March Madness will be in full swing soon and it all starts with Selection Sunday on March 16. The women’s bracket will be revealed at 8 p.m. ET.
Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks have won two of the last three NCAA Tournaments, but unlike last season when they went undefeated, they have a lot more competition this time around. After the major conference tournaments, it seems the No. 1 seeds have been locked in for South Carolina, UCLA, Texas and USC, as predicted by CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel.
Women’s Bracketology: UCLA retakes top position as No. 1 seeds are locked up
Connor Groel
Meanwhile, a loss in the ACC Tournament first round likely means Stanford will be missing the Big Dance for the first time since 1987. The 36-year streak is the second-longest actively running in women’s basketball, behind the Tennessee Lady Vols’ 42 consecutive appearances. Stanford won the 2021 national title, but the Cardinal are currently rebuilding after losing their key players from last season, conference realignment and longtime coach Tara VanDerveer retiring.
UConn has won the most NCAA Tournaments with 11, the most recent coming in 2016. The Huskies have made 15 of the last 16 Final Fours — including a record-breaking 14 consecutive appearances from 2008-2022.
Where to watch Selection Sunday
When: Sunday, March 16 at 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Streaming: fubo (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports app
Women’s NCAA Tournament schedule
- First Four: March 19-20
- Round of 64: March 21- 22
- Round of 32: March 23-24
- Sweet 16: March 28-29
- Elite Eight: March 30-31
- Final Four: Friday, April 4
- National championship game: Sunday, April 6
How the field of 68 is selected
A total of 32 teams automatically earn a ticket to the NCAA Tournament by winning their respective conference tournaments. Meanwhile, the rest of the field of 68 will be revealed on Selection Sunday.
The selection committee gives better seeding to those with a better resume. The criteria includes overall record, significant wins, strength of schedule and other factors listed here.
In women’s basketball, the top 16 teams get home-court advantage early in the tournament by hosting first- and second-round games.
Who has earned automatic bids
The major conferences have concluded their tournaments, and here are the winners:
- ACC: Duke
- Big 12: TCU
- Big East: UConn
- Big Ten: UCLA
- SEC: South Carolina
Here is a full list of the teams who won their respective conference tournaments.
