D-I Women's Bracket Rapid Reaction: Toughest Pod, Rematch to Watch, More

Boston College is seeking its eighth consecutive NCAA championship game appearance, though the Eagles were hardly talked about during the Selection Show on Sunday.

That’s because there was so much else to discuss.

Yes, the Eagles are essentially aiming to play home games in the NCAA semifinals and championship game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. And while the path won’t be easy, the paths of two other seeds dominated the conversation following the bracket reveal.

Fourth-seeded Florida and seventh-seeded Yale received rigorous draws. Brutal, even. But we won’t spill too much digital ink on that here because there’s more to come below.

Instead, let’s celebrate. The NCAA tournament is here. Twenty-nine teams with a singular goal in a season defined by upsets and more parity than ever before.

Sign us up.

NATIONAL SEEDS

1. North Carolina
2. Boston College
3. Northwestern
4. Florida
5. Virginia
6. Maryland
7. Yale
8. Johns Hopkins

FLIGHTS

UMass was quite literally about to board its flight back home to Amherst while the Selection show aired, so they came at you live from Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. Their celebration was awesome.

But that’s not the flight we’re talking about. There are typically flight limitations when constructing the bracket, and the committee seems to have kept it to just two. Denver and Stanford will fly to Gainesville for what appears to be the toughest pod. But more on that below.

TOUGHEST PODS

Florida (Mercer, Denver, Stanford in Gainesville, Fla.)

A brutal draw for Florida, which has been excellent during its 17-2 season but will be challenged greatly if it advances past Mercer. But don’t sleep on the Bears, who took down Clemson in shocking fashion earlier this year. A tough pod all around.

Yale (UAlbany, Syracuse, Brown in New Haven, Conn.)

It’s hard not to feel for Yale. This pod is tremendously difficult. It beat Syracuse by one this year and lost to Brown. Putting the Bulldogs in the same pod as an at-large Ivy League team it lost against is odd.

BEST FIRST-ROUND GAME

Stony Brook vs. Loyola

These two programs have incredible histories of dominance within their conferences. By their own standards, both have also had “down” years. “Down” meaning quiet, but both are lurking and hungry for a run. This could be a slugfest.

REMATCH TO WATCH

Denver vs. Stanford

It was a surprise to not see Stanford seeded at No. 8. To add insult to injury, the Cardinal match up against Denver, a team it lost against earlier this year, in the first round in Gainesville. It was a decisive 14-9 win for the Pios and seemed to spark their late-season run to the Big East title.

MORE NOTES

Navy goes to the Chapel Hill pod to play Clemson in the first round. It’s the Mids’ first trip to the tournament since 2019 after being snubbed last year. … Speaking of Clemson, it’s the Tigers’ first-ever NCAA tournament berth in just their third year as a varsity program. … No seed for Princeton is likely a direct result of its loss to Yale in the Ivy League championship game. … Johns Hopkins’ third-most difficult schedule in the country likely attributed to the Blue Jays earning the No. 8 seed. … It was a surprise to not see Stanford seeded, perhaps in that No. 8 spot. Drawing Denver in the first round is a tough matchup. The committee mentioned losses to Army and Denver as the reason for the placement of the Cardinal. … Geography played a big role in the Northwestern pod. Michigan and Akron always made sense as teams likely bound for Evanston. … Army has the best watch party celebrations. Hands down. No notes. … Actually, another note on Army. The Black Knights’ inclusion gives the Patriot League three NCAA tournament teams for the first time in history.