NCAA women’s basketball tournament starts this week. Here’s your guide to the games

The NCAA women’s basketball tournament tips off in Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hillafter the Triangle’s three power programs earned the right to host first weekend games.

N.C. State earned the No. 2 seed in the Spokane 1 regional. Duke also earned a No. 2 seed, while North Carolina was given a No. 3 seed — both in the Birmingham 2 regional.

This is the first time since 1998 that all three Triangle programs have hosted NCAA Tournament games and, according to ESPN, the first time in tournament history that each team in the trio earned a three-seed or higher.

Duke (26-7) is making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Kara Lawson, while Carolina (27-7) is making its fifth straight under Courtney Banghart. N.C. State (26-6) is making its second consecutive appearance and eighth under Wes Moore.

Sixteen out-of-town teams will also participate in Raleigh as part of the men’s and women’s tournaments. Nine women’s teams are headed to the Triangle — three at each site — and seven on the men’s side.

“It says a lot about the ACC and Tobacco Road and all that stuff. It’s pretty neat, because these are your traditional ACC teams, the footprint, so to speak,” N.C. State’s Moore said. “It’s exciting. Courtney (Banghart) and Kara Lawson, they’ve both done great jobs of building those teams. They’re having unbelievable seasons. And, I’m proud of where our players have put placed us. Then, eight men’s teams here, as well, for their regional.”

Here are story lines and things to watch ahead of this weekend’s games.

Triangle events overlap

Entering Selection Sunday, coaches from all three institutions celebrated the Triangle’s success in women’s basketball and looked forward to giving fans a chance to attend games at all three sites. Unfortunately, that won’t happen.

Games at UNC and N.C. State are scheduled for the same times. The Wolfpack plays No. 15 seed Vermont at 2 p.m. Saturday in Raleigh. No. 7 Michigan State and No. 10 Harvard play at 4:30.

In Chapel Hill, No. 6 West Virginia plays the winner of Columbia-Washington at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The Tar Heels face No. 14 seed Oregon State at 4:30 p.m.

There will be overlapping media events throughout the week, as well.

N.C. State’s Moore said that wasn’t something he really thought about and acknowledged logistical issues with scheduling the men’s first weekend at Lenovo Center. UNC’s Banghart, however, expressed disappointment in the scheduling. She hoped fans and national media could see games at all three sites, if they wanted, without dealing with too much travel.

“All that we needed was the times to work out, even if they were one after the other, you can actually make it (because) it’s so close,” Banghart said. “The only time that really wouldn’t have worked well for the media and for the growth of this area’s basketball was if the games were at the exact same time. It appears like that’s what’s happened.

“I know your coverage is going to be a little tricky with so much going on in the Triangle. I was hoping it would work out better for everybody.”

Deja Kelly returns

Oregon guard Deja Kelly transferred from North Carolina last season after four seasons with the program. She comes back to the Triangle this weekend with the Ducks (19-11) as part of the Durham pod.

Kelly averages 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Her scoring dropped roughly five points this season, but Kelly improved her passing and assist-to-turnover ratio, jumping from 1.2 assists per turnover to more than two assists per turnover.

The graduate student could face Duke in the second round on Sunday if the seeds hold. The Ducks must beat Vanderbilt (22-10) in their opening game.

Lawson is not worried about facing Kelly again.

“I’ve been in this sport too long to see people talk about matchups that sometimes never materialize,” Lawson said Sunday. “We don’t want to be the reason that it doesn’t materialize. We want to make sure we’re there, which means we’ve got to be focused.”

Carolina connections

Lehigh head coach Addie Micir has connections to the Tar Heels. Micir comes to the Triangle after playing for Banghart at Princeton from 2007-11. Banghart led the program from 2007-19. Micir earned the program’s first Ivy League Player of the Year nod.

Additionally, Micir coached under Banghart at Princeton from 2018-19.

