March Madness is here! Here is what to know about the women’s NCAA Tournament, including the favorites and underdogs as well as key games and how to watch: TOP SEEDS

The top four seeds in the tournament are South Carolina, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford. Each is in a region, some tougher than others (on paper). We break them down for you:

SOUTH CAROLINA (32-0): The defending national champions are the No. 1 overall seed and the Greenville I Region breaks down favorably. It includes two teams in No. 2 seed Maryland (25-6) and No. 4 seed UCLA (23-9) who the Gamecocks beat earlier this season. South Carolina is loaded, with two-time Southeastern Conference player of the year Aliyah Boston and leading scorer Zia Cooke.

INDIANA (27-3): After a loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semis, some wondered if the Hoosiers might miss out on a top seed. They landed it in the Greenville II Region and start against either Tennessee Tech or Monmouth. Mackenzie Holmes leads Indiana with 22.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Top challengers include No. 2 seed Utah, No. 3 seed LSU and No. 4 seed Villanova, which is led by scoring sensation Maddy Siegrist.

VIRGINIA TECH (27-5): The Hokies won their first ACC Tournament championship and will lead the Seattle 3 Region. Elizabeth Kitley has stepped things up down the stretch as Virginia Tech won its final eight games. Virginia Tech could have to navigate No. 4 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16 and No. 2 seed UConn or No. 3 seed Ohio State after that.

STANFORD (28-5): The committee looked to Stanford’s steadiness for much of the season in giving it the top seed in the Seattle 4 Region. The Cardinal are led by Cameron Brink and Haley Jones, who have combined to score more than 28 points per game this season. Look for a potential high-wattage battle for the Final Four against No. 2 seed Iowa, led by national player of the year candidate Caitlin Clark.

GAMES TO WATCH

No. 3 seed Notre Dame (25-5) vs. No. 14 seed Southern Utah (23-6), Friday. The Fighting Irish’s chances for a deep run will certainly be affected by how seriously do-everything leader Olivia Miles is hurt. She left the ACC Tournament quarterfinals two weeks ago with a knee injury.

Monmouth (18-13) vs. Tennessee Tech (22-9), Thursday, ESPNU. Monmouth, surprise winners of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, have not played in the NCAA tourney since 1983 and get the chance to extend its stay in a First Four contest Wednesday. Either the Hawks or the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament champions in Tennessee Tech, both 16 seeds, will have to take on top-seed Indiana on Friday.

No. 5 seed Louisville (23-11) vs. No. 12 seed Drake (22-9), Saturday. The Cardinals were a Final Four team a season ago and start their journey back as a No. 5 seed. They’ll open things against Drake (22-9), which was seeded fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament yet defeated Belmont to take the league’s automatic bid. Louisville is led by Hailey Van Lith, who’s averaged 19.2 points a game this season.

No. 4 seed Villanova (28-6) vs. No. 13 seed Cleveland State (30-4), Saturday. Villanova features one of the country’s best players in Maddy Siegrist, a two-time Big East player of year. The Wildcats are in a stacked region with top seed Indiana, No. 2 seed Utah and No. 3 seed LSU in front of them. Cleveland State won the Horizon League and made the NCAAs for the first time since 2010.

HOW TO WATCH

Every game of the women’s tournament will be available on ESPN’s networks or streaming, with fans encouraged to navigate to the “Watch” tab on ESPN’s sites. The NCAA will have a women’s basketball specific March Madness app by AT&T.

There are multiple sites listing game times and other details, including the NCAA site.

BETTING GUIDE Who’s going to win the national championship? The betting favorites as of this week to reach the Final Four are (in order): South Carolina, UConn, Stanford, Indiana, Iowa and LSU, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Gamecocks are a heavy favorite to become the first repeat champion in the women’s tournament since UConn won the last of four straight in 2016.

MARCH MADNESS CALENDAR Selection Sunday set the brackets for First Four games (March 15-16) and first- and second-round games (March 17-20) at multiple sites across the country.

Sweet 16 weekend brings a twist this year for the women’s teams: There will be two regional sites instead of four, with Greenville, South Carolina, and Seattle each hosting eight teams.

Where is the women’s Final Four? In Dallas, where the semifinals are March 31 and the championship game is April 2. As it happens, the men’s Final Four is a four-hour drive down the road in Houston that same weekend.

