UConn getting shipped out? Bracket reveal doesn't put Huskies in Bridgeport
Mar. 1—The UConn women's basketball team did not move down in the NCAA's third and final top-16 reveal Monday but the Huskies were moved out of the Bridgeport Regional.
UConn was seeded No. 9 overall, up two spots from the previous reveal on Feb. 10. But instead of being the No. 3 seed in the Bridgeport Regional as they were on Feb. 10, the Huskies were the No. 3 seed in the Greensboro (North Carolina) Regional.
The Greensboro Regional was seeded along an S-curve. South Carolina, the top overall seed, was No. 1 in the regional followed by the last No. 2 seed (eighth overall), Michigan. UConn, the top No. 3 seed, was next followed by the final No. 4 seed (16th overall), Oklahoma.
On the top line of the reveal were South Carolina, reigning national champion Stanford (Spokane, Washington), North Carolina State (Bridgeport), and Louisville (Wichita, Kansas).
The No. 2 seeds were Baylor, Iowa State, LSU, and Michigan. Joining UConn as No. 3 seeds were Texas, Arizona, and Maryland. The No. 4 seeds were Tennessee, Iowa, Indiana, and Oklahoma.
The top 16 host first- and second-round subregionals.
Entering Monday's action, UConn (22-5) had a NET ranking of 5 behind South Carolina (27-1), North Carolina State (26-3), Stanford (25-3), and Louisville (25-3).
"This final reveal was eye-opening in regard to the number of teams exchanging positions on the two through four lines over the last two weeks since our last announcement," NCAA selection committee chairperson Nina King said in a statement. "The final week of the regular season and upoming conference tournaments will play an important part in helping to settle some of the decisions we had to make today."
The 68-team field for the NCAA tournament will be announced March 13.
Poll position
UConn remained at No. 7 in the Associated Press poll released Monday.
The Huskies moved past Michigan, which was routed by Iowa Sunday and dropped to 10th. But LSU jumped past UConn to No. 6 following the Tigers three-point win over Tennessee in Knoxville on Sunday.
The top five in the poll were the same with South Carolina the unanimous No. 1 followed by Stanford, North Carolina State, Louisville, and Baylor.
Villanova was the only other Big East team in the poll, placing third in also receiving votes with 19 points.
Husky bites
UConn's Azzi Fudd was named to the Big East weekly honor roll for the second time this season Monday. The freshman guard averaged a team-high 15.3 points in wins over Marquette, St. John's, and Providence.
The final seeds for the Big East tournament will be settled today as Xavier visits Seton Hall. A Xavier win will give the Musketeers the No. 9 seed. A Xavier loss will make Georgetown the No. 9 seed.
UConn will begin defense of its tournament crown Saturday at noon against the winner of Friday's first-round game between the No. 9 seed and eighth-seeded Providence.
For coverage of all sports in the JI's 18-town coverage area, plus updates on the UConn women's basketball team and head coach Geno Auriemma, follow Carl Adamec on Twitter: @CarlAdamec, Facebook: Carl Adamec, and Instagram: @CarlAdamec.
