The USC Trojans replaced the South Carolina Gamecocks as a 1-seed in the latest top 16 reveal ahead of the 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament, as announced on ESPN on Thursday.
The UCLA Bruins remained the No. 1 overall seed, with the Texas Longhorns sliding up to No. 2, followed by USC at No. 3 and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No. 4. The Irish did not drop after suffering their first loss since Thanksgiving on Sunday, a double-overtime defeat at NC State.
The reveal reflects what the field -- as determined by the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee -- would be based on games played through Feb. 26. The top 16 teams host first- and second-round games in the NCAA women's tournament.
South Carolina slid three spots since the first reveal on Feb. 16 after getting routed by UConn at home later that day. The Gamecocks and Longhorns appear headed toward a split of the SEC regular-season crown and may need a coin flip to determine who earns the No. 1 overall seed in the conference tournament.
USC has dropped just one game since late November (Feb. 2 at Iowa) and recently handed then-top-ranked UCLA its only defeat of the season. A rematch between the crosstown rivals is Saturday in Westwood.
The current No. 2 seeds are South Carolina, UConn, LSU and NC State; No. 3s are TCU, UNC, Duke and Tennessee; and No. 4s are Oklahoma, Kentucky, Kansas State and Ohio State. That makes six SEC teams in the top 16, with three (South Carolina, Tennessee and Oklahoma) allocated to one region, Birmingham 4.
No new teams entered the fray since the initial reveal on Feb. 16, although the order of the 16 has changed since then. Among the recent developments, Tennessee jumped from a No. 4 seed to the 3-line, while Kansas State and Ohio State fell to the No. 15 and No. 16 overall spots, putting them at risk of losing hosting status.
Plenty of movement -- perhaps even at the top line -- is expected between now and Selection Sunday on March 16. The power conferences wrap up regular-season play this week before holding conference tournaments during the first week of March.
The women's tournament will hold regionals at two sites, Birmingham, Alabama, and Spokane, Washington. Tampa, Florida, will host the Final Four.