A Look at NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament One-Seeds

Here's a closer look at South Carolina, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia Tech basketball — the four one-seeds in the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament.

Haley Jordan | Mar 16, 2023

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The four one-seeds in the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament are South Carolina, Indiana, Stanford and Virginia Tech. Let's break down what got these top four teams to a favorable position in the Big Dance.

South Carolina Gamecocks

The No. 1 overall seed Gamecocks have had an incredible season as the only undefeated team left in the nation. For those who follow the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, South Carolina topped the list every single week and showed few signs of budging.

Their closest games this season were in November versus fellow one-seed Stanford where the Gamecocks took down the Cardinal 76-71 in overtime on the road, the road game at Mississippi State with only a seven-point win in January and just a four-point road win over UConn in February.

A couple weeks later, the last squad that come close to taking down the top team was Ole Miss that forced overtime but ultimately lost by seven points at home in Oxford, Miss.

The point is although South Carolina has had four close calls, the rest of the schedule is rough for the opponents who got blown out by head coach Dawn Staley and her leading scorers senior guard Zia Cooke and senior forward Aliyah Boston, who combine for 28.6 points per game.

South Carolina has the second-best offense in the SEC averaging 81.4 points per game behind LSU's 84.1. The Gamecocks also have the best defense in the conference too with 49.6 boards per game and nine blocks but is second to last in steals with just 6.7 per contest.

The team doesn't have scorers popping off for 30 points a night, but the consistency across all stat lines has been a magnet for wins.

No. 16-seed Norfolk State will try its luck at South Carolina Friday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN in the first round of the tournament.

Mar 5, 2023; Greenville, SC, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks players gather around the SEC Championship trophy after the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena / © Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Hoosiers

The No. 2 overall seed and first team to earn a one-seed in their program's history is the Indiana Hoosiers, who only have three blemishes on their season.

The Hoosiers have worked their way up to the No. 2 slot in the AP Poll and have been consistent all season long claiming defense as their bread and butter. Senior forward Mackenzie Holmes earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as the 6-foot-3-inch Gorham, Maine native averages 1.9 blocks per game for second best in the conference.

She's also the team's leading scorer averaging 22.3 points per contest and has the best field goal percentage in the Big and second best in the nation shooting 68.8 percent. She's helped by graduate student guard Grace Berger, who directs the Hoosiers' offense with sound ball control and smart decisions.

Indiana's defense is ranked first in the Big limiting its opponents to 62.3 points per game while its offense is ranked second behind Iowa as the Hoosiers score 81.5 points per contest.

Hoosier head coach Teri Moren has said all season long the Big is the best conference in the country this season. That sound argument means the Hoosiers winning the outright Big Ten regular season title is even more impressive.

Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2, Indiana will play the winner of the First Four Monmouth versus Tennessee Tech game.

Indiana's Grace Berger (34) helps hoist the Big Ten championship trophy after the second half of the Indiana versus Purdue women's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023. — Indiana's Grace Berger (34) helps hoist the Big Ten championship trophy after the second half of the Indiana versus Purdue women's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023 :: © Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Stanford Cardinal

As the No. 3 overall seed, the Cardinal has the most losses of any one-seed selection with five on the season. However each loss was close as Stanford's consistency on both sides of the ball keeps it in every game.

Ranked second in the Pac-12 in both offense and defense categories scoring 76.5 points per game and allowing opponents 58.6, the all-time winningest coach in women's college basketball Tara VanDerveer has led her teams to the tournament every year since 1987.

The team is led by junior forward Cameron Brink and senior guard Haley Jones, who combine for 28.3 points per game. The pair also averages more than nine rebounds per game as third and fourth best in the conference.

Stanford's last NCAA title came in 2021, and it followed up with a Final Four appearance last season. It doesn't matter that there are five losses on the record. Coach VanDerveer has proven to lead teams to deep NCAA Tournament runs every single season and conditions the Cardinal to be used to winning.

Stanford will play No. 16-seed Sacred Heart in the first round on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Feb 20, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal forward Cameron Brink (22) and forward Kiki Iriafen (44) celebrate their 71-66 victory over UCLA Bruins at Maples Pavilion / © John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports

Virginia Tech Hokies

The Virginia Tech Hokies seemingly came out of nowhere as the team has only made two NCAA Tournament appearances since 2006. The Hokies have never made it past the Sweet 16 in school history, but this could be the year that changes.

Virginia Tech has only four losses on its season and just recently polished off Louisville for its first ACC Tournament tile in school history.

Four Hokies average double-figure scoring led by senior center Elizabeth Kitley's 18.6 points per contest. The 6-foot-6-inch Summerfield, N.C. native also leads the team with 10.5 boards per game as the best in the conference.

Virginia Tech tears it up from beyond the arc as it shoots a conference best 34.9 percent from downtown and also has the best free-throw percentage at 75.4 percent.

This well-rounded team might have been average in the past, but head coach Kenny Brooks has done a phenomenal job turning his team into a Final Four contender during his seven-season tenure.

Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU, the Hokies will face No. 16-seed Chattanooga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Mar 5, 2023; Greensboro, NC, USA; The Virginia Tech Hokies punch their ticket to the NCAAW tournament after winning the ACC Women's Championship over the Louisville Cardinals at Greensboro Coliseum / © William Howard-USA TODAY Sports

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