The NCAA Tournament begins Wednesday with the First Four, and the first round tips off Friday.

Yet while select teams rose to the top during the regular season, some of these will lose out in the tournament. Upsets happen, in spite of high seeding and home-court advantage. It be March Madness otherwise.

Just Women’s Sports takes a look at which top-4 teams are the most vulnerable.

No. 3 LSU

LSU may have finished their season at 28-2. But while the Tigers ran  amok in the SEC during the regular season, they have weaknesses.

For one, they couldn’t manage to hang with the No. 1 team in the nation in their February matchup against South Carolina. The game proved a failed test for an LSU team with a nonconference schedule chock-full of tough opponents such as… (checks notes) Bellarmine and Mississippi Valley.

Then Tigers ran into a roadblock in the SEC Tournament semifinals in Tennessee, which exposed LSU’s vulnerabilities and mounted an improbable comeback to advance to the title game. LSU faces Hawai’i in the first-round, and the Rainbow Warriors could be a tough test. And if LSU advances to the second round, it could face No. 6 seed Michigan, a battle-tested team coming out of the Big Ten.

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No. 4 Tennessee

In all likelihood, Tennessee will advance past No. 13 seed Saint Louis in the first round. But after that, the Vols could run up against No. 5 seed Iowa State. The Cyclones are not only Big 12 tournament champions, but they also boast star player Ashley Joens – who any team in this tournament will find difficult to contain.

Tennessee has its own star in Rickea Jackson, making the possibility of this second-round matchup very enticing. Still, it makes Tennessee susceptible to an early exit.

No. 3 Duke

There’s no telling what kind of run Duke will have in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Some thought that December’s win over NC State was the Blue Devils’ coming out party. But the ACC remained chaotic throughout the season, and Duke received its share of bumps and bruises – in particular, their 58-37 loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament might leave sour taste in the Blue Devils’ mouths as they prepare to face Iona in the first round.

But they’re also the team that put 68 points on Boston College while only allowing the Eagles to score 27. And they also beat Notre Dame back on Feb. 5. Their season-ending loss to UNC was redeemed by a win over the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament, which showcases how hot and cold this team can be – particularly as they approached the end of the season.

If the Blue Devils can bring their best in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, they’ll be hard to beat. But there’s no guaranteeing that an Iona or a Colorado won’t send Duke packing.

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Celeste Taylor and Duke lead the ACC, one of the most competitive conferences in the country. (Matt Cashore/USA TODAY Sports)

No. 3 Notre Dame

Notre Dame is one of the biggest question marks in this year’s NCAA Tournament, as there’s no telling when they’ll get star player Olivia Miles back from injury – if they do at all.

And if Irish advance past Southern Utah in the first round, they’ll likely face Creighton in the second round. Yes, that Creighton, the same team that upended Iowa in the Sweet 16 last year. The same Creighton who almost beat UConn in February and battled against other top-tier Big East teams like Villanova and Marquette. A Notre Dame team with Olivia Miles going up against Creighton could be one of the best second-round matchups of the tournament. Without Miles, though, the Irish could head home early.

No. 2 UConn

Can UConn stay healthy? That’s the biggest question facing the Huskies in this year’s NCAA Tournament. If they can, then a run to the Final Four isn’t improbable, even in a tough region. Baylor could prove more difficult than anticipated, and Ohio State is a battle-tested No. 3 seed who has also faced injury issues this season but is also once again healthy.

Having Azzi Fudd and Caroline Ducharme back in the lineup helps the Huskies’ chances, and both looked good during the team’s Big East tournament title run. But as the story has been all season, there’s no telling what type of injury this team could face next.

Caitlin Clark is one of the biggest names in the game heading into March Madness.

But the Iowa star’s prowess hasn’t just captured the college basketball world’s attention. Her skills also have caught the eye of NBA star Kevin Durant.

