USC, UConn in same March Madness regional? NCAA selection committee must hate fun

The selection committee blew it.

Not by putting UCLA as the overall No. 1 seed over South Carolina. That was the right call because of their head-to-head matchup, regardless of what Dawn Staley says.

No, where the committee erred was in making USC the No. 1 seed and UConn the No. 2 seed in the Spokane 4 regional, setting JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers on a collision course that would end short of the Final Four. Just like last year.

"There was no consideration of that," Derita Dawkins, who is the chair of the selection committee, said Sunday night after the 68-team bracket was announced.

Well, there should have been.

Interest in women’s basketball has skyrocketed the last few years in large part because of star players who appeal to both the diehard and casual fans. There’s a legion of new women’s basketball fans because Caitlin Clark knocked down 3s like she was playing Pop-a-Shot on her way to breaking Pete Maravich’s all-time major college basketball scoring record last year. There’s also a considerable number who got hooked because Angel Reese kept popping up on their TVs.

With Clark and Reese now in the WNBA, it’s Watkins and Bueckers who have taken center stage. And the appetite for them is huge. When they played in December, a 72-70 USC win, 2.23 million tuned in to watch the game on Fox. It was the most-watched women's basketball game this season.

USC's narrow 72-70 victory over UConn scored 2,227,000 viewers on FOX 🏀

- Second most-watched WCBB game ever on FOX
- Most-watched WCBB game on any net this season
- Peaked at 3,764,000 viewers from 8 to 8:15 PM ET pic.twitter.com/BGD0vWmuW3
— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) December 24, 2024

Both Watkins and Bueckers have incredibly high basketball IQs, and can flip a game in an instant. (Just ask UCLA and South Carolina.) They’re exciting to watch and it’s a given they will make at least one, jaw-dropping play each game.

But you don’t have to be a hoophead to be captivated by them.

Watkins has a commercial portfolio to rival any big-name athlete — her State Farm commercial is already on heavy rotation and Fanatics announced Friday that Watkins was the first female athlete to sign an exclusive deal with them — and little girls sporting the "JuJu bun” have been a fixture at home and road games all season. Bueckers has a standing invite to the ESPYs, and her back-and-forths with UConn coach Geno Auriemma are comedic gold that will lead SportsCenter at some point during the tournament.

To have them meet in a game that isn’t even in the Final Four is a waste of a ratings goldmine. Again, see the numbers for that December game. Not to mention squandering what is likely to be one of the best games of the tournament, a chance to showcase why the women’s game is a growth stock these days.

"I never thought I’d be a 1 seed and feel disrespected. But I thought the committee — I thought there was very little chance we’d be the (fourth) No. 1. You tell me if you think the bracket we got should have been the one that it was,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said.

"It’s not an arrogance of any kind. I think there’s a lot of really good teams, and you’ve got to play the first game in front of you and earn your way from there and that’s what we’ll do,” Gottlieb added. "But sometimes I don’t understand people who make decisions in women’s basketball and why they do what they do. And certainly with this committee, I’d love to ask some questions.”

Dawkins, who is the assistant vice chancellor and deputy athletics director at Arkansas, said the committee made Texas the third No. 1 seed over USC because it felt the Longhorns were more competitive in their one game against a common opponent, Notre Dame. USC’s worst loss, to Iowa, was also worse than Texas’ worst loss, to Notre Dame, Dawkins said.

But there comes a point when subjectivity enters into the committee’s decisions. The men’s selection committee knows that.

Oh, they won’t admit to tweaking the brackets to get games that will draw eyeballs. But come on. Rick Pitino starting the tournament in Providence? And possibly facing John Calipari in the second round? That doesn’t happen by accident.

There was a case to be made for making Southern California the third No. 1 seed. Two wins over UCLA, both of them decisive, along with that win over UConn. The loss to Iowa being on the road. There also was a case to be made for making UConn a No. 1 seed rather than Texas. That thumping of South Carolina last month. At South Carolina, no less. Ten consecutive wins, all by double figures. The Huskies’ No. 1 NET ranking.

Point being, the committee could have seeded USC and UConn in a way that would have been good for fans, good for ratings and, most importantly, good for women's basketball. Instead, it lacked vision.

