Women's Bracketology: 2025 NCAA tournament

By Charlie Creme Updated: 3/8/2025 at 10:35 p.m. ET

Champ Week is here. NCAA tournament berths will be decided over the next two weeks. Bracketology will be updated as often as conference tournaments dictate. Automatic bids now total 31 as we continue to count down to Selection Sunday on March 16.

ESPN: Women's Tournament Challenge: Sign up

ESPN : Champ Week full schedule, auto bids

Bracket Watch

Baylor was Saturday's big winner. Virginia Tech suffered the day's biggest loss. By virtue of their overtime win in the Big 12 semifinals, the Bears moved up to take the final spot in the top 16 and a chance to host. That won't change Sunday, even if Baylor loses to TCU in the Big 12 title game. The Hokies found themselves on the wrong side of the bubble when the Atlantic 10 became a two-bid conference. Richmond was already an NCAA tournament lock but will go in as an at-large after falling to Saint Joseph's in Saturday's A-10 semifinals. Either the Hawks or George Mason will take the A-10's automatic bid. The No. 1 seeds were also sewn up Saturday, with South Carolina and UCLA cruising to wins to join USC and Texas as certain top seeds. That USC-UCLA and South Carolina-Texas are conference championship matchups on Sunday is an extra treat. But the No. 1 overall seed is still up for grabs. TCU could take the final No. 2 seed from LSU if it wins the Big 12 title. In the ACC, Notre Dame held on to a No. 2 seed after a loss in the semis but is now the No. 7 overall seed.

On the Bubble

Last Four Byes

Last Four In

First Four Out

Next Four Out

68-Team Bracket

Region 1 Birmingham

Austin

Columbus

Fort Worth

South Bend

Region 4 Birmingham

Columbia

Chapel Hill

Lexington

Storrs

Region 2 Spokane

Los Angeles

Waco

Durham

Baton Rouge

Region 3 Spokane

Los Angeles

Oxford

Norman

Raleigh

Conference Breakdown

Conference

Team

Photo illo by ESPN Illustration, additional photos courtesy of Getty Images, Associated Press, Imagn, Icon Sportswire, EPA/Shutterstock

RULES

ESPN's Bracketology efforts are focused on projecting the NCAA tournament field just as we expect the NCAA Division I basketball committee to select the field in March. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme uses the same data points favored by the committee, including strength of schedule and other season-long indicators, including the NET and team-sheet data similar to what is available to the NCAA, in his projections of the field. Visit the NCAA's website for a fuller understanding of NCAA selection criteria.

64-Team Bracket

The 64-team bracket is the standard version of the NCAA tournament field that has been in place since 1994. If the 2021 field is comprised of 64 teams, there will be some key differences to past years, however.

The primary adjustment from a normal year is, of course, the playing of the entire NCAA tournament at a single site. This eliminates the need for geographical considerations in seeding. Additionally, there will be at least one fewer automatic qualifier this season, as the Ivy League's decision to forgo the 2020-21 season reduces the number of AQ entries to 31 for this season.

48-Team Bracket

In this projection, a condensed selection process would reduce the field by eight at-large teams and eight automatic qualifiers (the latter of which still receive a revenue unit). The top four seeds in each region would receive a bye into the second round, with four first-round games per region - 5 vs. 12, 6 vs. 11, 7 vs. 10 and 8 vs. 9.

16-Team Bracket

In this projection, the committee selects and seeds the 16 best available teams. There are no automatic qualifiers, although all non-competing conference champions receive the designated revenue unit.

To maintain some sense of national balance, conference participation is capped at four teams. And no region shall have more than one team from the same conference.

ESPN

Bracket Watch

Top Overall Seed

First Team Out

Last Team In

On the Bubble

Last Four Byes

Last Four In

First Four Out

Next Four Out

68-Team Bracket

Region 1 Birmingham

Austin

Columbus

Fort Worth

South Bend

Region 4 Birmingham

Columbia

Chapel Hill

Lexington

Storrs

Region 2 Spokane

Los Angeles

Waco

Durham

Baton Rouge

Region 3 Spokane

Los Angeles

Oxford

Norman

Raleigh

Conference Breakdown

More Stories