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UCLA Tops NCAA Women’s Tournament Seedings
UCLA has claimed the top overall seed in the upcoming women’s NCAA Tournament, marking a historic achievement for the Bruins. Joining them as No. 1 seeds are South Carolina, Southern California, and Texas, as announced by the NCAA on Sunday evening.
This season marks the first instance of UCLA being the tournament’s leading team, despite experiencing two losses, both against their rivals, Southern California.
While South Carolina coach Dawn Staley expressed confidence that her team deserved the top seed, the Gamecocks enter March Madness with three losses, including a defeat to UCLA. Last year’s national champions completed an undefeated season, making their current standing a point of concern.
“The selection came down to two main factors when comparing UCLA and South Carolina. First was their head-to-head matchup, and secondly, the competitiveness of their losses,” explained Derita Dawkins, chair of the NCAA selection committee. “South Carolina had a significant loss to UConn, which played a vital role in their seeding.”
Staley’s squad aspires to become the first team since UConn, which achieved four consecutive titles from 2013 to 2016, to defend their championship. The second-seeded Huskies, led by star player Paige Bueckers, are keen on breaking that trend. Should they advance, a potential rematch against JuJu Watkins and the Trojans could occur in the Elite Eight.
This year’s tournament is set to present tougher challenges, reflecting an increase in parity within women’s college basketball. Notably, this NCAA Tournament is only the second in the last 19 years to feature no teams beginning March Madness with fewer than two losses, the last occurrence being in 2022.
Both the Bruins and Trojans, who joined the Big Ten this season, are vying for the first national championship for their conference since Purdue won in 1999. A record 12 Big Ten teams made the tournament field, followed by 10 from the SEC, eight from the ACC, and seven from the Big 12.
The Ivy League has made history as well, securing three bids to the tournament for the first time ever. Columbia and Princeton both return as 11 seeds to compete in play-in games, while Harvard, the conference tournament champion, received a 10 seed.
Joining UConn as a two-seed are Duke, TCU, and N.C. State, while Notre Dame, despite earlier successes against notable teams such as Texas and USC, finds itself at a three-seed after a decline in performance toward the end of the regular season.
Excitingly, William & Mary will be making its inaugural appearance in the women’s NCAA Tournament, alongside Arkansas State, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Mason, Grand Canyon, and UC San Diego. The Tribe (15-18) is noteworthy for being the first sub-.500 team to enter the tournament since Incarnate Word in 2022.
Conversely, Virginia Tech, James Madison, Saint Joseph’s, and Colorado were the first teams left out of the tournament field.
A significant development this year is the introduction of a financial incentive for women’s teams participating in the NCAA Tournament, aligning with the long-standing financial model used in men’s sports. Each win will result in performance units that contribute to the revenue earned by a team, potentially yielding about $1.26 million for conferences based on their progress to the Final Four.
This initiative follows last year’s women’s championship game, which drew better television ratings than the men’s title contest, highlighting the growing popularity of women’s college basketball.
The top 16 seeds are set to host the first and second rounds of the tournament, with regional rounds being held at neutral sites for the third consecutive year. Spokane, Washington, will accommodate half of the Sweet 16 teams, while Birmingham, Alabama, will host the other half.
The Final Four is scheduled for April 4 in Tampa, Florida, with the championship game two days later. Notably absent from this year’s tournament is Stanford, ending the Cardinal’s incredible 36-year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances, marking their first absence since 1987. Meanwhile, Tennessee continues its tradition of participating every year since the tournament began in 1982, entering this year’s field as a five-seed.
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