March Madness Begins: UConn Tops Women’s NCAA Tournament as #1 Overall Seed

The women's NCAA Tournament bracket was unveiled Sunday night with four #1 seeds announced. Undefeated UConn earned the top overall position despite UCLA's stronger schedule, while Texas and South Carolina round out the top seeds.

The women’s NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed Sunday evening, with UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina claiming the four top seeds heading into March Madness.

Despite ongoing debate, undefeated UConn secured the overall #1 seed position ahead of UCLA, which suffered just one loss this season. The Bruins had faced a more challenging schedule and recorded 19 Quad 1 victories compared to UConn’s nine, but the Huskies held the top spot in the NET rankings while UCLA ranked second.

“We watched a whole lot of good basketball between those two teams,” committee chair Amanda Braun said on ESPN. “The debate was pretty close the whole time … It went to a committee vote, and we watched a lot of UConn, we watched a lot of UCLA as a group. The vote ultimately gave the edge to UConn.”

Coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies bring a perfect 34-0 record and 50-game winning streak into the tournament as they seek to repeat as national champions. National Player of the Year candidate Sarah Strong leads the squad.

UConn will welcome 16th-seeded UTSA (18-15) for Saturday’s opening round in Storrs, Connecticut. A victory would set up a second-round matchup against either eighth-seeded Iowa State or ninth-seeded Syracuse.

The Fort Worth Regional 1 also features second-seeded Vanderbilt (27-4), third-seeded Ohio State (26-7), and fourth-seeded North Carolina (26-7). Campus sites will host first and second-round games for the tournament’s top 16 overall seeds.

UCLA (31-1) heads the Sacramento Regional 2 bracket and opens Saturday against 16th-seeded Cal Baptist (23-10). That region includes second-seeded LSU (27-5) under coach Kim Mulkey, third-seeded Duke (24-8) – the Atlantic Coast Conference champions – and fourth-seeded Minnesota (22-8).

Texas (31-3) claimed the third #1 seed position over South Carolina after defeating the Gamecocks twice in three matchups this season, including a dominant 78-61 victory in the Southeastern Conference championship game. The Longhorns await the winner of a First Four matchup between Missouri State and Stephen F. Austin.

Fort Worth Regional 3 also includes second-seeded Michigan (25-6), third-seeded Louisville (27-7), and fourth-seeded West Virginia (27-6), which captured the Big 12 title.

South Carolina (31-3) anchors Sacramento Regional 4 and will face whichever team emerges from the First Four game between Southern and Samford. Second-seeded Iowa (26-6), third-seeded TCU (29-5), and fourth-seeded Oklahoma (24-7) complete that bracket section.

The final four teams to make the tournament field were Virginia, Arizona State, Nebraska, and Richmond. Virginia and Arizona State will compete in a First Four game for a 10th seed and the opportunity to face seventh-seeded Georgia, while Nebraska and Richmond battle for an 11th seed and a matchup with sixth-seeded Baylor.