The Oklahoma State women’s basketball team returns to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years, and is set to face 10th-seeded South Dakota State on Saturday in Storrs, Connecticut.

Seventh-seeded OSU has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2021. OSU’s last appearance in the Tournament was in the 2022-23 season when it lost as a No. 8 seed to ninth-seeded Miami in the round of 64.

The OSU-South Dakota State winner will be paired up with the winner of the first-round game between second-seeded Connecticut and No. 15 Arkansas State.

Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:

Can your picks survive March Madness? Join our Survivor Pool to find out

Oklahoma State women’s basketball vs. South Dakota State

While the Cowgirls (25-6) aren’t necessarily familiar with this particular South Dakota State team — which has a 29-3 record and won the Summit League — the Jackrabbits program is not new to OSU coach Jacie Hoyt.

“When I was at UMKC, we were in the Summit League, so I played them twice a year the last two years before I got to Oklahoma State,” Hoyt said. “They’re very, very well-coached. They win their conference pretty much every year. It’s a team that I’m familiar with and excited to get to play against.”

When does Oklahoma State play in March Madness?

• Date: Saturday, March 22
• Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
• Location: Storrs, Connecticut

The seventh-seeded Oklahoma State Cowgirls face 10th-seeded South Dakota State at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.

More: Oklahoma State women’s basketball tickets in 2025 NCAA Tournament: Prices, how to buy

Where to watch Oklahoma State vs. South Dakota State

The television network for the OSU-South Dakota State game will be ESPN2.

Watch Oklahoma State vs South Dakota State live with Fubo

Score prediction for OSU-South Dakota State women

OSU 88, South Dakota State 84: South Dakota State has won 19 straight games, but the Cowgirls are battle-tested from the rigors of the Big 12 Conference. OSU has a variety of capable scorers to keep pace with a Jackrabbit squad that is averaging 76.3 points per game. The Cowgirls average 76.7 points while allowing just 60.0.

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South Carolina will try to add to its trophy case when the NCAA women’s basketball tournament begins this week.

The Gamecocks join UCLA, USC and Texas as the four top seeds in the 68-team bracket. The tournament begins Wednesday and Thursday with the First Four matchups, with first-round play beginning Friday.

South Carolina is the defending champion after it beat Iowa last year in a title game watched by an audience of 18.7 million, record viewership for a women’s college basketball game. South Carolina also won NCAA titles under coach Dawn Staley in 2022 and 2017.

Tampa, Florida, will host the Final Four on April 4 and the national championship on April 6.

Before the tournament begins, NBC News breaks down the teams and players to know.

The top seed I’m most worried about

Nadkarni: I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I may be going with the Southern California Trojans here. First off, it’s all relative, because I feel very good about all the top seeds in this bracket. Heck, the Trojans have a case to be the No. 1 overall seed considering how they’ve played the Bruins this season. My lone worry? USC was only sixth in the NCAA’s NET rankings formula, with three Quadrant 1 losses. (Did two other No. 1 seeds also have three Quadrant 1 losses? Yes, but we’re splitting the finest of hairs here.)

Greif: Texas wins with defense — it has held opponents to 55.9 points per game, which has produced the nation’s second-best scoring margin (23.0 points per game). This is a team that hasn’t broken through to a Final Four under coach Vic Shaefer, but it has played in a regional final in three of the past four years, so there is plenty of experience. The only thing that makes me wary is the Longhorns’ 29.6% 3-point shooting on the season, which ranks 243rd out of 353 Division I teams and more than 100 spots lower than any other No. 1 seed.

Auerbach: Texas. When we talk about parity in the women’s game, what we really mean is the depth at the top of the sport. There are legitimately six to eight teams good enough to cut down the nets this year, which means that it’s hard to pencil all the No. 1 seeds into the Final Four like we used to do.

