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While the men’s version of March Madness garners plenty of headlines, the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament is tipping off this week as well and promises plenty of highly competitive high-stakes matchups. The Field of 68 was also announced on Selection Sunday, and a quartet of First Four matchups will unfold Wednesday and Thursday.
The first round will then tip off Friday, with Sacramento, California and Fort Worth, Texas serving as this year’s host cities for two regionals apiece. Meanwhile, Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix is the site for the Final Four on April 3 and the championship game on April 5.
The tournament’s four No. 1 seeds are the UConn Huskies, UCLA Bruins, South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas Longhorns, mirroring last year’s Final Four participants. The Huskies ultimately upended the Gamecocks by an 82-59 score in last year’s championship game, which marked the school’s first title since 2016 and 12th overall.
2026 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Odds
The futures leaderboard for the Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament winner is populated by very familiar names at the top. However, as is always the case for a high-stakes, single-elimination format, there will be upsets along the way, and taking a chance on a longshot to win it all is one of the more entertaining ways to get some skin in the game.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the noteworthy teams at each odds tier.
Favorites
UConn Huskies: The Huskies have rattled off 50 consecutive victories, including this year’s unblemished 34-0 mark. UConn’s seemingly bulletproof roster is spearheaded by sophomore Sarah Strong, who excelled on both ends of the floor with 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks. Strong is also an elite floor spacer (42.1% three-point shooting), while guard Azzi Fudd is an excellent 1-A that is expected to be the first player off the board during the WNBA Draft. Strong’s versatility is a microcosm of the Huskies’ team-level prowess, as UConn was second in the country in points per game (88.8) while ranking first in points per game allowed (50.4).
UCLA Bruins: The Bruins ran roughshod through nearly every opponent put in front of them this season, making them the biggest threat, at least on paper, to the Huskies. They won both the Big 10 conference and tournament titles and never lost a game in conference play. UCLA has a 25-game winning streak in its own right coming into the tournament, and the Bruins built that aforementioned nearly perfect mark with a host of quality wins against top-tier opponents. Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice and Charlisse Leger-Walker are among the most important components of the Bruins’ attack.
Mid-Range
LSU Tigers: The Tigers had plenty of star power return from last season’s Elite Eight squad, including the dynamic Flau’jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, and they boast a deep roster overall thanks to a strong transfer portal and freshman class. LSU was also an offensive juggernaut while leading the nation with 94.5 points per game, helping the Tigers to a 27-5 record while seeing the highly versatile MiLaysia Fulwiley set the team’s pace in a pair of offensive and defensive categories apiece.
Michigan Wolverines: The heart of the Wolverines’ 25-6 squad gained plenty of valuable experience last season. The likes of sophomores Olivia Olson, Mila Holloway and Syla Swords were all part of a 2024-25 team that made it to the Round of 32, meaning they’re a much more seasoned bunch at this juncture. Kim Barnes Arico’s squad also racked up 15 conference wins and were ranked No. 9 in points per game (83.6), making them a significant threat if they have a hot hand.
Longshots
Idaho Vandals: When investing in longshots in such a large field, it’s usually prudent to strike a balance between long odds and a team that has at least a somewhat conceivable shot of running the table. The 29-5 Vandals are one such candidate, having prevailed in the Big Sky Conference with the help of a 17-1 conference record. Idaho had four double-digit scorers on the season and checks into the tournament with a head of steam, having recorded 18 consecutive victories dating back to Jan. 15.
Fairleigh Dickinson Knights: The Knights are another team with momentum on their side heading into tournament, with their win streak at 22 games and extending through the duration of the calendar year thus far. Fairleigh Dickinson won both the Northeast Conference’s regular-season and tournament titles while going 30-4 overall. The Knights naturally have a lot to prove against the caliber of competition they’d need to get past in order to shock the world, but they have a balanced team that can wreak havoc from behind the arc (9.3 made threes per game).
2026 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Schedule
- First Four: March 18-19
- First Round: March 20-21
- Second Round: March 22-23
- Sweet 16: March 27-28
- Elite Eight: March 29-30
- Final Four: April 3
- Championship Game: April 5
2026 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Regions
As noted earlier, this year’s tournament’s two regional-hosting cities are Sacramento and Fort Worth. Despite there only being two locations, the bracket is still divided into four sections. The top 16 seeds will serve as hosts in the first and second rounds before Sacramento and Fort Worth host the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups. The Final Four and NCAA Women’s Championship Game will then take place at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
Fort Worth Regional
The Fort Worth Regional is headed up by the defending champion Huskies and the Longhorns, who went a perfect 34-0 and 31-3, respectively, during the regular season. The two schools are also naturally in the upper echelon of the tournament futures leaderboard, with UConn the clear favorite to repeat.
