Women's Fastbreak On SI

Rebecca Lobo Shares UConn Related 'Disappointment' Over NCAA Tournament Bracket

ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo didn't mince words about this aspect of UConn's NCAA Tournament seeding.

Grant Young

Feb 25, 2022; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma talks with guard Paige Bueckers (5) from the sideline as they take on the St. John's Red Storm in the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Feb 25, 2022; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma talks with guard Paige Bueckers (5) from the sideline as they take on the St. John's Red Storm in the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

The 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament bracket reveal on March 16 conveyed that the UConn Huskies were a No. 2 seed. What's more, they were in the same region of the bracket as the No. 1 seeded USC Trojans, which means one of these two teams is guaranteed to not make it to the Final Four.

When this was revealed during ESPN's Selection Sunday show, UConn alum and basketball icon Rebecca Lobo seemed frustrated with this grouping, as she noted on air that having these two teams in the same part of the bracket wasn't good for television (since it would be better if they were to face off in the Final Four).

Lobo expanded on this sentiment during her March 17 appearance on the GoJo and Golic show.

“This was frankly the biggest surprise to me when I saw the bracket, and sort of the biggest disappointment," Lobo said when speaking about UConn and USC, per an X post from GoJo and Golic. "You know, Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins are the two biggest stars in women's college basketball. We do have other big stars... however, the two biggest are Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins.

"And the notion that one of them for sure will not be in the Final Four is certainly disappointing," Lobo continued. "It was a massive surprise when we got the bracket to see that this matchup between USC and UConn that everyone wants to see might just happen a little bit earlier.

"If I am a USC fan, I am not happy about that at all," Lobo concluded about this bracket.

Props to Lobo for being willing to speak her mind about this.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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