UCLA has yet to play UConn this season, but the Bruins already have given the Huskies a run for their money.
Amanda Braun, chair of the selection committee for the women’s basketball tournament, said there was a spirited debate over whether to choose UConn or UCLA as the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed. UCLA is ranked first nationally in strength of schedule while UConn is 58th, and the Bruins have defeated 12 top-five teams vs. five for UConn.
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Braun said the committee eventually voted to give the top overall seed to UConn and its 34-0 record.
UCLA (31-1) got a nice consolation prize for being unbeaten since a 76-65 loss to Texas in November — the No. 1 seed in Region 2 and the benefit of a clear path from the Golden State to the Final Four. The Bruins will play host to the first and second round in Los Angeles, and the region semifinal and final will be played in Sacramento.
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Breaking down Region 2:
No. 1 seed: UCLA
The Bruins breezed through the Big Ten tournament, winning by an average of more than 25 points. They have an elite defense, a deep roster and a massive edge in rebounding (leading Division I by a plus-15 margin). UCLA’s offense also is explosive, relying on the duo of Lauren Betts and Kiki Rice, who combined to average more than 31 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists per game.
Trysta’s Takes
(Editor’s note — NBA and WNBA analyst Trysta Krick offers her take on the region below. Follow Trysta on social media: @Trysta_Krick)
“UCLA seems to be on a collision course with Kim Mulkey and LSU. The two are projected to meet in the Elite Eight, with the Bruins favored to take it, but LSU is no joke. The Tigers are 27-5 and have been one of the highest-scoring teams in the country all season. That said, UCLA enters this tournament as arguably the hottest team in the country, having just won 25 consecutive games, including a 51-point blowout of Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
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My team to watch is Duke. This is a team that started the year with a mountain of adversity and plenty of fans calling for head coach Kara Lawson’s job after opening 3-6. The rock bottom might have been losing to a West Virginia team that played the entire second half with only five players available after ejections stemming from an on-court fight. But Duke was able to right the ship and rattled off 17 consecutive wins, the ACC regular-season title (their first in 13 years) and the ACC Tournament championship to close it out.
The Blue Devils are battle-tested and resilient, and they’ve been in close games that by all rights they probably could have and should have lost. Sophomore forward Toby Fournier leads the team at 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game and is as good of a two-way player as you’ll find in the country. Senior guard Taina Mair has come on as a big-time playmaker — a gritty, rebounding monster who has become quite the Swiss Army Knife and who makes plays that win games that don’t always show up on the stat sheet. And Kara Lawson, who was also just named head coach of the USA Women’s National Team, has put on a coaching masterclass this season.
As the No. 3 seed, Duke could be on a collision course with second-seeded LSU in the Sweet 16, a team they already faced in nonconference play back in December, in a game that LSU won EASILY. But Duke has found their identity since then and plays a grind-it-out, inside-out style that somehow always finds a way to hit a timely dagger even if their shooters have been cold all night. And that formula is a genuinely uncomfortable matchup for an LSU team that can be wild and iso heavy and can go cold for long stretches as well. Revenge tour or not, we’re about to find out very fast exactly what all that early adversity built them into. This is what makes them must-watch.”
Region 2, Sacramento first-round matchups
At Los Angeles, California
1. UCLA (31-1)
16. Cal Baptist (23-10)
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8. Oklahoma State (23-9)
9. Princeton (26-3)
At Minneapolis, Minnesota
5. Mississippi (23-11)
12. Gonzaga (24-9)
4. Minnesota (22-8)
13. Green Bay (25-8)
At Durham, North Carolina
6. Baylor (24-8)
11. Nebraska or Richmond
3. Duke (24-8)
14. Charleston (27-5)
At Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7. Texas Tech (25-7)
10. Villanova (25-7)
2. LSU (27-5)
15. Jacksonville (24-8)
