The field of contenders in this year’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament is deeper than most in recent memory. It’s only the second time in the last 19 years that we’re entering March Madness without undefeated teams or teams with one loss. UCLA, the No. 1 overall seed, leads the pack as the only two-loss squad.
The parity and talent makes filling out this season’s bracket a lot more fun and potentially frustrating. The Final Four could go chalk with UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and USC. Or it could feature a heavy serving of No. 2 seeds, with No. 3 seed Notre Dame thrown into the mix. Neither would be a surprising end to a season that didn’t see any single team stand above the rest.
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Here are the top non-No. 1 seeds that could make the Final Four:
Connecticut (Spokane 4 | No. 2 seed)
31-3 (18-0 Big East) | NET: 1 | Q1: 5-3 | Q2: 7-0 | NET SOS: 48
Paige Bueckers and the Huskies are inevitable. Bueckers has never missed a Final Four in her three healthy seasons and it’s unwise to pick against her now. She’s expertly guided UConn to a fifth consecutive Big East conference championship while narrowly missing a 50-40-90 regular season, shooting 53.6% overall, 40.6% from 3 and 89.9% from the free throw line. The projected No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft is the steadying force and has experience carrying a team on her back to the final weekend.
The Huskies’ 29-point win over South Carolina last month showcased what this roster could be at its best, and its best usually comes out in the NCAA tournament. Guard Azzi Fudd, who could also be playing her final season, is the key piece to a run. Fudd will need to shoot the ball well for the Huskies to run through USC, their best competition, in a potential Elite Eight matchup. Sarah Strong completes the big three, while Ashlynn Shade and Jana El Alfy give UConn depth.
Notre Dame (Birmingham 3 | No. 3 seed)
26-5 (16-2 ACC) | NET: 5 | Q1: 6-5 | Q2: 9-0 | NET SOS: 8
The Fighting Irish were once the best team in the land, at least in many people’s eyes. Their All-American backcourt of Olivia Miles and Hannah Hidalgo led them to wins over USC, Texas and UConn. But the back end of the ACC schedule caused problems and Notre Dame enters the tournament having lost three of their last five, including the ACC semifinal.
That doesn’t preclude them from making a Final Four run. Head coach Niele Ivey had two weeks to ready them for the first round, and if the Fighting Irish return to playing more as a team (17.4 assists per game) rather than attacking individually, they can revert back to that top team status. For a long stretch, Hidalgo played her best against the nation’s best. That will also need to reoccur for the Irish to get through a bracket that includes TCU, Texas and, potentially awaiting in the Final Four, South Carolina.
NC State (Spokane 1 | No. 2 seed)
26-6 (16-2 ACC) | NET: 16 | Q1: 8-6 | Q2: 3-0 | NET SOS: 12
NC State crashed the Final Four party a year ago as a No. 2 seed running up against the undefeated Gamecocks. They’re not sneaking up on anybody this year. The Wolfpack are coming off an impressive share of the ACC regular season title that required an upset of Notre Dame, and they boast one of the nation’s most experienced and talented guard groups.
Saniya Rivers, Madison Hayes, Zoe Brooks and Aziaha James are all averaging double digits and are liable to go off, with James the most likely to take over a game. Freshman forward Tilda Trygger, a 6-foot-6 Swede, is their X-factor in the paint and could lead them to a second consecutive Final Four.
The Spokane 1 region could become chaotic with upsets. That would help the Wolfpack, since the top seed in their bracket is No. 1 overall UCLA.
Duke (Birmingham 2 | No. 2)
26-7 (14-4 ACC) | NET: 7 | Q1: 8-5 | Q2: 8-2 | NET SOS: 5
Ahead of Selection Sunday, Duke was a strong dark horse contender. The bracket changed that, with Duke being placed as the No. 2 seed in South Carolina’s region. In a postseason of potential chaos, Duke can stay on the potential Final Four list.
The Blue Devils pulled off a strong ACC tournament title run by keeping every opponent below their season scoring average. Defense can carry a team this time of year, and Duke’s offense is better than in years past with freshman Toby Fournier, its leading scorer, coming off the bench and Oluchi Okananwa playing the X-factor role.
But Duke hasn’t played nearly as well defensively on the road this season. The Blue Devils’ worst performances were on the road at NC State, South Carolina, Maryland, South Carolin and Notre Dame. That’s a fair reason to knock them, but if they can put it all together, the Blue Devils could forge a path through rival North Carolina and catch an off-day by the Gamecocks to reach Tampa.