I’m most worried about Texas because the Longhorns have a hot TCU team as the No. 2 seed in their region as well as No. 3 Notre Dame. The Horned Frogs have a ton of NCAA Tournament experience on that roster, most notably with Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince, while the Fighting Irish have been among the best teams in the country all season long — and even had the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll at one point — before struggling a bit (losing three of five) heading into Selection Sunday. I sure wouldn’t want to draw the Notre Dame guards with their season on the line, though! 

The Cinderella story of the tournament will be …

Nadkarni: The Iowa Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes were 6-2 in neutral-site games this year and also had six Quadrant 1 victories. This program has some institutional success, as well, thanks to the Caitlin Clark years. Again, this is such a top-heavy field it’s hard to pick a true Cinderella. Iowa isn’t on a lot of radars, however, and maybe the combination of Lucy Olsen and the Final Four holdovers can make some noise.

Greif: Historically, Cinderella has a ceiling in the women’s tournament. No team seeded fourth or lower has ever won a national championship game, and no team seeded 10th or lower has ever advanced to a Final Four. Tenth-seeded South Dakota State, though, has the pedigree to wreck some brackets, having gone undefeated in conference play for three consecutive seasons. The Jackrabbits made the Sweet 16 in 2019. If they beat seventh-seeded Oklahoma State in the first round, they’ll face the winner of Connecticut-Arkansas State in the round of 32.

Auerbach: Florida Gulf Coast has long been the team no one wants to draw in the women’s tournament. For years, that was because of the creativity and schemes of head coach Karl Smesko. He’s now the head coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, but this program hasn’t skipped a beat under first-year head coach Chelsea Lyles, who was named the Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year. 

Another potential Cinderella is Harvard, led by star guard Harmoni Turner. The Crimson are a No. 10 seed, and a 10-over-7 upset is not necessarily Cinderella-esque, but if they were to take out North Carolina State in the second round … 

Players I’m most excited to watch

Nadkarni: The Connecticut Huskies will never quite be an underdog, although they’ll probably make the case for themselves as one with their No. 2 seed. For that reason my pick is Paige Bueckers.

As the undisputed No. 1 option for the Huskies, with a group that’s a little inexperienced, Bueckers will have to dominate for Connecticut to make its second straight Final Four or win its first title since 2016. With this being Bueckers’ last tournament, I expect her to go out with a bang.

Greif: Harvard’s Harmoni Turner, who just dropped 44 points in the semifinals of the Ivy League tournament to set single-game records for both the program and the conference tournament. It wasn’t a flash in the pan, either; Turner had scored 33 points one game earlier, and she scored 41 and 38 points in consecutive games in November. The 10th-seeded Crimson face seventh-seeded Michigan State.

Auerbach: JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo and Paige Bueckers.

I’ve got to go with the biggest stars here, and no one in women’s college basketball is shining brighter than JuJu these days. She is a spectacular scorer, but we’ve also seen her dazzle us with her passing and shot-blocking ability. I can’t wait to watch her try to will USC back to the Final Four for the first time in nearly four decades.

Notre Dame’s Hidalgo is fearless on the court and ferocious on the defensive end, specifically. She’s so fun to watch, especially this season as she shares a backcourt with Olivia Miles (who was injured last year and not part of the Irish’s postseason push). This team enters the NCAA Tournament on a bit of a slump, but Hidalgo has enough energy to single-handedly jolt the Irish back into form.

I’m also not ready to say goodbye to the UConn star Bueckers just yet, and I certainly do not want to see the Huskies or Trojans falter before we get a star-studded Elite 8 matchup that would feature two of the best individual basketball players in the sport. Bueckers’ career has had some very high highs and some brutal injury-plagued lows, but she remains magnetic and must-see TV for as long as we’ve got her in college hoops.

Final Four and national title picks

Nadkarni: UCLA, UConn, South Carolina and Texas, with UCLA winning it all.

Greif: Notre Dame, UCLA, USC and South Carolina. Crown USC, which has no fear factor after having beaten top overall seed UCLA twice this season and featuring JuJu Watkins, the best player in the tournament.