Columbia head coach Megan Griffith will also make her way to the Triangle this weekend. Griffith was one of Banghart’s assistants from 2012-16. The Lions will face Washington on Thursday for a spot in the 64-team bracket.

Duke, Carolina land in same pod

The Blue Devils and Tar Heels were the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively, in the Birmingham 2 regional bracket. If both programs advance out of the first weekend, that means they would face each other in the Sweet 16.

Banghart is not surprised with the outcome. If it hadn’t been Duke, the Tar Heels could’ve been placed in the same bracket as a number of opponents the team has faced this season.

“With these big conferences, as you advance throughout the tournament, you’re going to see people you’ve already seen before,” Banghart said. “That’s why you’re in these Power Four conferences. Not at all surprised that it was them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been N.C. State or Notre Dame.”

NCAA women’s basketball tournament selection committee chair Derita Dawkins said having two rival teams wasn’t intentional. The committee selects the teams, seeds them and then places them in the bracket based on the overall seeding and S curve, she said. Additional variables, such as proximity, were not part of the consideration.

Pack consistent at home

N.C. State did not lose a game at home this season and holds a 21-game winning streak at Reynolds Coliseum. That success holds true in the tournament, as well.

The Wolfpack has appeared in eight straight NCAA Tournaments under Moore and hosted in five. This is the second consecutive season that N.C. State has earned hosting privileges.

When playing in Raleigh, the Wolfpack is 19-2 in NCAA Tournament games. It has not lost since 1983.

Time off helped with rehab

Unlike the men’s basketball schedules, most women’s teams will enter the tournament refreshed. Most teams will have more than a week off from competition, some nearing two weeks, and it was a much-needed break after the grind of the regular season.

N.C. State guard Aziaha James briefly left the ACC title game after a hard fall. She returned in the second half but the team struggled to keep pace with Duke. Saniya Rivers played through flu-like symptoms.

UNC’s Reniya Kelly and Alyssa Ustby made their returns to the Tar Heel lineup in the ACC Tournament after missing multiple games with lower-body injuries.

Banghart, Moore and Lawson gave their teams several days off following the ACC Tournament, encouraging the players to step away from basketball and rest without losing fitness. They feel good about where their squads are, mentally and physically, as they enter this next stretch.

“I think everybody’s in pretty good shape now, as far as recovery time and all that,” Moore said. “Hopefully we’re ready to go.”

Parity: A positive problem

South Carolina, UCLA, Southern Cal and Texas all earned No. 1 seeds and are heavy favorites to advance out of the first round. With a field that includes UConn, LSU, TCU, eight ACC teams and some feisty mid-majors, no seed is truly safe.

Duke and N.C. State are prime examples. The Blue Devils were bounced in 2023, despite hosting, and did not make it out of the first weekend. They followed that up last season by upsetting host Ohio State and earning a spot in the Sweet 16. The Wolfpack entered last season unranked and was a No. 3 seed entering the tournament. It upset No. 1 seed Stanford and No. 2 seed Texas to earn a spot in the Final Four.

N.C. State is a 20-point favorite at Vermont, but the Catamounts rank No. 4 in the country for scoring defense (52.2 points). They beat Missouri in the season opener, 62-46, and haven’t lost back-to-back games in 2025.

Similarly, Oregon State (19-15) enters Chapel Hill 9-2 since Feb. 1. Lehigh (27-6) is 11-2 in that time frame and has not lost consecutive games this season.

It’s fair to expect the top seeds to be favored, but anything can happen.

“I think there’s a lot more parity in our game,” Moore said Monday. “Anybody want to go out on a limb here and and pick the national champion? I just think there are a lot of teams that could get hot and win it. I think last year we were fortunate. We got hot and got on a roll.”

First round schedules

Here is a look at the first round schedules at all three Triangle sites. Second round game times or television channels will be released after matchups are set.

This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "NCAA women’s basketball tournament starts this week. Here’s your guide to the games."

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer