COLUMBUS, Ohio – Women’s March Madness is finally here. The fourth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes host the 13th-seeded Montana State Bobcats in a Regional 3 first round matchup today – Friday, March 21 – at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. The early evening NCAA women’s basketball game is available to watch on multiple streaming services for free.

How do I watch Ohio State vs. Montana State for free?

This women’s March Madness game will broadcast live on ESPN2 with tipoff at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. Fans who have parted ways with their cable provider can catch the game at no cost by taking advantage of streaming alternatives like DirecTV Stream and FuboTV ($20 off first month), which both offer a free trial.

Sling TV is offering half off your first month for new customers.

Ohio State (25-6) weathered a challenging Big Ten schedule, that included national title contenders UCLA and USC. Those two teams were roadblocks for the Buckeyes making up three of their five losses, including a 75-46 shellacking by the Bruins in the Big 10 semifinals.

The Buckeyes tout four players in double figures, featuring Junior forward Cotie McMahon, who is averaging 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field.

After a brilliant campaign that churned out just three losses to Montana State (30-3) edged out rival Montana, 58-57, to win the Big Sky championship game.

Senior guard Esmeralda Morales powered in 25 points to knock off the rival Grizzlies. She is averaging 15.3 points, 3.7 assists and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 40.1% from the field.

The winner will play fifth-seeded Tennessee or 12th-seeded South Florida in the second round on March 23.

What are the latest odds for Ohio State vs. Montana State?

Moneyline: OSU: (-15.5), MSU: (+15.5)

Spread: OSU: -2100, MSU: +1100

Over/Under: 138.5

Odds by DraftKings

Who is announcing Ohio State vs. Montana State?

Matthew Schumacker (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst) will be the announcers.

Here’s more information on how to watch Ohio State vs. Montana State on TV or streaming services:

What: Women’s NCAA tournament first round: Ohio State vs. Montana State

When: Friday, March 21, 2025

Time: 5:30 p.m. Eastern

Where: Schottenstein Center | Columbus, Ohio

Channel: ESPN2

Best streaming options: Fubo (free trial and $20 off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and Sling TV (half off first month)

Cable Channel Finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios

The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at March 20, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from March 20 drawing

07-14-25-35-40, Lucky Ball: 14

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from March 20 drawing

11-13-15-24, Bonus: 16

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

• Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
• Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
• Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
• Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
• Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
• Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

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Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

DENVER (AP) — Wisconsin backup forward Carter Gilmore made a sweet 3, then turned to the Montana fans and signaled for them to “shhhh.”

Back on defense, he took a charge from one Montana player, then altered another’s shot. By the time Gilmore’s flurry was over Thursday, the game pretty much was, too. The Badgers pulled away for their first March Madness win in three years, 85-66 over the Grizzlies.

“He’s a major key to our team,” said John Blackwell, who finished with 19 points and was one of five Badgers in double digits. “He’s a spark plug off the bench, a guy who’s always going to give us energy whether he gets 15 points or zero points.”

Gilmore finished with eight points, and Wisconsin set aside the bad vibes from its first-round loss last year to James Madison. Next, coach Greg Gard’s team will try to make the Sweet 16 for the first time in eight years with a game against either VCU or BYU in the East Region.

Gilmore’s burst came after the 14th-seeded Grizzlies cut their deficit to 51-47 with a poke-away steal, then an easy layup by Money Williams, Gilmore came back with a quick 3 that he punctuated by turning to the growingly rowdy Montana crowd and sticking up three fingers, with his index finger over his mouth.

He drew the charge on Montana’s next possession, then altered Te’Jon Sawyer’s shot on the next, part of an 8-0 run that gave Wisconsin its biggest lead of the game to that point — one that would expand to 21 points.

“It was huge, and that’s what good players do in those moments,” Montana coach Travis DeCuire said.

Sawyer and Kai Johnson led the Grizzlies (25-10) with 15 points each.

Crowl leads the other Wisconsin double-digit scorers

The other Wisconsin double-digit scorers were Steven Crowl (18 points on 8 for 10 from the floor), John Tonje (15), Xavier Amos (11) and Nolan Winter (10). Tonje, the second-team All-American who played his first four years of college up the road at Colorado State, made all nine of his free throws.

“It’s huge,” Tonje said of the scoring coming from every area. “Especially down the line in March when you’ve got tired legs or whatever, you can really rely on a deep roster full of talented guys.”

Cold shooting, cold Money for Montana

Montana, champion of the Big Sky Conference, came in as the nation’s second-best shooting team (50.2%) but made only 39% in the program’s first March Madness game since 2019.

Williams, the Grizzlies’ leading scorer this season, was blanketed by Blackwell most of the game and finished with eight points on 2-for-8 shooting.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin shot 55% from the field.

Looking to cover

The commotion rippling through Ball Arena over a couple of late garbage-time possessions for Montana likely had to do with the 16 1/2-point spread on this game.

Adam Shoff and Jeremiah Dargan each had relatively open 3-point looks in the last minute, but neither hit the rim and the Badgers covered.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.