ESPN Confirm Deal: Successful Hurricane As Lands With A Classic Coach That Rate About 235>Million

This has been the season of exceeding expectations. Of the preseason No. 1 seeds in ESPN’s women’s Bracketology, only UCLA remains on the top line.

No one outside of Columbia conceived of South Carolina — with a nearly entirely new rotation — returning to the top of the rankings just one week into the 2023-24 season.

NC State wasn’t on any radar for a No. 1 seed, but the Wolfpack have earned their way to the top line with an 13-0 record which includes dominant victories over UConn and Colorado.

That was the only blemish for the Buffaloes, who with a veteran team were supposed to be good — but this good? The same holds for USC. Freshman JuJu Watkins has played even better than expected and has pulled the Trojans into the top 10 along with her.

Baylor is still undefeated and has steadily improved its status every week. Kansas State has only a loss to top-seeded Iowa — and the Wildcats also have a win over the Hawkeyes.

All of it — along with as much balanced across the country as the sport has ever seen — has made this the most difficult season in years to size up. And in many ways it leaves more questions than answers as the calendar turns to 2024.

Which storylines will most shape Bracketology for the next 11 weeks before March Madness arrives?

The first two spots on the top line look like South Carolina’s and UCLA’s to lose. They have established themselves as the two best teams in the country. After that, things are still up for grabs.

The current stakeholders — Iowa and NC State — will have plenty of challenges to navigate in the deep Big Ten and ACC. If Stanford, Colorado or USC can establish themselves as the Pac-12’s second-best team behind the Bruins, they would be a prime No. 1 seed candidate.

LSU and UConn, the preseason’s top two teams, can’t be counted out. The Tigers have a manageable SEC schedule, with just one game each against South Carolina, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Tennessee. The Huskies sent a loud message in Sunday’s win over Marquette that they could be back in the conversation.

The Rori Harmon injury seems to have taken Texas out of the mix, but Baylor, which won at Austin on Saturday, is beginning to look the part. Expect plenty of changes for the overall Nos. 3 and 4 spots before Selection Sunday.

USC’s performance at UCLA on Saturday, even in a loss, was a good sign for the Pac-12. The Bruins are one of the country’s best teams and the Trojans went toe-to-toe, confirming they will have a long stay in the top 16.

Stanford is No. 2 in the NET, and Colorado’s win over Utah on Saturday reaffirmed how good the Buffaloes are. Neither the Cardinal nor Colorado are going anywhere anytime soon.

The Utes are the wild card for that fifth team. With losses to every meaningful opponent on its schedule so far, and still dealing with the loss of Gianna Kneepkens, Utah’s spot as a potential host for first- and second-round NCAA tournament games is teetering. The Utes are now a No. 4 seed and likely need a win over Stanford on Jan. 12 or USC on Jan. 19 to avoid falling from a No. 5 seed or worse.