Women’s college basketball conference tournament guide: A battle for No. 1 seeds

Women’s college basketball conference tournament guide: A battle for No. 1 seeds
By Shannon Ryan
Mar 6, 2024

Conference tournament week is essentially a welcomed opening act to March Madness. It’s college basketball’s groundhog on Feb. 2, forecasting what kind of NCAA Tournament we might be in for.

The collective storylines and potential battles we’ll see in the conference tournaments this season are full of promise. The end of the Pac-12. The Caitlin Clark Show. South Carolina’s superhero mode. No. 1 seeds up for grabs and tournament bidding on the line. Surely, we’ll be treated to a few surprises along the way too.

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Selection Sunday looms on March 17, but until then, let the conference games begin. We’ve got you covered about who to watch, how to watch and what to know.

Power conference tournaments

ACC

Dates: March 6-10

TV: ESPN, ACCN

Location: Greensboro, N.C.

Top seed: Virginia Tech (23-6, 14-4)

The skinny: Hokies center Elizabeth Kitley’s knee will be a focal point of the tournament. Whether she plays could determine Virginia Tech’s feasibility to reach the Final Four again. The Hokies are in position to gain a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament as long as they don’t stumble in Greensboro.

North Carolina State’s curious losses to Duke and North Carolina could be history if the Wolfpack peak in conference play and return to form. They’re working to hold on to a No. 3 seed.

But don’t overlook Notre Dame and Syracuse. The Irish, who are on a five-game winning streak, recently took down Louisville and Virginia Tech. The Orange have been the surprise of the conference. With a strong performance, one of them could move into the top 16 seeds and host the opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

Big 12

Dates: March 7-12

TV: ESPN, ESPN+

Location: Kansas City, Mo.

Top seed: Oklahoma (21-8, 15-3)

The skinny: The lone conference tournament where if the top seed wins, it might be a surprise. The Sooners have flown under the radar as Kansas State and Texas jockeyed to be the Big 12 queens for much of the regular season. The Sooners are still hard to figure out after a recent loss to Kansas but have smoothed out their major concerns after a rocky nonconference schedule. The tournament appears up for grabs. Texas, led by impressive freshman Madison Booker’s 16.5 points per game, aims to keep a grasp on a No. 2 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Big East

Dates: March 8-11

TV: FS1, FS2

Location: Uncasville, Conn.

Top seed: UConn (26-5, 18-0)

The skinny: It’s not March unless UConn is dominating the Big East. Though this hasn’t been an easy season for the injury-plagued Huskies, they look primed to win a fourth straight conference tournament title. No. 2 seed Creighton lost to the Huskies in 20- and 44-point blowouts this season. No. 5 seed Marquette, the only other conference team to appear in the Top 25 this season, lost to UConn in a similar whimpering fashion with 31- and 26-point losses. The Huskies’ true test will come in the NCAA Tournament.

Big Ten

Dates: March 6-10

TV: BTN, CBS, Peacock, Fox Sports App

Location: Minneapolis

Top seed: Ohio State (25-4, 16-2)

The skinny: We’re all rooting for the same thing, right? An Iowa-Ohio State championship would be delightful after the teams split their regular-season series. The Target Center will be rocking with sold-out crowds to see Caitlin Clark for a final time before she departs for the WNBA next season. But the Hawkeyes might just play themselves into a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they three-peat.

Pac-12

Dates: March 6-10

TV: Pac-12 Network, ESPN

Location: Las Vegas

Top seed: Stanford (26-4, 15-3)

The skinny: The finale of the Pac-12 as we know it will be packed with sentimentality as the league takes a final bow. The end of this era likely will raise the stakes for the players, too. With eight teams as strong candidates to make the NCAA Tournament, the Pac-12 tournament should provide must-see games. USC and UCLA are vying for No. 1 seeds along with Stanford. Cameron Brink, JuJu Watkins, Lauren Betts, Alissa Pili and more will make this a talent-rich conference tournament. And if you haven’t heard by now, don’t sleep on No. 4 seed Oregon State.

SEC

Dates: March 6-10

TV: SEC Network, ESPN, ESPNU

Location: Greenville, S.C.

Top seed: South Carolina (29-0, 16-0)

The skinny: The Gamecocks’ dominance is hard to fathom, as they seem to be playing in a class of their own after completing a second straight undefeated regular season. They’re essentially a lock for the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, even with a hiccup in Greenville. LSU is deep with talent after Kim Mulkey bolstered the roster for Angel Reese with Aneesah Morrow and Hailey Van Lith in hopes of repeating as national champs. A long run in the SEC tourney could prepare them for a similar journey as last season. Of course, Ole Miss raised eyebrows last year around this time and is far from a slouch this season. But South Carolina is the unquestionable giant.

Conference tournament dates

American East: March 8-15

American Athletic: March 9-13

Atlantic 10: March 6-10

ACC: March 6-10

ASUN: March 8-16

Big 12: March 7-12

Big East: March 8-11

Big Ten: March 6-10

Big Sky: March 6-10

Big West: March 13-16

CAA: March 13-17

Conference USA: March 12-16

Horizon: March 5-12

Ivy: March 15-16

MAAC: March 12-16

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MAC: March 13-16

MEAC: March 13-16

Missouri Valley: March 14-17

Mountain West: March 10-13

Northeast: March 11-17

Ohio Valley: March 6-9

Pac-12: March 6-10

Patriot: March 9-17

SEC: March 6-10

Southern: March 7-10

Southland: March 11-14

SWAC: March 13-16

Summit: March 8-12

Sun Belt: March 5-11

West Coast: March 7-12

WAC: March 13-16

(Photos of Kamilla Cardoso, Kiki Iriafen and Cotie McMahon: Tom Pennington, Thearon W. Henderson and Steph Chambers / Getty Images)

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Shannon Ryan is The Athletic’s women’s basketball managing editor. She spent the previous 13 years as a college sports reporter and columnist for the Chicago Tribune, primarily covering college basketball and football. She began her journalism career covering the NFL and college sports for The Philadelphia Inquirer.