NCAA women's basketball: Bracketology kind to Oregon, South Dakota

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BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT- MARCH 25: Ruthy Hebard #24 of the Oregon Ducks defended by Napheesa Collier #24 of the Connecticut Huskies during the UConn Huskies Vs Oregon Ducks, NCAA Women’s Division 1 Basketball Championship game on March 27th, 2017 at the Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images) /

Eugene

1. Oregon (Pac-12)
16. Texas Southern (SWAC)

8. Minnesota
9. South Florida

Syracuse

5. Tennessee
12. Duquesne (Atlantic 10)

4. Syracuse
13. Bucknell (Patriot)

A note about South Florida, which lost Kitija Laksa for the season in mid-November: The committee will judge the Bulls based on their body of work, regardless of injury, when determining whether or not they make the field. Their available personnel will only become a factor when they are seeded. So being down a key contributor and a weak non-conference strength of schedule puts them maybe a little lower than they otherwise would be. That could spell trouble for Minnesota in the first round.

Vermillion

6. Gonzaga (WCC)
11. Northwestern

3. South Dakota (Summit)
14. UC Davis (Big West)

Louisville

7. Texas
10. LSU

2. Louisville
15. Radford (Big South)

South Dakota has won eight straight games and has beaten Iowa State, Green Bay, and Missouri in the process. I thought I may have been overreacting when I put together my initial seeding list but I could not justify putting any other team above the Coyotes. If they were in a major conference, they would be ranked in the AP Poll right now. Such is life for mid-majors.

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NCAA women’s basketball bracketology: Oregon, South Dakota, and more rewarded for non-conference wins

By Russell Steinberg | Dec 19, 2018