Los Angeles’ Crosstown rivals earned the No. 1 seed in the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.
The Top Seed was the first in the Bruins program history to win the Big Ten Tournament by beating their Crosstown rivals in the title game. The Bruins’ only two losses this season came against USC, earning the top seed for the second year in a row.
The Trojans are making their 19th consecutive overall appearance in the tournament.
The Bruins and Trojans are joined by South Carolina and Texas as the first species the NCAA revealed on Sunday night.
Here’s what you need 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 Region 1 Bracket in Spokane, Washington on Friday.
The Bruins’ first round game is scheduled for 7pm at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.
When will USC play in the NCAA Tournament?
The fourth-placed Trojan will host the 16-seeded UNC Greensboro at Gallen Centre on Saturday at 12pm.
Payment time
For the first time in NCAA history, women’s teams have financial incentives. They are ultimately paid to play the game in the NCAA tournament, as men have had for many years.
The so-called performance units representing revenue are given to the female team for each they get. Teams reaching the Final Four will be able to conference approximately $1.26 million in financial performance compensation over the next three years.
This comes a year after South Carolina saw them beat Kate Linklark and Iowa gave a better TV rating than the men’s title game.
Tournament Site
The top 16 seeds of the 68 Team Field will host their first and second games, with regional rounds taking place at two neutral sites for the third year in a row. Spokane, Washington, hosts half of the Sweet 16, while Birmingham, Alabama, hosts eight other teams.
The Final Four will take place in Tampa, Florida on April 4th, with the championship game being held two days later.
A bite from the tournament
One team that didn’t make the field was Stanford, finishing up a 36-year winning streak for Cardinal in the NCAA Tournament. This is the first time Stanford has not played for the NCAAS since 1987. While that streak was over, Tennessee has continued to make the appearance of NCAA tournaments in this field every year since the first NCAA tournament in 1982. Ladyvols is 5 seeds.
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