Women's Bracketology: The SEC's true contenders emerge in college basketball projections
Also, the Iowa Hawkeyes are now in contention for a No. 1 seed
By
Connor Groel
•
3 min read
This week, the SEC became the first conference to ever have 10 teams ranked simultaneously in the AP Poll. The voters aren't off base, either - each of those schools is a No. 7 seed or better in this week's bracketology. But how many SEC programs can realistically compete for a championship?
Considering that South Carolina, Texas and LSU have all proven themselves in recent years and are positioned to make another run this season, beating one of them is a reasonable standard for an SEC team showing it has what it takes to contend. Aaliyah Chavez and Oklahoma did just that on Thursday by taking control of South Carolina in overtime of a 94-82 victory that brings them up to a No. 4 seed.
Just three days later, South Carolina had to face an undefeated Vanderbilt team in what was essentially a game to decide which team would be a No. 1 seed this week. The Gamecocks responded with a 29-point win - their largest against an AP top-5 team in school history - and still have not lost back-to-back games since March 2019.
Vanderbilt is still in a great position and has a win against LSU from earlier this month. So does Kentucky, even though the Wildcats have now dropped three straight games.
However, only one SEC team remains undefeated in conference play: Tennessee (14-3, 6-0). The Lady Vols don't have a statement win yet this season, although victories over Kentucky and Alabama are nothing to sneeze at. They'll run the gauntlet over the next three Sundays, with games against UConn, South Carolina and Texas that will gauge just how scary Kim Caldwell's team is.
Bracketology -- Jan. 27
| Seed | Fort Worth 1 | Sacramento 2 | Fort Worth 3 | Sacramento 4 |
| 1 |  |  |  |  |
| 2 |  |  |  |  |
| 3 |  |  |  |  |
| 4 |  |  |  |  |
| 5 | Duke | Texas Tech | West Virginia | Tennessee |
| 6 | Princeton | Ole Miss | Washington | Alabama |
| 7 | NC State | North Carolina | Georgia | Minnesota |
| 8 | Nebraska | Notre Dame | Stanford | USC |
| 9 | Oklahoma State | Oregon | Illinois | Syracuse |
| 10 | Arizona State | Iowa State | Rhode Island | Mississippi State |
| 11 | Fairfield | Villanova/Utah | North Dakota State | Clemson/BYU |
| 12 | Montana State | Oregon State | San Diego State | Rice |
| 13 | Miami (OH) | Murray State | Green Bay | Arkansas State |
| 14 | UC Irvine | Western Illinois | McNeese | High Point |
| 15 | Eastern Kentucky | Charleston | Vermont | Navy |
| 16 | Southern U./Chattanooga | California Baptist | Jacksonville St./MD Eastern Shore | Fairleigh Dickinson |
On the bubble
Last four in
- Villanova
- Utah
- Clemson
- BYU
First four out
- Virginia Tech
- South Dakota St.
- Richmond
- Virginia
Next four out
- Miami (FL)
- Wisconsin
- Auburn
- Seton Hall
What to watch for
Iowa Enters No. 1 Seed Discussions
No team in the country has had a bigger two weeks on the court than the Iowa Hawkeyes, who have rattled off four consecutive Quad-1 wins against Oregon, Michigan State, Maryland and Ohio State. The latter two wins last week took Iowa from the final No. 2 seed to the top No. 2 seed and to being a team that could seriously challenge for the top line.
Iowa now has six Quad-1 wins overall this season, tied for the second-most in the nation, behind only UCLA (10), a team it faces in Los Angeles on Sunday. Iowa and UCLA are each currently 9-0 in Big Ten play, meaning the Hawkeyes have done something they never did with Caitlin Clark - win nine straight conference games in a season.
However, all of this recent success didn't come without a cost. Iowa will be without starting guard Taylor McCabe for the remainder of the season after she suffered a torn ACL against Ohio State. Freshman Addy Deal could be instrumental in keeping the momentum going. The five-star recruit posted career highs in points (20) and minutes played (32) against the Buckeyes.
Don't Forget About Duke
On Dec. 4, Duke dropped its fourth straight game in a 93-77 home loss to LSU in the ACC/SEC Challenge, falling to just 3-6 overall. It was a stunning time for a team that entered the year No. 7 in the AP Poll and was coming off an ACC Tournament title and run to the Elite Eight.
But since that game, the Blue Devils have rattled off 11 consecutive wins. Truthfully, Duke's NCAA Tournament hopes were never in emergency mode. Of those six losses, just one came outside of Quad-1 (at South Florida). Among teams from multi-bid conferences, only UConn has a harder non-conference strength of schedule.
After finding its footing, Duke has continued to rack up quality performances and now has seven Quad 1/2 wins and seven road wins to show for it. Duke is No. 18 in the country in wins above bubble and has established itself as the clear second-best team behind Louisville in a down year for the ACC.
After allowing at least 80 points in each game of their earlier four-game skid, the Blue Devils have allowed more than 60 points just twice during their current win streak.
