Three teams have won the women's NCAA tournament 7 of the last 10 years: UConn in 2014, 2015, and 2016; South Carolina in 2017, 2022, and 2024; and LSU in 2023 (Baylor under Kim Mulkey took home the crown in 2019, the 2020 tournament was canceled, and Stanford won in 2021). This year in women's college basketball has been thrilling for several reasons, but one of the biggest is that there's a lot of fresh blood on the court, and a lot of teams are hungry for their turn in the spotlight.
The Elite Eight is bound to be intense this year. Inevitably there will be an LSU vs Hailey Van Lith and TCU showdown (the ratings alone would be astounding), and the prospect of a USC vs UConn rematch after Watkins and the Trojans took down the Huskies 72-70 in December is equally thrilling. But after that? It might be time for new faces in the Final Four.
A lot depends on what the bracket gods dream up, but between the talent on the floor and the way March Madness always comes with more than one surprise, there's a distinct possibility this year's Final Four will be the first without Geno Auriemma, Mulkey, or even — yes, we're going there — Dawn Staley. And that might be a good, or even great, thing.
(Author's note: Dear reader, please be assured I am a massive Dawn Staley fan and even had the opportunity to speak to her at South Carolina's recent game against Vanderbilt, where I thanked her profusely for her service. This is not a hate piece 🙏🏻.)
Final Four 2025: NC State, USC, Notre Dame, and Texas
The first women's NCAA Tournament was held in 1982 and won by Louisiana Tech. Under Linda Sharp USC took home the trophy in 1983 and 1984; the team hasn't seen a Final Four since. Texas won the natty in 1986 and has enjoyed three appearances in the Final Four (the last was in 2003 under Jody Conradt). In 2024, NC State made the program's second Final Four appearance ever, and the school's women's team hasn't won the whole tournament (yet).
Notre Dame has, of course, seen a lot of Final Four action (in 1997, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019), which is a natural result of having Muffet McGraw as a coach. They've won the whole thing twice (in 2001 and 2018) under McGraw again. Coach Niele Ivey has been steadily leading the Fighting Irish since assuming the ship's helm in 2020, but hasn't yet restored the team to its former glory — though there's no doubt she's ready to do exactly that.
All four teams are having next-level seasons. And to be sure, so are UConn and South Carolina (ranked No. 3 and No. 5, respectively), but one of sport's most compelling stories is the perpetual appeal of an underdog, and a Final Four that doesn't feature teams we've most frequently seen play for the past decade has a lot of appeal.
And none of this has begun to even touch on the actual talent and dogged determination that each team brings to the floor. Can we please all close our eyes and imagine a Hannah Hidalgo-JuJu Watkins match-up? NC State launching a run that makes them unstoppable no matter who you are? Rori Harmon heaving another killer logo-3 to win it all? Please. The people yearn for it.
Final Four 2025: the case for NC State
The inclusion of Texas, USC, and Notre Dame is easily digestible for most NCAA fans, but when it comes to NC State, it still seems like something has to be proven, so here's the why. In short, it's all about matchups. Let's say South Carolina and NC State face off in the Elite Eight. SC is lacking a strong inside presence, and NC State's guards can easily match up against those under Staley. South Carolina has a deep bench, but NC State's Saniya Rivers, Aziaha James, and Zamareya Jones are an equal match — they're in shape to match exactly the energy South Carolina will bring. Rivers also transferred to NC State from South Carolina, and she'll be out to prove something.
If this was a 2 out of 3 series, Dawn Staley would out-coach NC State's Wes Moore and there'd be no conversation. But due to the fact that the tournament is single elimination, everything NC State's team will bring to the table (as outlined above), and the fact that NC State will want to prove themselves if they face the Gamecocks in the Elite Eight, this specific game could be theirs to win — and Staley & co. will have to try again next year.