Auerbach: UCLA, Duke, Notre Dame and USC. The Trojans win the national title. JuJu has great pieces around her, but ultimately this history-making moment for the the team will come down to her. And she’ll be more than ready for it.

Lawmakers have passed bills protecting victims of illegal photography, banning cellphones in classrooms, and creating a private school voucher program.

• The Tennessee General Assembly is roughly eight weeks into its 2025 legislative session.
• Lawmakers are pushing to conclude their session sometime in April.

It’s been eight weeks since Tennessee lawmakers returned to Nashville for this year’s legislative session.

Early days of the proceedings were tied up in a special legislative session that focused on a statewide school voucher program, approving some new state funding for victims of Hurricane Helene, and taking new steps toward state immigration enforcement.

With another month, at least, before adjournment, here’s what lawmakers have — and have not yet — done on Capitol Hill. 

Want to contact your state representative or senator to give feedback on a bill? Find the legislator who represents you and their contact information here.

What they’ve passed

∎ Offered new protection for victims of unlawful photography: Following advocacy by a group of Nashville women who joined forces after they were secretly filmed by an ex-boyfriend, lawmakers passed the Voyeurism Victims Act, which will extend the statute of limitations in unlawful photography cases, and allow victims to petition for an order of protection. The bill awaits the governor’s signature. 

∎ Banned cellphones during school instructional time: Lawmakers gave final approval to a bill requiring all Tennessee school districts ban the use of cellphones, laptops, smart watches and other devices during instructional time. It’s now on its way to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. While many school districts already have such policies in place, the bill requires each district to develop and implement policies restricting the use of any wireless communication devices during instructional time. Districts are required to allow students to access and use devices in emergency situations so they can contact their parents. The bill also requires districts to make exceptions for students with disabilities and special learning needs. 

∎ Approved funding for Helene victims: Lawmakers voted during the special session to establish a disaster emergency response fund and send millions in aid to East Tennessee communities impacted by flooding from Hurricane Helene last year that killed at least 17 Tennesseans. Included in the relief is $100 million for a disaster response program, suspension of unemployment eligibility requirements for impacted residents, and funding to cover 2024 property taxes for residents whose property was destroyed or damaged by the storm. Democrats framed the aid as too little, too late. 

∎ A statewide private school voucher program: One of the earliest bills passed this year was a $447 million statewide school choice program, offering state-funded scholarships for children of any income to attend private schools, regardless of where they live. The legislation was a top priority of Lee since he first ran for office, and the administration is working to implement the program in time for the 2025-26 school year. 

∎ Created new state immigration enforcement czar, office: During the special legislative session, Republicans passed a bill to establish a new, $5 million central state immigration enforcement office, and change the design for legal resident immigrants’ driver’s licenses to differentiate them from U.S. citizens. The bill also criminalizes local officials who vote in support of sanctuary policies for immigrants. Records related to the new state office are largely exempt from the state public records statute. 

What they’re considering

∎ Requiring schools to check students’ immigration status: Lawmakers are considering a controversial measure that would allow Tennessee schools to block undocumented children from enrolling, or charge them tuition for public education — a direct effort to challenge U.S. Supreme Court decision Plyler v. Doe. The measure has seen stringent opposition from immigrant rights advocates, who argue that all children deserve to learn, and immigrants without legal status are still fully contributing to school funding through sales tax purchases, since state has no income tax. Proponents have said the bill is aimed at cracking down on “illegal immigration.”

∎ Making Tennessee driver’s license tests English-only: Legislation seeking to require all driver’s license tests to be offered in English only — and ban dictionaries and other translation help — is set for hearings in both chambers this week. English is designated as the official language of Tennessee, but there is currently no restriction on offering public documents in other languages. The new bill would also ban the use of aids such translation dictionaries, electronic devices or interpreters during the exams. Currently, written driver’s license tests in Tennessee are offered in English, Spanish, German, Korean and Japanese. Driving tests are offered in English only. Immigrant rights groups have denounced the bill as a “regressive” bill that could compromise road safety. 

