South Carolina Top Seed in 1st 2022 Women's NCAA Tournament Bracket Projection
January 28, 2022
The South Carolina women's basketball team has been projected as the top overall seed in this year's women's NCAA tournament.
The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee released its first projections of the top 16 on Thursday and listed South Carolina, Stanford, NC State and Tennessee as the No. 1 seeds with the Gamecocks leading the pack.
The committee listed Louisville, Indiana, Texas and Arizona as the No. 2 seeds. Michigan, Iowa State, UConn and LSU were tabbed as the No. 3 seeds. Rounding out the list were Baylor, Oregon, Georgia and Kansas State as the No. 4 seeds.
The No. 1 team in the latest AP Poll, South Carolina entered Thursday with an 18-1 record and a six-game win streak. The team's only loss came by one point against Missouri on Dec. 30. The Gamecocks are playing a conference matchup against Ole Miss on Thursday evening.
South Carolina is led by National Player of the Year candidate Aliyah Boston. The junior forward averages 17.0 points and 11.5 rebounds and is on a streak of 12 consecutive double-doubles. The Gamecocks also have a strong backcourt with Destanni Henderson (12.2 ppg) and Zia Cooke (11.9 ppg).
Stanford, the defending national champion, is 14-3 and has also won its last six games. The Cardinal fell to South Carolina on Dec. 21.
NC State is 18-2 and riding an eight-game win streak. Tennessee is 18-1 and has won nine consecutive games.
This year's tournament will be the first to feature 68 teams. The First Four is set to begin on Wednesday, March 16.