Women’s NCAA Tournament bracket: UCLA lands overall No. 1 seed

Entering Sunday’s women’s NCAA Tournament bracket reveal, there was a looming question about who would be the field’s top seed. In a season full of parity, SEC tournament champion South Carolina and Big Ten tournament champion UCLA both had strong cases.

The Bruins, however, were given the overall No. 1 designation.

The Bruins (30-2) hope their momentum continues into the field of 68. Last weekend, UCLA captured its first conference championship since 2006, defeating USC in the third matchup between the two Los Angeles powerhouses. With the victory, UCLA, which had spent 12 consecutive weeks atop the Associated Press Top 25 poll this season, eclipsed 30 wins for the first time in program history.

Junior center Lauren Betts leads the Bruins in points (19.6), rebounds (9.7), blocks (2.9) and field goal percentage (63.4 percent), having emerged as the program’s All-America-level focal point. Coach Cori Close’s team is one of the most experienced in the field, with seven of their eight most-used players being upperclassmen.

The top 16 teams in the women’s field host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Then, for the third consecutive year, the women’s tournament will use only two host cities for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds. The sides of the draw are determined by their regional final location and a number. Birmingham, Ala. and Spokane, Wash. are the two host sites. UCLA is the top seed in Spokane Regional 1.

Tampa, Fla. will host the 2025 Final Four, with the semifinals set for April 4 and the final set for April 6.

Spokane Regional 1

1. UCLA vs. 16. UC San Diego/Southern

8. Richmond vs. 9. Georgia Tech

5. Ole Miss vs. 12. Ball State

4. Baylor vs. 13. Grand Canyon

6. Florida State vs. 11. George Mason

3. LSU vs. 14. San Diego State

7. Michigan State vs. 10. Harvard

2. NC State vs. 15. Vermont

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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