UConn, South Carolina, Notre Dame and Baylor maintain top seeds as calendar turns to March

With Selection Monday only 15 days away, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Sport Committee continues to maintain that UConn, South Carolina, Notre Dame and Baylor are the four top seeds, while Texas has moved into the top-five in the latest February top-10 ranking released today.

The remainder of the top-10 includes Oregon State at No. 6, followed in order by Arizona State, Maryland, Ohio State and UCLA. Other teams receiving committee consideration for a top-10 ranking were Louisville and Stanford. 

Today’s ranking will have no bearing on the final 2016 championship bracket that will be revealed on March 14 at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The 10 teams announced today are identical to those identified in the first two rankings on Feb. 1 and Feb. 15. Texas made a move over the last two weeks from No. 6 to No. 5, while Ohio State had the biggest move down, dropping from No. 5 to No. 9.

“There was lively discussion about the teams and their relative standing almost all the way through the top 10," said Chris Dawson, chair of the committee and associate commissioner at the Pac-12 Conference. "Trying to balance the season resumes, the eye test and all the other factors proved challenging.  The next two weeks will be especially important for many teams as they look to close out the regular season strong and perform well at their respective conference tournaments.  We will be watching.”

RELATED: Complete 2016 conference tournament schedule

UConn, the defending three-time national champion, is currently riding a 65-game winning streak as the No. 1 team in the country with a record of 28-0 overall and 17-0 in the American Athletic Conference. UConn will be looking to close out a perfect regular season tonight when they host South Florida.

South Carolina and Notre Dame, which maintained the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, respectively, both have clinched conference regular season championships and share the distinction of having only one loss this season -- to UConn. South Carolina stands 28-1 overall and 16-0 in the Southeastern Conference, while Notre Dame is 28-1 overall and 16-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. 

NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship Sport Committee

February 29 – Top 10 Ranking

1. UConn
2. South Carolina
3. Notre Dame
4. Baylor
5. Texas
6. Oregon State
7. Arizona State
8. Maryland
9. Ohio State
10. UCLA

Others receiving consideration: Louisville and Stanford.