UConn claims top overall seed
— -- UConn's journey to a third straight national championship will begin at home.
The Huskies are seeded first overall in the tournament and tops in the Albany Region, in search of a 10th overall title which would tie Geno Auriemma with UCLA men's coach John Wooden for most all-time.
UConn will open up against St. Francis, Brooklyn, which is making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers (15-17) are the 10th team to enter the NCAAs with a losing record.
Joining the Huskies as a top seed is Notre Dame. The two former Big East rivals met in the national championship game last season as undefeated teams with UConn coming away with the victory. The pair played earlier this season in South Bend, Indiana, and the Huskies won by 18 points.
The Irish are the top seed in the Oklahoma City Region and have played in the past four Final Fours, but have come up short of a title each time. Baylor, Iowa and Stanford are the top seeds in the region that will try and derail the Irish.
The Huskies have been rolling over opponents, winning by an average of 42 points this season. They will play at Storrs, Connecticut, in the first two rounds.
The 64-team tournament begins Friday with the national championship game on Tuesday April 7 in Tampa. This season the women's tournament moved its games up one day in the first two rounds and the regionals. The Final Four is still being played on Sunday and Tuesday.
The NCAA also decided to go back to the system of rewarding the top 16 seeds with home games in the opening two rounds for the first time since 2003. Louisville, the third seed in Albany, can't host games though as the school's home arena is being used for the men's NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals will face BYU at South Florida in the opener.
If coach Jeff Walz and the Cardinals win they could have to play South Florida, which is the site host, on its home court. If the seeds hold, Louisville would face in-state rival Kentucky in a 2 vs 3 matchup in Albany.
Tennessee is expected to make its 34th straight appearance in the NCAAs, getting into the field ever year. Three teams will be making their first trip -- American, St. Francis, Brooklyn and Savannah State.
