The NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Committee’s first Top 16 reveal confirmed what the regular season has been screaming for months: UConn isn’t just the best team in the country, it’s operating on a different plane entirely. The defending national champions earned the overall No. 1 seed Saturday, marking the first time since 2018 that UConn has held that distinction.
Committee Chair Amanda Braun on How the Top Seeds Were Decided
At 27-0, UConn stands alone as the nation’s only undefeated team, a 63-game Big East winning streak rolling along behind them. The Huskies own six Quad 1 wins and rank first in the NET, the AP Poll, and Her Hoop Stats ratings. Committee chair Amanda Braun emphasized the totality of the resume when explaining the decision.
“The overall record for UConn and the observable component are impressive,” Braun told the Associated Press. “UCLA observable is also very strong as well.”
That’s the closest the reveal came to a debate at the top. UCLA, at 24-1 at the time of the rankings, earned the second No. 1 seed despite playing the toughest schedule in the country. The Bruins haven’t lost since November, and they’ve racked up quality wins against ranked Big Ten opponents week after week. South Carolina secured the third No. 1 seed, putting the Gamecocks in line for their sixth consecutive year on the top line. Vanderbilt, fresh off a Thursday win over Texas, rounded out the four No. 1 seeds.
That Vanderbilt-Texas result proved pivotal. The Commodores leapfrogged the Longhorns, who entered the week ranked No. 4 in the AP Poll but fell to fifth in the committee’s eyes.
“It was that close between the two of them that head-to-head made a difference,” Braun said. “We were impressed by both teams.”
The SEC and Big Ten dominated the top 16, placing six teams apiece. Texas, Michigan, Louisville, and LSU landed on the 2-line. Ohio State, Duke, Iowa, and TCU filled the 3-seeds, while Maryland, Michigan State, Ole Miss, and Oklahoma grabbed the final four spots.
Regional assignments placed UConn in the Fort Worth bracket alongside LSU, Ohio State, and Oklahoma. UCLA heads to Sacramento with Texas, Duke, and Ole Miss. South Carolina draws the other Fort Worth pod featuring Louisville, Iowa, and Michigan State. Vanderbilt’s Sacramento bracket includes Michigan, TCU, and Maryland.
What the Weekend Results Mean for the Next Reveal
The reveal, based on games played through Friday, didn’t capture Saturday’s fireworks. South Carolina went into Baton Rouge and survived a frantic finish against LSU, winning 79-72 behind 21 points from Tessa Johnson. Head coach Dawn Staley earned her 500th career victory at South Carolina, while Madina Okot sealed the game with a critical basket and two free throws in the final 30 seconds after Flau’jae Johnson missed two crucial free throws.
Then came Sunday’s stunner in Athens.
Vanderbilt, less than 24 hours removed from being coronated as a No. 1 seed, lost to unranked Georgia, 76-74. Dani Carnegie torched the Commodores for 29 points, and Trinity Turner’s midrange jumper with 50 seconds left proved to be the dagger. Mikayla Blakes and Justine Pissott combined for 50 of Vanderbilt’s 74 points, but the Commodores couldn’t complete the comeback after digging a 14-point first-half hole.
The loss doesn’t drop Vanderbilt from the conversation entirely. Georgia ranks 35th in the NET, making it a Quad 1 defeat. But for a team that just displaced Texas on the strength of a head-to-head result, the optics are brutal.
The committee’s second reveal comes March 1. Selection Sunday arrives March 15, with regional rounds set for Fort Worth and Sacramento from March 27-30. The Final Four is scheduled for April 3 and 5 in Phoenix.
Four weeks is an eternity in a sport where a single loss can reshape the entire bracket picture. Just ask Vanderbilt.