Let’s get the madness started.
The most chaotic chapter of the annual sports calendar tips off Wednesday when the First Four in the 2025 NCAA women’s bracket get things started.
Who will win the First Four games and punch their tickets to the first round? Here are the odds, courtesy of BetMGM:
Iowa State (-200) vs. Princeton
The Cyclones are the favorite despite underachieving this season. Expected to be a top-level squad in 2025, they finished seventh in the Big 12 and failed to make it out of the conference quarterfinals. Princeton, meanwhile, finished second place in the Ivy League and boasts a balanced roster with three players who made either first or second All-Ivy. The Tigers are 4.5-point underdogs and +165 on the moneyline.
UC San Diego (-155) vs. Southern
On the heels of their first winning season in four years, the Tritons are favored over Southern, which is a 2.5-point underdog and +125 on the moneyline. UC San Diego took home the Big West championship while Southern dominated the SWAC title game, burying Alcorn by 20 points. BetMGM expects this to be the lowest-scoring First Four game — the over/under is set at 111.5 points ― so there could be some meat on that bone.
Washington (-115) vs. Columbia
BetMGM has set this one almost straight down the middle. Newcomers to the Big 10, the Huskies made their first tournament field since 2017. Columbia, like Princeton, fell to Harvard in the Ivy League tournament but managed to snag an at-large bid for the second consecutive year. Columbia is a 1.5-point underdog and -105 on the moneyline.
High Point (-300) vs. William & Mary
Big South favorites High Point barely beat second-seeded Longwood in the conference final after winning the previous two conference tourney games by a combined 43 points. Now, the Panthers settle for a 16-seed play-in game. William & Mary, 6.5-point underdogs and +240 on the moneyline, aren’t feeling as jaded. The Tribe won the CAA title to secure the school’s first NCAA tournament bid.