Women's NCAA basketball bracketology 2023: Utah proves worthy of No. 1 seed

USATSI

Well, would you look at the calendar? It's the best time of year, folks - March.

Conference tournament season began on Tuesday with opening-round matchups in the Sun Belt and Horizon League, while the Ohio Valley will hand out the first golden ticket to March Madness on Saturday.

The ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC all have championship games on Sunday, while the Big East wraps things up a day later. Dates for all 32 conference tournaments can be found here.

Utah was the big winner last week. During the Selection Committee's second (and final) top 16 reveal, the Utes were a surprise choice to receive the final No. 1 seed, a spot that opened up following UConn's loss to St. John's.

However, Utah erased any doubt over whether they were deserving of that spot by taking down Stanford for a share of the Pac-12 regular-season title. They could meet again in the Pac-12 championship game, but the conference has five other teams in the top half of my projected bracket.

We're only 11 days away from Selection Sunday. Want to go dancing? No matter how your season has gone so far, just don't lose between now and then.

No. 1 Seeds

*South Carolina (29-0, 16-0 SEC): NET 1, SOS 22

With wins over Tennessee and Georgia, South Carolina finished off their first undefeated regular season in program history. The Gamecocks should be the No. 1 overall seed on Selection Sunday regardless of what happens in the SEC Tournament, but it is worth remembering that their last loss came to Kentucky in the 2022 SEC title game. Now two-time SEC Player of the Year Aliyah Boston and Co. will be hungry to erase that memory.

*Indiana (26-2, 16-2 Big Ten): NET 4, SOS 27

The Hoosiers dropped just their second game of the season in heartbreaking fashion to a buzzer-beating three from Iowa's Caitlin Clark. But there's no need to feel bad for them -- Indiana had already clinched the Big Ten regular-season championship (their first in 40 years) before tipoff. Also locked into what will be their first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, things are just alright in Bloomington.

*Stanford (27-4, 15-3 Pac-12): NET 3, SOS 7

The Cardinal had a trio of close calls leading up to Saturday's clash with Utah and finally fell, 84-78. It was a surprise to see a team score in the 80s against Stanford -- they previously hadn't allowed more than 76 in a game, and that was an OT contest against South Carolina. Opponents have shot only 33.0% from the field against Stanford this season, which is unbelievable for a team with a top-10 strength of schedule.

Utah (25-3, 15-3 Pac-12): NET 7, SOS 24

The Utes' only losses this season have come on the road against Colorado, Stanford and Arizona. Utah also beat all of those teams at home. No one will have home court advantage for a potential round three, as the Pac-12 Tournament is played at a neutral site in Las Vegas. After an opening-round bye, Utah will face the winner of Washington State-Cal before a potential semifinal duel with the Buffaloes.

No. 2 Seeds

Alexis Morris Getty LSU Lady Tigers Women's Basketball — Getty Images

LSU (27-1, 15-1 SEC): NET 2, SOS 77

Angel Reese hauled in a whopping 26 rebounds in LSU's regular-season finale against a bubble team in Mississippi State. That's the second-highest single-game total by anyone this season. The only player with more? Also Angel Reese (28 rebounds vs. Texas A&M on Jan. 5). These are just things that happen when you average 16.0 RPG.

Maryland (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten): NET 13, SOS 5

Who wouldn't want to see a rematch between Indiana and Iowa in the Big Ten title game? Well, Maryland comes to mind. The Terrapins rocked Iowa 96-68 last week, looking downright terrifying during a 27-8 second quarter. Maryland is still very much in contention for a No. 1 seed and is probably the one team outside of South Carolina that no one wants to face right now.

*UConn (26-5, 18-2 Big East): NET 5, SOS 1

Alternatively, this feels like the best time to face UConn in recent memory. When healthy and playing well, the Huskies can still go toe-to-toe with anyone in the country. However, injuries and offensive struggles have made every matchup a battle. UConn lost three times in February and failed to win a game by more than 10 points. They still finished atop the Big East, but it doesn't feel the same as usual.

Iowa (23-6, 15-3 Big Ten): NET 8, SOS 12

At times (like in their loss against Maryland), Iowa can feel too dependent on Caitlin Clark. At other times (like in their victory over Indiana in one of the best games of the season), Clark's performance reaches levels that make one wonder how any team could even dream of stopping her. It's a recipe for a team that could win it all or fall prone to an upset. Either way, you'll want to be watching.

No. 3 Seeds

Virginia Tech Hokies Getty Women's Basketball — Getty Images

Virginia Tech (24-4, 14-4 ACC): NET 12, SOS 25

It's good to be Elizabeth Kitley. The Hokie senior broke the school scoring record last Thursday against North Carolina and hit a buzzer-beater for the win. Since then, she's collected both ACC Player of the Week and ACC Player of the Year honors. Virginia Tech closed the regular season on an eight-game win streak and have already won their most games in a season this century.

*Notre Dame (24-4, 15-3 ACC): NET 6, SOS 41

How Notre Dame's season plays out may come down to the health of Olivia Miles. The star point guard left Sunday's win at Louisville with a knee injury and her status is unclear. Thanks to their double bye, the Irish won't play in the ACC Tournament until Friday, but for a team who already lost starting guard Dara Mabrey to a torn ACL, any time missed by Miles would be a major blow.

Duke (24-5, 14-4 ACC): NET 9, SOS 14

The Blue Devils lost to rival North Carolina on Sunday and in the process lost out on a share of the ACC regular-season crown. Bracketologically speaking (yes, I did just make up that word), the game didn't change much for Duke. There remains a reasonably-sized gap between No. 11 and 12 overall, and they could still rise to a No. 2 seed with an ACC Tournament title.

*Texas (22-8, 13-4 Big 12): NET 11, SOS 35

The Longhorns finished off a sweep of Oklahoma with both wins coming by 20+ points but failed to cement themselves as the final No. 3 seed in a loss against Baylor. They still hold onto the spot by thin margins over Ohio State and Villanova and have one final regular-season game remaining at a Kansas State team that will be desperate for a victory.

No. 4 Seeds

North Carolina Getty Tar Heels Women's Basketball — Getty Images

Ohio State (23-6, 12-6 Big Ten): NET 16, SOS 29

A road win over Michigan moved the Buckeyes to the final No. 3 seed in the committee's latest top 16 reveal but they couldn't quite knock off the scorching-hot Maryland to close out the regular season. Ohio State went 0-5 against the Big Ten's top three teams but is 23-1 against everyone else, including an impressive nine NET top 50 wins.

Villanova (26-5, 17-3 Big East): NET 10, SOS 66

Villanova is having their most successful season since 2002-03, when the Wildcats went 28-6. That was the year of Villanova's most recent Big East Tournament championship and best NCAA Tournament finish (Elite Eight). They can match the '02-03 win total with a run to the Big East title game or tie the school record (29 wins in 1981-82) by winning it all.

North Carolina (20-9, 11-7 ACC): NET 23, SOS 3

The Tar Heels return to the top 16 after picking up their sixth NET top 25 win against Duke. Only six other teams in the nation have as many, which gives North Carolina a solid shot at hosting the first weekend of March Madness even if they pick up a 10th loss in their conference tourney. They can improve their odds by beating Duke again in the ACC quarterfinals.

Colorado (22-7, 13-5 Pac-12): NET 21, SOS 21

Coach JR Payne has led an impressive turnaround over the past several seasons. In 2018-19, Colorado finished last in Pac-12 play at 2-16. They've increased wins in conference play every year since and now hold the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament at 13-5. When the teams above them are both projected NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds, that's not too bad.