Women's March Madness bracket predictions 3.0: Projecting the field of 68 for 2024 NCAA Tournament
The Pac-12 women's basketball tournament opens Wednesday, and the top four seeds all are jockeying for position in our latest Women's March Madness Bracket Predictions.
Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Oregon State all have top three seeds in our latest projections, and there is a decent chance the conference could get two No. 1 seeds. Even No. 5 Colorado could bump up a line with a strong performance.
Stanford has won the conference tournament three of the past five years. Which team will win the final installment of the Pac-12 tournament? That is worth watching this weekend heading into Selection Sunday next weekend.
This year's Final Four is April 5-7 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
Each week, we will break down the NCAA women's basketball tournament field. Here's a look at the latest Field of 68:
* - Projected automatic bid
** - Projected play-in team
NCAA women's tournament Field of 68 projections
No. 1 seeds
*South Carolina (29-0, 16-0 SEC)
The Gamecocks will be looking for their eighth SEC tournament championship under Dawn Staley. South Carolina has won the tournament seven of the past nine years. The Gamecocks will be the No. 1 overall seed.
*Stanford (26-4, 15-3 Pac-12)
Stanford has a Net ranking of No. 4, which is higher than the two Big Ten No. 1 seeds on this list. That should be enough to keep Tara VanDerveer's team in the Portland Regional, which will be coveted by the Pac-12 powers in the NCAA tournament.
*Ohio State (25-4, 16-2 Big Ten)
Iowa snapped the Buckeyes' 15-game winning streak in a 93-83 shootout on Sunday. Ohio State still won the Big Ten regular-season championship, and a possible rubber match in the Big Ten tournament could determine who gets the No. 1 seed.
Iowa (26-4, 15-3 Big Ten)
Caitlin Clark – who averages 32.3 points per game – has the all-time NCAA scoring record. Can she lead the Hawkeyes to a national championship? It's a toss-up with UCLA for the final No. 1 seed. A Big Ten tournament championship could get the Hawekeyes a No. 1 seed in the Albany regional.
No. 2 seeds
UCLA (24-5, 13-5 Pac-12)
UCLA has a strong resume with nonconference victories against UConn and Ohio State, and they had to the Pac-12 tournament on a five-game winning streak. UCLA is No. 6 in Net ranking, one spot behind Iowa, It's a tight race for that final No. 1 seed.
LSU (26-4, 13-3 SEC)
Kim Mulkey has the Tigers playing great at the right time. LSU is averaging 82.5 points per game through an eight-game win streak. Angel Reese had 22 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks, and three steals in the regular-season finale against Kentucky.
*Texas (27-4, 14-4 Big 12)
The Longhorns continue to bump up and down. The record and Net ranking track like a No. 1 seed, but the Longhorns did not win the Big 12 regular-season title after a 71-70 loss at Oklahoma. The Sooners got the regular-season sweep, which will keep the Longhorns here for now.
USC (23-5, 13-5 Pac-12)
JuJu Watkins is second in the NCAA with 27.8 points per game. The Trojans won nine of their past 10 games, and they could easily pass as a No. 2 seed at this point given the strength of the Pac-12.
No. 3 seeds
*UConn (26-5, 18-0 Big East)
UConn remains at No. 2 in the Net rankings, but a 3-4 record against ranked teams outside the Big East could knock the Huskies down to a No. 3 seed. Paige Bueckers averages 23.8 points per game through a six-game winning streak.
Oregon State (23-6, 12-6 Pac-12)
The Beavers lost 67-63 to Stanford before beating Cal in the regular-season finale. Forward Raegan Beers averages 17.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Oregon State has remained solid on this line.
*NC State (25-5, 13-5 ACC)
The Wolfpack are 7-3 in their past 10 games, and that included a 4-1 record against ranked ACC teams. They will be the best bet for the conference tournament given that track record.
Virginia Tech (23-6, 14-4 ACC)
The Hokies are looking to return to the Final Four, but the health of center Elizabeth Kitley, who suffered a knee injury in the regular-season finale, is the larger concern heading into the ACC tournament.
