The Big Ten led the way Thursday with five teams among the top 16 -- including the projected No. 2 overall seed, the 23-1 Indiana Hoosiers -- in the first of two NCAA women's basketball seeding reveals this season.
The defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks (24-0) are the No. 1 seed. The NCAA women's committee released the reveal during halftime of Thursday's game between the Stanford Cardinal and Arizona Wildcats. It takes into account results through Wednesday. Being in the top 16 is key in the women's tournament, as it allows teams to host early-round games.
The other Big Ten teams joining the Hoosiers in the top 16 are: No. 7 Iowa Hawkeyes, No. 9 Maryland Terrapins, No. 11 Michigan Wolverines and No. 16 Ohio State Buckeyes.
The reveal was determined before Thursday's games, but the Hoosiers only strengthened their claim on the No. 2 seed with an 87-78 victory over Iowa on Thursday. Indiana, which advanced to the Elite Eight in 2021, is leading the Big Ten at 13-1. The Hoosiers have won 11 games in a row and are 7-0 against ranked foes this season.
"I just have a hard time believing there's a better conference right now in the country than the Big Ten," Indiana coach Teri Moren said. "Obviously, we're grateful to be a part of it. I hope the national media will start to give us the respect we've earned."
Following the Big Ten is the ACC with four teams in the top 16, led by the No. 8 Duke Blue Devils, who moved to 21-3 with their win over the Boston College Eagles on Thursday. Duke leads the ACC at 11-2. Duke's rival, the North Carolina Tar Heels, are the No. 14 overall seed in the reveal, although their loss to the Syracuse Orange on Thursday -- dropping them to 17-7 overall and 8-5 in the ACC -- might affect their future status.
The SEC, Pac-12 and Big East all have two teams among the top 16, while the Big 12 just has one in the Texas Longhorns. The SEC's other team along with South Carolina is the 23-0 LSU Tigers, who meet the Gamecocks in a battle of the last two undefeated teams in Division I on Sunday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App).
UConn, coming off Wednesday's road loss to the Marquette Golden Eagles, is the No. 4 overall seed, while Stanford is No. 3.
A second NCAA top-16 reveal will be Feb. 23 at halftime of the South Carolina-Tennessee Lady Volunteers game, which tips off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The NCAA women's tournament selection show is March 12 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The women will have 68 teams, with the "First Four" games played March 15-16 at four of the top-16 host sites. The first- and second-round games will be played March 17-20 at host sites. This is the first season for two regionals instead of four; they will be in Greenville, South Carolina, and in Seattle, with the semifinals on March 24-25 and the finals March 26-27.
The women's Final Four will be at American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 31 through April 2.
The top 16 seeds in order are: 1. South Carolina; 2. Indiana; 3. Stanford; 4. UConn Huskies; 5. LSU; 6. Utah Utes; 7. Iowa; 8. Duke; 9. Maryland; 10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish; 11. Michigan; 12. Texas; 13. Virginia Tech Hokies; 14. North Carolina; 15. Villanova Wildcats; 16. Ohio State
The regional assignments are:
• Greenville Regional 1: 1. South Carolina, 2. Duke, 3. Maryland, 4. Ohio State
• Greenville Regional 2: 1. Indiana, 2. Utah, 3. Notre Dame, 4. Villanova
• Seattle Regional 1: 1.Stanford, 2. Iowa, 3. Texas, 4. North Carolina
• Seattle Regional 2: 1. UConn, 2. LSU, 3. Michigan, 4. Virginia Tech