“When you couple her edge with her skills and her IQ, that’s what takes her over the top and makes her rare,” Durant told the Washington Post. “She can pretty much do everything on the floor, score from any angle, shoot deep threes and create for her teammates. But she has that feisty side to her.

“She has that dog in her, as people call it. She’s trying to do everything for her team because she can’t lose.”

Clark has relied on “that feisty side” to stand up to other people’s judgment.

For example, when she was in elementary school, her parents enrolled her in a local boys’ basketball league. After Clark helped lead her team to a blowout victory, a parent from the opposing team demanded Clark and her teammates forfeit the game for playing with a girl. That request was denied, and Clark went on to win league MVP.

“They were really [upset] about how a girl could beat all these boys,” Clark said. “I definitely deserved MVP. It wasn’t a pity award.”

Her take-no-prisoners attitude stayed with her as she entered the collegiate ranks, earning her both cheers and jeers as she has flashed her 3-point range and scoring abilities.

“There’s always backlash that I take too many shots or that I’m a ball hog,” she told the Washington Post. “My assist numbers speak for themselves, too. I’m scoring. I’m facilitating. I’m leading.”

The 21-year-old guard has received criticism for her admittedly hot head, which has resulted in fouls at times. But she won’t apologize for showing her emotions on the court.

“I get mad,” Clark admitted. “You have reactions that you don’t always love in the heat of battle. I’m full of passion no matter what I’m doing. I’m going to give you every single part of me. I’m going to give my heart to this. I want young girls to know that you can play with joy and passion.”

But Iowa coach Lisa Bluder, who dubs Clark “the best player I have ever coached,” doesn’t like the double-standard that persists between the men’s and women’s games.

“What makes me upset is that a men’s basketball player can act like that, and he’s just being a player,” Bluder said. “But if a women’s basketball player does the same things, oh, it should stop. I don’t know why we should be judged differently based on our sexes. I hope she changes some of these conversations.”

The NCAA Tournament not only provides basketball fans with chills and thrills. March Madness also provides a sneak peek at the stars soon to join the WNBA ranks.

Just Women’s Sports analyst Rachel Galligan projected every first-round pick for the 2023 WNBA Draft in April. Based on her mock draft, here are the four potential lottery picks to watch as the NCAA Tournament gets underway.

Aliyah Boston, F, South Carolina

The consensus No. 1 pick leads the No. 1 overall seed into the tournament with her sights set on a repeat title. Boston and the Gamecocks won the national championship against UConn last year, and the undefeated Gamecocks look even stronger this time around.

While Boston’s stats have not been as strong this season, her 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game are nonetheless impressive — especially when considering the heavy defensive pressure the 6-foot-5 post receives from opponents.

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Diamond Miller, G, Maryland

The second-seeded Terrapins lost four of their starters in the offseason, two to the transfer portal and two to graduation. But you wouldn’t know it to look at them, in large part thanks to the skill and composure of Miller, their lone holdover in the starting lineup.

The 6-3 guard is averaging 19.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game for Maryland, the best numbers of her career. After an injury-plagued junior season, she has looked stronger than ever in her senior season.

Rickea Jackson, F, Tennessee

The high-profile transfer had a rocky start to her Tennessee tenure, as she was benched for two games in early December due to a coach’s decision.

Since her return, though, Jackson has flourished for the fourth-seeded Volunteers. The 6-2 forward leads the team with 19.6 points per game, and she is peaking at the right time, with a 26-point double-double to lead Tennessee over LSU in the SEC tournament semifinals.

Haley Jones, G, Stanford

Jones’ value comes in her versatility. The 6-1 guard can score, she can create plays, and she can defend with the best of them. For Stanford this season, she is averaging 13.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.

The No. 1 seed in the second Seattle region, Cardinal have lost two of their last three games — to Utah in their regular-season finale and to UCLA in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals. But with Jones’ steady presence, they still have what it takes to reach the Final Four for a third consecutive season.