TOURNEY AT-A-GLANCE

All Times EDT

FIRST FOUR

Thursday, March 16

At Value City Arena

Columbus, Ohio

Purdue (19-10) vs. St. John’s (22-8), 7 p.m.

At Assembly Hall

Bloomington, Ind.

Monmouth (NJ) (18-15) vs. Tennessee Tech (22-9), 9 p.m.

Wednesday, March 15

At Purcell Pavilion

South Bend, Ind.

Illinois (22-9) vs. Mississippi St. (20-10), 7 p.m.

At Maples Pavilion

Stanford, Calif.

Sacred Heart (18-13) vs. Southern U. (18-14), 9 p.m.

SEATTLE 4

First Round

Friday, March 17

At Maples Pavilion

Stanford, Calif.

Stanford (28-5) vs. Sacred Heart-Southern U. winner, TBA

Mississippi (23-8) vs. Gonzaga (28-4), TBA

At Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Iowa City, Iowa

Florida St. (23-9) vs. Georgia (21-11), TBA

Iowa (26-6) vs. SE Louisiana (21-9), TBA

Saturday, March 18

At Moody Center

Austin, Texas

Louisville (23-11) vs. Drake (22-9), TBA

Texas (25-9) vs. East Carolina (23-9), TBA

At Cameron Indoor Stadium

Durham, N.C.

Colorado (23-8) vs. Middle Tennessee (28-4), TBA

Duke (25-6) vs. Iona (26-6), TBA

Second Round

Sunday, March 19

At Maples Pavilion

Stanford, Calif.

Stanford_Sacred Heart-Southern U. winner vs. Mississippi-Gonzaga winner, TBA

At Carver-Hawkeye Arena

Iowa City, Iowa

Iowa-SE Louisiana winner vs. Florida St.-Georgia winner, TBA

Monday, March 20

At Moody Center

Austin, Texas

Texas-East Carolina winner vs. Louisville-Drake winner, TBA

At Cameron Indoor Stadium

Durham, N.C.

Duke-Iona winner vs. Colorado-Middle Tennessee winner, TBA

At Climate Pledge Arena

Seattle

Regional Semifinals

Saturday, March 25

Stanford_Sacred Heart-Southern U._Mississippi-Gonzaga winner vs. Texas-East Carolina_Louisville-Drake winner, TBA

Iowa-SE Louisiana_Florida St.-Georgia winner vs. Duke-Iona_Colorado-Middle Tennessee winner, TBA

Regional Championship

Monday, March 27

Semifinal winners, TBA

GREENVILLE 2

First Round

Saturday, March 18

At Assembly Hall

Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana (27-3) vs. Monmouth (NJ)-Tennessee Tech winner, TBA

Oklahoma St. (21-11) vs. Miami (19-12), TBA

At The William B. Finneran Pavilion

Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Washington St. (23-10) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (32-3), TBA

Villanova (28-6) vs. Cleveland St. (30-4), TBA

Friday, March 17

At Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Baton Rouge, La.

Michigan (22-9) vs. UNLV (31-2), TBA

LSU (28-2) vs. Hawaii (18-14), TBA

At Jon M. Huntsman Center

Salt Lake City

NC State (20-11) vs. Princeton (23-5), TBA

Utah (25-4) vs. Gardner-Webb (29-4), TBA

Second Round

Monday, March 20

At Assembly Hall

Bloomington, Ind.

Indiana_Monmouth (NJ)-Tennessee Tech winner vs. Oklahoma St.-Miami winner, TBA

At The William B. Finneran Pavilion

Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Villanova-Cleveland St. winner vs. Washington St.-Florida Gulf Coast winner, TBA

Sunday, March 19

At Pete Maravich Assembly Center

Baton Rouge, La.

LSU-Hawaii winner vs. Michigan-UNLV winner, TBA

At Jon M. Huntsman Center

Salt Lake City

Utah-Gardner-Webb winner vs. NC State-Princeton winner, TBA

At Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Greenville, S.C.

