NCAAW: Madness arrives early with crazy end to regular-season play

It was a wild week of women’s college basketball. Catch up on all the happenings before conference tournaments begin:

A topsy-turvy top 16

On Thursday, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee intended to set the stage for March, unveiling the second top-16 reveal.

Spokane 1: UCLA, LSU, North Carolina, Kansas State

Birmingham 2: Texas, NC State, TCU, Ohio State

Spokane 3: USC, UConn, Duke, Kentucky

Birmingham 4: Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma

Their good intentions, however, almost instantly were obliterated, as three top-10 teams, and the No. 11-ranked team, all lost on Thursday, with a No. 1 seed in Notre Dame, a No. 2 seed in LSU and No. 3 seeds North Carolina and Tennessee all taking losses.

Then, on Saturday, No. 1-seed USC seemingly certified their status, knocking off fellow No. 1-seed UCLA.

The surprises continued on Sunday, with Tennessee falling again in disappointing fashion. The Lady Vols lost 72-69 in Knoxville to the lowly Lady Bulldogs of Georgia, which, according to ESPN, is the second-biggest upset between two Division I teams of the 2024-25 season, as UGA was a projected to have a 1.7-percent chance of winning. The loss is doubly painful for Tennessee, as leading-scorer Talaysia Cooper exited in the second quarter with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury, raising questions about her status for the SEC Tournament. At this point, the Lady Vols likely need a run to the tourney title game to salvage a top-four seed.

LSU similarly experienced two losses on Sunday. The Tigers were without their leading scorer, Flau’jae Johnson, with head coach Kim Mulkey announcing that the junior guard will be held out of the SEC Tournament to try to heal a shin injury that has troubled her since LSU’s loss to Texas in mid-February. Sans Johnson, LSU fumbled a double-digit lead and allowed Ole Miss to claim an 85-77 comeback win in Baton Rouge.

UNC was the third top-16 team to suffer two-straight stumbles since Thursday’s reveal. Still without Alyssa Ustby, the Tar Heels lost 78-75 at home to Virginia on Sunday, despite a career-high 25 points from Maria Gakdeng. No. 4-seed Kansas State also dropped second-straight game on Sunday, losing 85-63 to Iowa State after falling 79-62 to Baylor on Monday. And with super senior center Ayoka Lee choosing to undergo a foot procedure that will force her to remain sidelined until the NCAA Tournament, a Big 12 Tournament run that salvages the Wildcats’ spot in the top 16 seems unlikely.

Ohio State’s No. 4 seed also could be in jeopardy after Maryland edged them 93-90 in overtime in a frenetic finish on Sunday, with the Terrapins’ stealing the win on a buzzer-beating running 3-pointer from Sarah Te-Biasu.

So, with the Power Four conference tournaments all beginning on Wednesday, it seems unwise to confidently project how teams will rise, fall and rebound before Selection Sunday on Mar. 16.

Eye-popping pre-tournament efforts

These players put up performances that should give their squads confidence ahead of conference tournaments:

Baylor kept themselves in the race for the Big 12 regular-season title (although they would come up short against TCU on Sunday) with a win over Kansas State on Monday, 79-62. Senior center Aaronette Vonleh powered the Bears to their ninth-straight win with a 24-point and 12-rebound double-double. She also had three blocks and two steals.

What a week for Audi Crooks! After the sophomore center had 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists as Iowa State defeated UCF on Tuesday, 98-73, she upped the ante on Sunday, scoring a career-high 36 points, while also grabbing 10 boards, to lead the Cyclones to a 85-63 win over Kansas State.

UT-San Antonio outlasted Tulane on Tuesday, 77-73, behind a 24-point and 10-rebound double-double from grad forward Jordyn Jenkins. She also finished with four steals and two blocks. The win was UTSA’s 24th on the season, a new program record.

On Wednesday, West Virginia senior guard JJ Quinerly tied the program record for points in a single game, dropping 38 in the blowout win over Utah, 75-46. Quinerly was 4-for-5 from 3 and shot over 76 percent from the field, needing only two free throws to reach the record point total. The Mountaineers also finished the regular season 16-0 at home. Quinerly again was excellent on Saturday, tallying 31 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as WVU closed out their regular season with a 85-69 win at Cincinnati.

