UConn were awarded the No 1 overall seed in the women's NCAA Tournament on Sunday and enters March Madness needing six more victories to complete the seventh undefeated season in school history. In the men's tournament, Duke received the top overall seed, followed by Arizona, Michigan and Florida, each of whom would love a repeat of last season when all four No 1s made it to the Final Four.
The Huskies (34-0) are looking for their 13th national title and becoming the first team to repeat as champions since the Huskies won four in a row from 2013-16. They are joined by UCLA, Texas and South Carolina as the other No 1 women's seeds. UConn, led by stars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, open the tournament at home against 16th-seeded UTSA and will play in the Fort Worth Regional. UCLA (31-1) were just behind the Huskies as the second overall seed; the Bruins have won 25 straight games and reached the Final Four last year.
The men's top line was predictable, with Michigan's drop to overall No 3 resulting from their loss to Purdue moments before brackets were revealed, according to selection chair Keith Gill. In the biggest nail-biter, Miami (Ohio) made the field as a No 11 seed, with a 31-1 record but the 339th-ranked strength of schedule. They face a First Four game against SMU in Dayton.
The men's tournament starts on Tuesday with play-in games, including Texas vs North Carolina State. The national champion will be crowned at the Final Four in Indianapolis on 6 April. Among those left out were San Diego State, Indiana, Oklahoma and Auburn. Bruce Pearl, former coach of Auburn, said: 'They played the toughest schedule in the country and I don't know if they were rewarded for it.'
The Southeastern Conference led with 10 teams in the field of 68, followed by the Big Ten with nine, the ACC and Big 12 with eight each. Florida (26-7) are the defending champion, trying to repeat their back-to-back titles from 2006-07. Last season, Florida were part of an all-No 1 Final Four – the first time in 17 seasons.
