As we leave the home courts of the top-16 seeds and head onto neutral territory for the next two rounds of Women’s March Madness, we are looking ahead at some incredible games. The sixteen teams still in contention for a National Championship aren’t necessarily the teams we thought would be here at this point, but they all earned their right to keep dancing.
Here are the power rankings for the women’s college basketball Sweet Sixteen teams:
1. UConn (1-seed, Fort Worth 1 region)
Undefeated on the season. No. 1 seed in the entire tournament. Outscored Syracuse 65-12 in the first half of the Round of 32. Not much more is needed to explain UConn’s dominance so far.
2. Texas (1-seed, Fort Worth 3 region)
Most of the teams in the top seeds here are pretty evenly matched, but Texas beat both UCLA and South Carolina this season, then beat South Carolina again for the SEC championship.
3. UCLA (1-seed, Sacramento 2 region)
Again, the margins are pretty thin here, but Texas beat South Carolina twice and UCLA once. UCLA also has a significant size advantage over a lot of the other teams, with Lauren Betts dominating the paint for the Bruins.
4. South Carolina (1-seed, Sacramento 4 region)
South Carolina probably has the toughest Sweet Sixteen game ahead of them, but don’t count out this team. Ta’Niya Latson and Raven Johnson are a killer backcourt combo, and Dawn Staley’s team still scored 101 points in their second round game.
5. Michigan (2-seed, Fort Worth 2 region)
Michigan has something some of these teams don’t — depth. Their trio of sophomore starters can score big, and their fast and aggressive play style helps them stun opponents. They need to avoid scoring droughts as they continue in the tournament, but their energy and confidence is high going into Fort Worth.
6. LSU (2-seed, Sacramento 2 region)
LSU is another high-scoring, fast-running team whose game plan is usually to score score score. Flau’Jae Johnson’s crafty speed and shotmaking ability give her team an edge that can help them go on lengthy scoring runs and build leads against their opponents very quickly.
7. Vanderbilt (2-seed, Fort Worth 1 region)
Any team with Mikayla Blakes on it is in a good position. The sophomore can score in every way, and often is the factor that pushes her team over the edge. Shea Ralph, their coach, has a ton of experience in the tournament as both an ex-assistant and player for UConn, so this team is built for these moments.
8. Oklahoma (4-seed, Sacramento 4 region)
Oklahoma’s duo of Raegan Beers and freshman Aaliyah Chavez have proven to be able to win big for Oklahoma in big moments. It was Chavez who pushed Oklahoma over the edge in overtime in their biggest win of the season, against South Carolina. Having that win under their belts as they face South Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen automatically should boost confidence in this team.
9. TCU (3-seed, Sacramento 4 region)
TCU has an incredible asset on their side: triple-double machine Olivia Miles. Miles is expected to be a top-5 draft pick in the upcoming WNBA entry draft, but first, she wants to get her team to the Final Four.
10. Duke ( 3-seed Sacramento 2 region)
Kara Lawson’s team went from unranked and floundering at the beginning of the season to on fire and only getting better in March. The correct time to be rising, of course. Duke’s staunch defense has a way of frustrating their opponents, making them a fun team to watch.
11. Notre Dame (6-seed, Fort Worth 1 region)
Notre Dame’s season has not gone exactly to plan, but March is the time to peak. With Hannah Hidalgo — one of the best two-way guards in the country — on your team, you’re never counted out. Niele Ivey’s squad could continue delivering upsets in the Sweet Sixteen.
12. Minnesota (4-seed, Sacramento 2 region)
Minnesota’s program has steadily grown over the past few years, and now they are heading back to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the mid-2000s. It makes it even sweeter that some of their core players are from Minnesota, too.
13. Louisville (3-seed, Fort Worth 3 region)
After coming up short against Duke in the ACC Tournament Championship game, during overtime, the Cardinals have looked strong to start the tournament. Their previous victory was in a tight, one possesion game against Alabama, but coming out on top in those moments prove you can survive in March.
14. Kentucky (5-seed, Fort Worth 3 region)
Kenny Brooks moved to Kentucky to put this program back on the map, much like he did with Virginia Tech before that. That he has done, with a great team of players who were able to win the 4/5 seed upset against Big-12 tournament winners West Virginia.
15. North Carolina (4-seed, Fort Worth 1 region)
North Carolina was able to get the win against Maryland in the last round, but they now have to go up against the juggernaut of the tournament, UConn.
16. Virginia (10-seed, Sacramento 4 region)
Their Cinderella story is playing out wonderfully, and this growing program will be able to show what they are made of in the Sweet Sixteen.
