Countdown to March Madness: Who Will Claim the Top Seed?

The 2026 WNBA schedule has officially dropped! Zena and Sabreena dive into the release, exploring it amid ongoing CBA negotiations, the FIBA World Cup’s impact on the season, the league’s 30th season celebration, and the creative ways teams unveiled their schedules. Next, bracketologist Eden Laase joins the conversation to break down early NCAA tournament seeding predictions. She highlights potential host teams, surprise teams that could get in, the significance of NET rankings, and the contenders for the top seed. Finally, we close out with Set Your Screens, your guide to catching all the action in women’s college basketball. No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/ 00:00 Intro 00:36 Why did the WNBA decide to release the schedule now? 03:05 Why doesn’t the season include more games? 03:36 A quick look at the 44-game schedule 05:35 Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo make Opening Weekend debuts 06:31 Paige and Caitlin face off on opening night  9:17 WNBA 30th season celebration night to feature Sparks vs. Liberty 11:02 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup returns for Year 6 20:31 WCBB Bracket Watch 21:26 Who will claim the top No. 1 seed? 24:11 The importance of NET Rankings 26:08 How does the committee determine the overall top seed? 27:58 What is the case for Vanderbilt to be a No. 1 seed? 29:19 Which teams are in the running to host? 32:42 How does Tennessee position itself to host in the tournament? 33:07 Assessing Princeton’s hosting potential 34:06 Does Texas Tech have a chance to host in the tournament? 34:56 Where does Iowa State stand in the bracket watch? 36:29 Which teams might sneak their way into the tournament? 40:44 How can Oklahoma break into the hosting conversation? 42:51 Inside NYU women’s basketball remarkable winning streak 47:02 Set Your Screens 47:16 Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina| Sunday 3PM ET on ESPN 47:58 Richmond vs. George Mason | Sunday 2PM ET on ESPN 48:10 Ohio State vs.Iowa | Sunday 2PM ET on Peacock Related links and articles: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6989820/2026/01/21/wnba-2026-schedule-cba/ by Sabreena Merchant  https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6986856/2026/01/21/nyu-womens-basketball-diii-winning-streak/ by Eden Laase Follow and listen to the audio podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-womens-basketball-show/id1699815468 Get in touch! Leave a comment wherever you’re listening, or email us at NoOffseason@TheAthletic.com Show Links: -YouTube: @No-Offseason -Instagram: @tanooffseason [https://www.instagram.com/tanooffseason] -TikTok: @no_offseason [https://www.tiktok.com/@no_offseason] Credits: -Zena on BlueSky: @zenakeita -Sabreena on BlueSky: @sabreenajm -Chantel on BlueSky: @chanteljennings -Produced by Taneka Burrell -Executive Produced by Andrea B. Scott Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports Hub: https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-sports/?guccounter=1 Full Episodes Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm7txmok7cpMB3YlgkwrT2E0 Shorts Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5UWQzuMYdm72uhBjsd24rsh5teZtgUpS