Sunday is final day of the regular season for women’s college basketball’s Power Four conferences (plus the Big East).
While the regular-season champs officially have been crowned in the Big Ten and SEC, a fight to finish with the highest seed possible, and thus earn first (and second) round byes, will be a priority for a number of squads. In the ACC and Big 12, it’s still to be determined if the conference regular-season titles will be split, or the sole property of one team. And then there’s the final
item on UConn’s agenda.
These are the biggest questions as women’s college basketball high-profile conferences conclude their regular seasons.
UConn: Can the Huskies achieve perfection at the Mecca?
Madison Square Garden, the “Mecca of Basketball,” will serve as the appropriate stage for UConn’s bid to complete the 12th undefeated regular season in program history.
The No. 1-ranked Huskies, now 30-0 and already having sewn up the Big East regular-season title, will take on St. John’s (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT/truTV). A win would also mark UConn’s 67th-straight Big East victory, as well as their 47th in a row overall. The Huskies also have never lost in Madison Square Garden, with a spotless 7-0 record in MSG.
The Huskies already have a more than 40-point win over St. John’s this season, with Sarah Strong’s 24 points leading them in the 88-43 rout in Hartford in early January.
So, UConn seems all but assured to cruise to win No. 31, locking down a perfect regular season and the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament. In short, it’s business as usual for the gals from Storrs.
ACC: Can Duke lock down the title with a sweep of UNC?
Already having secured a share of the ACC title, the program’s first since 2013, No. 12 Duke can make sure it’s all theirs, and accomplishing the feat on the home floor of their biggest rival, No. 21 North Carolina, would make it even sweeter. (12 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Blue Devils already have a win over the Tar Heels, winning on their home floor, 72-68, in mid-February.
If the Blue Devils stumble, No. 10 Louisville can grab a piece of the ACC championship pie with a home win over Notre Dame (4 p.m. ET, ESPN2). However, because Duke has the head-to-head win, they’re guaranteed the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament, regardless of Sunday’s results.
Win or lose, Carolina will have a spot in the quarterfinals, allowing them to bypass the first two rounds of the tournament. NC State needs to win at Pitt to similarly secure a double bye (4 p.m. ET, ACC Network).
Big Ten: Can UCLA complete an undefeated conference season?
In the Big Ten, another rivalry game rematch also comes with extra stakes.
No. 2 UCLA will be aiming to complete an undefeated conference season with a win at USC (6 p.m. ET, FS1). It would be the program’s first perfect conference regular season in the NCAA era. When the teams met in early January in Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins blew out the Trojans, 80-46.
A bit down the Big Ten standings, No. 22 Minnesota can wrap up fourth place, and the final bye into the quarterfinals, with a win at Illinois (2 p.m. ET, BTN). If the Golden Gophers can’t get the job done, the matchup between No. 13 Ohio State and No. 15 Michigan State will become critical, with the winner taking the No. 4 seed (12 p.m. ET, BTN).
No. 8 Michigan, fresh off a big win over No. 14 Maryland, and No. 9 Iowa, finishing up at Wisconsin (3 p.m. ET, B1G+), are settled in the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, respectively.
Big 12: Can TCU take sole claim of the Big 12 title for the 2nd-straight season?
Like Duke in the ACC, No. 11 TCU has guaranteed themselves at least a share of the conference regular-season championship. With a win over rival Baylor, currently ranked No. 18, the Horned Frogs, already the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament, will have exclusive claim to the Big 12 title, their second-straight (4 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Horned Frogs have won four-straight games over the Bears, including an 83-67 win in Waco in mid-February. A win on Sunday would also would give TCU their second-straight undefeated home regular season; their 42-straight home wins are tied for Texas for the most in the nation.
No. 17 West Virginia, Baylor and Oklahoma State have locked in the remaining double byes in the Big 12 Tournament.
SEC: Will Vandy or Texas finish behind champion South Carolina?
No. 3 South Carolina captured the program’s fifth-straight regular-season SEC championship, blowing out Missouri at home to make sure the crown is all theirs. Continued refinement for March, thus, will be the Gamecocks’ goal when they close out their regular season at No. 16 Kentucky (2 p.m. ET, SECN+).
No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Vanderbilt and No. 6 LSU also are assured double byes in the SEC Tournament, although the exact seeding is not official.
The Commodores have to win at Tennessee to maintain the No. 2 seed (2 p.m. ET, ESPN). Otherwise, the Longhorns, with a win at No. 24 Alabama, would leap into the No. 2 spot (12 p.m. ET, SEC Network). While the Tigers can’t jump up to the No. 2 seed, they could overtake Texas for No. 3 if the Longhorns were to lose, as long as they themselves get the win at Mississippi State (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