No. 4 seeds
Notre Dame (23-6, 13-5 ACC)
The Irish continue to trend upward, and they closed the regular season with victories against Virginia Tech and Louisville. Hannah Hidalgo (23.8 ppg.) appears ready for the tournament spotlight. Notre Dame has room to improve that seeding in the ACC tournament, too.
*Gonzaga (29-2, 16-0 West Coast)
The Bulldogs have a Net ranking of No. 11 heading into the West Coast Conference tournament, which Gonzaga has won four of the past seven years. Gonzaga is good for an at-large bid at this point.
Indiana (24-4, 15-3 Big Ten)
The Hoosiers were 1-2 against Iowa and Ohio State in the regular season, but they have enough talent to win the Big Ten tournament, too. Forward Mackenzie Homes averages 20.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Oklahoma (21-8, 15-3 Big 12)
The Sooners might seem over-seeded given a Net ranking of No. 27, but the regular-season Big 12 championship and a sweep of Texas puts them here heading into the conference tournament. The No. 5 line is full of contenders that could move up.
Rest of field
No. 5 seeds
Colorado (21-8, 11-7 Pac-12)
Kansas State (24-6, 13-5 Big 12)
Syracuse (23-6, 13-5 ACC)
Baylor (23-6, 12-6 Big 12)
No. 6 seeds
Creighton (24-4, 15-3 Big East)
Utah (21-9, 11-7 Pac-12)
Louisville (23-8, 12-6 ACC)
West Virginia (23-6. 12-6 Big 12)
No. 7 seeds
Duke (19-10, 11-7 ACC)
Michigan State (22-7, 12-6 Big Ten)
North Carolina (19-11, 11-7 ACC)
Ole Miss (22-7, 12-4 SEC)
No. 8 seeds
*UNLV (26-2, 16-1 Mountain West)
Florida State (21-9, 12-6 ACC)
Alabama (23-8, 10-6 SEC)
Nebraska (19-10, 11-7 Big Ten)
No. 9 seeds
Marquette (22-7, 11-7 Big East)
Princeton (22-4, 12-1 Ivy)
Tennessee (17-11, 10-6 SEC)
Iowa State (18-10, 12-6 Big 12)
No. 10 seeds
*Middle Tennessee State (24-4, 14-0 C-USA)
Mississippi State (21-10, 8-8 SEC)
Kansas (18-7, 11-7 Big 12)
Michigan (18-12, 9-9 Big Ten)
No. 11 seeds
Vanderbilt (22-8, 9-7, SEC)
Miami, Fla. (18-11, 8-10 ACC)
**Maryland (17-12, 9-9 Big Ten)
**Auburn (19-10, 8-8 SEC)
**Washington State (18-13, 7-11)
**Green Bay (24-6, 17-3 Horizon)
No. 12 seeds
*South Dakota State (24-5, 16-0)
*Florida Gulf Coast (26-4, 16-0 Atlantic Sun)
*Richmond (26-5, 16-2 Atlantic 10)
*Toledo (23-4, 15-1 MAC)
No. 13 seeds
*Stony Brook (23-3, 13-2 CAA)
*Drake (24-5, 17-1 MVC)
*Fairfield (26-1, 18-0 MAAC)
*Eastern Washington (26-5, 16-2 Big Sky)
No. 14 seeds
*Marshall (23-6, 17-1 Sun Belt)
*Cleveland State (27-4, 18-2 Horizon)
*Jackson State (21-6, 16-0 SWAC)
*Chattanooga (25-4, 13-1 Southern)
No. 15 seeds
*California Baptist (24-3, 16-2 WAC)
*Tulsa (22-8, 12-5 AAC)
*Maine (21-9, 14-2 America East)
*Norfolk State (23-5, 12-1 MEAC)
No. 16 seeds
*Lamar (22-5, 16-1 Southland)
*Hawaii (18-9, 15-3 Big West)
**Southern Indiana (22-6, 17-1 OVC)
**Sacred Heart (20-9, 14-1 Northeast)
**Boston (18-10, 10-7 Patriot)
**High Point (19-10, 14-2 Big South)
