Trending Now - UT Joins No. 1s in Women's NCAA Seed Projections

WHO:

Texas Longhorns (UT)

UConn (University of Connecticut)

UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles)

South Carolina Gamecocks

Iowa Hawkeyes

Oklahoma Sooners

Ohio State Buckeyes

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Amanda Braun, NCAA women's basketball selection committee chair

WHAT:

Texas joined UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina as the No. 1 seeds in the women's NCAA basketball tournament projections.

Iowa and Oklahoma made significant jumps in seed projections; Iowa moved from No. 11 to No. 6, and Oklahoma from No. 16 to No. 12.

Ohio State dropped from No. 9 to No. 16.

Ole Miss fell out of the top 16 seeds, replaced by Minnesota at No. 15.

The NCAA will release the actual top 16 seeds on March 14, 2026, and the full bracket on March 15, 2026.

The First Four games are scheduled for March 18-19, 2026, with first- and second-round games from March 20-23, 2026.

The women's Final Four will be held at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, with semifinal games on April 3, 2026, and the national championship game on April 5, 2026.

WHERE:

NCAA tournament regionals will be held in Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California.

The Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

WHEN:

The bracket for the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament is set to begin on March 4, 2026.

The last meeting between Indiana Hoosiers and Nebraska Cornhuskers was on January 8, 2026.

The last meeting between Wisconsin Badgers and Illinois Fighting Illini was on February 11, 2026.

The last meeting between Purdue Boilermakers and Oregon Ducks was on February 25, 2026.

The last meeting between USC Trojans and Washington Huskies was on December 7, 2025.

The last meeting between Ohio State Buckeyes and Nebraska was on February 1, 2026.

The last meeting between Ohio State Buckeyes and Indiana was on January 22, 2026.

The last meeting between Michigan State Spartans and Wisconsin was on December 7, 2025.

The last meeting between Michigan State Spartans and Illinois was on January 4, 2026.

The last meeting between Maryland Terrapins and Purdue was on February 22, 2026.

The last meeting between Maryland Terrapins and Oregon was on January 31, 2026.

WHY:

The NCAA women's basketball selection committee evaluates teams based on their overall résumé, including head-to-head matchups and performance against strong teams.

HOW:

The selection committee uses a two-region system for the tournament, with the top 16 seeds hosting the first two rounds.

In the latest women's NCAA basketball tournament projections, Texas has joined UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina as the No. 1 seeds, while Iowa and Oklahoma have made notable jumps in their seedings. Ohio State has dropped from No. 9 to No. 16, and Minnesota has replaced Ole Miss in the top 16, now sitting at No. 15. The NCAA will announce the official top 16 seeds on March 14, with the full bracket revealed the following day, leading up to the First Four games on March 18 and 19.