Texas women’s basketball coach Vic Schaefer didn’t want to look too far into the future on Sunday.
Moments after his Longhorns beat the South Carolina Gamecocks in the SEC Tournament Championship in Greenville, South Carolina, he just wanted to enjoy the win.
But the Longhorns’ victory over the Gamecocks propelled them into the third No. 1 seed in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology projection, which means they will likely have the opportunity to play in its home state in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds. The two regional sites this year are Sacramento and Fort Worth.
Typically, the No. 1 overall seed gets first preference on where it wants to go. Wherever the Huskies decide to go, the Bruins will certainly want to stay on the West Coast and play in Sacramento, leaving Texas the third choice and at least one Fort Worth slot available.
‘I’m always a one-game-at-a-time guy. So I’m going to worry like heck over that first round matchup, whoever they send to Austin,’ Schaefer said Sunday. ‘Hopefully, we’ll be fortunate enough after that. I’ll go wherever they send me. I’ll take this team to Timbuktu. I don’t care.
‘It would be cool to, obviously, be able to stay around because of our fans. I think they would really embrace the opportunity to follow us.’
Elsewhere in the latest bracket projection following Power 4 conference tournaments, West Virginia and North Carolina have moved into the top 16 and should have hosting rights in the first round.
UNC won its quarterfinal game in the ACC Tournament and wasn’t blown off the court by Louisville in the semifinals, which should be enough to give the Tar Heels the final No. 4 seed. By winning the Big 12 Tournament, the Mountaineers jumped over Michigan State and Minnesota. Should West Virginia host during the tournament’s opening weekend, it’ll be the first time they’ve had March Madness games in Morgantown since 2014.
Here’s the full 68-team projection as of Sunday, March 8:
Fort Worth 1
Storrs, Connecticut
1 UConn
16 Howard
8 Tennessee
9 Virginia Tech
Norman, Oklahoma
5 Minnesota
12 Nebraska / Arizona State
4 Oklahoma
13 McNeese
Ann Arbor, Michigan
6 Notre Dame
11 Rhode Island
3 Michigan
14 Vermont
Nashville, Tennessee
7 NC State
10 Richmond
2 Vanderbilt
15 FDU
Sacramento 2
Los Angeles, California
1 UCLA
16 Cal Baptist
8 Georgia
9 Iowa State
Morgantown, West Virginia
5 Ole Miss
12 Miami Ohio
4 West Virginia
13 Western Illinois
Louisville, Kentucky
6 Oregon
11 Rice
3 Louisville
14 Charleston
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
7 Baylor
10 Clemson
2 LSU
15 LMU
Fort Worth 3
Austin, Texas
1 Texas
16 Alabama A&M / Samford
8 Oklahoma State
9 Syracuse
College Park, Maryland
5 Kentucky
12 Murray State
4 Maryland
13 UC Irvine
Fort Worth, Texas
6 Washington
11 Virginia / Colorado
3 TCU
14 Idaho
Iowa City, Iowa
7 Texas Tech
10 South Dakota State
2 Iowa
15 UNLV
Sacramento 4
Columbia, South Carolina
1 South Carolina
16 High Point / Jacksonville
8 USC
9 Villanova
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
5 Michigan State
12 James Madison
4 North Carolina
13 Louisiana Tech
Columbus, Ohio
6 Alabama
11 Fairfield
3 Ohio State
14 Green Bay
Durham, North Carolina
7 Illinois
10 Princeton
2 Duke
15 Navy
Bubble Watch
Last Four Byes: Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Clemson, Richmond
Last Four In: Virginia, Colorado, Arizona State, Nebraska
First Four Out: North Dakota State, Mississippi State, Florida, BYU
Next Four Out: Kansas State, Columbia, Texas A&M, Stanford
Arizona State hit the magic number. By winning two games in the Big 12 Tournament, the Sun Devils have reached 24 wins. That’s significant because, in the modern era of the tournament, no team from a major conference with 24 wins has ever been left out of the field. Coach Molly Miller’s team also picked up its first Quad 1 win of the season by beating Iowa State, which is a major resume booster.
Nebraska is USA TODAY Sports’ last team in. The Cornhuskers will be rooting for Princeton to win Ivy Madness, because if the Tigers falter it will create a bid-stealing situation. Princeton has a resume good enough for an at-large bid, but no other team in the Ivy does.
Stanford will miss March Madness for the second consecutive year after getting bounced in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Kansas State and BYU really could’ve used another win at the Big 12 Tournament to crack the field of 68.