Texas joins No. 1s in projected women's Ncaa Women's Basketball seeds

In the latest ncaa women's basketball projections released Sunday, Texas moved into the group of No. 1 seeds alongside three other programs, a shift that reshapes the projected top 16 as conference tournaments begin this week and selection scenarios tighten.

Ncaa Women's Basketball projected No. 1s

Texas joined UConn, UCLA and South Carolina as the No. 1 seeds in the most recent top-16 projection. The update followed earlier projections from Feb. 14 and reflects recent head-to-head results and résumé comparisons that pushed Texas ahead of another SEC contender after a key loss by that team.

Seed movements and notable jumps

Two of the biggest upward moves were by Iowa and Oklahoma. The Hawkeyes moved from No. 11 to No. 6 overall and the Sooners climbed from No. 16 to No. 12; both teams have five-game winning streaks, which factors into their upward movement. The largest drop in the top 16 was Ohio State, slipping from No. 9 to No. 16. One team originally in the first top-16 reveal fell out entirely and was replaced by another program now sitting at No. 15.

Bracket predictions and the bubble picture

Updated bracket predictions released this week hold UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas as the No. 1 seeds. A projected 68-team field lists four teams on the edge and four just outside the bracket: the last four in are Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Princeton and Colorado; the first four out are Arizona State, Stanford, South Dakota State and Utah.

Regional breakdown and hosting notes

The projection assigns top teams to two regional sites. The overall No. 1 and only unbeaten program are projected into one regional along with several other top-16 seeds. Other regionals place the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 overall seeds as regional leaders, each paired with three additional top-16 seeds. The top 16 seeds are slated to host the first two rounds.

• Key takeaways: projected four No. 1s include Texas; Iowa and Oklahoma made the largest upward moves; Ohio State dropped into the lower end of the top 16.

Conference balance and what’s next

The projected top 16 shows a strong presence from one conference, which supplies seven of the projected top-16 teams, while another conference provides five, and others are represented as well. All four of the No. 4 seeds across the regions come from the conference with the most teams in the top 16. Selection committee conversations cited head-to-head results and recent outcomes as tiebreakers when résumés were close.

Four major-conference tournaments begin this week, offering additional opportunities for teams to move up or down ahead of final seedings. Committee remarks in the projection release noted that the panel had discussions about closely ranked teams and that recent results shifted a few places; the committee chair added that "things can still happen in the next two weeks, " underscoring that these projections remain fluid as the postseason approaches.

The updated projections and the accompanying bracket prediction provide a snapshot of the field entering the final stretch of the regular season and conference tournaments. With multiple teams moving notably in either direction, the next set of conference outcomes will be the clearest observable indicator of how final seedings might settle.