March Madness: Predicted women's college basketball No. 1 seeds with one month to go

March Madness is less than a month away, and the new AP polls could indicate what to expect when the No. 1 seeds are announced on Selection Sunday.

With the recent AP Polls published on Monday, the top five teams shouldn't come as a surprise, but the order may present another story. The top five ranked teams are UCLA (No. 1), Notre Dame (No. 2), Texas (No. 3), South Carolina (No. 4), and LSU (No. 5).

South Carolina was the only team in that group that entered the new poll trending down, after a 66-62 upset loss against Texas. The Longhorns snapped the Gamecocks' 57-game winning streak in SEC play.

This week, all top-five teams will face off against top-25 ranked opponents, which means there could be some movement in the polls.

Here are the predicted No. 1 seeds with one month before the madness begins.

UCLA Bruins, overall No. 1 seed

If selection Sunday kicked off this week, the UCLA Bruins would be the overall No. 1 seed because of their perfect record at 23-0. While the team continues to display a balanced approach on both sides of the ball, Lauren Betts is the engine that makes the team go.

Recently, Betts decided to return for her senior season with the Bruins, which addressed the elephant in the room on her next steps. She is averaging 19.6 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.9 blocks while shooting 63.1 percent from the floor.

On the wing, Janiah Barker has been a breath of fresh air for the Bruins. The Texas A&M transfer brings a level of physicality, pace, and floor spacing. She is averaging 8.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. However, her ability to create second-chance points and seek the ball out helps separate this team from others in late-game situations.

Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Timea Gardiner and Angela Dugalic are all chipping in on the offensive front and they do an excellent job of moving without the ball.

Some may question UCLA's strength of schedule, but so far, they have defeated Louisville (while No. 17), South Carolina (while No. 1), Michigan (while No. 24), Baylor (while No. 25), Maryland (while No. 8), and Ohio State (while No. 8).

South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina will defend their title as a No. 1 seed even if it's without Ashlyn Watkins, who tore her ACL in January. The loss of Watkins will affect this team moving forward, but their depth has been nothing short of impressive.

The Gamecocks are a physical team on both sides of the ball, and their freshman, standout forward Joyce Edwards has made her mark early. She has great hands, a soft touch around the rim and isn't afraid to sacrifice her body in the post.

Edwards is leading the team in scoring with 12.3 points while shooting 57.3 percent from the floor. South Carolina continues to get stellar production from Te-Hina Paopao (10.3 points), Chloe Kitts (9.6 points), and the human spark plug in MiLaysia Fulwiley (11.5 points).

The Gamecocks will have a chance to be a No. 1 seed because of their championship experience, team chemistry, their ability to force turnovers and the best coach in women's basketball.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame is coming off a 91-52 blowout win against California. Last season was the Hannah Hidalgo show and the team welcomed back Olivia Miles from injury. Miles and Hidalgo have become the best backcourt in college basketball. Both are selfless playmakers who make their teammates better.

Hidalgo is second in scoring behind Ta'Niya Latson, averaging 25.9 points per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from downtown. Miles is averaging 16.5 points, 6.4 assists, and six rebounds per game.

Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld are spacing the floor and generating easy points from the wing. This year's Fighting Irish team is balanced and has multiple players they can run the offense through, not to mention they can get after it on defense and shut down opposing teams' backcourts.

Notre Dame has defeated USC (while No. 3) by forcing someone else to beat them besides Juju Watkins, TCU (while No. 17), Notre Dame (while No. 10) by holding them to 33 percent from 3, and UCONN (while No. 2).

Texas Longhorns

If selection Sunday occurred this week, Texas would capture the remaining No. 1 seed. Some may argue that LSU deserves a slot, but the reality is that the Longhorns have played a tougher schedule this season.

LSU is currently 4-1 against ranked opponents, while Texas is 5-1. Not to mention, the Longhorns defeated the GameCocks, which the Tigers did not.

Texas welcomed back Rori Harmon, whose 2023-24 season was cut short due to injury. This season she is still getting back to regular form but is running the offense while maximizing on easy buckets.

Harmon is leading the team in assists (6.2) and steals (2.4). Taylor Jones has been a quiet storm as she is averaging 12.4 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 63.8 percent from the field. She has been a force on the glass all season adding to the physicality of the team.

The difference maker this season has been none other than Madison Booker, who is a Queen of all trades. She has dominated at the wing position and forces tough matchups.

Booker is averaging 16.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 46.5 percent from 3. Texas will be a strong candidate for the No.1 seed because of its defensive prowess and ability to force tough matchups.