NCAA Women’s Tournament bracket: When is the rest of the field being announced? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The path to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is coming into focus. New this year is the NCAA unveiling its Top 16 seeds ahead of Selection Sunday. This approach offers an early snapshot of the teams positioned to host the opening rounds of March Madness.
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The reveal highlighted a group of programs that have built strong cases throughout the season and strengthened them with deep conference tournament runs.
Among the projected top seeds are traditional powers such as UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas. All four programs made strong statements during conference tournament play and appear to enter the national tournament with significant momentum.
UConn arrives in the postseason on a dominant stretch after cruising through the Big East Tournament. The Huskies reinforced its reputation as one of the sport’s most consistent postseason contenders. Can they be one of the last teams standing?
UCLA also delivered one of the most dominant performances, beating Iowa 96-45 to capture the Big Ten Tournament title. The Bruins showcased impressive balance with six players scoring in double figures. Gianna Kneepkens led the way with 19 points and four 3-pointers in the championship victory.
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Texas secured the SEC Tournament crown with a 78-61 win over South Carolina in Greenville. The Longhorns seized control early with a 14-0 run and never trailed. Madison Booker paced Texas with 18 points, while Justice Carlton added 14.
Where this puts Dawn Staley’s team will be interesting. South Carolina has lost a step from years past, but are still dangerous.
Elsewhere, Duke claimed its second consecutive ACC Tournament title with a 70-65 overtime win against Louisville.
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Other teams included in the Top 16 reveal were Iowa, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, TCU, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
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The final bracket will be announced Sunday, determining matchups and host sites as teams begin their pursuit of the national championship.
