March Madness women's NCAA bracket predictions: Final predictions

Two things happened in women’s college basketball on Saturday that made the NCAA Tournament picture a little clearer.

First, the selection committee announced the top 16 seeds in alphabetical order, giving hosts an extra day to prepare and fans time to make travel arrangements. This is the first time that the Top 16 will be announced the day before Selection Sunday.

While we don’t know exactly where teams like West Virginia, North Carolina, and Minnesota will be seeded, we do know that schools like Kentucky, Maryland, and Minnesota State will not have games on campus during the opening weekend of March Madness.

The second event was the Ivy Madness title game, where Princeton defeated Harvard to win the Ivy League crown. Richmond and several other teams in the ACC and Big 12 breathed a sigh of relief that the bid-thief situation was avoided.

Had the Crimson defeated the Tigers, Harvard would have earned the Ivy’s automatic bid and Princeton would have entered as at-large, pushing the team on the wrong side of the bubble. Unfortunately, the Ivy becomes a one-bid league, ending a two-year streak of multiple teams entering the field of 68.

Choice Sunday awaits. The official bracket will be announced on ESPN at 8pm ET.

Only four pending automatic bids are scheduled to be made Sunday: Patriot League, CAA, NEC and Missouri Valley. Our final bracket predictions predict that the higher seeds will win these games.

As of the morning of March 15, the final predictions for the 68 participants in the Women’s NCAA Tournament are as follows:

fort worth 1

Storrs, Connecticut

1 Yukon
16 Holy Cross / FDU
8 U.S.C.
9 Princeton

Norman, Oklahoma

5 Michigan State University
12 Colorado
4 Oklahoma
13 Murray State University

Louisville, Kentucky

6 washington
11 James Madison
3 Louisville
14 idaho

Nashville, Tennessee

7 NC state
10 South Dakota
2 Vanderbilt
15 UTSA

sacramento 2

Los Angeles, California

1 University of California, Los Angeles
16 University of California, San Diego
8 Tennessee
9 Iowa

chapel hill, north carolina

5 Maryland
12 Gonzaga
4 North Carolina
13 Vermont

columbus ohio

6 Alabama
11 Arizona/Richmond
3 Ohio State University
14 Charleston

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

7 Oregon
10 Clemson
2 LSUs
15 South

fort worth 3

Austin, Texas

1 texas
16 Stephen F. Austin
8 Illinois
9 Oklahoma

Morgantown, West Virginia

5 Kentucky
12 Nebraska/Virginia
4 West Virginia
13 Green Bay

Fort Worth, Texas

6 Notre Dame Cathedral
11 Fairfield
3 TCUs
14 California Baptist

Iowa City, Iowa

7 Texas Tech University
10 Syracuse
2 Iowa
15 Missouri

sacramento 4

columbia south carolina

1 South Carolina
16 Howard/Samford
8 Villanova
9 Virginia Tech

Minneapolis, Minnesota

5 Ole Miss
12 Miami, Ohio
4 Minnesota
13 Western Illinois

Ann Arbor, Michigan

6 baylor
11 Rhode Island
3 Michigan
14 Jacksonville

Durham, North Carolina

7 Georgia
10 Colorado
2 duke
15 High Point

bubble watch

Last 4 byes: Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Clemson, Colorado
Last 4 ins: Richmond, Arizona, Virginia, Nebraska
First 4 out: BYU, North Dakota State, Mississippi State, Stanford
Next 4 out: Texas A&M, Utah, Kansas, Columbia

The committee appeared to send a clear indicator Saturday about recent performance issues in NCAA Tournament seeding. Some key metrics favor Kentucky and Maryland over North Carolina and West Virginia, but the Tar Heels and Mountaineers finished the season stronger. WVU won the Big 12 Tournament and North Carolina won eight of its last 10 games.

However, while it’s easy to use this thinking for the top 16 seeds, where their resumes are very strong and largely similar, it’s difficult in the bubble. Nebraska has lost seven of its last nine games and BYU had a five-game winning streak before losing to TCU in the Big 12 Tournament, but the Cornhuskers lead the Cougars by nearly 30 spots in net.

Richmond and Virginia are slightly worse than BYU in the WAB, but about 20 spots higher in the NET. Arizona State is slightly better than the Cougars in both categories.

Mississippi State has a better NET than Arizona State, but the Sun Devils have an advantage over the Bulldogs in the WAB. Mississippi State also ended the season with five straight losses, but Arizona State had two wins in the Big 12 tournament, including one over a Quad 1 opponent.

Richmond ranks in the top 50 in NET, WAB, Torbic and Herr Hoop statistical ratings, matching only Nebraska among the eight teams closest to the bubble line. The Spiders should win the at-large bid for the second year in a row.

US - NEA

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March Madness women’s NCAA bracket predictions: Final predictions