Way too early 2027 Women’s NCAA Tournament bracketology: USC leads field
Way too early 2027 Women’s NCAA Tournament bracketology: USC leads field
Mitchell Northam, USA TODAYWed, April 8, 2026 at 10:06 AM UTC
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The 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament wrapped up in Phoenix with UCLA winning the national championship over South Carolina. The Bruins were powered by six seniors and will have a revamped roster for next season.
Much still needs to settle in women's college basketball before we can have a real grasp on the best teams next season. A few transfers available in the portal this week — from Audi Crooks to Kymora Johnson — could dramatically change a team's outlook. A few openings on the coaching carousel also need to be resolved.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate and project.
With no real data points to go off, USA TODAY Sports is expecting USC to be the No. 1 overall seed in the 2027 Women’s NCAA Tournament. The reason is simple: JuJu Watkins will be back and she’ll be teaming up with a stacked roster that includes Jazzy Davidson, Kennedy Smith and Saniyah Hall.
UConn is going to grab a high seed too as long as Sarah Strong is around, Michigan is bringing back its star-studded trio of sophomores and South Carolina is inevitable.
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When glancing ahead to the 2027 NCAA Tournament, it’s important to remember the number of at-large bids will decrease by one. That’s because the Pac-12 has been reincarnated with former members Washington State and Oregon State, Mountain West refugees, Texas State and Gonzaga. So, we’ll have 32 automatic bids determined by conference champions and 36 at-large bids.
Here’s a way-too-early look at what the 2027 Women’s NCAA Tournament bracket might look like.
Las Vegas 1Los Angeles, California -
1 USC
16 UC Irvine / Loyola Marymount
8 Baylor
9 Tennessee
Norman, Oklahoma -
5 Ohio State
12 Green Bay
4 Oklahoma
13 Arkansas State
Iowa City, Iowa -
6 BYU
11 Virginia Tech / Florida
3 Iowa
14 Montana State
Austin, Texas -
7 UCLA
10 Rice
2 Texas
15 Central Arkansas
1 / 0See UCLA Bruins celebrate their NCAA women's basketball championship
The UCLA Bruins celebrate on the podium after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks during the National Championship game of the women's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Philadelphia 2Storrs, Connecticut -
1 UConn
16 Maryland Eastern Shore
8 Washington
9 Columbia
Raleigh, North Carolina -
5 Maryland
12 Davidson
4 NC State
13 Vermont
Nashville, Tennessee -
6 Nebraska
11 UCF / USF
3 Vanderbilt
14 Eastern Kentucky
Durham, North Carolina -
7 Gonzaga
10 Texas A&M
2 Duke
15 Navy
1 / 0Women’s Final Four showcases top-ranked teams going head-to-headTessa Johnson #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks shoots the ball against Sarah Strong #21 of the UConn Huskies during the third quarter in the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.Las Vegas 3Ann Arbor, Michigan -
1 Michigan
16 Southern Indiana
8 Syracuse
9 Oklahoma State
Fort Worth, Texas -
5 Ole Miss
12 UNLV
4 TCU
13 Louisiana Tech
Chapel Hill, North Carolina -
6 Arizona State
11 Oregon
3 North Carolina
14 Campbell
Baton Rouge, Louisiana -
7 Minnesota
10 Clemson
2 LSU
15 McNeese
Philadelphia 4Columbia, South Carolina -
1 South Carolina
16 ETSU / Alabama A&M
8 Villanova
9 Virginia
South Bend, Indiana -
5 Kentucky
12 North Dakota State
4 Notre Dame
13 Ball State
Morgantown, West Virginia -
6 Michigan State
11 Belmont
3 West Virginia
14 Radford
Louisville, Kentucky -
7 Colorado
10 Fairfield
2 Louisville
15 Farleigh Dickinson
Last Four In: Florida, USF, UCF, Virginia Tech
First Four Out: Indiana, Mississippi State, Cal, Seton Hall
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2027 Women’s NCAA Tournament bracketology: USC on top with JuJu Watkins' return
Source: “AOL Sports”
