NCAA women's March Madness brackets revealed

The GIST: Pencils out! After reading our Selection Sunday Scroll and watching last night’s committee reveal, the real bracket (guess)work begins. We can’t tell you how the Madness will unfold, but we can break down last night’s women’s selection show.

All dressed in red: Unsurprisingly, defending champs South Carolina, the nation’s only undefeated team, was named the overall No. 1 seed. Also expected was Indiana, but steady Stanford and ACC tourney champ Virginia Tech’s top seedings were a bit more head-scratching, given who was left out.

• Iowa, who not only won the Big Ten tourney but beat Indiana in their last regular-season game, had to settle for a No. 2 seed. On behalf of Caitlin Clark, make it make sense.

Play-in with our hearts: One thing that caught us off-guard? The fact that Coach of the Year candidate Shauna Green’s Illinois gals have to battle Mississippi State in a First Four matchup to even make the first round as a No. 11 seed. The Illini held their own in an exceptionally tough Big Ten this season, so an outright first-round berth felt earned.

• Speaking of the Big Ten, they broke their own record for most squads to dance with seven — same and same for the Pac-12. But the ACC topped both with eight dancing queens teams, a reflection of their over-the-top talent.

Tiny dancers: If you’re new to brackets, don’t worry, you’re not alone — No. 13 seed Saint Louis will cha-cha for the first time after winning the Atlantic 10 conference tournament last week. The Billikens will need beginner’s luck when they face No. 4 Tennessee next weekend.