Get to know all the NCAA WBB teams joining South Carolina in Birmingham Region 2
South Carolina will play its first game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday when the No. 1 Gamecocks face No. 16 Tennessee Tech at Colonial Life Arena.
Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks will have to win in Columbia and then make their way through a solid group of teams in Birmingham if they want a shot at the Final Four and defending their national title in Tampa, Florida in April.
Luckily for South Carolina, there’s some familiarity with the teams in Birmingham Region 2. The Gamecocks are 4-0 against teams in its region of the bracket this year. Those wins came over No. 2 seed Duke, No. 5 Alabama and No. 7 Vanderbilt (twice).
Here’s everything you need to know about the teams in USC’s region of the bracket:
No. 1 South Carolina
This is the fifth year in a row the Gamecocks are a No. 1 seed in March Madness. South Carolina has played in the big dance 12 times under Staley, and this will be the ninth time it has been a No. 1 seed.
The Gamecocks are the reigning national champions and enter this year’s tournament with a 30-3 record and fresh off a third-straight SEC Tournament title.
No. 2 Duke
Head coach Kara Lawson and the Duke Blue Devils (26-7) are playing some of their best basketball at the right time.
Duke finished No. 3 in the ACC standings but went on a run in the conference tournament. The Blue Devils upset Notre Dame and N.C. State en route to their first ACC Tournament title since 2013.
Duke is led by ACC Rooke of the Year Toby Fournier. The 6-foot-2 forward leads the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game and is second in rebounding at 5.3 per game.
No. 3 North Carolina
North Carolina enters the NCAA Tournament after its run in the ACC Tournament was cut short by N.C. State in the semifinals.
This is the highest the Tar Heels (27-7) have been slotted since they were a No. 3 seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.
UNC is led by All-ACC First Team guard Alyssa Utsby. She’s an experienced veteran who has played in 147 games in five years for the Heels. Utsby, who leads the team in scoring (10.7 points per game), was also an All-ACC Defensive Team member this year.
No. 4 Maryland
Maryland (23-7) stumbled in its Big 10 Tournament appearance. The Terrapins won their last four games of the regular season but were ultimately bounced immediately from their conference tournament by Michigan.
Maryland has the No. 12 scoring offense in the country and is averaging 79.9 points per game. Brenda Freese’s team gets to the free throw line often and is No. 2 in the country for free throws made per game (16.97), though they’re No. 50 in the NCAA with a 75.9% clip from the line as a team.
The Terrapins are led by Shyanne Sellers (14.1 points per game) and Kaylene Smikle (17.7 points per game), the team’s lone All-Big 10 selections.
No. 5 Alabama
Alabama is making its third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. It’s also the highest spot for the Crimson Tide in the tournament since they were a No. 5 seed in 1999.
Alabama (23-8) was upset by Florida in the second round of this year’s SEC Tournament.
The Crimson Tide touts one of the best 3-point-shooting teams in the country. Their team 3-point percentage of 38.6% is No. 3 nationally. Aaliyah Nye leads Alabama and the SEC with a 3-point percentage of 45.5%
No. 6 West Virginia
Mark Kellogg has taken West Virginia to the NCAA Tournament in both of his two seasons as head coach at WVU.
The Mountaineers (24-7) lost to eventual Big 12 champ TCU in the conference tournament semifinals.
West Virginia sports one of the better defenses in the country. They’re No. 2 in the nation in steals per game (13.6) and No. 15 in scoring defense (55.5). Senior guard JJ Quinerly, who leads WVU with 20 points per game, was named the Big 12’s Defensive Player of the Year.
No. 7 Vanderbilt
Head coach Shea Ralph and the Commodores are in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row and tout the best seeding Vanderbilt has had since 2012.
Vanderbilt (22-10) was eliminated from the SEC Tournament in the quarterfinals by South Carolina.
The Commodores are led by National Freshman of the Year candidate Mikalya Blakes. The guard was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and an All-SEC First Team player after averaging 23.2 points per game. Blakes and Khamil Pierre (20.5 points per game) are a lethal one-two punch.
No. 8 Utah
Gavin Petersen has done a formidable job with Utah this season after being promoted to head coach just four games into the season after Lynne Roberts’ decision to take over as head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
Utah is 19-7 under Petersen and 22-8 for the entire year. The Utes were a No. 6 seed in the Big 12 Tournament but were upset by No. 14 seed Texas Tech.
The Utes are led by All-Big 12 guard Gianna Kneepkens, who averages 19.2 points per game.
No. 9 Indiana
The Hoosiers nine-year streak of winning at least 20 games will be on the line Friday afternoon.
Indiana (19-12) went 10-8 in Big 10 play this season and wound up with a No. 9 seed in the Big 10 Tournament. Teri Moren and company were able to beat Oregon in their first conference tournament game but were ultimately eliminated by Southern Cal in the quarterfinals.
Yarden Garzon was Indiana’s lone All-Big 10 honoree this year. The guard made the All-Big 10 Second Team after posting 14.5 points and 5.3 rebounds this season.
