Before the women’s college basketball regular season concluded for major conferences on Sunday, the second Top 16 reveal, as determined by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, was announced.
The most significant mover since the first Top 16, revealed on Feb. 14, was Texas, the No. 4-ranked team in latest AP Top 25 poll that usurped No.5 Vanderbilt for the final No. 1 seed. At the latter end of the top 16, Minnesota, currently No. 22 in the nation, claimed a seed as No. 19 Ole Miss fell
from the top 16.
Here’s a look at all 16 seeds, as well as the respective regions:
Fort Worth 1 Regional
- UConn (No. 1 overall)
- LSU (No. 7)
- Louisville (No. 9)
- Maryland (No. 13)
Sacramento 2 Regional
- UCLA (No. 2 overall)
- Vanderbilt (No. 5)
- Duke (No. 10)
- Ohio State (No. 16)
Fort Worth 3 Regional
- South Carolina (No. 3 overall)
- Michigan (No. 8)
- TCU (No. 11)
- Minnesota (No. 15)
Forth Worth 4 Regional
- Texas (No. 4 overall)
- Iowa (No. 6)
- Oklahoma (No. 12)
- Michigan State (No. 14)
Things will be official on March 15, Selection Sunday. However, the committee with offer a tease on Saturday, March 14, when the top 16 teams will be revealed in alphabetical order.
It already seems certain that the Top 16 status quo will not maintain, not only due to the forthcoming conference tournament, but also due to the outcomes on Sunday’s regular season finales.
Here are key takeaways from Sunday’s most significant results.
Duke’s disappointment could have been Louisville’s benefit
After garnering much deserved praise for their in-season turnaround, defined by a 17-game winning streak, No. 12 Duke stumbled down the stretch of ACC play, following up last Sunday’s upset loss to Clemson with a more-respectable-but-still-disappointing defeat at the hands of No. 21 North Carolina, 74-69.
The rivalry loss could have stung even more, as it could have prevented Duke from being the outright ACC regular-season champions. But, No. 10 Louisville blew their opportunity to be co-champs. The Cardinals lost a second-straight home game, victims of a 30-point Hannah Hidalgo performance and game-sealing steal that led Notre Dame to the 65-62 win.
So, Duke gets their exclusive championship, but the ACC’s top two teams are tumbling into March.
We’re waiting on the 2nd Texas-Vanderbilt clash
Texas confirmed themselves worthy of a No. 1 seed with a win at No. 24 Alabama, 72-65, with 21 points and nine boards from Madison Booker helping the Longhorns stave off a fourth-quarter surge from the Tide.
Texas, despite their higher standing nationally and in the Top 16, still will finished behind Vanderbilt in the SEC, as 30-15 third quarter, plus 34 points from Mikayla Blakes, pushed the Commodores past Tennessee, 87-77, securing the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament.
The tournament semifinals could very well decided the final No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, as, barring upsets, the Commodores and Longhorns should meet for the second time this season. It would be a chance for revenge for Texas, while Vandy will strive to stamp themselves as superior.
Minnesota and Ohio State make B1G statements
The new entrant into the Top 16, Minnesota proved they belong, notching a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten, and a coveted double bye in the Big Ten Tournament, with a win at Illinois, 78-73. After a strong start, the Gophers held on, buoyed by 10 second-half points from Amaya Battle. She finished the game with 16 points, while Sophie Hart led Minnesota with 17 points.
No. 13 Ohio State, one of the biggest fallers from the first to the second Top 16 as they dropped from a No. 3 seed to the final No. 4 seed, solidified their standing with a road win over No. 15 Michigan State, 87-68. The Spartans were just ahead of the Buckeyes in the Top 16.
A 23-9 first quarter paced Ohio State to the convincing win, as Jaloni Cambridge led the Buckeyes with 33 points, netting seven 3-pointers. Chance Gray matched her with seven triples of her own, finishing with 21 points. The No. 5 seed in the Big Tournament, the Buckeyes will not have a double bye, but it looks like they will be dangerous.
TCU takes care of Big 12 business
Is No. 11 TCU underrated?
Now back-to-back Big 12 regular-season champs, the Horned Frogs likely believe they should be higher than a No. 3 seed in the Top 16.
On Sunday, TCU sealed up sole claim to the Big 12 crown with a 65-53 win over No. 18 Baylor. The game wasn’t as close as the final score suggests, as the Horned Frogs held the Bears to 15 first-half points and led by as many as 19 points. Marta Suárez led TCU with a 21-point and 11-rebound double-double, hitting 5-for-6 from behind the arc. Olivia Miles added 19 points and nine boards.
UConn completes their perfect season at MSG
UConn, the unquestioned No. 1 overall seed in the Top 16, polished off a perfect regular season, defeating St. John’s 84-49 under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.
The win also marked the Huskies’ 47th in a row, which is tied for the fifth-longest winning streak in Division I women’s college basketball history. Their almost 38-point average margin of victory is the third-largest in the sport’s history, behind only two UConn predecessors.
UConn enjoyed balanced production in the perfection-clinching win. Azzi Fudd scored a team-high 14 points, as the starting frontcourt of Sarah Strong and Serah Williams contributed matching 11-point efforts.
