With four games left in the regular season, the UConn women’s basketball team is poised to earn its first No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2018.
The selection committee revealed its top 16 teams for the first time on Saturday night, giving the reigning national champions the top spot in the rankings. The Huskies (27-0) are the only undefeated team in Division I this season and will likely to enter the tournament without a loss amid a 63-game winning streak in the Big East.
The last time UConn was No. 1 overall, it was also undefeated entering the tournament, but it came up short suffering a buzzer-beater loss to Notre Dame in the Final Four.
As the top overall seed, the Huskies would fall in the Fort Worth 1 region. Behind UConn, UCLA claimed the second 1-seed followed by South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The Commodores, coached by former UConn star Shea Ralph, haven’t been a 1-seed since 2002. Based on the committee’s projections, the Huskies could go head-to-head with Ralph’s squad in the Final Four.
In the Huskies’ region, LSU is projected as the 2-seed, ranked No. 8 by the committee, setting up a potential Elite Eight meeting. UConn and LSU haven’t played since 2016, but the Huskies have more recent tournament history with Tigers coach Kim Mulkey. UConn eliminated Mulkey’s Baylor squad from the tournament in 2021, her final season leading the program before leaving for LSU.
UConn could get a rematch of last year’s Sweet 16 based on the current rankings with Oklahoma as the projected 4-seed in Fort Worth 1. The Huskies beat the Sooners 82-59 en route to the 2025 national title behind a historic 40-point performance from former star Paige Bueckers. The projected 3-seed in UConn’s bracket is No. 9 Ohio State, who the Huskies dominated 100-68 in a non-conference matchup in Hartford on Nov. 16.
NCAA Tournament Top 16 reveal
- UConn
- UCLA
- South Carolina
- Vanderbilt
- Texas
- Michigan
- Louisville
- LSU
- Ohio State
- Duke
- Iowa
- TCU
- Maryland
- Michigan State
- Ole Miss
- Oklahoma