Coaches, players and fans must be prepared for constant change in the 2020-21 women’s college basketball season. Games will be canceled, moved and rescheduled. It’s unlikely that every team will play a full complement of games, which will alter conference races and the NCAA tournament evaluation process.
That could also mean changes to the 2021 NCAA tournament format. Since no one knows exactly what the season will look like come Selection Monday, anything is on the table. With that in mind, this edition of Bracketology projects not only a 64-team field, but also condensed 48- and 16-team versions, as determined .
Bracket Watch
In its first top-16 reveal on Monday, the NCAA selection committee spoke loud and clear about the importance of the number of games a team has played. Teams like Michigan and South Florida, which both have had long COVID-19-related pauses and have each played just 11 games, were omitted because the committee didn’t feel it had enough to evaluate.
On the Bubble
First Four Out
Last Four In
Next Four Out
64-Team Bracket
Region 1
Region 4
Region 2
Region 3
Bracket Watch
Washington State returns to the 48-team field and Rutgers is left out after applying the standards the committee set for its top 16 on Monday. That means Rutgers, another team with just 11 games, had to drop. The Cougars, despite a 9-9 record, have something else the committee liked: quality wins. Washington State has two against the NET top 15.
On the Bubble
Last Four In (at-large)
Last Four In (auto qualifiers)
First Four Out (at-large)
First Four Out (auto qualifiers)
48-Team Bracket
Region 1
Region 4
Region 2
Region 3
Bracket Watch
Kentucky falls victim to the rule that allows a maximum of four teams from the same conference. The Wildcats were the fifth SEC team in the committee’s top 16 but can’t be in this field as a result. Georgia Tech is the beneficiary, grabbing a third spot for the ACC.
