Since November, one question has sparked constant debate in women’s college basketball: Who’s truly No. 1? And finally, on Saturday, the NCAA selection committee finally offered the first answer. Take a guess…no drumroll needed. You probably saw this coming.

The undefeated UConn Huskies are No. 1!

In its initial Top 16 reveal of the 2025-26 season, the selection committee placed Geno Auriemma’s squad at the top, narrowly edging the UCLA Bruins in what committee chair Amanda Braun described as an extremely tight decision.

“Some are subjective there and some data driven,” she told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “The overall record for UConn and the observable component are impressive. UCLA observable is also very strong as well.”

For context, the committee uses 12 criteria to figure out which team belongs in the field and where they should be seeded. In this case, UConn’s undefeated record (27-0) and overall body of work carried just enough weight to separate them from the Bruins, who are currently 24-1 overall and undefeated in the Big Ten.

Furthermore, the four teams occupying the No. 1 seeds in their respective regions are UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt, with the Huskies earning the distinction as the overall top seed among them.

How the Regions Stack Up

UConn headlines the Fort Worth 1 regional, joined by:

• No. 2 LSU
• No. 3 Ohio State
• No. 4 Oklahoma

UCLA anchors the Sacramento 2 regional, where the Bruins are paired with:

• No. 2 Texas
• No. 3 Duke
• No. 4 Ole Miss

South Carolina leads the Fort Worth 3 grouping alongside:

• No. 2 Louisville
• No. 3 Iowa
• No. 4 Michigan State

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt tops the Sacramento 4 region, with:

• No. 2 Michigan
• No. 3 TCU
• No. 4 Maryland

The top 16 seeds will host first- and second-round games, while regional rounds will again be split between Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California. The Final Four, however, is set for Phoenix in early April.

For now, UConn, being named the overall No. 1 seed, brings added benefits for the team like scheduling preference later in the tournament, which could potentially grant them an extra day of rest before the Final Four.

But beyond the Huskies’ advantage, the bigger picture of the reveal told its own story. Power conferences made their presence felt.

SEC & Big Ten dominated the NCAA top 16

The SEC and Big Ten didn’t just show up; they overwhelmed the bracket. Both conferences placed six teams each, where three SEC programs landed inside the top five.

Oklahoma grabbed the final No. 4 seed in UConn’s region after its signature win over South Carolina. Whereas Ole Miss edged Oklahoma in overall positioning after securing the head-to-head victory earlier this season.

On the other hand, Vanderbilt’s recent win over Texas proved decisive in pushing the Commodores onto the No. 1 line.

From the Big Ten, UCLA headlines the conference’s presence, while Michigan still holds strong at No. 6 overall despite four losses. Three of which came against fellow Top 16 teams in UConn, Vanderbilt, and UCLA.

“As we move down to the three’s and four’s there was a lot of discussion amongst the group,” Braun added. “You’re splitting hairs to move them up one or down one.”

Notably, Saturday’s reveal did not factor in games played later in the day, including Dawn Staley & Gamecocks win against the LSU Tigers…meaning the picture is already shifting. The NCAA will conduct one more in-season reveal on March 1 before final seedings are announced on Selection Sunday, March 15.

So, for now, UConn may sit on top, but the margin between the top contenders is slim, and one statement win or an unexpected loss could quickly reshape the bracket. March, as always, is far from settled.