{"id":37455,"date":"2026-03-15T22:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T02:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/march-madness-begins-uconn-tops-womens-ncaa-tournament-as-1-overall-seed\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T22:21:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T02:21:25","slug":"march-madness-begins-uconn-tops-womens-ncaa-tournament-as-1-overall-seed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/march-madness-begins-uconn-tops-womens-ncaa-tournament-as-1-overall-seed\/","title":{"rendered":"March Madness Begins: UConn Tops Women’s NCAA Tournament as #1 Overall Seed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

The women’s NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed Sunday evening, with UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina claiming the four top seeds heading into March Madness.<\/p>

Despite ongoing debate, undefeated UConn secured the overall #1 seed position ahead of UCLA, which suffered just one loss this season. The Bruins had faced a more challenging schedule and recorded 19 Quad 1 victories compared to UConn’s nine, but the Huskies held the top spot in the NET rankings while UCLA ranked second.<\/p>

“We watched a whole lot of good basketball between those two teams,” committee chair Amanda Braun said on ESPN. “The debate was pretty close the whole time \u2026 It went to a committee vote, and we watched a lot of UConn, we watched a lot of UCLA as a group. The vote ultimately gave the edge to UConn.”<\/p>

Coach Geno Auriemma and the Huskies bring a perfect 34-0 record and 50-game winning streak into the tournament as they seek to repeat as national champions. National Player of the Year candidate Sarah Strong leads the squad.<\/p>

UConn will welcome 16th-seeded UTSA (18-15) for Saturday’s opening round in Storrs, Connecticut. A victory would set up a second-round matchup against either eighth-seeded Iowa State or ninth-seeded Syracuse.<\/p>

The Fort Worth Regional 1 also features second-seeded Vanderbilt (27-4), third-seeded Ohio State (26-7), and fourth-seeded North Carolina (26-7). Campus sites will host first and second-round games for the tournament’s top 16 overall seeds.<\/p>

UCLA (31-1) heads the Sacramento Regional 2 bracket and opens Saturday against 16th-seeded Cal Baptist (23-10). That region includes second-seeded LSU (27-5) under coach Kim Mulkey, third-seeded Duke (24-8) – the Atlantic Coast Conference champions – and fourth-seeded Minnesota (22-8).<\/p>

Texas (31-3) claimed the third #1 seed position over South Carolina after defeating the Gamecocks twice in three matchups this season, including a dominant 78-61 victory in the Southeastern Conference championship game. The Longhorns await the winner of a First Four matchup between Missouri State and Stephen F. Austin.<\/p>

Fort Worth Regional 3 also includes second-seeded Michigan (25-6), third-seeded Louisville (27-7), and fourth-seeded West Virginia (27-6), which captured the Big 12 title.<\/p>

South Carolina (31-3) anchors Sacramento Regional 4 and will face whichever team emerges from the First Four game between Southern and Samford. Second-seeded Iowa (26-6), third-seeded TCU (29-5), and fourth-seeded Oklahoma (24-7) complete that bracket section.<\/p>

The final four teams to make the tournament field were Virginia, Arizona State, Nebraska, and Richmond. Virginia and Arizona State will compete in a First Four game for a 10th seed and the opportunity to face seventh-seeded Georgia, while Nebraska and Richmond battle for an 11th seed and a matchup with sixth-seeded Baylor.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The women’s NCAA Tournament bracket was unveiled Sunday night with four #1 seeds announced. Undefeated UConn earned the top overall position despite UCLA’s stronger schedule, while Texas and South Carolina round out the top seeds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":37454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773627685534.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-9K7","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47582,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ucla-captures-first-ncaa-womens-basketball-championship-with-dominant-win\/","url_meta":{"origin":37455,"position":0},"title":"UCLA Captures First NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship with Dominant Win","author":"Admin","date":"April 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"UCLA defeated South Carolina 79-51 to win their first NCAA women's basketball title, completing a remarkable season with only one loss. The Bruins were led by Gabriela Jaquez's 21 points and Lauren Betts' 16 points in the championship victory.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775433976523.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775433976523.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775433976523.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775433976523.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775433976523.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39003,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/uconn-duo-strong-and-fudd-lead-ap-womens-basketball-all-america-first-team\/","url_meta":{"origin":37455,"position":1},"title":"UConn Duo Strong and Fudd Lead AP Women’s Basketball All-America First Team","author":"Admin","date":"March 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"University of Connecticut's Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd have been selected to the Associated Press Women's Basketball All-America First Team as the undefeated Huskies prepare for March Madness. Strong earned unanimous recognition while both players have collected multiple national honors this season.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773858156446.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44245,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/uconn-stuns-duke-with-last-second-shot-to-reach-final-four\/","url_meta":{"origin":37455,"position":2},"title":"UConn Stuns Duke with Last-Second Shot to Reach Final Four","author":"Admin","date":"March 29, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Braylon Mullins hit a dramatic three-pointer with just 0.4 seconds remaining to lift UConn over top-seeded Duke 73-72. The Huskies overcame a 19-point first-half deficit to secure their spot in the Final Four.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774829199763.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774829199763.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774829199763.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774829199763.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774829199763.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47613,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ucla-crushes-south-carolina-79-51-to-claim-first-ncaa-womens-basketball-crown\/","url_meta":{"origin":37455,"position":3},"title":"UCLA Crushes South Carolina 79-51 to Claim First NCAA Women’s Basketball Crown","author":"Admin","date":"April 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The UCLA Bruins captured their first NCAA women's basketball championship with a commanding 79-51 victory over South Carolina in Phoenix. Gabriela Jaquez scored 21 points while Lauren Betts earned Most Outstanding Player honors in the third-largest title game margin in tournament history.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775442141693.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":37383,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/ncaa-tournament-brackets-unveiled-today-as-march-madness-begins\/","url_meta":{"origin":37455,"position":4},"title":"NCAA Tournament Brackets Unveiled Today as March Madness Begins","author":"Admin","date":"March 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"College basketball fans nationwide are eagerly awaiting today's reveal of the NCAA tournament brackets for both men's and women's divisions. Duke appears poised to claim the top seed in the men's tournament, while unbeaten UConn is expected to lead the women's field.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37313,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/legendary-uconn-coach-geno-auriemma-confirms-hell-return-for-42nd-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":37455,"position":5},"title":"Legendary UConn Coach Geno Auriemma Confirms He’ll Return for 42nd Season","author":"Admin","date":"March 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"University of Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma has announced he will return for his 42nd season in 2026-27. The 71-year-old coach made the announcement as his undefeated Huskies prepare for the NCAA Tournament as defending national champions.","rel":"","context":"In "Sports"","block_context":{"text":"Sports","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/sports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1773595361150.jpg?fit=450%2C307&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}