South Carolina looks vulnerable now, but it's still a title threat
Women’s college basketball had its most topsy-turvy stretch of the season over the weekend, a wild few days filled with so many upset losses and clutch wins that the timing of Sunday’s reveal of the top 16 seeds seemed almost comical in retrospect. The NCAA tournament selection committee revealed those picks for the first time, and by day’s end, three of its top eight teams had lost.
That was in addition to Thursday’s California calamity, when USC handed No. 1 UCLA its first loss behind a statement performance from Trojans sophomore (and player of the year candidate) JuJu Watkins. She had 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and eight blocks in the Trojans’ 71-60 victory to become the first Division I player with at least 35 points, five blocks and five assists in a game since 2000. No need to wait until March for madness.
Still, the selection committee’s rankings aren’t destined for a total overhaul after one long weekend of tumult. The projected No. 1 seeds are still likely to receive top billing, though their positioning may shift before Selection Sunday on March 16.
The committee ranked UCLA (24-1, 12-1 Big Ten) as the No. 1 overall seed Sunday and pegged South Carolina (23-3, 11-1 SEC), Texas (26-2, 12-1 SEC) and Notre Dame (23-2, 14-0 ACC) to receive the other No. 1 seeds, in that order.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/02/19/south-carolina-womens-basketball-1-seed/