Five Pac-12 teams selected by NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee in first top-16 reveal

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee has selected Stanford, Colorado, UCLA, USC and Oregon State in the first top-16 reveal of the 2023-24 season.

If the season ended today, Stanford (No. 2 overall) and Colorado (No. 4 overall) would be No. 1-seeds in the 2024 NCAA Tournament while UCLA (No. 7 overall) would occupy a No. 2-seed. USC (No. 9 overall) and Oregon State (No. 11 overall) would be No. 3-seeds to round out the league’s selections.

Stanford (22-3, 11-2 Pac-12) sits atop the Pac-12 standings having won eight of its last ten league games. The Cardinal have made the NCAA Tournament 35 straight years (excluding the COVID-canceled 2020 event).

Colorado (20-4, 10-3 Pac-12) has its third-straight 20-win season and third overall under head coach JR Payne. The Buffs are off to their best 23-game start since the 1994-95 campaign.

UCLA (19-4, 8-4 Pac-12) reached the Sweet Sixteen a season ago. The Bruins have five AP Top-25 wins so far this season, the second-most nationally.

USC (18-7, 8-5 Pac-12) returned to the NCAA Tournament a season ago for its 17th appearance all-time. The Trojans are off to their best 22-game start in the Pac-12 era, and their best start since the 1993-94 season.

One of the hottest teams in the country, Oregon State (20-3, 9-3 Pac-12) has won eight of its last 10 contests, with four of those wins coming against top 25 opponents. The Beavers have recorded multiple wins against AP Top-5 teams for the first time in program history this season.

The league’s five selections in this top-16 reveal are the most among all conferences. Last season the Pac-12 sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament which matched a league high set in 2017 and 2023. The league has sent five or more teams to the Big Dance in nine-consecutive seasons.

Thursday’s reveal is the first of two provided by the Committee this season. The second top-16 reveal will take place on Feb. 29 at 3:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. MT on ESPN2.

The First Four opening-round games of the 2024 championship will take place March 20-21 and will again be conducted on the campuses of four of the teams seeded in the top 16. First- and second-round games will take place March 22-24 on the campuses of the top-16 seeds. Regional play in Albany, N.Y. and Portland will take place March 29-April 1, with each site hosting two regional semifinal games March 29 and two March 30. In addition, each site will host a regional championship game March 31 and one on April 1. The 2024 NCAA Women’s Final Four will be played April 5 and 7 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.