“The NCAA Bracket Preview Unveils Top Teams”
According to the recent NCAA Bracket Preview, UCLA, South Carolina, Texas, and Notre Dame are projected as the No. 1 seeds in the upcoming women’s NCAA Tournament. The NCAA basketball selection committee, during its initial reveal of the top 16 seeds, was confident in these selections. Derita Dawkins, chair of the committee, expressed this confidence in a phone interview with The Associated Press.
Not far behind the top four seeds were Southern California and LSU, with USC recently handing UCLA its first loss of the season. The top 16 seeds will have the advantage of hosting the first- and second-round games, followed by regional rounds at two neutral sites for the third consecutive year. Spokane, Washington, and Birmingham, Alabama, are set to host these rounds.
UCLA and Notre Dame are anticipated to lead the Spokane Regional as top seeds, while South Carolina and Texas are expected to do the same in Birmingham. UCLA holds the overall top seed, positioning them favorably for the Friday-Sunday games in the second weekend.
The bracket for UCLA includes LSU as the No. 2 seed, with Duke and Tennessee following suit. The committee strategically moved LSU to maintain the principle of separating the top four teams from the same conference into different regions. Among the top 16 teams, the SEC dominates with six representatives.
Notre Dame is placed alongside USC, Kansas State, and Kentucky in their bracket. This potential setup could lead to an enticing Elite Eight matchup between standout players JuJu Watkins of USC and Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame.
In South Carolina’s region, top teams include N.C. State, TCU, and Oklahoma, while Texas is joined by UConn, North Carolina, and Ohio State. Texas secured the third overall No. 1 seed over Notre Dame due to their impressive 10 Quadrant 1 victories compared to Notre Dame’s six.
Teams narrowly missing the top 16 cutoff are Alabama, Baylor, Michigan State, Mississippi, and West Virginia. The Final Four is scheduled for April 4 in Tampa, Florida, with the NCAA championship game following two days later.
The NCAA has been conducting in-season reveals since 2015 to provide teams with an early glimpse of their potential seeding. The recent reveal did not factor in the outcomes of games scheduled for later that day, including a match between South Carolina and UConn, as well as Texas visiting LSU. Another reveal is set for February 27, leading up to the official seedings announcement on March 16.
Stay updated on the AP Top 25 rankings and receive poll alerts by signing up for notifications throughout the season. For more information on AP women’s college basketball, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball.
