make sure the Horned Frogs aren’t overwhelmed by the moment. She’s been here before, and having that voice on the floor is going to be an X factor for TCU. — Nancy Armour, USA TODAY
UCLA vs. Ole Miss prediction
Ole Miss will top UCLA. The Rebels are no stranger to a Cinderella run, spoiling No. 1 Stanford’s tournament in 2023. Ole Miss’ defense will give the Bruins’ guards trouble, and it’ll send UCLA home much earlier than expected. — Cora Hall, Knoxville News Sentinel
USC vs. Kansas State prediction
Kansas State will top Southern Cal. When JuJu Watkins suffered a season-ending knee inury against Mississippi State in the second round, it did not look good. The Trojans will miss her, and Kansas State, with star Ayoka Lee, clutch up down the stretch to win a close game. — Cory Diaz, Lafayette Advertiser
LSU vs. NC State prediction
LSU will top the Wolfpack. It’ll be a chalky Sweet 16 with the top teams having distinguished themselves but Kim Mulkey’s squad could make a Final Four push. — Maxwell Donaldson, The Gadsden Times
Texas vs. Tennessee prediction
Two Longhorns will go off against Lady Vols. The Lady Volunteers’ fantastic March madness run will end dramatically against Texas. Madison Booker and Rori Harmon will combine for 55 points to lift the Longhorns into the Elite Eight. — Meghan L. Hall, For The Win
Tennessee will top Texas. The Lady Vols have been underrated in this tournament, delivering an upset over No. 4 Ohio State in the second round. The last time the Lady Vols faced the Longhorns was in late January and they lost by four. Coach Kim Caldwell had just given birth to her son and wasn’t there to coach. — Jenna Ortiz, The Arizona Republic
Women’s basketball schedule for Sweet 16
All times Eastern.
Friday, March 28
- (2) Duke vs. (3) North Carolina | 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
- (1) South Carolina vs. (4) Maryland | 5 p.m. on ESPN
- (2) NC State vs. (3) LSU | 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
- (1) UCLA vs. (5) Ole Miss | 10 p.m. on ESPN
Saturday, March 29
- (2) TCU vs. (3) Notre Dame | 1 p.m. on ABC
- (1) Texas vs. (5) Tennessee | 3:30 p.m. on ABC
- (2) UConn vs. (3) Oklahoma | 5:30 p.m. on ESPN
- (1) Southern California vs. (5) Kansas State | 8 p.m. on ESPN