The next stage is set for the 2025 women’s NCAA tournament. While upsets were largely scarce across the first two rounds, that guarantees us some heavy-hitting showdowns at the regionals in Birmingham, Alabama, and Spokane, Washington.
The regional semifinals will feature the first Duke–North Carolina showdown in the NCAA tournament, rematches from November in LSU–NC State and TCU–Notre Dame, the next chapter in two of the most storied programs in the sport in Texas–Tennessee, and much more.
But the Sweet 16 unfortunately will not feature USC star and national player of the year favorite JuJu Watkins, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury early in the Trojans’ second-round game Monday night.
Still, there is much to look forward to. ESPN breaks down what to expect from each matchup in the Sweet 16 and predicts the winner for each game. Games are listed in chronological order.
Birmingham 2 Regional
(2) Duke vs. (3) North Carolina
Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Why North Carolina will win: The first time these teams met (a grueling 53-46 overtime North…
