The Daily Wildcat’s women’s basketball writers, Michael Smith and Kayla Lowery, make their predictions for the teams most likely to win the women’s NCAA tournament and some teams who might bust some brackets along the way.
Michael Smith’s Favorites: No. 4 University of Southern California, No. 3 University of Connecticut
The Trojans have been a powerhouse all season long with a record of 25-2 (15-1 in Big 10). USC is led by a one-two punch in one of the best players in the nation sophomore Juju Watkins and a top-five projected pick in the 2025 WNBA draft in senior forward Kiki Iriafen. Watkins leads the Big 10 in points per game, averaging 24.6, almost seven rebounds and a pair of steals on 42.6% from the field. Iriafen puts up 18.2 points and 8.3 rebounds on 49.9% shooting. USC has a resume as strong as anyone, beating the likes of No. 1 University of California, Los Angeles twice, No. 3 UConn, No. 18 University of Maryland and No. 15 Ohio State University, just to name a few. In the 71-60 win over UCLA, Watkins finished with 38 points, eleven boards and eight blocks. On Feb. 19, in a win over then-No. 22 Michigan State University, Iriafen secured a double-double with 24 points, ten rebounds, three rejections and shooting 53.8% on the night. With losses only coming to No. 6 Notre Dame and Iowa, the Trojans are an absolute juggernaut heading into the big dance.
When you think of March Madness, it’s hard not to consider UConn a national championship contender year in and year out. The Huskies, led by the 11-time national champion head coach Geno Auriemma, rank fifth in the country with a regular season record of 28-3 and a dominating 18-0 record in the Big East. The Huskies are also coming off a dominant Big East conference tournament win, winning their three matchups by 20+ each time. UConn has a big three led by the projected no. 1 overall pick in senior guard Paige Bueckers, who averages 19 points, almost five assists and two steals a game, shooting 53.6% on the season and 40.6% from deep. Complementing Bueckers is freshman Sarah Strong, who puts up 16 points, eight boards and over two steals a game on an efficient 57.5% from the field. On Feb. 16, the Huskies went on the road and dominated the defending champion then-No. 4 South Carolina 87-58. Senior guard Azzi Fudd led the Huskies with a game-high 28 points and five rebounds, going 6-10 from long range. Fuzz completes the trio, scoring 12.8 points per game, shooting 91.7% from the charity stripe and 43.4% from beyond the arc. UConn has proven they have the star power and experience to make a big statement in the tournament.
Sleeper picks: University of Iowa, No. 23 Florida State University
The Hawkeyes are only one year removed from a national championship appearance after losing Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin to the WNBA. They ended their regular season at 20-9 (10-8 in Big 10), which was good enough for ninth in the conference. Iowa would then make it to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten conference tournament before being knocked out by then-No. 13 Ohio State. Iowa added five players to this year’s roster, headlined by Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen, who earned All-Big East and All-America honors last season. Olsen leads the way with 18 points per game, 4.9 assists and over a steal a game, going 44.1% from the floor. In their last 10 games, the Hawkeyes are 7-3. With two of those losses coming down to the final possession, losing 50-49 to Oregon and 60-59 to Ohio State in the Big Ten quarterfinal. The other heartbreaking loss came in overtime, again to then-No. 8 Ohio State 86-78 on Feb. 17. Where Olsen finished with 27 points, dishing out seven assists and going 8-12 from the line. Iowa has proven that they can go toe-to-toe with any program in the nation beating the likes of then-No. 18 Iowa State University and upsetting then-No. 4 USC, making the Hawkeyes a dark horse in the NCAA tournament with head coach Jan Jensen at the helm, who knows what it takes to make a deep run in the big dance.
No. 23 Florida State are were rolling, shocking then-No. 3 Notre Dame 86-81 and beating then-No. 20 Georgia Tech 73-70. However, the Seminoles have disappointed in their last two outing, losing 71-57 to then-No. 16 Duke University and exiting the ACC tournament early after a 60-56 quarterfinal loss to the University of North Carolina. The Seminoles, who were 23-7 and 13-5 in the ACC at the end of the regular season, are led by junior guard Ta’Niya Latson. Latson averages 24.9 points, 4.7 assists and over two steals a game. In a 105-74 win over Virginia Tech, Latson dropped a career-high 40 points and finished with five steals and five assists on 18-28 shooting. Latson’s counterpart, Makayla Timpson, averages a double-double with 17.6 points and 10.6 rebounds while also securing three blocks and almost two steals a game. In the win over then-No. 20 Georgia Tech, the 6-foot-2 forward secured 19 points, 16 rebounds and three rejections, going 9-17 for the game. The Latson and Timpson duo will create chaos in the tournament with the offensive star power in Latson and the defensive nightmares Timpson produces on a nightly basis.
Kayla Lowery’s Favorites: No. 1 UCLA
No. 1 UCLA has had a terrific season thus far, going 27-2 overall and 16-2 in Big Ten conference play during the regular season. UCLA was also able to capture the Big Ten tournament championship after beating USC 72-67, the Trojans were the Bruins’ only two losses on the season. I believe UCLA is going to bring home the win because of the pivotal win they had over last year’s champions, the University of South Carolina. On Nov. 24, 2024, the Bruins beat the Gamecocks 77-62 in Los Angeles, making it the program’s first-ever win against a number-one-ranked opponent. Lauren Betts has been great to watch this season as well, leading the Bruins in scoring with 551 points, 276 rebounds and 81 blocks. The Bruins look to keep their streak going into the NCAA tournament after one the best regular seasons in program history.
Sleeper picks: No. 16 West Virginia
I chose No. 16 West Virginia as my sleeper pick because they have shown they can compete with high-ranked teams like then-No. 12 Kansas State and then-No. 24 Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers ended their regular season 23-6 overall and 13-5 in Big 12 conference play. They would lose 71-65 in the Big 12 tournament semifinals to the eventual tournament champions, TCU. Jj Quinerly has been an anchor for the team as she leads in scoring (617 points) and free throws (125). West Virginia has a very strong defense, with 423 steals and 1084 rebounds this season. If the Mountaineers can improve their offense, I think they could upset a lot of higher-ranked teams and go far in the tournament.
