UCLA Claims First-Ever NCAA Tournament No. 1 Seed

Summary:

• UCLA are named top seed in the women’s NCAA tournament.
• The Bruins’ impressive season brought them the pioneering school record.
• South Carolina, USC, and Texas claimed the other three No. 1 seed positions.

For the first time in the history of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the program claimed the top seed in the 2025 March Madness NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.

Sunday’s NCAA announcement also established South Carolina, USC, and Texas as the other three No. 1 seeds.

Great Season for UCLA

UCLA put together an impressive season, suffering only two losses, both at the hands of USC.

While the Bruins earned the top spot, South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley believed her team had done enough to claim it. This year’s squad has three losses, including one against UCLA, entering March Madness.

NCAA selection committee chair Derita Dawkins explained.

Two key factors between UCLA and South Carolina. One was the head-to-head matchup. The other was one of our criteria is competitive in losses, and South Carolina suffered a 29-point loss to UConn. Those were the two key differences in those résumés.

South Carolina hopes to defend its national title and become the first team to win back-to-back championships since UConn’s dominant run from 2013 to 2016.

The Gamecocks finished the season 30-3 and capped it off with an SEC Tournament championship win over Texas.

Staley said,

I’m a little bit surprised because we manufactured our schedule to be the No. 1 overall seed. It’s hard enough to win a national championship; we don’t need a chip on our shoulder

UConn Coach Geno Auriemma: ”You Just Hope to Be In That Game”

Meanwhile, UConn enters as a two-seed with a challenging road ahead. If the Huskies reach the Sweet 16, they’ll travel west and could run into USC’s JuJu Watkins in the Elite Eight.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma said

There’s a lot of different ways you can go with that. No matter who you end up playing, it’s going to be a pain in the ass. That’s all there is to it. You just hope to be in that game.

USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb also expressed frustration with the Trojans’ placement as the lowest-ranked No. 1 seed.

“I never thought I’d be a 1-seed and feel disrespected” she said.

With no dominant team heading into March Madness, this year’s field is wide open. The Big Ten leads all conferences with a record 12 tournament teams, while the Ivy League made history by earning three bids.

For the first time ever, the NCAA will provide financial incentives for women’s teams, awarding revenue-based performance units for each tournament win.

A Final Four run could bring an estimated $1.26 million to a program’s conference over three years, signaling long-overdue financial recognition for the women’s game.