The player pool at this year’s NCAA tournament Final Four reflects that there’s more than one way to build a title contender. Duke targeted top-tier freshmen and then filled in holes around them by plucking veteran role players from the portal.

Upsets were few and far between in the 2025 women's NCAA tournament. A lower seed prevailed over a higher seed just six times, but none was considered a significant upset. But just because there were few surprises doesn't mean we aren't in for a treat in Tampa,