SAN ANTONIO, Texas — On Sunday, teams, and fans tuned into Selection Sunday to see the final version of the Men’s NCAA Tournament Bracket. On Monday, it was the Women’s team’s turn, as ESPN’s Selection show revealed the field of 64 teams. This year, the tournament will be hosted exclusively by San Antonio, Texas. The four regions have been renamed from the geographical names to San Antonio-themed names; they will be called the Alamo, Hemisfair, River Walk, and Mercado Region.
The Bracket
Top Seeds
No.1 Overall: Stanford (25-2)
Other No. 1 Seeds: UConn (24-1), South Carolina (22-4), NC State (20-2)
When the top seeds were revealed, the only real surprise was NC State. In the two Top-16 Seeds reveals, NC State was on the 2-seed line. However, by running the table in the ACC Conference Tournament, they secured the fourth top seed. Nina King, Chair of the Committee, said that the top 8 seeds were heavily contested.
“We had a lot of discussion around 1 and 2. You probably have noticed since our last Top-16 reveal we have made a change on the 1- and 2-lines. We had to have a lot of conversation around that to make sure that we were comfortable, and that’s where we felt that those eight teams on the 1- and 2-lines deserve to be,” said King.
Alamo Region
Top seed: Stanford (25-2), Pac-12 Regular Season and Tournament Champions
Prediction: In the Alamo region, Stanford looms as the tournament’s top overall seed. This season, senior guard Kiana Williams has been their leader. Her 14.3 PPG and 2.9 APG both lead the team. Also, this tournament will serve as a bit of a homecoming for Williams as a San Antonio native.
Team(s) to watch: No. 3 Georgia
This season, the SEC has been one of the most formidable conferences in Women’s basketball. Six total SEC teams made the tournament, while five got a top-four seed. For Georgia, they finished 4th in the conference with a 10-5 SEC record and 18-5 overall record. They were able to get to 20 wins on the season in the conference tournament; they followed a 12-point win over Kentucky with an upset win over top-seed Texas A&M. After falling just short of South Carolina, they come into the tournament with a ton of confidence.
Hemisfair Region
Top seed: South Carolina (22-4), SEC Tournament Champions
Prediction: As we mentioned before, the SEC was one of the toughest conferences in college basketball this year. For South Carolina, they ran the table in the conference tournament to secure a top-seed. They have looked dominant at times, scoring over 100 points in four separate games; that includes a 22-point domination of top-25 team Arkansas. Their resume also includes a non-conference win over Gonzaga.
However, South Carolina has been beaten four times by top-tier teams. Their first loss of the season came to NC State, another 1-seed. They also took losses to UConn, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. While South Carolina will be the overwhelming favorites, they could be upended in a top team survives to the Elite Eight along with them.
Team(s) to watch: No. 2 Maryland
If any team is going to upset South Carolina in this region, Maryland may have the best chance. In the Big Ten, they were one of the most dominant teams, going 24-2 on the year. In a league filled with potent offenses, they were far and away the best; their 91.3 PPG as a team leads the nation in scoring offense. Individually, Ashley Owusu leads the team with 18.3 PPG.
River Walk Region
Top Seed: UConn (24-1), Big East Regular Season and Tournament Champions
Prediction: If you haven’t watched UConn guard Paige Bueckers play yet, it is time to tune in. Out of Minnesota, she was possibly the highest regarded Women’s basketball recruit ever. In her first year, she has lived up to all the hype. On Wednesday, March 17, she became the third freshman in NCAAW history to be named AP First-Team All-American. She led UConn in points per game (19.8), assists per game (6.2), steals per game (2.4), and three-point percentage (47.6%).
Team(s) to watch: No. 5 Iowa
This season, Iowa basketball is no stranger to elite scoring performances. On the Men’s side, senior Luka Garza finished third in the nation with 23.7 PPG. On the Women’s side, no one outdid freshman Caitlin Clark. In her first year, she led the nation with 26.7 PPG as her team finished 2nd in scoring offense per game (86.6 PPG). She was named second-team All-American by AP. If Iowa can get past Kentucky in the Second Round, we may get a head-to-head matchup with Clark and Bueckers.
Mercado Region
Top seed: NC State (20-2) ACC Tournament Champions
Prediction: In this year’s tournament, everything seems a bit tighter. No team is as dominant as previous years, so we may not see all the top seeds advance to the Final Four. The Mercado region may be the most open to upsets. NC State definitely has the firepower to beat top teams; they have beaten top seed South Carolina while also beating 2-seed Louisville twice. However, they are also the most vulnerable to upsets; their 2 losses came to unranked Virginia Tech and North Carolina.
Team(s) to watch: No. 2 Texas A&M
This year, many teams on the 2-seed line could have made the 1-seed line with a better conference tournament. That is the case for Texas A&M, who lost to Georgia in the 2nd round of the SEC Tournament. However, this A&M team is dangerous, especially out of this region. They won the regular-season SEC Championship, the hardest conference in the nation, and did so with relative ease.
