3 must-watch games in the opening round of the 2025 women’s NCAA Tournament

The 2025 women’s NCAA tournament gets underway this week with First Four games on Wednesday. We have a bracket, the 68-team field is locked in and it’s time to embrace the madness.

Of course, you’ll watch as many games as you possibly can, but there’s a few early matchups that you won’t want to miss. Some might feature superstars, others might showcase a clash of styles or coaching philosophies. Some games might have stellar freshmen, or seniors that we’ve overlooked for far too long. Some will have NCAA Tournament regulars, while others are in the Big Dance for the first time in a while.

Here are the games that are must-watch in the opening rounds.

Wednesday, 7 p.m. ET — ESPNU

This is a First Four game that you won’t want to miss, and it’s the very first game of 2025 March Madness.

On one side, you have the Princeton Tigers, making their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance out of what is a three-bid Ivy League this season. The Tigers like to play at a slower pace and wait for the perfect shot. They’re 13th nationally in shooting percentage, but 342nd in possessions per 40 minutes. Princeton is also solid on the glass, surrendering just 19.7 defensive rebounds per game, which is second-best in the country.

Iowa State is their opponent, and the Cyclones are led by a pair of budding sophomore stars in Audi Crooks and Addy Brown. Crooks is eighth in the nation in scoring with 23.2 points per game and leads the nation in field goals made per game with 9.2. Brown averages 15.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, but showed against Arizona State in the Big 12 tournament that she can score in bunches too, dropping 41 points on the Sun Devils.

This is a game of star power against system.

Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET — ESPNews

Richmond was one of the best mid-major teams in the country this season, earning an at-large bid out of the Atlantic 10. Georgia Tech started the season off strong with a 15-game winning streak, but finished 7-10.

This is a bit of a prove-it game for both programs. Is Georgia Tech more of the team that we saw in the first half of the season, or the second half? Did Richmond deserve an at-large bid and are they really one of the top teams in the country? Let’s find out.

Unfortunately, the winner will likely play No. 1 overall seed UCLA, but there’s still a lot on the line. The Spiders are searching for their first-ever NCAA Tournament win, while Georgia Tech is looking for its first postseason victory since 2021.

Richmond leads the nation in effective field goal percentage with a 58.1 percent clip and are led by Rachel Ullstrom and Maggie Doogan, who combined to average 31.8 points and 12 rebounds per game. Georgia Tech leans on two solid juniors, Kara Dunn and Tonie Morgan, and also gets a boost from freshman and ACC Sixth Player of the Year Dani Carnegie.

Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET — ESPN2

Under third-year coach Jacie Hoyt, the Cowgirls are enjoying their best season since 2008 and are looking for their first win in the Big Dance since 2001. Meanwhile, South Dakota State are NCAA Tournament regulars under Aaron Johnston, making their 13th March Madness appearance since 2009. The Jackrabbits have advanced to the second round four times and made the Sweet 16 in 2019.

Sophomore guard Stailee Heard leads Oklahoma State with 16.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while junior forward Brooklyn Meyer powers South Dakota State with 17.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Meyer was on the Jackrabbits team that beat USC in the first round in 2023 and they’ll be looking to add another Power 4 win to their collection.

Both teams are in the top 30 nationally in points per game, so this could make for a fun, high-scoring clash.