When it comes to March Madness, all eyes are on the No. 1 Seed. It is a badge of honor, a warning to opponents, and a target, too. Since the NCAA women’s basketball program started in 1982, 172 top seeds have been handed out across 43 tournaments.
The journey from the No. 1 seed to the championship is not easy, despite being the top seed. The 1998 Harvard team, the only No. 16 seed to knock off a No. 1, is a prime example that there is a game beyond the seeding. But history factors in the elite.
Thirty-three champions have worn the No. 1 label, and at least one top-seeded squad has reached the Final Four every single year. Now that’s legacy. So, which schools have made a habit of sitting at the top?
Which Are the Women’s College Basketball Programs With the Most No. 1 Seeds?
Here are the top programs that have stacked the most No. 1 seeds in NCAA tournament history:
- Tennessee – 22
- Most Recent: 2014
- UConn – 22
- Most Recent: 2021
- Stanford – 13
- Most Recent: 2023
- Louisiana Tech – 10
- Most Recent: 2000
- Notre Dame – 9
- Most Recent: 2019
- South Carolina – 9
- Most Recent: 2025
- Duke – 7
- Most Recent: 2009
- Texas – 7
- Most Recent: 2025
- Baylor – 6
- Most Recent: 2019
- North Carolina – 5
- Most Recent: 2008
The Old Dominion and Southern California are tied with North Carolina at 5. Then there’s Georgia and Maryland at 4. Auburn, Iowa, Long Beach State, Louisville, LSU, Penn State, Vanderbilt, and Virginia are all tied at 2.
Now, apart from their names, there are programs that have been the top seed once or twice.
In 2025, UCLA finally joined the party. They became the No. 1 seed for the first time ever. They weren’t alone in their late arrival. Indiana and Virginia Tech both cracked the top line in 2023.
NC State was a late bloomer, too. They did it only in 2021. After hovering around the No. 2 spot for years in the late ’80s and early ’90s, they finally broke through after a 20–2 season and an ACC title. And they went back again in 2022.
Oh, and let’s not forget the OGs.
Cheyney State was No. 1 back in 1983, in just the tournament’s second year. Meanwhile, programs like Colorado (1995), Nebraska (2010), and Texas Tech (1998) only have one to their name.
KEEP READING: Top 7 Women’s College Basketball Coaches Without a National Title
But the top seed is not just about the glory.
A powerhouse like UConn, which had a 12-year run as a No. 1 from 2007 to 2018, or a team like Mississippi State, which earned it twice, knows that being No. 1 isn’t just about the number. It’s about the moment, the momentum, and the magic of being the hunted.
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