The 68-team NCAA Tournament field is set. Who will come out on top? Make your pick in our Just Women’s Sports x DICK’S Sporting Goods March Madness Bracket Challenge.

South Carolina enters as the No. 1 overall seed and a heavy favorite. But plenty of challengers will make their own run at the title, from superstar Caitlin Clark and Iowa to a resurgent UConn squad.

The Bracket Challenge lets you pick the winners for each game and gives you a shot at the $150,000 grand prize. Last year’s Bracket Challenge winner Emily Syverud shared her advice with participants before the games get underway.

How to Play:

1. Register for the Bracket Challenge.

2. Submit your bracket before the start of the first round on Friday. (The play-in games on Wednesday and Thursday are not part of the challenge.)

3. Check the leaderboard throughout the tournament to see where you stand.

4. Follow our NCAA Basketball homepage for all the latest news, analysis and feature stories during the tournament.

As conference tournaments wind down and Selection Sunday approaches, plenty of teams are sitting on the bubble and awaiting their NCAA Tournament fate.

Of the 68-teams in the tournament field, 36 teams will receive at-large bids. And with the growing parity across women’s college basketball, more than one talented team will be left without a spot.

Bubble teams are scattered across conferences, from Kansas in the Big 12 to St. John’s in the Big East, from Oregon in the Pac-12 to Georgia in the SEC. Here are four more hopefuls whose fates hang in the balance heading into the final weekend of conference tournament championships.

Princeton (21-5)

The No. 1 seed in the Ivy League tournament, Princeton is listed as the Last Team In according to ESPN’s bracketology. If the Tigers make the Saturday’s championship game, they should lock up an at-large bid. But if they lose in Friday’s semifinal before that, they will remain on the bubble and could be waiting out the fates of other teams to determine whether or not they’ll keep playing in March.

Purdue (19-10)

The Boilermakers finished seventh in a stacked Big Ten this year, which puts them on the outskirts of the NCAA Tournament field. Also in the conversation from the Big Ten is Nebraska (16-14). Their conference credentials could help them sneak in — or their losses relative to some of the other bubble teams could hurt their chances, even if those losses came against quality opponents.

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Abbey Ellis and Purdue are waiting to learn their NCAA Tournament fate. (Alex Martin/USA TODAY NETWORK)

West Virginia (19-11)

If Princeton or Columbia falls in the semifinals of the Ivy League tournament, West Virginia could make the case to take that spot in the NCAA Tournament, even after a crushing last-second loss to Oklahoma State in Friday’s Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.

Arkansas (21-12)

The Razorbacks won their first SEC Tournament game but ran into eventual champion South Carolina in the quarterfinals. While they’re looking pretty good as a bubble team, they likely would need some help from other conference tournaments in order to make their third consecutive March Madness appearance.

Southern Utah women’s basketball entered the WAC Tournament with the best regular-season record and a very good chance to secure the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

In their tournament opener, though, the Thunderbirds needed to pull off a bit of March Madness to save their season.

With Southern Utah trailing by two points with three seconds remaining, graduate guard Cherita Daugherty tracked down an errant inbounds pass from her teammate. Then she threw up a one-armed shot from behind the 3-point line and watched the ball swish through the net as the buzzer sounded.

In the aftermath of the victory, which sends the Thunderbirds to Friday’s WAC semifinals, Daugherty and her coach still couldn’t quite comprehend the game-winning 3-pointer.

“I wish I could say it was a shot,” Daugherty said. “I just threw it up and hoped. I wish I could say it was a shot, but I don’t know.”

Southern Utah coach Tracy Sanders found herself similarly baffled.

“It was a great shot, I guess,” Sanders said. “Just glad it worked out in our favor.”

The Thunderbirds advance to face Grand Canyon in a semifinal matchup at 5 p.m. ET Friday at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Stephen F. Austin and California Baptist will face off in the other semifinal. The winners will move on to the championship game at 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line.

College athletes are now able to make money off their name, image and likeness (NIL).

