Michael Voepel
Multiple Authors
The top 16 seeds, which is able to host the early rounds of the women’s basketball NCAA tournament, have been launched in alphabetical order Saturday, with two groups that had not been within the two earlier projected top 16s by the choice committee making it within the remaining 16: North Carolina and West Virginia.
This is a brand new transfer by the NCAA: asserting the precise top 16 groups as a teaser the day earlier than the total 68-team bracket is launched on the NCAA choice present Sunday on ESPN (8 p.m. ET).
The 16 groups that can host are, in alphabetical order: Duke, Iowa, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, TCU, Texas, UCLA, UConn, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina — the groups who made final season’s women’s Final Four — are primarily locks for the No. 1 seeds. The Huskies are 34-0 and the one unbeaten group in Division I women’s hoops. They are searching for this system’s seventh good season and thirteenth nationwide championship.
The NCAA launched projected top-16 reveals on Feb. 14 and March 1, and the Tar Heels and Mountaineers weren’t on both listing. But after successful 12 of its final 13 within the common season and making it to the ACC tournament semifinals, North Carolina made it in. West Virginia earned its spot within the top 16 with its Big 12 tournament remaining win over league regular-season champion TCU.
It’s an enormous second for the Mountaineers. The solely earlier time they’ve hosted an NCAA tournament recreation was in 1992.
Maryland was No. 13 in each earlier projected top 16s however dropped out after shedding within the Big Ten tournament second spherical to Oregon. The different group that was within the second reveal however fell out is Michigan State, which was projected at No. 14 on March 1. But the Spartans misplaced to Ohio State later that day after which fell to Illinois within the second spherical of the Big Ten tournament.
The First Four games are March 18-19. The first- and second-round games are March 20-23.
The regionals this yr are in Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California. The women’s tournament moved to a two-regional system in 2023, with two champions topped at every website. Sweet 16 games are March 27-28 and the Elite Eight games are March 29-30.
The women’s Final Four shall be held at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, with semifinal games on April 3 and the nationwide championship recreation on April 5.
All women’s NCAA tournament games are on ABC/ESPN networks.
