Breaking down women’s NCAA bracket
The bracket has been released, and 68 teams will put on their March Madness dancing shoes for the 2023 NCAA Div. I women's basketball tournament.
While the selections may have produced some surprises, there was one item that was never in doubt. Undefeated South Carolina (32-0), which has topped the USA TODAY Sports women's basketball coaches poll every week this season, is the No. 1 overall seed. The Gamecocks share top billing with Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford, which also earned No. 1 seeds.
Instead of each of those four teams leading four different regional sites, for the first time in the women's tournament, there will be only two sites for Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games, with Seattle and Greenville, South Carolina, hosting so-called super regionals. So, instead of four cities hosting two Sweet 16 games and one Elite Eight game each, the two sites will host four regional semifinals (on March 24-25) and two regional finals (on March 26-27), apiece. The bracket, however, retains the same setup, with four No. 1 seeds, four No. 2 seeds, four No. 3 seeds, etc.
The tournament kicks off with First Four games on Wednesday and Thursday, with the winners advancing to First Round games on Friday and Saturday. The Final Four will take place on Friday, March 31 with games at 7 and 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, while the championship game will be held Sunday, April 2 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.
Here is everything you need to know about this year's tournament, including a look at each region, best first-round games, players to watch and tournament snubs:
Greenville 1 Region
Defending champion South Carolina seeks to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since Connecticut won four in a row from 2013-16. The Gamecocks, who also won the title in 2017, can dominate on both ends of the floor and might not be challenged until the Elite Eight, but a potential rematch with UCLA could be enticing as the Bruins played the No. 1 team tough in November.
Notre Dame, with an injured and likely not playing Olivia Miles, could be ripe for an upset, but Maryland should be battle-tested after a strong run in the ultra-competitive Big Ten.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: South Carolina F Aliyah Boston (13.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2 blocks), the consensus player of the year in 2022; Arizona G Shaina Pellington (13.3 points, 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals), a tremendous two-way player;
Maryland G Diamond Miller (19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals), an explosive scorer who can take over a game;
UCLA G Charisma Osborne (15.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists) is the engine that makes the Bruins go.
Greenville 2 Region
Despite being played in the South, this is a very West Coast-heavy region with both the Pac-12 tournament champion (Washington State) and the Pac-12 co-regular-season champion (Utah) capable of making a run to the Final Four.
Top seed Indiana slumped out of the Big Ten tournament early after a dominant regular season; can the Hoosiers prove they do belong among the elite by booking a ticket to Dallas, or will Villanova's Maddy Siegrist be the 2023 edition of 2001 Jackie Stiles, an absolute scoring sensation that can will her team to the Final Four?
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Villanova F Maddy Siegrist (28.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg), the nation's top scorer; LSU F Angel Reese (23.4 ppg, 15.5 rpg), AKA the Bayou Barbie and a double-double machine; Utah F Alissa Pili (20.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg. 2.1 apg), the Pac-12 Player of the Year; Miami G Haley Cavinder (12.6, 4.7 rpg. 2.5 apg), impact player on and off the court.
Seattle 3 Region
Virginia Tech — quietly excellent all season — earned the 1-seed, but Uconn — still the most dominant program in the modern era — seems to be rounding into form just in time.
Azzi Fudd is back and probably sick of the talk about Uconn's dynasty being over, so don't be surprised if she shines the next couple weeks. That being said, Uconn's MVP this season has been Lou Lopez-senechal, a graduate transfer from Fairfield who was the 2022 MAAC Player of the Year.
Tennessee was everyone's favorite preseason pick to get back to the Final Four, but injuries and a brutally tough schedule brought it back to earth. Are the Lady Vols ready to make a run?
PLAYERS TO WATCH: USC F Rayah Marshall (12.6 ppg, 11.4 rpg), elite athlete and the nation's leading shot blocker at 3.37 per game; Virginia Tech C Elizabeth Kitley (18.6 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.27 bpg), long and lanky, she was the back-toback ACC player of the year; Iowa State F Ashley Joens (21.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg), one of the best all-around players in the country who can score inside and out; Ohio State F Cotie Mcmahon (14.7 ppg, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 apg) a strong candidate for national freshman of the year.
Seattle 4 region
Some would argue Stanford was a controversial No. 1 seed — the Cardinal lost two of its last three games — while Iowa dominated the Big Ten tournament behind national player of the year candidate Caitlin Clark.
Clark still hasn't been to a Final Four; does that change this year? She'd certainly like it too.
Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Louisville is finally peaking at the right time and could go on a run. But the Texas Longhorns' Rori Harmon, the best guard in the Big 12, is finally healthy and is a matchup nightmare for pretty much everyone. Duke wears teams down with its defense but has had trouble scoring, which could spell trouble.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Iowa G Caitlin Clark (27 ppg, 8.3 apg, 4 triple-doubles this season), she's not just the most exciting scorer in college basketball, men or women, but the best passer; Texas G Rori Harmon (11.4 ppg, 6 apg, 4.8 rpg), her quickness creates problems at both ends and she's just plain fun to watch; Stanford F Cameron Brink (14.9 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 3.36 bpg), a shot-blocking sensation, she can score every time she gets the ball inside the lane.