The NCAA Division I Board of Directors’ interim policy went into effect on Thursday, ushering in a new era of collegiate athletics.

A wave of recently passed state NIL laws has put consistent pressure on the NCAA to act on the issue of athlete compensation, resulting in the July 1 guidelines. The NCAA has instructed any schools residing in states that have yet to pass legislation to implement their own rules and regulations based on the July 1 measure.

The new legislation reverses the long-held policy that college athletes must sign over the right to profit off their name, image and likeness upon signing with a school. Now, student-athletes will be able to pursue marketing deals and business ventures that use their image for promotion and profit.

The policy still prohibits pay for play, meaning schools are barred from paying athletes directly for signing with their program.

New NIL rules could prove especially lucrative for those participating in women’s sports. Data released by Axios following the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament showed that eight of the ten most followed basketball players appearing in the Elite Eight were women. In terms of capitalizing on NIL, online sponsored content may be one of the most profitable avenues for athletes.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder, sisters on the Fresno State women’s basketball team, have already announced a deal with Six Star Pro Nutrition. The sisters each have roughly 250,000 followers on Instagram.

Deals like the one the Cavinders signed are likely to continue to pour in, changing the face of college athletics overnight.

Syracuse has announced that they’re launching an investigation into women’s basketball coach Quentin Hillsman. 

The school announced the external investigation on Tuesday, following a report by The Athletic that detailed a pattern of inappropriate behavior by Hillsman leading to a mass exodus of players. 

The past offseason has seen 11 players transfer from the school. Since 2018, the program has seen 20 players transfer out — the most among any Power Five women’s team that hasn’t experienced a coaching change. 

The university responded to the report Tuesday morning, issuing a statement to Syracuse.com/The Post Standard, calling the allegations “troubling.”

“While no formal complaints have been made to date from members of the women’s basketball program, we take these allegations very seriously,” the statement said. “We ask any individual who has knowledge of or has experienced this kind of conduct to come forward. Syracuse University remains focused on the well-being and success of our student-athletes.”

Hillman has been the head coach at Syracuse since 2006, with his current contract running through 2024.

The UConn-South Carolina women’s basketball rivalry will continue.

The matchup will be extended for two more series, the programs announced Monday.

The Huskies will host the Gamecocks in 2022-23 and the roles will reverse in 2023-24. 

The Huskies are 9-1 against South Carolina in the overall series, including a 63-59 overtime win over the then-No. 1 Gamecocks last season. South Carolina’s lone victory in the series came in 2020 when the Gamecocks beat UConn 70-52 at home.

UConn also announced a home-and-home series with NC State.

The Supreme Court agrees on one thing: the NCAA is violating antitrust laws.

The Court ruled unanimously on Monday, stating that by capping what student-athletes can receive by way of education-related payments and benefits the NCAA is violating antitrust law. 

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the court, affirming U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken’s dismissal of the NCAA’s argument that antitrust law doesn’t apply to the case. 

“In essence, [the NCAA] seeks immunity from the normal operation of antitrust laws and argues, in any event, that the district court should have approved all of its existing restraints,” Gorsuch wrote.  

“The NCAA accepts that its members collectively enjoy monopsony power in the market for student-athlete services, such that its restraints can (and in fact do) harm competition,” he added later. 

Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined Gorsuch’s opinion but also wrote a concurring opinion, calling the NCAA’s price-fixing “highly illegal” and indicating that he is ready to take on other NCAA compensation rules not at issue in the current appeal. 

“Traditions alone cannot justify the NCAA’s decision to build a massive money-raising enterprise on the backs of student athletes who are not fairly compensated,” Kavanaugh wrote. “Nowhere else in America can businesses get away with agreeing not to pay their workers a fair market rate on the theory that their product is defined by not paying their workers a fair market rate.”

“The NCAA is not above the law.”

With the ruling, schools can now give unlimited benefits tied to a student-athletes’ education.