In the latest top 16 rankings revealed ahead of the 2025 NCAA women’s basketball tournament, the USC Trojans have taken over the No. 1 seed from the South Carolina Gamecocks, as announced by ESPN on Thursday.

The UCLA Bruins have maintained their position as the top overall seed, while the Texas Longhorns have climbed to the No. 2 spot, followed closely by USC at No. 3 and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No. 4. The Fighting Irish managed to hold their ranking despite their first loss since Thanksgiving, which occurred during a double-overtime match against NC State this past Sunday.

This ranking reflects the standings established by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee, factoring in games played up until February 26. The top 16 teams will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA women’s tournament.

The Gamecocks experienced a three-place drop since the inaugural reveal on February 16, following a heavy defeat by UConn on their home court later that day. Both South Carolina and Texas seem to be heading towards a shared SEC regular-season title, and a coin toss may be necessary to decide the top seed for the conference tournament.

Since late November, USC has only lost once (to Iowa on February 2) and recently handed then-top-ranked UCLA its sole defeat of the season. The two teams are set for a rematch this Saturday in Westwood.

Currently, the No. 2 seeds comprise South Carolina, UConn, LSU, and NC State, while the No. 3 seeds include TCU, UNC, Duke, and Tennessee. The No. 4 seeds are Oklahoma, Kentucky, Kansas State, and Ohio State. This ranks six SEC teams within the top 16, with three (South Carolina, Tennessee, and Oklahoma) positioned in the Birmingham 4 region.

No new teams have emerged since the initial reveal on February 16; however, the sequence of the 16 teams has shifted. Notably, Tennessee has risen from a No. 4 seed to a No. 3 seed, whereas Kansas State and Ohio State have dropped to the 15th and 16th positions, jeopardizing their chances of hosting.

As we approach Selection Sunday on March 16, expect considerable shifts in rankings—potentially even at the top. The powerful conferences are concluding their regular-season matches this week before entering the conference tournaments during the first week of March.

The women’s tournament will conduct regionals at two locations, Birmingham, Alabama, and Spokane, Washington, with Tampa, Florida hosting the Final Four.