Winners (Gonzaga) and losers (Iowa) of the NCAA women’s basketball committee’s latest top-16 reveal

Bracketology season is upon us as February comes to a close. It’s almost March Madness, y’all.

On Thursday, the selection committee for the Division I women’s NCAA tournament revealed their top 16 seeds for the second and final time this season, giving fans a snapshot of where teams stand heading into the final games of the regular season and conference tournaments.

Some things have changed since the last reveal two weeks ago, and some things remained the same. Undefeated South Carolina is still the undisputed No. 1 seed, and the top-heavy Pac-12 still has the most teams projected to host with five teams in the top 16.

Here’s the full seed list from the committee as of Feb. 29:

1. South Carolina
2. Ohio State
3. Stanford
4. UCLA
5. Virginia Tech
6. Texas
7. Iowa
8. USC
9. LSU
10. UConn
11. N.C. State
12. Oregon State
13. Colorado
14. Indiana
15. Gonzaga
16. Oklahoma

Let’s take a closer look at the winners and losers with just 17 days to go until Selection Sunday.

Winners: Gonzaga

March 7, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Yvonne Ejim (15) shoots the basketball against the Portland Pilots during the first half in the finals of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulldogs were left outside the top 16 in the last top 16 reveal, but all they’ve done over the past two weeks is kept winning. And so, the Zags are in the top 16, projected to host games in Spokane, Washington.

Gonzaga has won 23 games in a row, which is the second-longest win streak in the country behind only South Carolina. And Gonzaga isn’t winning by just a little bit – its closest margin of victory since Dec. 10 was a 13-point victory at Pacific on Feb. 17.

The Bulldogs are projected to be in a regional with UCLA, Virginia Tech and UConn. While those other three teams are very good, none of them can take Yvonne Ejim and the Zags lightly. Remember: this is a team that has wins over Stanford, a 21-4 Toledo team, South Dakota State, Arizona and Alabama.

Losers: Iowa

Feb 28, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawkeyes dropped two spots in this latest top 16 reveal, likely do their 17-point loss at Indiana on Feb. 22. While two spots isn’t a dramatic drop for Caitlin Clark and company, it does put them in a regional with South Carolina.

And sure, Clark and the Hawkeyes pulled off the seemingly impossible last season by handing the Gamecocks their first loss of the season in the Final Four, but Iowa would likely prefer a path to Cleveland, Ohio that doesn’t go through Dawn Staley’s squad.

Neither South Carolina nor Iowa will likely be happy seeing each other in a potential Elite Eight matchup in Albany, New York – but it would be a major win for women’s college basketball fans.

Winners: Oklahoma

 

 

Oklahoma head coach Jennie Baranczyk yells to the referee in the first quarter during an NCAA basketball game between University of Oklahoma (OU) and Baylor University, in Norman Okla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024.

OU endured a stretch in non-conference play where they lost five of six games, a span that included a somewhat embarrassing defeat to Southern by nine points. On Dec. 22, Oklahoma simply did not look like an NCAA Tournament team – forget about hosting games.

But since then they’ve gone 15-2 and just secured their second straight Big 12 title with a 71-70 win over Texas on Wednesday. OU is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, ranking eighth in boards per game with 44.0. They also move the ball incredibly well, ranking first in assisted shot rate with a clip of 70.8%.

Jennie Baranczyk’s team is peaking at the right time.

Push: The ACC

There’s good news and bad news in this latest reveal for the ACC.

The good news is that Virginia Tech took a big leap, moving from 10th overall to fifth. Powered by two-time ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley and sparkplug guard Georgia Amoore, the Hokies have won 10 straight games, just hosted ESPN’s College GameDay, and seem fully capable of winning a second straight ACC title.

The bad news for the conference is, while it might get the most teams into the NCAA tournament with eight or nine, it’s currently projected to have just two teams hosting.

Louisville fell out of the top 16, and since losing back-to-back games to rivals Duke and UNC, N.C. State fell from No. 6 to No. 11 in the eyes of the committee. Syracuse is the team that probably has the best chance to be the third ACC team to crack the field. A good showing in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro could go a long way for the Orange.

Is a two-bid Ivy League possible? Will Maryland’s streak of tournament appearances continue? Can Arizona sneak in? @primetimeMitch examines women’s bracketology. #ncaaW pic.twitter.com/7Ee2W2gpEu

— For The Win (@ForTheWin) February 29, 2024