∎ Making juvenile records of deceased school shooters public: Following the deadly shooting at Antioch High School in Nashville, lawmakers are considering making public the juvenile records of court proceedings, mental health records, and interactions with the Department of Children’s Services if a minor commits a school shooting and later dies. A homicide conviction would not be required to make the records public. State law currently requires the records to remain confidential to protect youth offenders, but proponents say making them public in this instance could help identify issues and circumstances that led to the attack ― and inform prevention strategies.

∎ Protecting access for IVF, contraception: After voting down a bill last year to protect access to fertility care and contraceptives amid national tension around in-vitro fertilization, GOP lawmakers are now behind a bill to explicitly clarify that nothing in state law prohibits access to fertility treatments or contraception, and individuals have a right to engage in both. Legal implications of Tennessee’s abortion ban on continued access to contraception and IVF care arose following a controversial Alabama Supreme Court ruling last year that offered frozen embryos created through in-vitro fertilization the same rights as fully-developed children.

∎ Excluding soda, candy from SNAP: Lawmakers are considering seeking federal approval to exclude candy and soft drinks from Tennessee’s food aid program, following initiatives of the Trump administration in an effort to “Make America Healthy Again.” Soda is one of the most frequently bought commodities in the SNAP program nationwide, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and about 11% of dollars nationwide are used to purchase sweetened beverages and candy alone. There were more than 702,000 participants in Tennessee’s SNAP program last year. House Republicans approved the bill earlier this month, and it is set to be considered in a Senate committee this week. 

∎ Requiring overnight school facilities to segregate based on biological sex: A bill seeking to require residential educational programs to segregate restrooms and locker rooms based on “immutable biological sex” is set for a final House vote this week, and will likely see a final vote in the Senate as well. Sponsor Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Brentwood, says the bill is an effort to protect girls’ privacy. Democrats have framed the measure as an attack on the LGBTQ+ community. State law already bars transgender students from accessing sex-based multi-use restrooms and changing facilities, instead requiring schools to offer another “reasonable accommodation” to transgender students and school staff.

∎ Instituting a 10% vape tax: A bill imposing restrictions on what vape products can be sold in Tennessee – and a 10% sales tax on such products – is quickly moving forward. The bill would require FDA approval before products like vape pens, vape molds, cig-a-likes, and pod mods are sold. An estimated 400,000 people in Tennessee regularly use vaping devices, and Tennessee is one of about 20 states that does not currently tax such products. The bill sponsor says it’s an effort to curb the sale of illegal and potentially dangerous Chinese vape products. But vape shop owners say it’s an attack on their industry backed by big tobacco. 

∎ Renaming BNA “Trump International Airport”: A bill seeking to rename Nashville International Airport after President Donald Trump is moving forward again after stalling due to concern over a $10.3 million price tag. The legislation is up for hearings in both chambers this week. 

∎ Establishing a $25 million farmland conservation fund: Legislation backed by the governor seeking to establish a $25 million fund to offer financial incentives for farmers who voluntarily place their land into a privately-managed conservation easement has passed the Senate, and is awaiting consideration in the House. The bill easily passed the House last year. Tennessee loses about 10 acres of farmland every hour to development. The fund is aimed at offering an alternative to farmers facing unpredictable markets and pressure to sell their land. 

∎ The state budget: With state revenues flattening this year, lawmakers will face some tough spending choices as they consider the state budget. Lee’s $58.4 billion budget proposal includes $1 billion in one-time spending to chip away at the state’s $30 billion in outstanding road projects, funding for 100 more state trooper positions, $579.3 million in new funding for public schools, and no new tax cuts or tax holidays for consumers. 

Melissa Brown contributed. 

Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.