Early reveal UConn women not top seed; Baylor No. 1 overall

By Stephen Hawkins

Associated Press

Everyone got an early look at the women's NCAA Tournament bracket, revealing that UConn isn't a No. 1 seed for the first time since 2006.

The accidental early release of the 64-team bracket by ESPN just provided a couple of extra hours for the 11-time national champion Huskies to get fired up about their unusual position.

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"If you are going to do that, we're going to do everything we can to prove everyone wrong," UConn senior Napheesa Collier said.

The Huskies (31-2) are still playing in the same Albany Regional they would have as a No. 1, and have the same expected potential regional final matchup against Louisville (29-3), the top seed instead.

There was no surprise with perennial Big 12 champion Baylor (31-1) being the No. 1 overall seed. The Lady Bears, who are playing in the Greensboro Regional, have the nation's longest winning streak at 23 games and were the unanimous No. 1 team in the last Associated Press women's basketball poll of the season that was released Monday.

The other NCAA No. 1 seeds are defending national champion Notre Dame (30-3) in the Chicago Regional and SEC champion Mississippi State (30-2), the national runner-up each of the past two seasons, in the Portland Regional.

"I feel like for the first time in a long time that every region got as close as it can to the S-curve, and that does my heart good for women's basketball," Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said.

"Not just our region, but if you look at the top 6-8 teams that could win this whole thing, below them they tried as best they could to cover geography but also cover the S-curve," Mulkey said. "Usually when you look at a bracket, you go, 'Who got the toughest region?' I don't know that anybody got one any tougher than any others."

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Here are some things to know about the women's NCAA Tournament that starts Friday:

TWO LOSSES FOR A NO. 2

The last time UConn had multiple regular-season losses was 2012-13, when the Huskies won the first of four consecutive national titles. After that, they lost only one regular-season game the next five seasons before their two losses this year — both on the road, at NCAA No. 1 seeds Baylor and Louisville.

"We did lose two games, so I'm surprised we're a number two. I thought we would be a four or five," coach Geno Auriemma joked. "I mean, we're not in one of those conferences that perennially wins women's basketball national basketball championships, so we can't be expected to lose two games and not be dropped. I'm just happy they kept us at two."

REGIONAL FLAVOR

While Baylor will have to go to North Carolina for the Sweet 16, readily assuming that the Lady Bears win two games at home, there could be some real local flavor in Greensboro with third-seeded North Carolina State and fourth-seeded South Carolina also in that bracket.

Baylor has won 37 consecutive home games.

Notre Dame would go to Chicago, with that regional's semifinal and final games only about 90 miles from the South Bend campus. Second-seeded Oregon could draw some huge crowds to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Portland if the Ducks advance.