The Huskies are likely to get each opponent’s best shot, and there could be some intriguing matchups as the regional unfolds. The nation’s top two scorers, No. 2 Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes and No. 8 Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, are both in Fort Worth Regional 1 as well and would make for fascinating potential foils for the Huskies’ title-defense hopes.
In Fort Worth Regional 2, the “hometown” Longhorns are joined by some formidable rivals in Michigan, Louisville and West Virginia, who won a combined 79 games between them during the regular season.
The Wolverines may be the most battle-tested team in the tournament, as they gave both UConn and UCLA all they could handle before losing to each by three. Meanwhile, the Cardinals had one of the deeper offenses and second units in the country, while the Mountaineers have been on a tear since the start of February and sport one of the stingiest defenses in the nation.
Regional Winner Pick: UConn Huskies
Sacramento Regional
The Sacramento Regional sees the one-loss Bruins and the Gamecocks as the No. 1 seeds, a pair of 31-win teams that are legitimate threats to the Huskies’ title-repeat hopes as well. UCLA’s only loss came against an elite Longhorns squad, while South Carolina, which lost to UConn in last spring’s title game, doesn’t have quite as short odds this season but check in having made five straight Final Four appearances and with 10 consecutive SEC titles.
In UCLA’s section of the regional, LSU and Duke are two of the more intriguing challengers that could surprise the dominant Bruins if they mow through the rest of the competition. The Tigers put together an impressive 27-5 regular season and boast three returning starters from last year’s Elite Eight team, while the Blue Devils roared back from a 3-6 start to the season to rattle off a 19-game win streak that turned their fortunes completely around.
Over in South Carolina’s regional, there is plenty of star power in the form of USC’s Jazzy Davidson and TCU’s Olivia Miles among many. In terms of teams that could challenge the top seed to emerge from the regional, Iowa, TCU and Oklahoma are among the more intriguing candidates.
The Hawkeyes can pile up points as one of the more proficient three-point shooting teams in the country, and they’ll enter the tournament trying to eradicate the bad taste of a 51-point loss to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament final. Then, the Horned Frogs were an Elite Eight team a year ago that managed to overcome the challenge of losing four starters with excellent additions through the transfer portal, while the Sooners had an impressive 24-7 regular season and were led in scoring by star freshman Aaliyah Chavez, who could certainly be an X-factor.
Regional Winner Pick: UCLA Bruins
2026 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Players to Watch
Sarah Strong, F, UConn Huskies: Led the best team in the nation in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks while also shooting a blistering 60.1% overall.
Lauren Betts, C, UCLA Bruins: Garnered Big Ten Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors after averaging 16.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.2 steals per contest.
Olivia Miles, G, TCU Horned Frogs: The Notre Dame transfer put together her best college season, averaging a well-rounded 19.6 points (on 48.7% shooting), 6.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.8 steals per contest.
Mikayla Blakes, G, Vanderbilt Commodores: Led nation in scoring with 27.0 points per game while showing off her versatility by also delivering 4.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 2.9 steals per contest.
2026 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Coaches to Watch
Geno Auriemma, UConn Huskies: Has Huskies on a 50-game win streak coming into the tournament and just led UConn to the seventh undefeated regular season of his 41-season run at the helm.
Dawn Staley, South Carolina Gamecocks: Completed her 18th season at the helm by leading the Gamecocks to a fifth consecutive 30-plus-win tally, putting South Carolina in position to vie for its fourth straight Final Four appearance.
Shea Ralph, Vanderbilt Commodores: Has now led the Commodores to 22 or more wins in three straight seasons, including a career-high 27 in the just-completed 2025-26 campaign.
Mark Campbell, TCU Horned Frogs: Navigated the loss of four starters from last year’s 34-win team to lead the Horned Frogs to a 29-5 mark and a second straight Big 12 conference title.
2026 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament Picks, Predictions
While there will undoubtedly be some Cinderella moments during the tournament as there are every year, the fact remains the elite teams in this field are truly deserving of the moniker. Both the Huskies and Bruins are loaded, and Auriemma’s track record as a head coach is naturally unmatched. The Huskies’ depth and aforementioned balance on either end of the floor make them, both literally and figuratively, unbeatable, at least until proven otherwise.
What has made Auriemma such a prolific winner for decades on end has been his ability to identify and repeatedly plug in new talent into his system, and this season has been no different. Despite the fact only Strong and Fudd returned from last year’s championship squad, UConn got critical contributions from Blanca Quiñonez — the reigning Big East Freshman of the Year and Sixth Woman of the Year — KK Arnold (56.4% shooting), Ashlynn Shade and Allie Ziebell (43.2% three-point shooting), among others.
Given all the factors cited, I see UConn successfully repeating while likely suffering at least one scare along the way, perhaps from one of the other teams in the upper tier.
Tournament Pick: UConn Huskies
Photo Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
