South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley didn’t like that her Gamecocks weren’t the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. But artificial intelligence likes the path laid out for South Carolina a lot this March Madness, so much so that it could lead to a third national championship in four years.
USA TODAY Sports used the Microsoft Copilot AI chatbot to predict the result of every women’s game in this year’s NCAA Tournament bracket. The results looked a lot like a typical bracket filled out in NCAA Tournament pools around the country, and it’s becoming an increasingly popular tool for college basketball fans to use during March Madness.
But the Gamecocks stand to gain the most if AI is right.
The Microsoft Copilot AI simulation picked South Carolina to win its fourth national championship under Staley. It had the Gamecocks beating No. 4 seed Maryland, No. 3 seed North Carolina and then avenging two of its three regular-season losses with a win over No. 1 seed Texas in the Final Four and a victory against No. 2 seed UConn in the national title game. It’s plausible considering the Gamecocks are one of the betting favorites to win the national championship, according to BetMGM.
The AI simulation didn’t predict nearly as many upsets as it did in the men’s NCAA Tournament bracket, with only one lower-seeded team advancing in the first round. That, however, aligns with recent history. There was only one upset during the first round of women’s March Madness last year. The model still wound up with multiple No. 3 seeds in the Elite Eight in 2025.
Here’s a complete look at how Microsoft Copilot’s AI chatbot predicted every game in the women’s 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket:
March Madness predictions 2025: AI simulation of every women’s NCAA Tournament game
First Round
Spokane 1 Region
No. 1 seed UCLA beat No. 16 seed Southern
No. 8 seed Richmond beats No. 9 seed Georgia Tech
No. 5 seed Ole Miss beats No. 12 seed Ball State
No. 4 seed Baylor beats No. 13 seed Grand Canyon
No. 3 seed LSU beats No. 14 seed San Diego State
No. 6 seed Florida State beats No. 11 seed George Mason
No. 7 seed Michigan State beats No. 10 seed Harvard
No. 2 seed North Carolina State beats No. 15 seed Vermont
Birmingham 2 Region
No. 1 seed South Carolina beats No. 16 seed Tennessee Tech
No. 8 seed Utah beats No. 9 seed Indiana
No. 5 seed Alabama beats No. 12 seed Green Bay
No. 4 seed Maryland beats No. 13 seed Norfolk State
No. 6 seed West Virginia beats No. 11 seed Columbia/Washington
No. 3 seed North Carolina beats No. 14 seed Oregon State
No. 7 seed Vanderbilt beats No. 10 seed Oregon
No. 2 seed Duke beats No. 15 seed Lehigh
Birmingham 3 Region
No. 1 seed Texas beats No. 16 seed High Point/William & Mary
No. 8 seed Illinois beats No. 9 seed Creighton
No. 5 seed Tennessee beats No. 12 seed South Florida
No. 4 seed Ohio State beats No. 13 seed Montana State
No. 6 seed Michigan beats No. 11 seed Iowa State
No. 3 seed Notre Dame beats No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin
No. 7 seed Louisville beats No. 10 seed Nebraska
No. 2 seed TCU beats No. 15 seed Fairleigh Dickinson
Spokane 4 Region
No. 1 seed USC beats No. 16 seed UNC-Greensboro
No. 4 seed Kentucky beats No. 13 seed Liberty
No. 9 seed Mississippi State beats No. 8 seed California
No. 5 seed Kansas State beats No. 12 seed Fairfield
No. 6 seed Iowa beats No. 11 seed Murray State
No. 3 seed Oklahoma beats No. 14 seed Florida Gulf Coast
No. 7 seed Oklahoma State beats No. 10 seed South Dakota State
No. 2 seed UConn beats No. 15 seed Arkansas State
Second Round
Spokane 1 Region
No. 1 seed UCLA beats No. 8 seed Richmond
No. 4 seed Baylor beats No. 5 seed Ole Miss
No. 3 seed LSU beats No. 6 seed Florida State
No. 2 seed North Carolina State beats No. 7 seed Michigan State
Birmingham 2 Region
No. 1 seed South Carolina beats No. 8 seed Utah
No. 4 seed Maryland beats No. 5 seed Alabama
No. 3 seed North Carolina beats No. 6 seed West Virginia
No. 2 seed Duke beats No. 7 seed Vanderbilt
Birmingham 3 Region
No. 1 seed Texas beats No. 8 seed Illinois
No. 4 seed Ohio State beats No. 5 seed Tennessee
No. 3 seed Notre Dame beats No. 6 seed Michigan
No. 2 seed TCU beats No. 7 seed Louisville
Spokane 4 Region
No. 1 seed USC beats No. 9 seed Mississippi State
No. 4 seed Kentucky beats No. 5 seed Kansas State
No. 6 seed Iowa beats No. 3 seed Oklahoma
No. 2 seed UConn beats No. 7 seed Oklahoma State
Sweet 16
Spokane 1 Region
No. 1 seed UCLA beats No. 4 seed Baylor
No. 3 seed LSU beats No. 2 seed North Carolina State
Birmingham 2 Region
No. 1 seed South Carolina beats No. 4 seed Maryland
No. 3 seed North Carolina beats No. 2 seed Duke
Birmingham 3 Region
No. 1 seed Texas beats No. 4 seed Ohio State
No. 3 seed Notre Dame beats No. 2 seed TCU
Spokane 4 Region
No. 1 seed USC beats No. 4 seed Kentucky
No. 2 seed UConn beats No. 6 seed Iowa
Elite Eight
Spokane 1 Region: No. 1 seed UCLA beats No. 3 seed LSU
Birmingham 2 Region: No. 1 seed South Carolina beats No. 3 seed North Carolina
Birmingham 3 Region: No. 1 seed Texas beats No. 3 seed Notre Dame
Spokane 4 Region: No. 2 seed UConn beats No. 1 seed USC
Final Four
No. 2 seed UConn beats No. 1 seed UCLA
No. 1 seed South Carolina beats No. 1 seed Texas
National Championship Game
No. 1 seed South Carolina beats No. 2 seed UConn, 70-68