FAN’s March Madness pick: UCLA
UCLA is the FAN favorite in March Madness.
Selection Sunday is drawing near, and the top women’s college basketball teams will soon compete to determine the NCAA Division I national champion.
Looking at this year’s competition, my predicts are listed below. There are 31 automatic conference bids and 37 at-large selections.
The One Seeds
Unsurprisingly, the top No. 1 seed is the UConn Huskies.
The Huskies ended the season undefeated, and the defending National Champions are ready to become back-to-back champs led by their star guard Azzi Fudd.
The senior is averaging over 17-points-per game, the best of her career, and is 94 percent from the free throw line, illustrating how she is calm under pressure.
With all the fanfare surrounding UConn’s season, it is key that Fudd keeps the locker room relaxed as the tournament approaches.
UCLA, another No. 1 seed, is set to challenge the Huskies for their second straight title.
The Bruins only have one loss this season, and are leading the Big Ten, which has shown up as the strongest conference on the women’s side of the NCAA this year. Many would argue that UCLA has faced the toughest schedule, and are more prepared for tournament competition.
There were three teams in competition for the third and fourth No. 1 seeds in the tournament this year, but in head-to-head matchups Texas and South Carolina are the next strongest teams.
They met twice this season. Texas won the first by two; South Carolina won the rematch by three.
Though they both have similar records, South Carolina would seem the right pick for the third No.1 seed given their roster has more seasoned veterans prepared for tournament play in comparison to Texas’s relatively young roster.
Texas earns the fourth No.1 seed in the tournament, going 23-3 this season, and showing that they can hold their own against some of the strongest teams this year.
The 16 Seeds
This was one of the toughest NCAA women’s basketball seasons, but only 68 teams make the March tournament.
The most difficult decision of Selection Sunday is choosing the last four teams to earn a spot after fighting the whole season for them, and who’s going to suit up for the last time.
Marquette gave UConn a run for their undefeated season, and that performance earned them my first bubble spot in. It’s may not be enough, as they ended their Big East postseason to Creighton 57-44 in the quarterfinals.
Though they don’t have a very impressive record, only 18-12 this season, but they have consistently been within the top five in the Big East.
One of the most surprising teams of the season out of the American conference, Rice, has earned themselves my second bubble spot after an impressive season going 28-4. Though their record fits in with those of the top teams, they have one of the easiest seasons of all teams given the American conference is not one of the Power Four conferences.
The Owls are led by senior Dominique Ennis, who averages 13-points per game and shoots 87 percent from the free-throw line. Their center Hailey Adams averages over 11 rebounds per game and secures second-chance points to keep the team competitive.
The final two spots in the tournament go to Ball St. out of the MAC conference, and San Diego St. from the Mountain West conference. Both teams secured at least 20 wins this season, and have shown that they possess the competitive edge needed to make a run.
Fans are on the edge of their seats waiting to see who will be the underdog of the year, who will be the strongest team in the tournament, and who will be crowned the 2025-26 National Champions.
My winner for this year's NCAA women’s basketball National Championship: the UCLA Bruins.
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Clara Romae Slowinski is a student-intern at Penn State University.