Let the Madness begin, as the 2025/26 NCAA women's basketball tournament tips off its 64-team first round on Friday — with one matchup set to bust Women's March Madness brackets from the jump.
No. 10 Tennessee will take on No. 7 NC State on Friday night — bookending the season with a rematch of their 2025/26 opener — as both the Volunteers and Wolfpack look to conjure past tournament success after up and down campaigns.
"I would love to get back to being the hardest playing team on the floor," Lady Vols head coach Kim Caldwell said. "That means 50/50 balls, we're getting on them, we're taking charges, we're diving on loose balls, we have great energy, we're playing as a team."
After a promising start to SEC play, Tennessee hit the skids in recent weeks, finishing the season 8-8 in conference play with an overall 16-13 season record — while also dealing with some headline-making friction off the bench.
"I think she is doing a great job," Tennessee athletic director Danny White told Knox News earlier this week, commending the second-year coach. "I'm as confident in her as I was the day I hired her. (I'm) more confident just getting a chance to work more closely with her and see how talented she is as a basketball mind and as a leader."
"Tennessee is super quick, athletic," said NC State head coach Wes Moore after the Wolfpack topped the Lady Vols 80-77 in the pair's only 2025/26 meeting. "They've got a lot of people that are long and athletic and make it a challenge."
How to watch Tennessee vs. NC State in Women's March Madness
The No. 10 Vols take on the No. 7 Wolfpack at 8 PM ET on Friday night, airing live on ESPN.
