Entering Sunday’s women’s NCAA Tournament bracket reveal, there was a looming question about who would be the field’s top seed. In a season full of parity, SEC tournament champion South Carolina and Big Ten tournament champion UCLA both had strong cases.
The Bruins, however, were given the overall No. 1 designation.
The Gamecocks were still one of the four No. 1 seeds, and they were joined by Texas and USC on the No. 1 line. Around the group is a deep field. No singular dominant team emerged in the 2024-25 season. Four programs held the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, tying the record most recently set in 2021.
The Bruins (30-2) hope their momentum continues into the field of 68. Last weekend, UCLA captured its first conference championship since 2006, defeating USC in the third matchup between the two Los Angeles powerhouses. With the victory, UCLA, which had spent 12 consecutive weeks atop the AP poll this season, eclipsed 30 wins for the first time in program history.
Junior center Lauren Betts leads the Bruins in points (19.6), rebounds (9.7), blocks (2.9) and field goal percentage (63.4 percent), having emerged as the program’s All-America-level focal point. Coach Cori Close’s team is one of the most experienced in the field, with seven of their eight most-used players being upperclassmen.
The Gamecocks (30-3), the second No. 1 seed, hope to become the first repeat champions since UConn in 2015-16. Although they lost three games this season, their most since 2020-21, this year’s group is still just as dangerous. South Carolina features a rotation that is one of the deepest in the nation with freshman forward Joyce Edwards, sophomore forward Chloe Kitts and sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley excelling in recent SEC games.
The Gamecocks went undefeated last season, and returned four starters. They are looking to advance to their fifth consecutive Final Four and win their third national title in four years.
The Trojans (28-3) and Longhorns (31-3) are both No. 1 seeds for the second consecutive season.
USC features arguably the country’s top player, sophomore guard JuJu Watkins. Watkins has scored 20 points or more in an NCAA-leading 26 games this season, and she is likely to be an All-American for the second consecutive season.
A potential matchup with No. 2 UConn and star guard Paige Bueckers looms in the Elite Eight. The Trojans and Huskies met in that round a season ago, with UConn winning 70-63. The two programs also played each other this past December, with the Trojans winning, 72-70.
Texas also has an elite sophomore in wing Madison Booker. Booker was named her conference’s player of the year for the second consecutive season, and leads a Longhorns program that is No. 2 in points differential per 100 possessions. Both schools either won outright, or shared conference regular-season titles, but lost in their respective tournament championship games.
If all four No. 1 seeds advance to the Final Four, each of the semifinal matchups would be a fourth meeting between the two teams. UCLA and USC have played three times this season, as have South Carolina and Texas.
The top 16 teams in the women’s field host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Then, for the third consecutive year, the women’s tournament will use only two host cities for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds. The sides of the draw are determined by their regional final location and a number. Birmingham, Ala. and Spokane, Wash. are the two host sites.
UCLA leads Spokane Regional 1, South Carolina is in Birmingham Regional 2, Texas tops Birmingham Regional 3 and USC is atop Spokane Regional 4.
Tampa, Fla. will host the 2025 Final Four, with the semifinals set for April 4 and the final set for April 6.
What about UConn?
The Huskies (30-3) are entering the NCAA Tournament looking to claim a third championship this season, having already won the Big East regular-season and conference tournament. UConn is led by Bueckers, the likely No. 1 pick in this April’s WNBA Draft. Bueckers, like her teammates, is still looking to win a national championship. Though UConn has made the Final Four in three of the last four seasons and in 15 of the last 16 NCAA Tournaments, it has not won a national championship since 2015-16.
If the Huskies make a 24th Final Four during Geno Auriemma’s tenure, it will likely also be because of the play of freshman Sarah Strong. While Bueckers leads UConn in scoring (19.0 points per game), Strong leads UConn in rebounds (8.4), steals (2.4), and blocks (1.6) per game.
Who else could make the Final Four?
For much of the season, Notre Dame looked well-positioned to reach its first Final Four since 2018-19. The Irish won 19 consecutive games as they ascended to the No. 1 spot in the AP poll. But they enter the NCAA Tournament having lost three of their last five games, including their ACC tournament semifinal matchup to Duke. The Fighting Irish fell to a No. 3 seed as a result, but in Texas’ region — a team they beat 80-70 in overtime in December.
Still, Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles, Hannah Hidalgo and Sonia Citron were named finalists for the best point guard, shooting guard and small forward in the country and the trio is more than capable of lifting the Irish past the Elite Eight — the round in which their season has ended in three consecutive seasons.
Fellow ACC competitor NC State, the No. 2 seed in UCLA’s region, is seeking a return trip to the Final Four after sharing its conference’s regular-season title with the Irish. Guards Saniya Rivers and Aziaha James make up the Wolfpack’s talented backcourt and are critical in NC State being among the country’s best teams at limiting turnovers.
TCU, meanwhile, is seeking to build on what is already its best season in program history. Led by Big 12 Player of the Year Hailey Van Lith, the Horned Frogs won a school-record 31 games this season and swept both regular-season and conference tournament titles. They enter the NCAA Tournament having led at halftime in 24 straight games and in an NCAA-best 31 contests. TCU is the No. 2 seed in the region with Texas and Notre Dame, and handed the Fighting Irish their first loss of the season in November.
What else to watch for
Last year’s tournament didn’t feature many upsets, as only three of the top 16 seeds didn’t make the Sweet 16. Still, it proved exciting and broke countless viewership records.
The title game between Iowa and South Carolina drew more television viewers than the men’s, averaging 18.9 million on ABC and ESPN and peaking at 24 million. It was the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record, as well as the most-watched basketball game, men’s or women’s, since 2019.
While this year’s tournament is unlikely to surpass that mark, new stars like Betts, Strong and Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes emerged throughout the season and the sport showed continued growth nationally. Even with Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese graduating Iowa and LSU, respectively, and joining the professional ranks, ESPN’s women’s basketball viewership increased this season, with games broadcast on the network up 13 percent year-over-year. Three games on ABC also saw a 120 percent increase in viewership year-over-year.
This year’s NCAA Tournament features six schools who are making their debuts in the field of 68. But it also marks the first time in 36 years that Stanford will not be taking part in the draw. The Cardinal had held the second-longest active NCAA Tournament appearance streak, appearing in every field since 1987, but they went 16-14 in what was coach Kate Paye’s first season.
Tennessee is making its 43rd consecutive appearance, the longest in the sport, while UConn’s streak of 36 consecutive tournaments is second.
(Photo: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)
