Final Four predictions: Expert picks for women's NCAA Tournament
Editor's note: Follow South Carolina vs. Texas live updates and UConn vs. UCLA live updates.
The women's Final Four is set with three No. 1 seeds – UCLA, South Carolina, Texas – all advancing to the national semifinals, while one No. 2 seed, the UConn Huskies joins them.
This is a riveting Final Four for a multitude of reasons. For one, it's almost undoubtedly the best four teams in the tournament. Each team has at times dominated or won tightly-contested affairs, offering a look at how they can handle pressure.
Furthermore, several of the best players in women's college basketball are here. We've got UConn's Paige Bueckers, Texas' Madison Booker, UCLA's Lauren Betts, and South Carolina's Joyce Edwards. That's without even mentioning stellar second options like Rori Harmon or Te-Hina Paopao.
However, such talented rosters invokes a fairly obvious question, "Who's the best?" With the Final Four still days away, here are who experts from around the internet are picking to win the 2025 women's national championship:
Women's Final Four predictions
ESPN: Experts split on UCLA vs. UConn
Two of ESPN's experts believe the UConn Huskies will emerge victorious over the top-seeded UCLA Bruins. However, Michael Voepel believes that UCLA will win a hard fought 75-73 affair thanks to the Bruins' stellar passing and defense. He writes, "(UConn's Paige) Bueckers has had her way so far in four NCAA tournament games, shooting 58.7% from the field. UCLA coach Cori Close must challenge her team to be the one that can at least slow down Bueckers a little bit."
Yahoo Sports: South Carolina the favorite over Texas
While Yahoo Sports is split on UCLA vs. UConn, it appears they are much more confident in picking the South Carolina Gamecocks to beat the Texas Longhorns, with four of their five experts picking in favor of the reigning national champs.
Yahoo Sports believes the Gamecocks' depth is what gives them an advantage, writing "What South Carolina lacks in a singular star, it has in a widely talented roster. Six players average between eight and 13 points per game, and no one averages more than 11 shot attempts. The depth allows coach Dawn Staley to pivot quickly when making adjustments, and it can make preparation difficult on opponents — there’s no single player to load up on."
New York Times: UConn with a slight edge on UCLA
The New York Times has three writers choosing UConn in this game, while two others are choosing UCLA. They write, "This game has the two biggest individual stars still in the postseason and incredible supporting casts. This is UConn coach Geno Auriemma’s 24th trip to the Final Four and UCLA coach Cori Close’s first, but this game feels like a chess match just waiting to happen."
Watch women's Final Four on Fubo (free trial)
When is the women's Final Four?
Both women's Final Four games will take place on Friday, April 4 (all times Eastern).
- No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 1 Texas, 7 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)
- No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 2 UConn, 9:30 p.m. | ESPN | Fubo (free trial)