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NCAA Tournament Bracket: UCLA Bruins, USC Trojans Earn No. 1 Seeds

The USC Trojans and JuJu Watkins are a No. 1 seed in the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament bracket. March Madness is here! The UCLA Bruins are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament. The other No. 1 seeds are the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Texas Longhorns.

Cory Pappas

UCLA Bruins guard Kiki Rice (1) guards USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) as she passes the ball during the second half of the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament final game on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. UCLA defeated USC 72-67.
UCLA Bruins guard Kiki Rice (1) guards USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) as she passes the ball during the second half of the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament final game on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. UCLA defeated USC 72-67. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans women’s basketball team are the No. 1 seed in the Spokane Region, announced on Selection Sunday as the NCAA Tournament bracket has been released. The Trojans failed to secure an auto bid to the tournament, losing in the Big Ten Tournament championship game to UCLA.

The Trojans will play No. 16 UNC Greensboro in the first round.

The UCLA Bruins are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament field. In addition to USC and UCLA, the other No. 1 seeds are the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Texas Longhorns.

The Trojans beat UCLA twice during the regular season, but the Bruins got the last laugh after beating USC in the Big Ten Championship Game. UCLA only has two losses on the season, both to USC.

USC No. 1 Seed

USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) guards UCLA Bruins guard Londynn Jones (3) during the first half of the 2025 TIAA Big Ten
USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) guards UCLA Bruins guard Londynn Jones (3) during the first half of the 2025 TIAA Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament final game on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. UCLA defeated USC 72-67. / Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The USC Trojans were slated to be a No. 1 seed per Charlie Creme of ESPN. Creme is a bracketologist for ESPN and had the Trojans as one of the four No. 1 seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Creme had the rest of the No. 1 seeds correct, predicting UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas.

On the No. 2 seed line are the TCU Horned Frogs, UConn Huskies, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and North Carolina State Wolfpack. Ultimately, the Trojans were ranked above all four of them, earning a No. 1 seed in this year's tournament.

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Trojans Path To A Final Four

Mar 8, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb communicate with her player as they play against
Mar 8, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lindsay Gottlieb communicate with her player as they play against UCLA Bruins during the first quarter for the Big Ten Conference Championship at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Stephanie Amador Blondet-Imagn Images / Stephanie Amador Blondet-Imagn Images

USC is the No. 1 seed, and they are placed in the Spokane Region. The Trojans will play their first and second round games at the Galen Center. In the first round, USC will face No. 16 UNC Greensboro. Should the Trojans advance, they will face the winner of No. 8 Cal vs. No. 9 Mississippi State.

Other teams in USC's leg of the bracket include No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 4 Kentucky, and No. 5 Kansas State.

Farleigh Dickinson’s men’s team took the country by storm in 2023 when they stunned No. 1 seeded Purdue to become the only the second ever No. 16 seed to win a game. That has yet to happen in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. 

USC was a No. 1 seed in last season’s tournament, but fell to the No. 3 seeded UConn Huskies in the Elite Eight. 

National Championship Odds

Mar 10, 2025; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after a play against the Creighton Bluejays
Mar 10, 2025; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after a play against the Creighton Bluejays in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Trojans are tied for the third best odds to win the national championship per FanDuel Sportsbook. 

USC, UCLA, and Texas all have odds of +650 to win it all. The two teams ahead of them are UConn and South Carolina, who both have odds of +270 to cut down the nets in Tampa.

  • Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 
  • If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 
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Cory Pappas
CORY PAPPAS

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.

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