:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68967550/usa_today_15694152.0.jpg)
The 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament tips off on Sunday, March 21, but in the meantime, the field has to be settled. The annual selection show airs at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, March 15 on ESPN and we’ll get the full bracket of 64 teams.
The bracket will be topped by some of the usual blue bloods. UConn and Stanford are viewed as locks to gain a No. 1 seed. South Carolina and Texas A&M have topped recent bracketology reports for the other two No. 1 seeds, but NC State, Baylor, and Maryland all hope their case might convince committee members of their worth. Even if those latter three do not get a No. 1, they are all but certain to secure a No. 2 seed.
As of Monday morning, the bubble includes such programs as Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, BYU, Washington State, Wake Forest, DePaul, and UCF. Some mix of them will be in the Big Dance when the bracket is announced, but it’s anybody’s guess who of this group gets in and who gets out.
This year’s tournament has been moved entirely to San Antonio due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament will use five facilities that will provide space for up to six games at a time. The locations are as follows:
Alamodome (Two Courts)
Bill Greehey Arena
Frank Erwin Center
University Events Center
UTSA Convocation Center
The first round will use all five facilities. The second round will use the Alamodome, Bill Greehey Arena, and UTSA Convocation Center. The remaining rounds will be played exclusively at the Alamodome.