NCAAW: UCLA, LSU rematch highlights 2025 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

The 2025 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight begins this Sunday, Mar. 30, with a pair of games that will be televised nationally on ABC.

First, at 1 p.m. ET, the No. 1-seed South Carolina Gamecocks will continue their title defense against the No. 2-seed Duke Blue Devils. Both teams have found themselves in closer-than-expected games thus far in the tournament, and while South Carolina won comfortably when it played Duke earlier this season, the way the Blue Devils have been defending recently suggests things will be more competitive this time around.

The No. 3-seed LSU Tigers will then take on the No. 1-seed UCLA Bruins at 3 p.m. ET. LSU and UCLA last met in last year’s Sweet 16, a game in which the Tigers emerged on top; UCLA will undoubtedly be looking to get revenge and show it’s worthy of the tournament’s top overall seed against an LSU offense that has plenty of skill at guard and some of the hardest workers in the country in its frontcourt.

Let’s take a closer look at both Elite Eight matchups and the keys to victory for each of the participating teams.

No. 2-seed Duke vs. No. 1-seed South Carolina (1 p.m. ET, ABC)

Duke and South Carolina isn’t a matchup that’s typically thought of as a rivalry, but the two programs did meet in non-conference play earlier in the season. The result was an 81-70 South Carolina victory that was less competitive than the final score suggests; the Gamecocks led by as many as 25 points and shot 57.4 percent from the field; they were led by a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double from forward Chloe Kitts.

It’s fair to say that Duke has improved since then. The Blue Devils, who rode a 14-4 ACC record to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, having once again established themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the country. That’s been, on most occasions, more than enough to offset Duke’s inconsistent offensive production; in three NCAA Tournament games, the Blue Devils have allowed 25, 53 and 38 points, most recently combining with No. 3-seed North Carolina to score just 85.

Duke is going to need to find some offense in the Elite Eight, though, if it’s going to upset the defending champs. South Carolina, too, has defended at an extremely high level, allowing 79.6 points per 100 possessions (Her Hoop Stats), and though the Gamecocks faced halftime deficits against both Indiana in the Round of 32 and Maryland in the Sweet 16, they out-executed their opponents in crunch time to advance to their fifth-consecutive Elite Eight.

The Gamecocks, of course, have higher aspirations than that, and are widely expected to at least make the Final Four, if not the national championship game. South Carolina hasn’t been quite as dominant this season as in years past, as proven by the challenges provided by Indiana and Maryland, but that No. 1 seed was still well-earned, and until shown otherwise, the Gamecocks’ veteran-laden roster should be one of a few favorites to win it all. We’ll see just how far Duke has come since its regular-season loss to South Carolina; the Blue Devils would probably prefer a low-scoring defensive battle, but the Gamecocks are a cut above anyone they’ve faced to this point, and few have been able to hold them down for a full 40 minutes.

No. 3-seed LSU vs. No. 1-seed UCLA (3 p.m. ET, ABC)

UCLA entered the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and hasn’t disappointed. The Bruins have defeated Southern, Richmond and Ole Miss, leaving opposing players and coaches alike wondering one thing: How exactly do you stop Lauren Betts?

The 6-foot-7 center has turned it up a notch in the tournament, recording back-to-back games of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds while shooting a combined 29-for-33 (87.9 percent) from the field. According to ESPN, only two other players in NCAA Tournament history—Brittney Griner and Elena Delle Donne—have ever accomplished that.

Betts and the Bruins now have their sights set on the LSU Tigers, who defeated UCLA in the Sweet 16 of last year’s NCAA Tournament. At the time, LSU was defending its own national title and proved to be the more experienced team; Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow held Betts in check, while Flau’jae Johnson was by far the best guard on the floor.

Reese is now in the WNBA, but the Tigers remain dangerous in 2025. With Morrow, Johnson and breakout sophomore Mikaylah Williams starring, LSU dropped over 100 points on its first two NCAA Tournament opponents (San Diego State and Florida State), and used a massive advantage on the paint and in the boards to outlast No. 2-seed NC State in the Sweet 16. Morrow has been the most prolific rebounder in Division I, and as a team, few have been better on the glass than LSU: According to Her Hoop Stats, the Tigers rank third in the country in total rebounding rate at 56.8 percent.

One of the two teams ahead of LSU in that metric? That would be UCLA at 58.7 percent.

Needless to say, rebounding will be a major key in this matchup, as will frontcourt defense in general. Betts and UCLA have the height advantage, but Morrow has outworked plenty of taller players in her career, as evidence by her massive individual rebounding numbers. Johnson and Williams, meanwhile, are an explosive guard duo capable of scoring in bunches, though UCLA’s defense is stout and disciplined and won’t break easily. The Tigers will need both of them to be clicking offensively if they’re going to knock the Bruins out of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.