If there was ever a time chalk could be penned, look no further than the bottom Spokane region of the 2025 NCAAW March Madness Tournament.
The fourth quadrant features the arguable faces of women’s college basketball, as JuJu Watkins’ USC Trojans lead the way, just a step ahead of Paige Bueckers and the Connecticut Huskies. The modern past and present dominate this section of the March Madness bracket: Watkins has restored the glory of the Trojans’ basketball program, while the dominance of tournament mainstays like UConn, Oklahoma, and Kentucky can’t be denied.
With Spokane rounding out this season’s fateful four brackets on the women’s circuit, here’s what to look out for on the road to The Lilac City…
Fight or Bite?
This won’t be an area for many upsets on the brackets of amateur and professional fillers alike: many expect Spokane’s activities to come down to a rematch between the Trojans and Huskies, who previously played to a 72-70 USC victory back in December in Hartford.
UConn is trapped in an eight-year national championship drought which may as well be an eternity by Storrs standards. Despite continued injury issues (i.e. the unfortunate case of Caroline Ducharme), the Huskies boast what some believe is their most complete team in recent memory. Bueckers speaks for herself while Sarah Strong mans the interior and two-way game, averaging a team-best 8.4 rebounds and just about four stocks per game. Touted prospect Azzi Fudd finally gained some medical consistency as she, Ashlynn Shade, and Kaitlyn Chen have hardly hesitated to let loose from deep.
The waiting is even tougher in Los Angeles, which has not been to the Final Four since Cheryl Miller’s heyday in 1986. A long-sought return trip, of course, was denied by the Huskies last season in Portland, thanks in part to a combined 52 points from Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards.
Miller would be proud of the Trojans’ physical prowess, which pulled in over 41 rebounds a game (second-best in the Big Ten behind UCLA) thanks to Kiki Iriafen’s flirting with a season-long double-double and Rayah Marshall’s work inside. Marshall is perhaps a cursed Connecticut name, as her go-ahead tally gave the Trojans a permanent lead in their last battle at XL Center.
Clark Barred
All things considered, the Hawkeyes handled their high-profile exodus fairly well: Lucy Olsen and Jan Jensen were never going to be Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder, but they certainly did a respectable impression. Olsen landed first-team All-Big Ten honors after transferring from Villanova, Clark era holdovers Addison O’Grady and Hannah Stuelke each kept the momentum alive, and the Hawkeyes worked three freshmen into their regular rotation.
Perhaps no one could’ve blamed the Hawkeyes if they wilted in the wake of so many departures (which also included Kate Martin). They sat at 2-6 in the first foray into the revamped Big Ten, but step into the tournament as one of its hotter teams: the 10-3 ledger to close things out includes wins over USC and Michigan and the combined margin of defeat in the losses is 11 (one of which was an overtime tilt against Ohio State).
If they can survive the dangerous bottom bracket (which features a likely second-round match against third-ranked Oklahoma), a rematch with the Trojans could be an intriguing reward. Getting out of the first round will be hard enough, as they face a Murray State group that easily handled its Missouri Valley responsibilities.
Silly Rabbits’ Tricks
USC probably owes someone at the selection committee a shopping spree on Rodeo Drive after they seeded the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the 10th spot, assuring the Trojans that the earliest they’d see them would see them in the Elite Eight at the earliest.
SDSU is less than two tournaments removed from an upset of USC in the opening round, one of three NCAA victories they’ve earned since 2019. The Jackrabbits’ 29 wins are tied for their best output since 2008-09, and they’ve finished undefeated in Summit League play in each of the last two seasons. The unrelated Brooklyn and Paige Meyer led the way with Summit League team nominations and the team hasn’t lost in the new calendar year.
A rematch with the Trojans might be a little much to ask for, especially with the mighty Huskies likely looming in round two. Even so, Saturday afternoon’s conclusion of a doubleheader in Storrs against Oklahoma State should make for one of the more interesting matchups in the first round and afford them a sterling opportunity to reach the 30-win plateau.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
