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Charlie Creme, ESPN.com 7y

Notre Dame should replace South Carolina on top line in top-16 reveal

Women's College Basketball, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Oklahoma Sooners, Florida State Seminoles, Washington Huskies, Connecticut Huskies, Baylor Lady Bears, South Carolina Gamecocks, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Maryland Terrapins

Mississippi State and Notre Dame survived. South Carolina, Texas, NC State and DePaul did not. Even Connecticut nearly lost.

An extremely eventful weekend that could have turned downright chaotic, save for a missed jumper here or there from Syracuse and Texas A&M, is likely to provide the most shakeup in the NCAA tournament committee's third and final reveal of its in-season top-16 seeds.

With the No. 1 seeds hardly as rock solid as they once were, what are the biggest answers to look for coming out of Big Monday's doubleheader (beginning on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET)?

• With losses from South Carolina, Florida State, Washington and Texas, what kind of rise will Maryland get from its previous spot of No. 9?

• How far does Florida State drop after its two-loss week?

• Even with Texas' loss to Oklahoma, will the Longhorns make a big leap?

• Who takes those final two top-16 spots?

Some of the answers are here, and the committee will give us the rest on Big Monday at the half of the Maryland and Ohio State game.

Before then, here is a look at the how the new top 16 could look.

1. UConn: Even if Saturday's close call at Tulane had turned into a loss, the Huskies still would have been the top overall seed. That status won't change barring a cataclysmic collapse, which is hard to imagine for a team that has won 101 straight. What the trip to New Orleans did reveal is that this UConn group is vulnerable, especially with Kia Nurse on the sideline. Games against Temple and South Florida might no longer be givens.

2. Baylor: The Lady Bears' six wins against the RPI top 25 should help them remain a No. 1 seed despite a home loss to Texas two weeks ago. That would change with another loss to the Longhorns on Monday. Baylor would then likely fall behind Notre Dame, Maryland and Texas, and getting back to the top line by Selection Monday would be difficult.

3. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs might have Ketara Chapel to thank for still being a No. 1 seed. Her late 3-pointer completed a seven-point, fourth-quarter comeback at Texas A&M and put Mississippi State alone in first place in the SEC. With games against Kentucky and Tennessee left, keeping that top seed is not assured, but an outright regular-season conference title would go a long way.

4. Notre Dame: This hasn't been classic Notre Dame in 2017, but the Irish are still No. 2 in the RPI, have the No. 2-rated schedule and have the second-most top-50 wins, trailing only UConn. The bar has obviously been set high in South Bend. Notre Dame's destiny for a No. 1 seed is in its own hands, but Florida State and the ACC tournament still await.

5. South Carolina: Last Monday's loss at UConn didn't cost the Gamecocks a No. 1 seed, but Sunday's loss at Missouri did. Major inconsistencies have struck Columbia as South Carolina has lost two of its past three games. The fight back to a No. 1 seed begins this week with two big opportunities against Texas A&M and Kentucky to end the regular season.

6. Maryland: Where the Terrapins land in the final reveal is one of the chief curiosities. They continue to win, but the schedule has not gotten any tougher, and that is the reason the committee has twice had Maryland at No. 9 overall. However, teams in front of the Terps have lost, providing path for the Terps to move up. A sweep through the rest of the schedule, including a win Monday over Ohio State, should be enough to at least get Maryland to No. 5 or 6 overall.

7. Texas: In an eight-day span, the Longhorns registered the two most impressive pair of road wins of any team not called UConn. Beating Baylor and Florida State lifted Texas to No. 2-seed status. Then the Longhorns put that in jeopardy with Saturday's loss in their den of horrors, Norman. Oklahoma's upset of Texas could make Monday's Baylor-Texas matchup a winner-take-all for the Big 12 regular-season crown.

8. Oregon State: The Beavers have been grinding all season. Two more slugfest wins over Colorado and Utah this weekend have Oregon State tied with Stanford heading into Friday night's matchup that will likely decide the Pac-12 regular-season championship. Regardless of that decision, it is safe to say that the Beavers, barring something like a three-game losing streak, will be a No. 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.

9. Stanford: The Cardinal lost to Oregon State on Jan. 8 and have lost only once since. Sophomore Alanna Smith had a huge weekend in two key wins over Cal, with 44 total points off the bench to keep Stanford alive for a Pac-12 title that has eluded it since 2014. That is far more important to the Cardinal down the stretch since they won't be hosting NCAA tournament games even with a top-16 finish (Maples Pavilion is hosting the Pac-12 gymnastics meet the same weekend).

10. Florida State: The Seminoles lost a game at home against Texas last Monday that they probably should have won after leading by 15 in the second half. That disappointment appeared to linger into Thursday's 51-point output in a shocking loss to Virginia. A team that was on the cusp of fighting for a No. 1 seed -- and probably would have one now if not for those two losses -- is now fighting to remain a No. 3.

11. Washington: Kelsey Plum is making the national player of the year race a runaway, but she couldn't save the Huskies from a loss Friday at UCLA, which damaged Washington's chances at a No. 2 seed. The defeat was even more damaging to the Huskies' Pac-12 title chances; they are a game behind Stanford and Oregon State with two to play.

12. Duke: The Blue Devils have quietly won seven in a row with dominant home performances against Syracuse and Miami in the two most meaningful games in the streak. They will at least finish third in the ACC. A win over North Carolina in the regular-season finale and a quarterfinal conference tournament win would assure -- regardless of other results -- Duke will be hosting NCAA tournament games.

13. UCLA: Just when the Bruins look like they are ready to hit a slide, they rebound with a big win. They did it earlier this season at Stanford and produced again at home against Washington on Friday right after losing both of their previous games on a trip to Oregon. Even better news, Jordin Canada is playing; she's not back at 100 percent, but she's coming off the bench after a neck injury knocked her out of the loss at Oregon State.

14. Louisville: The Cardinals are still in a battle with NC State for the fourth seed (and double-bye) in the ACC tournament. That extra day of rest could help, but it might not matter much in Louisville's pursuit of a top-16 spot. The Cardinals have remained steady as a No. 4 seed in the first two reveals. As long as they take care of business they will be there on Selection Monday as well.

15. Oklahoma: The Sooners lost senior leader Maddie Manning to another knee injury and have been playing without rotation guard T'ona Edwards. Still, Oklahoma has managed to hit its stride in the past three weeks, capped by Saturday's win over Texas. The Sooners have won five straight, and others around them have lost. That's why they should now be in position to host NCAA tournament games.

16. Texas A&M: The Aggies remain in the top 16 despite two losses this week because they got some help and looked good in the loss to No. 3 overall Mississippi State. They also have six top-50 RPI wins, which is more than any team that would seem to be their chief competitors for the final hosting spot (DePaul, Ohio State, NC State and Kentucky).

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