The women’s NCAA Tournament field is set and now the fun begins with 64 teams descending on the San Antonio region for the event that was canceled in 2020.
This will be a tournament like no other, with every game played on neutral courts and teams that make the Final Four having to basically live out of a hotel room for three weeks. Here’s a look at what could happen over the next few weeks in tournament brackets.
There are a couple of rules to live by:
CHALK RULES: A No. 1 seed has won the national championship the past eight tournaments and 12 of 13. The only time that didn’t happen was 2011 when Gary Blair led Texas A&M to the title as a two seed. Also since 2005, at least two of the No. 1s have made the Final Four every year except for 2016.
NaLyssa Smith (Baylor)
Bueckers has burst onto the scene during a sensational freshman season, leading the Huskies in points and assists while emerging as one of the most dynamic players in the country. She led UConn to a 21-1 regular-season record and the No. 1 ranking in the nation and has the Huskies looking like favorites to win their first national title since 2016.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma said last month, per Marisa Ingemi of the
New York Times. I could go through a list of players when I watched them play in high school, I knew there was something different about them. Then when they get to college they continue doing it. I don’t care if it’s a shot at the end, a play at the end of a shot clock, a loose ball, they get a crucial time. You see it. And you know who those players are, and you try really, really hard to get those players, and Paige is one of those players.