After four months of waiting, the Big Dance is finally here. A pool of 68 teams will compete for a spot in the Final Four, hoping to advance to the National Championship. Selection Sunday revealed the women’s tournament bracket and the paths each team will take to try and reach the Final Four.
Here is everything you need to know before the First Round tips off on Thursday.
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Region 1 Spokane:
No. 1 UCLA vs. Winner between No. 16 UC San Diego and No. 16 Southern
No. 2 NC State vs. No. 15 Vermont
No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State
No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon
No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Ball State
No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason
No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard
No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech
Top Seed:
The UCLA Bruins are the top seed overall seed in the tournament. They enter the tournament coming off a historic 30-2 season, where they set a program record for wins in a single season. The Bruins are led by star center Lauren Betts, the Big Ten DPOY and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection. Betts is averaging 19.6 ppg and 2.9 blocks per game and helps provide interior defense to UCLA’s top-50 ranked defense. In the backcourt, junior guard Kiki Rice leads the charge, averaging 12.8 ppg and 1.6 steals per game. Rice joined Betts on the All-Big Ten First Team this season. The Bruins run a deep nine-player rotation that includes Gabriela Jaquez, Londynn Jones and Angela Dugalic. With offensive depth and stellar defense, the Bruins are poised to make a deep run in March.
Key Matchup
The matchup between Richmond and Georgia Tech is poised to be a close one. The Spiders received an at-large bid into the tournament after falling to St. Joe’s on a buzzer-beater in the A-10 semifinals. The Spiders enter the tournament with a 27-6 record and are led by juniors Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom. Doogan enjoyed another dominant season, averaging 16.3 ppg en route to being named A-10 Player of the Year. Ullstrom leads the Spiders’ backcourt as a scoring guard, averaging 15.5 ppg. The Spiders have an efficient shooting offense, hitting 38.3% of their shots from behind the arc as a team while making the second most in the A-10 this season. They square off against a deep Georgia Tech team led by Kara Dunn, Tonie Morgan and Dani Carnegie. The three average double-digit points, with Carnegie providing instant offense off the bench, dropping 13.1 ppg alongside her ACC Sixth Player of the Year award this season. Tech has the 28th-ranked offense in the nation, so expect a high-scoring affair for this one.
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Region 2 Birmingham
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh
No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Oregon State
No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Norfolk State
No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Green Bay
No. 6 West Virginia vs. Winner between No. 11 Columbia and No. 11 Washington
No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Oregon
No. 8 Utah vs. No. 9 Indiana
Top Seed
The South Carolina Gamecocks are the top seed in this region. Led by legendary coach Dawn Staley and a deep rotation of scorers, the Gamecocks finished with a 30-3 record and an SEC Championship. The team boasts an elite trio of Chloe Kitts, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards, who all recently met with SLAM. Edwards has filled the void left by Kamilla Cardoso in her first season in Columbia, averaging 13.2 ppg while dominating in the paint and interior game. Fulwiley has provided instant offense off the bench averaging 12 ppg and 1.6 steals. Kitts has become a double-double machine, averaging 10.1 games and nearly eight boards, while also recently dropping a triple-double in a rout vs. Ole Miss. Complementing the trio are veterans Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, Bree Hall and Tessa Johnson. Staley’s deep and experienced squad has been here before and is looking to repeat their success and go back-to-back.
Key Matchup
Many experts are choosing the Green Bay Phoenix to upset Alabama in the first round of the tournament. The Phoenix are one of the hottest teams in the country, entering the tournament on a 22-game winning streak. They are led by All-Horizon guards Natalie McNeal and Maddy Schreiber. McNeal is averaging 14.9 ppg and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Schreiber is scoring 12.7 points a night. The team can score and lock opponents down, boasting the nation’s 17th-best scoring defense in the country. They will look to hold one of the nation’s best offenses in check. Alabama enters the tournament with the 20th-ranked scoring offense, averaging 78.4 points a night. They boast a lineup full of elite sharpshooters Sarah Ashlee Barker, Zaay Green, Aaliyah Nye and Karly Weathers, all of whom knock down over 35% of their 3’s. Bama’s scoring efficiency and pace could be problematic for the Phoenix, so expect a tight matchup between the two teams.
