Women’s College Hoops Spotlight: 5 Teams That Could Win the NCAA Tournament

It’s the best time of year for college basketball fans everywhere: March. And we are mere weeks away from the madness beginning with Selection Sunday on March 15. Then we’ll blink, and it will be Final Four weekend, which is April 3-5 in Phoenix. Who will win the national championship? Can UConn repeat? Can the SEC get back on top? What about UCLA? The Bruins have never won a national title, but this year’s team seems poised to accomplish big things. We love March in part because of the upsets, but there are some teams who look like they can avoid those minefields and make a run. Here are five schools who have a legitimate shot to win it all in the NCAA tournament: 1. UConn Huskies The defending national champions completed a perfect season on Sunday, closing things out with an 85-49 win over St. Johns to clinch a 31-0 record entering conference championship week, which extended their overall winning streak to 47 games. This is the 11th time in program history that they’ve entered the conference tournament undefeated. UConn, the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, was a favorite to win another championship before the season even started. While it was slightly farfetched to think the Huskies would be more talented than they were last year with Paige Bueckers, the returns indicate this might be one of UConn’s best teams. Coaches, like Georgetown’s Darnell Haney, have already said as much earlier in the season. Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, who were both named to the Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 watch list last month, are the spine of the team. Strong leads the Huskies in scoring (18.6 points per game), rebounds (7.6 per game), assists (128), steals (97) and blocks (47). Fudd, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four last year, is close behind, averaging 17.9 points per game. While Geno Auriemma’s group has played a lighter schedule given their Big East affiliation, the Huskies have also handled nonconference matchups against four top-25 opponents: then-No. 5 Michigan, then-No. 16 USC, then-No. 11 Iowa and then-No. 15 Tennessee. However, only the Wolverines and Hawkeyes finished the regular season ranked. [NCAA BASKETBALL: Top 10, Bubble Team NET Rankings] 2. UCLA Bruins In just their second season in the league, UCLA clinched the outright Big Ten title. And it was extra sweet because it came after beating rival USC over the weekend. The Bruins are the first Big Ten team to go undefeated in conference play in more than a decade. UCLA did have one loss this season — against Texas at the Players Era Championship on Nov. 26 — but has been perfect since then. Now it has a chance to win the conference tournament title and make a run to the Final Four. That’s thanks to one of the most talented and close-knit rosters in the country. While many teams rely on a couple of star players, anyone could lead the Bruins statistically on any given night. Center Lauren Betts is the household name, future WNBA lottery pick and leads the team in scoring (16.7 points per game) and rebounding (8.6 per game). But her teammates aren’t far behind. Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens, as well as Angela Dugalic and Charlis Leger-Walker all help make up one of the deepest rosters in the country, which can only be a net positive for a group looking to win their first-ever national championship. [AP TOP 25: UNC Surges, Alabama Exits, Fairfield Enters] 3. South Carolina Gamecocks Dawn Staley’s team was uncharacteristically crushed by UConn in last year’s title game, 82-59. The Gamecocks were trying to win their third title in four years and fourth overall, but UConn had other plans. Now, they’re back on track with another championship in their sights. South Carolina enters the SEC tournament as the No. 1 seed fresh off of an eight-game winning streak. The Gamecocks only lost two games this season — against Texas and Oklahoma, both of which finished the regular season in the top 10. What’s most impressive about this group is that they lost two of their best players in forwards Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins due to ACL injuries before the season and are still one of the best teams in the country. That’s a testament to players like Raven Johnson, Joyce Edwards and Tessa Johnson, who have carried the team through the gauntlet that is the SEC. 4. Texas Longhorns The Longhorns have been one of the top teams in the country all year, which is tough when you’re playing in the nation’s best conference. Their only losses have come at the hands of fellow ranked teams like LSU, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. After the loss to Vandy a few weeks ago, Texas coach Vic Schaefer called out his team for being soft. He said they lacked heart and toughness as the Commodores went onto win, 86-70. Texas responded by finishing the regular season on a five-game winning streak, led by forward Madison Booker, who scored a combined 97 points across those games. Now the team has a chance to take a breath. As the No. 4 seed in the SEC tournament, the Longhorns get a double bye and don’t have to play until the quarterfinals on Friday, March 6. Winning the conference might be more challenging than the NCAA tourney, given how strong the league has been all year. If Texas can win it, or at least play in the championship game, they could earn a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. 5. Vanderbilt Commodores The Commodores, ranked No. 5 in the country to end the season, are having their best season in more than two decades. Vanderbilt, led by sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes, went 27-3 and earned the No. 2 seed in this week’s SEC tournament. Blakes is the nation’s leading scorer (27.1 points per game) and has scored 30 points or more 12 times this season — including the last three games against Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee to close out the regular season. Naturally, she’s a top contender to earn player of the year accolades and is the main reason why Vanderbilt could win the program’s first national championship. It will be interesting to see how they play in the conference tournament. There’s a battle between Vanderbilt and Texas for the final 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. The Longhorns have a better resume, but the Commodores beat them last month. Their respective performances — and likely matchup in the SEC tournament semifinal — will be a story to follow this week.