NCAA women's tournament winners and losers: Iowa's big jump; Missouri misses out
The bracket is here, the in-person celebrations are dispersing and the programs that made it to March Madness are turning their attention to the first round.
The NCAA women's tournament expanded to 68 teams this year, and action will begin Wednesday in the First Four. There weren't any surprises on the No. 1 seed line, but some favorites have a more favorable path than others.
Here are the winners and losers of Selection Sunday.
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Selection Sunday winners
Connecticut | Seed: 2 | Region: Bridgeport
The Huskies (25-5) were already winners heading into the tournament by having back reigning National Player of the Year Paige Bueckers and No. 1 recruit Azzi Fudd. The team dealt with myriad injuries to its stars, but it allowed for freshman guard Caroline Ducharme to gain valuable experience in their absence and Christyn Williams stepped up in the Big East tournament. This isn’t the Huskies team of January, or even late February, for that matter.
UConn bumped up to a No. 2 seed and landed in the Bridgeport region in its backyard. The Huskies had been a No. 3 seed in each of the first three tournament reveals and were placed in Bridgeport only once. That's a huge home-court advantage for one of the most popular college teams in the nation in a women's basketball hotbed.
Iowa | Seed: 2 | Region: Greensboro
Iowa was a No. 4 seed in the last reveal, but since then the Hawkeyes won a share of the Big Ten regular season title and won the conference tournament title. Still, a No. 2 seed is higher than it seemed they could go heading into Selection Sunday.
While they have an easier road to the regional final than a lower seed, they still landed in powerhouse South Carolina's region. And they'll have to face Iowa State in the regional semifinal if both advance. They lost that rivalry matchup by seven with a quiet night from Monika Czinano.
Big East | Four teams in the field
UConn head coach Geno Auriemma spoke highly of the competitiveness in the Big East and said he'd be "disappointed" if four teams didn't make it in. Turns out he won't have to be, and that's a big win for a group often overshadowed by the Huskies' dominance.
DePaul (20-10) slid in to play Dayton (25-5) in a First Four matchup in Greensboro that's worth watching Wednesday night. DePaul's Aneesah Morrow is a favorite for National Freshman of the Year and is one of only six players to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, per Her Hoop Stats. She comes in at 21.7 points and 13.8 rebounds per game.
Villanova (23-8) is an 11 seed and will face BYU (26-3) on Saturday in the Wichita region. Maddy Siegrist averages 25.9 points per game, second in the nation. Creighton (20-9) is a No. 11 seed facing Colorado (22-8) in the Greensboro region on Friday. Creighton was a lock at NET 32, but the other two appeared to be out. Villanova upset UConn in the regular season, but was overpowered by the healthy Huskies in the Big East title game.
Selection Sunday losers
N.C. State | Seed: 1 | Region: Bridgeport
So much for the benefit a No. 1 seed provides. The flip side of UConn's win is the Wolfpack's loss as the team will be met with an unfriendly crowd if the top two seeds advance to the regional final. Not only that, they pulled arguably the toughest No. 2 seed in the field — yes, that's taking into account Baylor.
UConn struggled even before injuries to Bueckers and Fudd, but it was early in the season and can't be a reliable barometer now. This team figured out how to win without its stars, developed the talent around those stars and could now run the table in March.
Missouri | Seed: none
Missouri pulled the upset of the regular season by upending South Carolina, defeated a surging Florida team and came close to doing the same to Kim Mulkey's LSU squad. The Tigers finished 18-12 and were on the bubble at NET 49. Playing a tough SEC schedule didn't help them get in.
Top teams in the Wichita region
It's the region with the weakest No. 1 seed (Louisville), and that means there could be tons of chaos. The Cardinals' (25-4) upset in the ACC tournament showed once again they have weaknesses, and this region boasts No. 2 Baylor, a squad hungry after its own tournament showing.
Oregon (20-11) has dealt with injuries and never fully jelled. Could that happen with everything on the line? Tennessee (23-8) was a powerhouse way back at the first reveal on Jan. 27, but injuries hurt the Lady Vols, too. Head coach Kellie Harper said Jordan Horston (16.2 ppg) might return depending on how deep they go, which would make the Lady Vols a difficult out. Then there's Michigan (22-6) and Naz Hillmon, Villanova (23-8) and Nebraska (24-8) to keep an eye on.
Tumultuous for those teams, but great for some March Madness.