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Region 3 Birmingham
No. 1 Texas vs. Winner between No. 16 High Point and No. 16 William & Mary
No. 2 TCU vs. No. 15 Farleigh Dickinson
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin
No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Montana State
No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 South Florida
No. 6 Michigan vs. Winner between No. 11 Iowa State and No. 11 Princeton
No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Nebraska
No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 9 Creighton
Top Seed
The Texas Longhorns are the top seed in this region, finishing the season with a 31-3 record and a regular season title. The Longhorns are led by All-American and SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker. Booker’s sophomore year was equally as impressive as her first, averaging 16.2 ppg, 6.6 boards and nearly three assists and 1.6 steals a night. Booker has established herself as a three-level scorer, knocking down shots in the paint and shooting 43.9% off occasional three-pointers—teams cannot leave her open anywhere on the court. Alongside Booker are veteran players Taylor Jones, Rori Harmon and Kyla Oldacre, who have provided threats at all spots in the starting lineup, with the three averaging over nine ppg. Texas enters the tournament as one of the most balanced teams in the country, boasting the 16th-best offense and 22nd-best scoring defense, and is looking to use its experience to make a deep run.
Key Matchup
Michigan’s first four opponents could be problematic in their first-round matchup. The Wolverines are penciled in to play Iowa State or Princeton, two strong squads. The Cyclones boast elite center Audi Crooks—who recently graced the digital cover of SLAMU—who is having an even better season than last year. Crooks is averaging 23.2 ppg, the eighth-highest in the nation and grabbing 7.6 rebounds a game. She is partnered with frontcourt mate Addy Brown, who has also seen an uptick in scoring. Brown is averaging 15.2 ppg, 7.6 rebounds a game and 5.2 assists. Crooks and Brown’s elite scoring ability down low could be problematic for a Michigan team that is weak defensively, allowing 65.7 points a night. However, the Cyclones would need to get past the Tigers first. Princeton enters their first four matchup with an elite defense, allowing only 56.8 points a night. They boast a scoring trio of Skye Belker, Ashley Chea, and Fadima Tall. All three average double-digit points a night and knock down over a third of their triples. Expect an exciting first-four matchup with the winner giving Michigan a run for their money.
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Region 4 Spokane
No. 1 USC vs. No. 16 UNC Greensboro
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Arkansas State
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 FGCU
No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Liberty
No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Fairfield
No. 6 Iowa vs. No. 11 Murray State
No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 South Dakota State
No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Mississippi State
Top Seed
The USC Trojans are the top seed in this region. Led by Player of the Year candidate JuJu Watkins, the Trojans finished 28-3 and secured their second consecutive No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Watkins is following up her breakout freshman campaign with another dominant season, averaging 24.6 ppg and nearly seven rebounds and two steals a night. Watkins gets buckets in any way. She can shoot from beyond the arc, knocking down 33% of her 3’s. She can hit off-dribble mid-range jumpers and knife her way into the paint with ease. A one-on-one matchup is not enough to stop her. Alongside Watkins is Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen, who is having an elite debut season in Los Angeles. Iriafen is averaging 18.2 ppg and 8.3 rebounds a night, and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team alongside Watkins. The two headline USC’s nine-ranked scoring offense, and are poised to make a deep run in March.
Key Matchup
Many experts are picking Fairfield to pull off an upset in their first-round matchup. The Stags are one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 22 of their last 23 games en route to a 28-4 record. The team is led by Meghan Andersen and Kaety L’Amoreaux, who are averaging 15.1 and 12.5 ppg respectively. Both players are efficient scorers, knocking down over 30% of their shots from beyond the arc. However, Fairfield’s strong suit is their elite defense, allowing only 54 points a night, the 10th-best margin in the country. They will look to put the clamps on a Kansas State team whose leading scorer’s status is unknown. Star center Ayoka Lee hasn’t played since February and may be good to go for the NCAA Tournament. If Lee plays, she will add elite interior scoring and defense. In her 19 games this season, Lee averaged 15.5 ppg and 6.1 rebounds. Lee’s offensive output would help spread the ball between her, facilitator Serena Sundell and Temira Poindexter. The Wildcats rank out as the 15th-best offense in the nation, so expect a battle between two teams that specialize on one side of the ball.