Entering Sunday’s women’s NCAA Tournament bracket reveal, there was a looming question about who would be the field’s top seed. In a season full of parity, SEC tournament champion South Carolina and Big Ten tournament champion UCLA had strong cases.
The Bruins, however, were given the No. 1 overall designation.
The Gamecocks were still one of the four No. 1 seeds, and they were joined by Texas and USC on the No. 1 line. Around the group is a deep field. No singular dominant team emerged in the 2024-25 season. Four programs held the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, tying the record most recently set in 2021.
The Bruins (30-2) hope their momentum continues into the field of 68. Last weekend, UCLA captured its first conference championship since 2006, defeating USC in the third matchup between the two Los Angeles powerhouses. With the victory, UCLA, which had spent 12 consecutive weeks atop the AP poll, eclipsed 30 wins for the first time in program history.
Junior center Lauren Betts leads the Bruins in points (19.6), rebounds (9.7), blocks (2.9) and field goal percentage (63.4 percent), having emerged as the program’s All-America-level focal point. Coach Cori Close’s team is one of the most experienced in the field, with seven of its eight most-used…