UCLA crushed Wisconsin, 91-61, on Wednesday, with Lauren Betts adding further fuel to her National Player of the Year case. She had a 26-point and 10-rebound double-double in 24 minutes played, going 11-for-12 from the field and 4-for-4 from the line.

Grad forward Ajae Petty was almost perfect for Ohio State in their 89-78 win over Michigan State on Wednesday. Petty went 11-for-11 from field (and 1-for-2 from the line) as she finished with a 23-point and 15-rebound double-double. She also added six assists and two steals.

An efficient effort from Amarachi Kimpson highlighted UNLV’s 83-53 victory over Boise State on Wednesday. The sophomore guard shot 91 percent from the field, making all three of her 3-point attempts, as she scored 23 points, dished four assists and nabbed three steals. The Lady Rebels also wrapped up the regular-season Mountain West title.

Katie Dinnebier is unsurprisingly closing out her senior season in high-scoring style, as the Drake guard had 35 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and two steals as Drake crossed the century mark in beating Indiana State 107-86 on Thursday. On Saturday, she poured in 36 points, draining seven 3-pointers as Drake held off Northern Iowa, 80-79.

Vanderbilt snapped a two-game losing streak with big win over Texas A&M on Thursday, 91-68. Sophomore forward Khamil Pierre carried the Commodores with a box-scoring stuffing stat line of 31 points, six rebounds, five assists and nine (!) steals.

Seton Hall sophomore guard Savannah Catalon exploded for 36 points in her team’s Thursday victory over Seton Hall, 76-67. She was a sparkling 16-for-16 from the line, while also grabbing six rebounds, dishing three assists and claiming three steals.

Louisiana Tech freshman guard Paris Bradley shot 89 percent from the field, converting tough buckets as she finished with 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win over Sam Houston, 76-55, on Thursday.

Sophomore guards Rashunda Jones and Sophie Swanson combined to lead Purdue past Penn State on Thursday, 92-85. Jones posted 32 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Swanson added 29 points, including five 3-pointers, from off the bench.

Kentucky rocked Tennessee on Thursday, 82-58, with sophomore center Clara Strack captaining the Wildcats’ dominance. She didn’t miss a shot, going 11-for-11 from the field as she compiled a 23-point and 15-rebound double-double.

A 16-point, 13-rebound and 10-assist game from junior forward Chloe Kitts helped South Carolina take care of business at Ole Miss on Thursday, 75-59.

On Sunday, College of Charleston sophomore guard Taryn Barbot scorched UNC Wilmington for a program-record tying 40 points on Sunday. She made six 3s, while also totaling seven rebounds and three steals in the 99-63 win.

Northwestern assessed forfeitures

At the height of the Los Angeles wildfires, Northwestern decided to not travel to the city to play scheduled games against UCLA (Jan. 12) and USC (Jan. 15).

On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced that the games will not be rescheduled and, per conference rules, the forfeitures will be assessed to Northwestern. That means two more losses for the Wildcats, and a win a piece for the Bruins and Trojans.

In a statement, Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson said that Northwestern “accepts the decision” issued by the Big Ten, while adding that the rules requiring the forfeitures do “not diminish this team’s sound reasoning for not participating during this natural disaster.”

A look ahead

As mentioned above, Power Four conference tournaments begin on Wednesday, Mar. 5.

In the SEC, South Carolina and Texas split the SEC regular-season title; however, the Gamecocks will be the tournament’s the No. 1 seed, as they won the tie-breaking coin flip conducted by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. In the ACC, NC State and Notre Dame will share the regular-season championship, but, because the Wolfpack defeated the Irish, they will receive the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. The No. 1 seed in the Big Ten was more clearcut, belonging to regular-season champs USC, which suffered only a single loss in conference play. By defeating Baylor on Sunday, TCU took the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the Big 12.

The Big East Tournament then begins on Friday, Mar. 7, with UConn, undefeated in conference play yet again, entering as the top seed and overwhelming favorite.