Women -College -Basketball -Power ranking: Who are NCAA tournament candidates?

During the largest part of the season, the aim of this performance ranking was to combine a team’s performance at the moment with its previous curriculum vitae. I often hesitate to be too reactive to a single result, which is wrong with the total number of team’s work.

But for the last power ranking list as the last check-in before the selection Sunday is the only thing that really matters, how a team is playing. The top 25 this week is a ranking of which I most trust in the NCAA tournament without taking into account for records or sowing.

Switched off: Maryland (15), Alabama (17), Richmond (22), Michigan State (23), Louisville (25)

Level 1: National title contender

UCLA, USC, Uconn, South Carolina, Texas

Ben Pickman and I had this discussion last week and at that time five teams seemed to be realistic title candidates. This number still feels right, but the UCLA replaces Notre lady on this level after the bruins have won the Big Ten tournament. The fear with the Bruins, which drove to Indianapolis, was that they hadn’t hit their biggest game of the season and continued a disturbing trend. However, when the UCLA was confronted against USC again, the Bruins showed a newly discovered determination. They jumped back from a double-digit deficit in the second half and showed themselves the team that they were in every non-USC game this season.

Champions #Gobruin pic.twitter.com/lihyrz8awj

– UCLA women’s basketball (@ucclawbb) March 9, 2025

In the meantime, Notre Dame is in the middle of a badly coordinated film. Even if the Irish reached a level that no other team has during their 19-game victory, they don’t play almost as well and it is difficult to know how to imitate this magic. Coach Niele Ivey needed more than an hour to arise after the defeat of Notre Dame against Florida State in the last week of the regular season for postgame media. There was a similar waiting time for Ivey and the players after the semi -finals against Duke on Saturday. There is some amok in the changing room and it goes onto the square.

Uconn and South Carolina continue to take care of the business, and the Gamecocks have an outstanding game schedule against a Big Texas FrontCourt in the SEC championship. Despite the Longhorns and Trojans who lose their title games, their youngest piece is still strong enough to justify the inclusion of this level.

Go deeper

Tournaments of the Women’s Basketball Conference: Who will earn NCAA tournament -Seed No. 1?

Tier 2: Finale four ceiling

Herzog, NC State, TCU, Notre Dame

Everyone had enormous heights, but there are enough low to be careful to win six games in a row. In addition to the fights by Notre Dame, the defense of Duke outside the state of North Carolina was inconsistent. The NC state has a questionable depth, especially on the front square; And the TCU has difficulties in the fourth quarter to hold on to leads.

Nevertheless, it would not be surprising to see one of these teams in Tampa. Even without a real option No. 1, the Blue Devils have enough depth to compete against the best teams, especially when Ashlon Jackson and Regan Richardson shoot the ball well. Your defense is also much annoying, especially if the Acc -Turnier -MVP Oluchi Okananwa is on the ground. The Wolfpack has an ACE goalkeeper in Aziaha James, who can play both games and an all-world defender in Saniya Rivers, and they were only in the last four last year, although James’ fighting after a hip gods against Duke show how dependent NC state is.

TCU has a lot of experience EMMA-NNOPU is NCAA champion, and Hailey van Lith, Donovyn Hunter and Taylor Bigby were all in the elite in 2024, albeit with various teams. The Van Lith Sedona Prince two-player campaign is one of the toughest in the nation. Van Lith’s ability to consistently get to the line because they earned 18 free throws in the Big 12 semi -final and final contributes to stabilizing the horned frogs in coupling situations.

Apart from the Irish, who need serious self -observation, none of these teams beat an animal -1 opponent. That limits her ceiling.

How far can Georgia Amoore and the Wildcats go in March? (Jacob Kufferman / Getty Images)

Tier 3: Leave the first weekend

LSU, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Baylor, West Virginia, state of Kansas, state of Ohio, state Ohio

Statistically speaking, LSU has more together with the teams in the above category, but the uncertainty of the injuries with Flau’jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow drops the tigers. The way it looks, the prospects of LSU are similar to its Secl Landsmen Kentucky and Oklahoma.

Like the tigers, the wildcats and Sooners could not compete with Texas and South Carolina, but were pretty good against everyone else. There are enough bad matchups for both that it is difficult to imagine that either the networks will be reduced in March. Kentucky fights with physicality and can also be accelerated, as Oklahoma did by turning his big ones over 16 times in the quarter -finals. The Sooners have serious sales and transitional defense problems that they killed against South Carolina.

North Carolina has its full line-up and has the right combination of ball security, 3-point shooting and color defense to avoid an early surprise, especially since the Tar Heels deserves the right to play their first two games in Chapel Hill, NC Ohio State, also in this group, since the buckeyes will play in Columbus.

Serena Sundell … my kindness #Big12wbb | @Phillips66gas pic.twitter.com/9wq4thd10

– Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) March 7, 2025

The Big 12 quartet of Baylor, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Kansas State is difficult to analyze. When the wildcats are healthy, the wild cats are the best out of the heap. Without Ayoka Lee, however, they belong to this Mishmash of teams who exchanged victories and losses during the conference season. The Big 12 tournament showed that the climbers have the most impressive defense, but are small during their entire line -up, which leads to inherent structural disadvantages. The cowgirls are too dependent on stailee that are heard for the rating, and the bears are also small. But all of these squads are also hard and claw back into games. If at all, Kansa’s state is most susceptible to lose control, but if Lee can return, the upward trend of the wildcats is too high to ignore.

Tier 4: Spring a surprise

Georgia Tech, Creighton, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, State Florida, Michigan, Tennessee

Everyone has a single strength that makes it a hard matchup, if only in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Vanderbilt and Florida State have dominant goal scorers in Mikayla Blakes and Ta’niya Latson – Blakes held the Commodores in the fourth quarter of the final media time crossing within five points of South Carolina.

Ole Miss’ defense wears teams. The question is always whether the rebels can stay until this happens. Creighton has years of experience in his system and this ball movement can surprise defense. Tennessee has an unconventional press that work with its hockey U-arches and a high volume of 3S. Georgia Tech makes the shots that the defense wants to admit what the opponents can frustrate. And Michigan discovered new students without fear when a good Maryland team and a great USC team discovered. This is a good quality at this time of year.

(Topto by Milaysia Fulwiley: Jacob Kufferman / Getty Images)