Regional Semifinals

Saturday, March 25

Indiana_Monmouth (NJ)-Tennessee Tech_Oklahoma St.-Miami winner vs. Villanova-Cleveland St._Washington St.-Florida Gulf Coast winner, TBA

Utah-Gardner-Webb_NC State-Princeton winner vs. LSU-Hawaii_Michigan-UNLV winner, TBA

Regional Championship

Monday, March 27

Semifinal winners, TBA

GREENVILLE 1

First Round

Friday, March 17

At Colonial Life Arena

Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina (32-0) vs. Norfolk St. (26-6), TBA

South Florida (26-6) vs. Marquette (21-10), TBA

At Purcell Pavilion

South Bend, Ind.

Creighton (22-8) vs. Illinois-Mississippi St. winner, TBA

Notre Dame (25-5) vs. S. Utah (23-9), TBA

At Xfinity Center

College Park, Md.

Arizona (21-9) vs. West Virginia (19-11), TBA

Maryland (25-6) vs. Holy Cross (24-8), TBA

Saturday, March 18

At Pauley Pavilion

Los Angeles

Oklahoma (25-6) vs. Portland (23-8), TBA

UCLA (25-9) vs. Sacramento St. (25-7), TBA

Second Round

Sunday, March 19

At Colonial Life Arena

Columbia, S.C.

South Carolina-Norfolk St. winner vs. South Florida-Marquette winner, TBA

At Purcell Pavilion

South Bend, Ind.

Notre Dame-S. Utah winner vs. Creighton_Illinois-Mississippi St. winner, TBA

At Xfinity Center

College Park, Md.

Maryland-Holy Cross winner vs. Arizona-West Virginia winner, TBA

Monday, March 20

At Pauley Pavilion

Los Angeles

UCLA-Sacramento St. winner vs. Oklahoma-Portland winner, TBA

At Bon Secours Wellness Arena

Greenville, S.C.

Regional Semifinals

Friday, March 24

South Carolina-Norfolk St._South Florida-Marquette winner vs. UCLA-Sacramento St._Oklahoma-Portland winner, TBA

Maryland-Holy Cross_Arizona-West Virginia winner vs. Notre Dame-S. Utah_Creighton_Illinois-Mississippi St. winner, TBA

Regional Championship

Sunday, March 26

Semifinal winners, TBA

SEATTLE 3

First Round

Friday, March 17

At Cassell Coliseum

Blacksburg, Va.

Virginia Tech (27-4) vs. Chattanooga (20-12), TBA

Southern Cal (21-9) vs. S. Dakota St. (28-5), TBA

Saturday, March 18

At Thompson-Boling Arena

Knoxville, Tenn.

Iowa St. (22-9) vs. Toledo (28-4), TBA

Tennessee (23-11) vs. Saint Louis (17-17), TBA

At Value City Arena

Columbus, Ohio

North Carolina (21-10) vs. Purdue-St. John’s winner, TBA

Ohio St. (25-7) vs. James Madison (26-7), TBA

At Harry A. Gampel Pavilion

Storrs, Conn.

Baylor (19-12) vs. Alabama (20-10), TBA

UConn (29-5) vs. Vermont (25-6), TBA

Second Round

Sunday, March 19

At Cassell Coliseum

Blacksburg, Va.

Virginia Tech-Chattanooga winner vs. Southern Cal-S. Dakota St. winner, TBA

Monday, March 20

At Thompson-Boling Arena

Knoxville, Tenn.

Tennessee-Saint Louis winner vs. Iowa St.-Toledo winner, TBA

At Value City Arena

Columbus, Ohio

Ohio St.-James Madison winner vs. North Carolina_Purdue-St. John’s winner, TBA

At Harry A. Gampel Pavilion

Storrs, Conn.

UConn-Vermont winner vs. Baylor-Alabama winner, TBA

At Climate Pledge Arena

Seattle

Regional Semifinals

Friday, March 24

Virginia Tech-Chattanooga_Southern Cal-S. Dakota St. winner vs. Tennessee-Saint Louis_Iowa St.-Toledo winner, TBA

UConn-Vermont_Baylor-Alabama winner vs. Ohio St.-James Madison_North Carolina_Purdue-St. John’s winner, TBA

Regional Championship

Sunday, March 26

Semifinal winners, TBA

FINAL FOUR

At American Airlines Center

Dallas

National Semifinals

Friday, March 31

TBD vs. TBD, TBA

TBD vs. TBD, TBA

National Championship

Sunday, April 2

Semifinal winners, TBA

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AP March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25