Will star center Lauren Betts get enough help from the perimeter to make the run? UCLA is outstanding when hitting threes, beatable when not. North Carolina State has one big player in Tilda Trygger, then a bunch of guards. Yes, this is the way the game is played today, but it could cause matchup problems down the road. It is, frankly, JuJu Watkins’ turn. With Caitlin Clark in the WNBA, Watkins is the media magnet of this tournament. How will she hold up? Paige Bueckers is healthy. The Huskies are, for the most part, too. They made it to the Final Four as a No. 3 seed last year. Can Paige bring UConn it’s first title since 2016? South Carolina got a No. 1 seed. But not the top seed despite a high net ranking, a killer schedule and more Quad 1 wins (16) than anyone else. As if coach Dawn Staley’s group needs any more motivation. North Carolina-Duke Sweet 16 showdown would be an all-ACC matchup of two teams that split two games this season. Duke has won six straight, including conference tournament crown. Maryland has five victories over top 25 teams this season. It should get a shot at No. 6 against Alabama in the second round Texas now has back-to-back No. 1 seeds and has won 16 of its last 16, the only loss coming to South Carolina. Can they get all the way to the Final Four this season? TCU had to forfeit games and had open tryouts to fill out an injury-filled roster. Now it’s a No. 2 seed. It was only a few weeks ago Notre Dame was No. 1 in the polls. Now the Irish are a No. 3 seed and appear headed to a showdown with TCU. ©2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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From Spokane 4 to top contenders around the bracket, here’s how the path to a national title breaks down for UConn in the NCAA Tournament.