UCLA and USC. South Carolina and Texas. Connecticut, Notre Dame and how about even Duke, NC State or TCU?
The parity in women’s college basketball is consistently growing, creating an increasingly larger pool of teams that could realistically win a national title. Whereas in years past there were one or two teams dominating the competition, the 2024-25 season is a mishmash of the top teams all beating each other. No one has pulled off a clean sweep.
As the competition levels up, the matchups within the bracket become more important. Could South Carolina get revenge after its loss to UCLA, or would their placement in the same bracket spell doom for a repeat? Could sophomore JuJu Watkins and USC spoil UConn senior Paige Bueckers’ last chance at a national championship?
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With Selection Sunday days away, here are storylines to watch heading into the NCAA tournament.
Paige Bueckers’ last chance at a national title?
The Paige Bueckers era at UConn hasn’t gone as planned. Rather than multiple national titles to her name, the former No. 1 recruit is still aiming for her first after injuries hit the program hard in recent seasons.
It will likely be her final shot as she’s indicated she will enter the WNBA Draft, where she’s projected to go No. 1 to the Dallas Wings. The fifth-year redshirt senior does have an extra year of eligibility.
Azzi Fudd could also be playing the final games of her collegiate career. The top recruit in this year’s graduating class has a redshirt available, but she walked on senior day in case she decided to enter the WNBA. The shooting guard played a career-high 28 games this season after playing 42 in three seasons combined. It’s the most cohesion Bueckers and Fudd have had together, and they’re joined by a third No. 1 recruit in freshman Sarah Strong.
The 11-time national champion Huskies have not lifted the trophy since 2016, when Breanna Stewart completed a four-in-four-years run.
South Carolina’s dynasty
While South Carolina is the modern-day dynasty with four consecutive Final Fours and three national titles in three years, the Gamecocks have yet to match their predecessors in repeating.
USC, Tennessee and UConn are the only programs to win back-to-back titles, a feat that becomes even more difficult as teams improve around the country. After A’ja Wilson led South Carolina to the program’s first title in 2017, the Gamecocks took an early exit to UConn in the regional final the following year. After they won it all behind national player of the year Aliyah Boston in 2022, they went undefeated until an upset to Iowa in the semifinals the next season.
The current roster, nearly all of whom were on the undefeated championship team a year ago, has lost more games than the last three years combined. But they were to three of the best teams in the country in UCLA, Texas and UConn.
JuJu Watkins’ all-time scoring chase
The Trojans have not had to rely as heavily on Watkins in her sophomore season, and though her average dipped a couple of points, she’s still second in the nation in scoring average and third in total points. The shooting guard is on track to break the NCAA all-time scoring record of 3,951 points set by Caitlin Clark a season ago.
Watkins set the freshman scoring record with 920 points over 34 games a season ago. She has 764 through 31 games heading into the NCAA tournament. With a maximum of six games and averaging 24.6 per game, she could add 147 points, which would bring her season total to 911 and career total to 1,831. Scoring at the same rate over the next two seasons, she would surpass Washington’s Kelsey Plum (3,527 points) for second on the list.
Clark scored 799 as a freshman over 30 games. The regular season was shortened given a late start due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Iowa bowed out of the NCAA tournament in the Sweet 16. She added 863 points (27 ppg) as a sophomore and 1,055 points (27.8 ppg) as a junior in the Hawkeyes’ run to the title game. Her senior year propelled the Indiana Fever point guard to the record with 1,234 points (31.6 ppg) over 39 games.
Big Ten’s best chance at a rare national championship
NCAA national championships have been rare in the Big Ten. The 1999 Purdue team is the only one to win one under the Big Ten banner. Maryland and USC won while playing elsewhere.
The addition of UCLA and USC gives the conference more chances at Final Four berths, and potentially an all-Big Ten national championship game if the bracket works out. It would be the fourth meeting between the two Los Angeles schools this season if it happens. USC leads, 2-1.
The SEC leads all conferences with 12 national championships, and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has credited the conference in helping them prepare to win their three titles. The Gamecocks are national title contenders, as is Texas. The conference is on a three-year title-winning streak (two by South Carolina, one by LSU).
TCU’s bounceback from walk-ons to winning titles
A season ago, TCU crashed from undefeated to holding open tryouts in order to finish its season. The Horned Frogs finished 6-10 in the Big 12, lost in the conference quarterfinals and were well out of the NCAA tournament picture.
It’s been quite the turnaround since then. Sedona Prince, a 6-foot-7 center who began her career at Oregon in 2019, returned from a hand injury while head coach Mark Campbell added six players, including fifth-year guard Hailey Van Lith, from the transfer portal. TCU (31-3, 16-2) won both the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles, and notched signature non-conference wins over Notre Dame and NC State early in the season. The Horned Frogs are projected as a No. 2 seed.
For Prince and Lith, it’s the final chance at winning a national championship and showing their game before the WNBA Draft. Each had bumpy paths — Prince with injuries and Van Lith’s season at LSU — and could bring TCU more history this month. The program last made the tournament in 2010. In nine appearances, it’s never made it past the second round.
Notre Dame’s late-season collapse
Notre Dame stormed into national title contention with non-conference wins over powerhouses and preseason favorites USC (NET 6), Texas (NET 3) and UConn (NET 1). The Irish won their first 14 ACC games by an average of 26 points.
Then the real test came, and they faltered. They’ve dropped three of their final five, including back-to-back losses for the second time this season, and shared the regular season title with NC State. In the ACC semis, they were bounced by Duke and looked a shell of themselves. The Blue Devils won the tournament title over NC State.
The backcourt duo of Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles fell out of rhythm, and the high-level post game isn’t there despite fifth-year forward Maddy Westbeld’s return. They should still stay on the No. 2 seed line and will definitely host first- and second-round games, giving them an opportunity to reestablish their confidence, high-scoring offense and stout defense.
Those early victories mean nothing in March.
Injuries to watch ahead of the tournament
Injuries will impact a few teams heading into March.
LSU relies heavily on its big three of Flau’jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams, who combine for 54.6 points per game. Two dealt with injuries to end the season.
Johnson sat out the SEC tournament to rest while dealing with shin splints. In the semifinal loss to Texas, she helped carry off senior forward Aneesah Morrow, who sustained a left foot injury in the third quarter. Head coach Kim Mulkey said Morrow “aggravated a mid-foot sprain” and will be ready for the NCAA tournament. The team has more than a week off before playing again.
Kansas State rose to No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, but hasn’t been the same without 6-foot-6 senior center Ayoka Lee. Lee sustained a foot injury in late January that the program said would keep her out about four weeks. She returned around that timeframe and played five minutes against Kansas on Feb. 22. The Wildcats’ leading scorer hasn’t been back since.
Maryland lost key reserve Bri McDaniel for the season (ACL) and is playing without a fully healthy Shyanne Sellers. Sellers injured her knee in January and is playing through it while re-aggravating it a few different times. The WNBA prospect hasn’t been moving as well on it, putting the Terps in upset territory.
