The SEC flex its muscles on Sunday, scoring two of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee's second Top 16 rankings of the 2025/26 season — two weeks before Selection Sunday.
Texas edged out Vanderbilt for the last No. 1 spot — despite the Commodores earning a higher SEC tournament seed — joining UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina in the elite mix.
If the lineup holds, it would mark the third time in NCAA history that the No. 1 seeds represent the prior year's Final Four.
The NCAA tournament's Top 4 seeds get to host the first two rounds, raising the late-season stakes with home-court advantage on the line.
To that end, the Big Ten is leading the charge for hosting duties, as the conference landed seven teams in the Top 16, with Iowa and Michigan as projected No. 2 seeds and Maryland, Michigan State, Minnesota, and Ohio State claiming all four No. 4-seed spots.
"Like the first reveal, the discussions around these teams made it clear that there is not a lot of separation," said committee chair Amanda Braun. "With so much basketball still to be played, there remains a lot of potential for change."
How to watch the 2026 DI basketball tournament's bracket reveal
The 2026 NCAA women's basketball tournament's Selection Sunday show will air live on ESPN at 8 PM ET on March 15th.
The 2026 NCAA Basketball Committee Rankings
1. UConn
2. UCLA
3. South Carolina
4. Texas
5. Vanderbilt
6. Iowa
7. LSU
8. Michigan
9. Louisville
10. Duke
11. TCU
12. Oklahoma
13. Maryland
14. Michigan State
15. Minnesota
16. Ohio State