Sometimes, the people holding women's sports back most are the very people who are supposed to be championing them.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USC vs. UConn in same women's March Madness regional is a big mistake

Topics

NCAA tournament 2025: USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb feels 'disrespected' by selection as 4th No. 1 seed in same bracket as UConn

Is this really about UConn?
Yahoo Sports - 9h
NCAA's Gavitt: Duke, ACC tell selection committee Flagg will be available for March Madness

Top-ranked Duke and the Atlantic Coast Conference have informed the NCAA Tournament selection committee that freshman Cooper Flagg will be available for March Madness, NCAA senior vice president ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d
NCAA tournament selection metrics used to build March Madness bracket, explained

The men's NCAA Tournament selection committee team sheets have seven metrics for building March Madness bracket. Here's a breakdown of each one.
Yahoo Sports - 3d
St. John's earns No. 2 seed, UConn gets No. 8 seed in same region of NCAA Tournament

Two Big East schools, St. John's and UConn, will be in the same region for the 2025 NCAA Tournament as the brackets were revealed on Sunday night.
Yahoo Sports - 12h
March Madness 2025: Committee reveals official NCAA Tournament bracket seed list from 1-68

A look at how NCAA Men's Basketball Selection Committee ranked the entire tournament field
CBS Sports - 8h
March Madness 2025: What the NCAA tournament selection committee got right and wrong

The men's tournament selection committee was going to leave many parties either happy or disappointed Sunday. What did it get right and what did it truly miss the mark on?
Yahoo Sports - 10h
March Madness selection panel will have to juggle thanks to SEC overload in bracket

The NCAA selection committee will have some juggling to do before the bracket comes out Sunday to keep March Madness from looking like an extension of the Southeastern Conference’s regular season
ABC News - 4d
Women's bracket winners, losers and the path ahead for JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers

UCLA is No. 1 overall seed, but USC and UConn are together in the same regional.
ESPN - 7h
UConn vs Oklahoma schedule, TV channel: How to watch March Madness NCAA Tournament game

What time is the UConn vs Oklahoma NCAA Tournament game? How to watch Huskies vs Sooners March Madness game on Friday, March 21 on TV.
Yahoo Sports - 6h
Why did North Carolina make March Madness? NCAA selection committee vice chair Keith Gill explains

How did UNC make NCAA Tournament? NCAA Men's Basketball Vice Chair Keith Gill explains Tar Heels' inclusion in tournament.
Yahoo Sports - 12h
March Madness is here. When is Selection Sunday?

March Madness will kick into full gear with this weekend's Selection Sunday event, where the 68-team NCAA tournament field will be announced.
Yahoo Sports - 2d
UConn's 2025 NCAA Tournament selection draws Arkansas State matchup, No. 2 seed

The UConn women's basketball team is the No. 2 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament's Spokane Region 4.
Yahoo Sports - 9h
Selection Sunday live updates: March Madness brackets what to know, how to watch

Who made it to the Big Dance? We're about to find out when the NCAA Tournament selection committee reveals brackets tonight on Selection Sunday.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
When is Selection Sunday? March Madness schedule, date for NCAA bracket reveal

What time is Selection Sunday? What to know for men's March Madness bracket reveal for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including time, how to watch.
Yahoo Sports - 2d
Why did UNC basketball make the NCAA Tournament, First Four of March Madness?

UNC basketball was the last team in the 2025 NCAA Tournament field. After the Selection Show, a member of the selection committee explained why.
Yahoo Sports - 12h
2025 March Madness: What the women's NCAA tournament selection committee got right and wrong

Should South Carolina have been the No. 1 overall seed? Where are the Dukes?
Yahoo Sports - 8h
NCAA Tournament West Region predictions: Contenders to challenge Florida in March Madness

Florida earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region of the NCAA but there are plenty of contenders that could keep the Gators from the Final Four.
Yahoo Sports - 9h
What channel is March Madness selection show on today? Time, TV to watch NCAA bracket reveal

Here's how to watch the NCAA selection show for the March Madness bracket reveal, including time, TV schedule, streaming information and more:
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Where Purdue basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions on Selection Sunday

What Purdue Boilermakers basketball March Madness bracketology predictions say on Selection Sunday, when 2025 NCAA tourney bracket will be revealed.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
NCAA Tournament South Region predictions: Auburn is No. 1 seed but are vulnerable

