NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament 2025 Elite 8 Bracket Odds, Picks for Sunday

The first two spots in the Women's Final Four will be handed out on Sunday in Birmingham and Spokane.

The reigning champion South Carolina Gamecocks will try to get to their fifth straight Final Four in the opening matchup in Birmingham against the Duke Blue Devils.

The UCLA Bruins, the other top seed in action on Sunday, are after their first-ever Women's Final Four appearance.

However, UCLA faces the tougher matchup against the LSU Tigers, who won the title in 2023 under Kim Mulkey.

UCLA is the smaller of the two favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, which is not too surprising given LSU's recent history.

When South Carolina wins against top-10 opposition, it typically wins big.

The Gamecocks are 8-3 against top-10 foes. Seven of those victories have come by double digits, including a December triumph over Duke.

Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks should have a tighter focus going into the Elite Eight because they just struggled to get past the Maryland Terrapins in the Sweet 16. 

Chloe Kitts produced 21 points and 11 rebounds in the first meeting with Duke. She needs to have another massive game on both ends of the floor to slow down Duke’s progress.

Duke would rather the contest be played in the 50s or low 60s. The Blue Devils won without reaching the 60-point mark in each of the last two rounds. 

A slower scoring pace favors Duke, but if South Carolina stretches the game into the 70s or 80s, like it did in December, it should cover the 7.5-point spread on its way back to the Final Four.

Sunday’s second Elite Eight matchup pits one of the most experienced NCAA tournament teams against a rising power. 

Kim Mulkey and LSU have the recent championship experience to fall back on in a tough contest against UCLA.

The Bruins have never reached the Final Four, and while they have been great all season behind Lauren Betts, they have less big-game experience than the players on the Tigers roster. 

Mulkey, who has five Final Four appearances between her time at Baylor and LSU, could be the X-factor in the contest because she knows how to get a team into the third weekend of the NCAA tournament. 

However, UCLA does have the best player on the floor in Betts, who had a pair of 30-point double-doubles in the last two rounds. 

LSU’s biggest strength is in its backcourt. Flau’jae Johnson and Mikalyah Williams combine to average 35.8 points per game. 

If the Tigers neutralize Betts’ production with the play of Anessah Morrow, their backcourt can take over and send them to the Final Four.

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