Picking the NCAA women’s bracket: UConn beats Texas for another national championship

For those who will be entering an NCAA women’s college basketball tournament bracket pool this year, let’s begin with the ending:

You’re probably going to pick Connecticut to win March Madness.

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And almost everybody else in the pool will, too.

Do not overthink this. If you’re a fan of South Carolina, UCLA or Texas — obviously, excellent teams — then go ahead and pick one of those schools to win the national championship. If it happens, you’ll have a great chance to win the pool because everybody else will have picked UConn.

Here’s the trick to winning a women’s tournament pool: You’ve got to win the first weekend. It’s what separates those who get to brag from those who don’t.

By Week 2, the brackets will mostly look the same. It’s rare that a team seeded lower than No. 8 reaches the Sweet 16; only three such teams in the last five years (Miami in 2023, Creighton and South Dakota in 2022) have gotten there.

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To win, find those early upsets. There are three No. 11 seeds that seem like they could fit the bill.

Let’s start with Fairfield. The Stags, champions of the Metro Atlantic, are 28-4. Sure, drawing Hannah Hidalgo and Notre Dame in Round 1 won’t be easy, but if the Irish are off their game even a tiny bit this one will get interesting.

Next, Rhode Island. Also 28-4, the Atlantic 10 champions face Alabama in Round 1. The Rams do not let you score.

And now, South Dakota State. It takes on Washington in Round 1.

The Jackrabbits — come on, you have to love that name — gave Texas a relatively tough game in December and star forward Brooklyn Meyer is a problem. She’s the best player in the country that you’ve probably never heard of.

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And if you want a live longshot or two (or four), take a look at these teams: Fairleigh Dickinson has won 22 in a row, Idaho 18 in a row, Murray State 15 in a row and Howard 14 in a row.

Key tips

— There have been 43 previous NCAA women’s tournaments. The champions by seed: 32 were No. 1 seeds, eight were No. 2 seeds and three were No. 3 seeds.

No. 4 through No. 16 seeds need not apply. If you’d like to pick your alma mater (and it’s not a 1, 2 or…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/picking-ncaa-womens-bracket-uconn-150118385.html

Author : TIM REYNOLDS

Publish date : 2026-03-16 15:01:00

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