Auburn leads the NCAA men's tournament South Region but the Tigers lost three of four entering March Madness. Are they vulnerable in strong region?
Yahoo Sports - 11h
Teams vying for No. 1 NCAA seeds stated their cases and now its up to selection committee to decide

UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and USC all have stated their cases for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament with their stellar play this season.
Yahoo Sports - 5d
Michigan State is 2-seed in March Madness, opponent is Bryant in NCAA tournament

It’s Michigan State basketball vs. Bryant in March Madness to open the 2025 NCAA tournament in the South region.
Yahoo Sports - 13h
A debate rages over March Madness selections. Just ask the brains behind them

More metrics than ever will be used for the selection of the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket. But qualms remain with their application for March Madness.
Yahoo Sports - 3d
These are March Madness bracketology's 9 most polarizing teams

On Selection Sunday, these teams could be the hardest to select and seed based on the metrics used for March Madness and the men's NCAA Tournament.
Yahoo Sports - 2d
What channel is NCAA Women's selection show on today? TV schedule, reveal time for March Madness

The March Madness bracket reveal for 2025 NCAA Women's Tournament takes place today on Selection Sunday. Where to watch, including time, TV channel and live stream.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Where UNCW basketball stands in March Madness bracket predictions on Selection Sunday

Where does the UNCW Seahawks basketball team fall in March Madness bracketology and predictions on Selection Sunday? The 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed tonight at a watch party at ...
Yahoo Sports - 1d
March Madness bracket 2025: NCAA tournament first round schedule

The 68-team NCAA tournament field is set. Here's the 2025 March Madness first round schedule, including First Four and all four regions.
Yahoo Sports - 12h
2025 Selection Show: March Madness bracket revealed, NCAA Tournament, time, where to watch live stream online

With the NCAA Tournament bracket about to be revealed, we have hit the best part of March Madness
CBS Sports - 3d
How to stream Selection Sunday show on CBS for free: Watch NCAA bracket reveal

Selection Sunday is here, ushering in the new NCAA bracket for the men's March Madness tournament. Watch, stream the selection show for free.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Where Duke basketball’s NCAA Tournament resume stands as March Madness arrives

Duke basketball will be among the top seeds in March Madness. Here’s where the Blue Devils’ 2025 NCAA Tournament resume stands on Selection Sunday.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Where UNC basketball’s NCAA Tournament resume stands as March Madness arrives

UNC basketball is set to learn its March Madness fate. Here’s where the Tar Heels’ 2025 NCAA Tournament resume stands on Selection Sunday.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
NCAA Tournament Midwest Region predictions: Houston looking good starting March Madness

The Midwest Region of the NCAA men's tournament is led by Houston. Can anyone knock off the Cougars and what sleepers might emerge?
Yahoo Sports - 10h
LSU women's basketball March Madness predictions: Where Tigers could land in NCAA bracket

Where LSU women's basketball's March Madness predictions stand on Selection Sunday, when the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
UVM women’s basketball March Madness predictions: Where Cats could land in NCAA bracket

Where Vermont women’s basketball’s March Madness predictions stand on Selection Sunday, when the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
FGCU women’s basketball March Madness prediction: Where Eagles could land in NCAA bracket

Where FGCU women’s basketball’s March Madness predictions stand on Selection Sunday, when the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
Alabama women’s basketball March Madness predictions: Where Crimson Tide could land in NCAA bracket

Where Alabama women’s basketball’s March Madness predictions stand on Selection Sunday, when the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed.
Yahoo Sports - 1d
USF women’s basketball March Madness predictions: Where Bulls could land in NCAA bracket

Where USF women’s basketball’s March Madness predictions stand on Selection Sunday, when the 2025 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed.
Yahoo Sports - 22h
Which Texas teams made the March Madness 2025 bracket on Selection Sunday?

Houston earns a No. 1 seed, while Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Texas are also in the NCAA tournament March Madness 2025.
Yahoo Sports - 12h
NCAA Tournament East Region predictions: Duke has Cooper Flagg question entering March Madness

Duke is the favorite in the NCAA men's tournament East Region but the status of Cooper Flagg could open up the bracket for some strong contenders.
Yahoo Sports - 10h