The Weekly: NCAA changes seeding rules for women’s basketball tournament - RAW CHILI

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NCAA changes seeding rules for women’s basketball tournament

Starting in 2027, the NCAA will no longer take conference affiliation into account when seeding the top 16 teams for the women’s basketball tournament. Instead, they’ll be ranked from 1-16 and placed in the bracket accordingly.

Previously, teams on the top four seed lines could not end up in the same region as a conference mate — if possible, at least. This played out in the 2026 NCAA Tournament when the SEC had two 1-seeds and two 2-seeds.

If the teams were placed based strictly on bracket integrity, South Carolina and LSU would’ve ended up in the same region. Instead, the committee moved LSU to UCLA’s region and swapped Vanderbilt into UConn’s quadrant. Michigan — the eighth overall seed — was paired with No. 3 Texas.

This change will only be instituted on the women’s side. The men’s tournament will continue to avoid intra-conference matchups among the top four seeds.

Analysis: This is a boon for UConn and a move that needed to happen. If the Big Ten and SEC continue to monopolize the top seeds, the bracket shouldn’t be mangled at the expense of every other team and league in the field.

Now, the Huskies will be in a properly seeded bracket instead of one contorted to fit outdated seeding rules.

UConn’s All-Stars all land on Team Cooper

During the WNBA All-Star Draft on Wednesday, all three former UConn players ended up on the same team. Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams will make up 60 percent of the starting lineup for Team Cooper. They’ll be led by Las Vegas Aces’ head coach Becky Hammon.

As the player who received the most fan votes, Bueckers was automatically slotted into the No. 1 overall pick. Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon — the two All-Star general managers — flipped a coin for Bueckers, with Cooper coming out on top. Stewart was the first formal selection for Cooper while Williams rounded out the starting five.

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game will tip off on Saturday, July 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET. ABC will have the broadcast from Chicago’s United Center.

Analysis: This will be a treat for UConn fans. There are only three Huskies in this year’s WNBA All-Star Game but all of them will suit up and start for the same side. Bueckers has made a major leap forward in her second season, Stewart is as dominant as she’s ever been and Williams is in the midst of a breakout campaign.

While Stewart and Williams played together in college, this will be Bueckers’ first time taking the court with a fellow former UConn player at the professional level (aside from Azzi Fudd).

Back in February 2025, Morgan Cheli underwent season-ending surgery on her ankle. It ultimately knocked her out of the entire 2025-26 campaign as well.

Earlier this offseason, Cheli spoke to the media for the first time since the operation. She revealed that she suffered a stress fracture and explained that she never intended to miss all of last season.

“I fought the entire year trying to get back,” she said. “I think I held onto a little hope the entire time and ultimately, that just wasn’t possible.”

Analysis: Throughout the year, updates on Cheli’s status were typically vague and sparse, so her status constantly remained a mystery. Now that she’s fully healthy and back on the court, the redshirt sophomore provided a valuable and illuminating tell-all.