The last four at-large bids, for teams that would then compete in the first four play-in games, are completely up for grabs. Two of the best players in the country, DePaul freshman Aneesah Morrow and Northwestern senior Veronica Burton, appear to be right on the line — as is Florida State, which hasn’t missed an N.C.A.A. tournament since 2012. Villanova, which beat a Paige Bueckers-less Connecticut earlier this season, and Missouri, which handed presumed top overall seed South Carolina its only regular season loss, will also be waiting anxiously to find out if they’ll be in the first women’s First Four.
Connecticut’s position in the bracket is far less certain than usual.
The Huskies have missed out on a top seed only once since 2007, but this year uncharacteristic struggles and injuries in the regular season meant they were occasionally projected to be as low as a No. 3 seed. Now, the women’s college basketball juggernaut poses a challenge to the selection committee. UConn’s résumé is a little more tarnished than usual, but Paige Bueckers and the rest of the players appear to be operating at full strength at exactly the right time, as evidenced by their relentless throttling of opponents en route to the Big East tournament championship.
How do you weigh UConn’s comparatively ugly record, with its losses to three unranked teams, with the fact that the Huskies currently look unstoppable? Along with Baylor, the Huskies appear to be vying for the top No. 2 seed, but it wouldn’t be unthinkable for them to pop up among the No. 1s.
Certainly, no top-seeded team wants to face Bueckers en route to the Final Four, nor might they have a particular interest in facing Baylor and NaLyssa Smith. Either there will be loud shouts of Connecticut bias, or a team will be left with an extra daunting path to the title — made even more so if the Huskies are seeded to play through the Bridgeport regional.
Conference title upsets could shake up the bracket.
Both Kentucky and Iowa soared in The A.P. Top 25 poll this week, with Iowa rising four spots to No. 8 and Kentucky re-entering the poll at No. 16, after both teams claimed upset title victories in their respective conferences. The question now is how the selection committee will weigh their surprise success.