Los Angeles’ cross-town rivals earned No. 1 seeds in the women’s NCAA basketball tournament.
The top seed was the first in program history for the Bruins, who won the Big Ten Tournament with a victory over their cross-town rivals in the title game. The only two losses for the Bruins this season came against USC, which earned a top seed for the second straight year.
The Trojans are making their consecutive and 19th overall appearance in the tournament.
The Bruins and Trojans were joined by South Carolina and Texas as the No. 1 seeds that the NCAA revealed Sunday night.
Here’s what to know about UCLA and USC in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
When will UCLA play in the NCAA Tournament?
UCLA (30-2) will play the winner of the UC San Diego vs. Southern play-in game in the first round of the Regional 1 bracket in Spokane, Washington on Friday.
The Bruins’ first-round game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.
When will USC play in the NCAA Tournament?
The No. 4-ranked Trojans will host No. 16-seeded UNC Greensboro at 12 p.m. Saturday at the Galen Center.
Payout time
For the first time in NCAA history, there will be a financial incentive for women’s teams. They will finally be paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament just like the men have for years.
So-called performance units, which represent revenue, will be given to women’s teams for each win they get. A team that reaches the Final Four could bring its conference roughly $1.26 million over the next three years in financial performance rewards.
This comes a year after the women’s championship game that saw South Carolina beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa do better TV ratings than the men’s title game.
Tournament sites
The top 16 seeds in the 68-team field will host first- and second-round games, with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the third straight year. Spokane, Washington, will host half of the Sweet 16 and Birmingham, Alabama, will host the other eight teams.
The Final Four will be played in Tampa, Florida, on April 4, and the championship game is two days later.
Tournament tidbits
One team that didn’t make the field was Stanford, which ended the Cardinal’s 36-year streak of playing in the NCAA Tournament. It’s the first time since 1987 that Stanford won’t play in the NCAAs. While that streak is over, Tennessee continued its NCAA Tournament run of appearing every year in the field since the first NCAA Tournament in 1982. The Lady Vols are a five-seed.
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