Texas has joined UConn, UCLA and South Carolina as the projected No. 1 seeds in the NCAA women's basketball tournament, according to the latest reveal on ESPN. The Longhorns climbed to the No. 4 overall seed after Vanderbilt's loss to Georgia last week, which caused the Commodores to drop from the top spot. This marks a significant rise for Texas in the tournament projections.

Iowa and Oklahoma made the biggest jumps in the rankings, with the Hawkeyes moving up to No. 6 and the Sooners to No. 12. Both teams have won five consecutive games, demonstrating their strong momentum heading into the tournament. Conversely, Ohio State experienced the largest drop, falling from No. 9 to No. 16, while Ole Miss fell out of the top 16 entirely, replaced by Minnesota at No. 15.

The tournament projections reveal a strong showing from the Big Ten conference, with seven teams in the top 16 seeds. The SEC follows with five teams, while the ACC, Big 12, and Big East each have two representatives. The selection committee chair, Amanda Braun, emphasized the strength of the Big Ten teams and the close competition among the top seeds. With the conference tournaments beginning this week, the final bracket will be announced on March 15, setting the stage for an exciting NCAA women's basketball tournament.