No. 10 Oregon
Oregon is back in March Madness after missing it the last two seasons. The Ducks’ most recent appearance came in 2022 when they were eliminated in the first round as a No. 5 seed.
The Ducks were eliminated early in the Big 10 Tournament by Indiana.
Oregon (19-11) is led by North Carolina transfer Deja Kelly. The graduate guard was a three-time All-ACC player before transferring to Oregon this season. She leads the Ducks with 11.6 points per game and was an All-Big 10 honorable mention.
No. 11 Columbia (First Four)
Columbia (23-6) is one of three teams from the Ivy League to make the NCAA Tournament. The Lions fell just short of an Ivy League title, losing 74-71 to Harvard in the conference tournament title game.
Columbia is No. 6 in the country in offensive rebounds (16.4 per game) and No. 10 in rebound margin (8.8).
The Lions are led by head coach Megan Griffith, whose staff has won the last three Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year awards. Columbia had three different players earn All-Ivy honors, including Kitty Henderson, who was the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year.
No. 11 Washington (First Four)
This is Washington’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, when the Huskies were a No. 3 seed.
Washington (19-13) struggled in its first year as a member of the Big 10. The Huskies finished 9-9 in conference play and as the No. 12 seed in the Big 10 Tournament. Washington was eliminated early by Michigan.
The Huskies are led by Elle Ladine, an All-Big 10 Second Team player who averages 17.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
No. 12 Green Bay
Green Bay (29-5) topped off a nearly perfect run through conference play this year with a Horizon League Tournament championship win over Purdue Fort Wayne.
This is the second-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for the Phoenix, who were an 11 seed last year.
Green Bay’s Bailey Butler was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year, and Natalie McNeal and Maddy Schreiber both earned All-Horizon First Team honors.
No. 13 Norfolk State
Head coach Larry Vickers has the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season. This is the highest seeding Norfolk State has had in its program history.
The Spartans (30-4) were a perfect 14-0 in conference play and defeated Howard for its fourth even MEAC Tournament championship. Norfolk State also holds Quad 2 victories over Missouri and Auburn.
Norfolk State is led by the one-two punch of Diamond Johnson and Kierra Wheeler. Johnson, a former Rutgers and N.C. State transfer, was named the MEAC Player of the Year and to the All-MEAC First Team and All-MEAC Defensive Team after averaging 19 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.6 steals per game. Wheeler, last year’s MEAC Player of the Year, averaged 15.6 points and nine rebounds en route to an All-MEAC First Team and All-MEAC Defensive Team nods.
No. 14 Oregon State
Oregon State (19-15) is back in the NCAA Tournament after returning just four players from last year’s team that lost in the Elite Eight to South Carolina.
The Beavers finished 12-8 in their first year as members of the West Coast Conference but were able to go on a run and knock off No. 2 Portland in the WCC Tournament championship game.
Oregon State is led by its two All-WCC First Team players in AJ Marlotte and Kelsey Rees — two of the four returners from last year.
No. 15 Lehigh
Patriot League Coach of the Year Addie Micir has Lehigh in the NCAA Tournament in just her second year at the helm of the program. The last time the Mountain Hawks were in the big dance came in 2021 as a No. 13 seed.
Lehigh (27-6) went 15-3 in Patriot League play before beating Army in the conference tournament on Sunday to secure its Patriot League title.
Lehigh is led by fifth-year guard Maddie Albrecht, who was named to the All-Patriot League first team after averaging 15.7 points and 5.4 rebounds this year.
No. 16 Tennessee Tech
This is just the third NCAA Tournament appearance for Tennessee Tech since 2000.
The Golden Eagles (26-7) punched their ticket to the March Madness after defeating Lindenwood 82-76 in overtime of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship.
Despite being the OVC regular season champions and having the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, Tennessee Tech had just one player earn All-OVC First Team honors. Junior guard Reghan Grimes was that lone player. She averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds this season for the Golden Eagles. Tennessee Tech did have two players on the All-OVC Second Team and the All-OVC Newcomer Team.
Birmingham Region 2 Schedule
- First Four: No. 11 Washington vs No. 11 Columbia – Thursday, 7 p.m. on ESPN2
- No. 9 Indiana vs No. 8 Utah – Friday, 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2
- No. 16 Tennessee Tech vs No. 1 South Carolina – Friday, 4 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 10 Oregon vs No. 7 Vanderbilt – Friday, 5:30 p.m. on ESPNNews
- No. 15 Lehigh vs No. 2 Duke – Friday, 8 p.m. on ESPNU
- No. 12 Green Bay vs No. 5 Alabama – Saturday, 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2
- Winner of Washington/Columbia vs No. 6 West Virginia – Saturday, 2 p.m. on ESPNNews
- No. 13 Norfolk State vs No. 4 Maryland – Saturday, 4 p.m. on ESPN
- No. 14 Oregon State vs No. 3 North Carolina – Saturday, 4:30 p.m. on ESPNU
This story was originally published March 18, 2025 at 8:20 AM.
