UConn enters the final rounds of the women's NCAA tournament as the No. 1 overall seed with a 34-0 record and a 50-game winning streak stretching back to last season's championship run. The Huskies are the heavy favorite to become the first team to complete back-to-back undefeated championship seasons since their own program did it in 2009-10 under Geno Auriemma. [1]

The path to the title runs through formidable competition. Texas, UCLA, and South Carolina are the other No. 1 seeds. Texas has been the most consistent challenger, and multiple bracket projections have a UConn-Texas final as the most likely championship matchup. [2]

The women's tournament has already produced its signature upset: ten-seed Virginia beat Iowa in double overtime, blowing open a bracket that many had penciled in as a four-team race. Michigan also advanced to the Elite Eight after defeating Louisville, giving the Big Ten representation on both the men's and women's sides — a rare feat achieved only a handful of times in conference history.

Auriemma, asked about the tournament format, criticized the NCAA's two-region structure for stacking the best teams into early-round collisions. The complaint is legitimate but unlikely to change anything before April. The women's game has never been more popular — ratings are up, attendance records falling — and the format debate reflects a product that has outgrown its infrastructure.

The women's Final Four is scheduled for April 4-6 in Tampa.

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos