Women's NCAA tournament 2022 - What to know about every team in the bracket

The 2022 women's NCAA basketball tournament bracket is here, and March Madness is officially upon us. On Sunday, the NCAA unveiled which teams made the cut, which 16 squads get to host first- and second-round games and which title hopefuls will be placed in each regional.

For the first time, the women's tournament field has expanded to 68 teams, with four First Four games taking place Wednesday and Thursday. The first round tips Friday and will be followed by second-round games later that weekend, before the tournament shifts to regionals in Greensboro, North Carolina; Spokane, Washington; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Wichita, Kansas, on March 25-28.

Then all eyes will turn to the women's Final Four in Minneapolis, where the 2022 national champion will be crowned.

Here's what you need to know about all 68 teams in the field — from top-ranked South Carolina to surging Utah to the Big South champ Longwood Lancers, who will be participating in the Big Dance for the first time — in preparation for every basketball fan's favorite stretch of the year. For a list of the 32 automatic bids that have reached the tournament, visit ESPN's tickets punched page.

South Carolina Gamecocks

After falling just short of advancing to the national title game last season, the Gamecocks are well-positioned, and largely still favored, to cut down the nets in Minneapolis. They have been battle-tested in both conference and nonconference play, securing an 11-0 record against ranked teams during the regular season. Junior Aliyah Boston's consistent dominance on both ends has catapulted her into the favorite for national player of the year. Surrounding her is a group of returners from last year's Final Four squad, most crucially guards Zia Cooke and