The first two days of the 2025 women’s NCAA tournament supplied minimal drama but plenty of eye-popping performances. Two No. 10 seeds registered wins, but upsets were otherwise scarce for the second consecutive year.
The lack of early drama should have an upside. Moving forward, stronger potential matchups await. The heavyweights are still alive — and some made history.
Six teams — UConn, LSU, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas — scored over 100 points for the first time in women’s NCAA tournament history. And for just the second time in women’s March Madness history, four teams — the Irish, Gamecocks, Huskies and Duke — won by more than 50 points. USC and Duke held their opponents to just 25 points apiece, tied for the second fewest in an NCAA tournament game. Oklahoma grabbed an NCAA tournament-record 72 rebounds.
First round or not, we have to take notice. And those kinds of numbers add extra intrigue in a reevaluation of the 32 remaining teams — even if no teams seeded 11 or lower won a game in the first round for the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994.
Ahead of the second round, which opens at noon ET Sunday (ESPN),…
