North Carolina and West Virginia secured hosting spots in the women's NCAA Tournament's top 16, announced Saturday in a new NCAA format revealing the actual top teams before the full bracket. The move gives fans an early look at potential No. 1 seeds like UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina, all Final Four teams from last season.

This marks a significant achievement for UNC, which wasn't in the previous two projected top-16 reveals. The Tar Heels won 12 of their last 13 games and reached the ACC tournament semifinals to earn their spot. West Virginia's Big 12 tournament championship over regular-season winner TCU secured the Mountaineers' position, marking their first NCAA tournament hosting opportunity since 1992.

Maryland and Michigan State were the notable exclusions, dropping out after early conference tournament exits. The 16 hosting teams include Duke, Iowa, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Oklahoma, TCU, Texas, UCLA, UConn, Vanderbilt and West Virginia. All tournament games will air on ABC/ESPN networks, with the women's Final Four set for Phoenix on April 3-5.