The 2025 NCAA Tournament is over, but that doesn’t mean we’re done talking about it. Below are some of our favorite moments from this year’s dance:

Moments that made us cry (heartwarming version):

Geno and Paige: You couldn’t find a more sitcom-like, father-daughter-esque duo these days if you tried. This partnership between player and coach has seen some of the highest highs an athlete and their mentor can reach (an NCAA championship, obviously), as well as some of the most devastating lows (debilitating injuries and an inability to win when it counts most). So when Paige Bueckers stepped off the court in Sunday's game, with a little more than a minute left in the fourth quarter but a victory already captured for her Huskies, she and Geno Auriemma embraced in the hug felt around the world. Afterwards, when ESPN’s Holly Rowe asked Auriemma what words he would use in that moment, he said simply, “I love you.” The affection, commitment, and belief those two have in one another and for one another could warm even the coldest of hearts.

Lauren Betts’ mental health advocacy: Betts was one of the players to beat this year. Her towering stature as a UCLA post player bolstered the Bruins’ journey to the Final Four, where they lost to UConn after an incredibly impressive regular season and tournament run. Betts was not only a leader on the court, though; she was a role model, friend, and advocate for her teammates when the clock wasn’t running. Earlier this year Betts spoke with ESPN for the first time about her struggles with mental health, including massive insecurity she dealt with relating to her height and physical appearance. By getting so publicly vulnerable, Betts was not only able to open the channels for discussion about mental health for other athletes, but she was also able to turn her insecurities into her strengths. Her teammates, family, and friends remarked on her notable changes as both a player and a person after she came forward with the story about her dark days. Betts’s inspiring story served as a reminder throughout the tournament that confidence comes from embracing your true self - including the battles you fight - and helping others find the same strength.

Moments that made us cry (heartbreaking version)

JuJu Watkins’s ACL tear: After a sophomore season in which she was the nation’s fifth leading scorer, the USC phenom JuJu Watkins went down hard in a second-round match against Mississippi State. Not only is Watkins one of the most talented and most popular players in women’s college basketball right now, but fans were aware that, if things went a certain way, an Elite Eight matchup between Watkins’s USC and Bueckers’s UConn was possible. A faceoff between those two - arguably the best two players in the women’s college game right now - could have reached Caitlin Clark vs. Angel Reese levels of excitement. The match-up did ultimately take place, but Watkins watched from Los Angeles, her diagnosis of an ACL tear keeping her from travelling. With Bueckers in the WNBA and Watkins in the rehab gym, it’s unclear yet who will be the face of women’s college basketball next year.

Aneesah Morrow acknowledging the end of her college career: LSU senior Aneesah Moore entered her team’s Elite Eight match with ferociousness, determined to challenge UCLA’s Lauren Betts and move her team closer to the championship game. And she did everything she could, scoring 15 points, grabbing 7 rebounds, and giving every minute her all. But as the minutes wound down, and LSU’s losing fate was more or less cemented in, Morrow was subbed off the bench. To the backdrop of a roaring applause, she took a long, thoughtful look around - at her teammates, the court, the atmosphere around her - and it was understood that she was acknowledging, and appreciating, her last few moments as a college basketball player. But, luckily for her fans, she declared for the WNBA draft just days later, and likely has a bright future ahead.

Best shot: Gabriela Jaquez seals the deal for UCLA

UCLA vs. LSU was one of the best matchups the Elite Eight would have to offer. As the clock wound down in the fourth quarter, UCLA held a slight lead - with 1:31 to go, the game was 59-53 UCLA. That’s more than one possession, but not enough to instill confidence. So when Betts dished the ball out to Jacquez, who was standing just outside the paint, she launched a three that sailed smoothly into the basket. To say the fans erupted would be an understatement. That shot, the reaction, and the look on Jaquez’s face was pure winning material.

Best pass: Paige Bueckers dabbles in volleyball

UConn ran away with its Final Four victory over UCLA pretty early on. But that didn’t mean players on both teams weren’t going to give their all - and have fun with it. With 1:36 to go in the second quarter, UConn led 37-22. Freshman phenom Sarah Strong passed the ball to teammate Bueckers down the court; instead of grabbing onto it, Bueckers pushed it, volleyball-style, to teammate Kaitlyn Chen, who found the net. I guess the proper name for this kind of move is a “touch pass,” but we prefer to see it as Bueckers demonstrating that she would’ve been a pretty good volleyball recruit, too.

Most exciting game: Alabama vs. Maryland

The fact that this game was an absolute thriller was probably not on anyone’s bingo card. Maryland ultimately made a 17-point comeback to defeat Alabama and secure its first Sweet Sixteen berth in five years. A chaotic game that included lots of fouls, physicality, and turnovers led to an intense overtime. And that’s not all - a sequence of do-or-die shotmaking from Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker sent the game to double overtime. Maryland ultimately won, 111-108, in a game that no player, coach, or viewer will ever forget.

Standout freshmen:

Sarah Strong, UConn: Strong entered the tournament somewhat in the shadow of her star-studded teammates, Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. But by the end of the tournament, she had not only proven herself as a crucial member of the championship- winning squad, but she also cemented herself as one of the players that will embody the future of women’s college basketball, after the likes of Bueckers, Morrow, and others move on. Strong was named the Division I Freshman of the Year and was also named to the All-Big East First Team as well as Big East Freshman of the Year. And to think, she’s a national champion who is just getting started.

Toby Fournier, Duke: Though Duke was eliminated by South Carolina in the Sweet 16, freshman Fournier gained enough attention to remain on people’s radars after her team went home. The freshman forward averaged 13.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game this season. She, like Strong, is expected to be a major star in the NCAA as she grows with the game.