UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Notre Dame earn top seeds in first DI WBB Committee Top 16 Reveal

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee tabbed UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Notre Dame as the No. 1 seeds in the first top 16 early reveal announced on Sunday.

If the season ended today, Southern California, LSU, UConn and NC State would be the No. 2 seeds. The nine through 16 seeds feature TCU, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas State on the three line, while Kentucky, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Tennessee were tabbed as No. 4 seeds.

MORE RANKINGS: AP Top 25 Poll | NET rankings

The committee provided region assignments for all 16 seeds, with Spokane Regional 1 including top seed UCLA, LSU, Duke and Tennessee. Birmingham Regional 2 included South Carolina, NC State, TCU and Oklahoma. Birmingham Regional 3 included Texas, UConn, North Carolina and Ohio State. Spokane Regional 4 includes Notre Dame, Southern California, Kansas State and Kentucky. The number listed next to the regional site location (e.g. Spokane Regional 1) reflects the true seed number of the number one seed within that respective regional pod.

“With 29 days to go before Selection Sunday, this first reveal provided some clarity on the top teams today and also pointed to the many important matchups that will be played over the next several weeks that will greatly impact the 2025 championship field,” said Derita Dawkins, Arkansas assistant vice chancellor and deputy director of athletics and chair of the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee.

UCLA, 23-1 overall and 11-1 in the Big Ten Conference, earned the No. 1 overall seed position despite losing its first game of the season this week on Feb. 13 at the hands of cross-town rival Southern California, 71-60. One of the 23 wins scored this season by the Bruins came over defending national champion South Carolina, with UCLA winning 77-62 over the Gamecocks at home on Nov. 24. As the No. 1 overall seed, UCLA, would be guaranteed to play its regional semifinal game on Friday, March 28 if they advance to regional play, and if advancing, play in the regional final played on Sunday, March 30.

South Carolina, 23-2 and 11-1 in Southeastern Conference play, was the No. 2 overall seed in the first reveal. Both Gamecock losses this season came to fellow No. 1 seeds, UCLA and Texas. South Carolina has split a pair of games with Texas this season, defeating the Longhorns at home, 67-50 on Jan. 12, before dropping a 66-62 decision in Austin on Feb. 9. 
Texas, 25-2 overall and 11-1 in SEC play, was the No. 3 overall seed. Currently riding a nine-game winning streak, the Longhorns' two losses are to South Carolina and the No. 4 overall seed, Notre Dame, with the Fighting Irish defeating Texas, 80-70 in overtime on Dec. 5 at home in South Bend, Indiana.

Notre Dame, 22-2 overall and 13-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, is currently riding a 17-game winning streak and hasn’t lost since a 78-67 setback to Utah in the Cayman Islands Classic on Nov. 30.

Sunday’s top-16 reveal was the first of two that will be provided by the committee during the 2024-25 regular season. The other will take place on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

The top 16 teams announced during both reveals have no bearing on the final 68-team field for the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship that will be announced during the NCAA Women’s Basketball Selection Show on Sunday, March 16 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The First Four opening-round games of the 2025 championship will take place March 18-19 and will again be conducted on the campuses of four of the teams seeded in the top 16. First- and second-round games will take place March 21-23 on the campuses of the top 16 seeds.

Regional play in Birmingham, Alabama (Legacy Arena) and Spokane, Washington (Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena) will take place March 28-31, with each site hosting two regional semifinal games March 28 and two March 29. In addition, each site will host a regional championship game March 30 and one on March 31. 

The 2025 NCAA Women’s Final Four will be played April 4 and 6 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee – February 16 – Top 16 Ranking*

1. UCLA
2. South Carolina
3. Texas
4. Notre Dame
5. Southern California
6. LSU
7. UConn 
8. NC State
9. TCU
10. Duke
11. North Carolina
12. Kansas State
13. Kentucky
14. Ohio State
15. Oklahoma
16. Tennessee

REGIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
SPOKANE 1 (Friday-Sunday)

1. UCLA
2. LSU
3. Duke
4. Tennessee

BIRMINGHAM 2

1. South Carolina
2. NC State
3. TCU
4. Oklahoma

BIRMINGHAM 3

1. Texas
2. UConn
3. North Carolina
4. Ohio State

SPOKANE 4

1. Notre Dame
2. Southern California
3. Kansas State
4. Kentucky

*Rankings and regional assignments based on games played through Saturday, Feb. 15.