Charlie CremeCloseCharlie CremeESPN.comCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com., Michael VoepelCloseMichael VoepelESPN Senior WriterMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.Follow on X, Kendra AndrewsMultiple AuthorsMar 15, 2026, 08:44 PM ET
Who will be the breakout star of the NCAA tournament? (1:15)Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike, Rebecca Lobo and Charlie Creme pinpoint players who will become household names in the women’s NCAA tournament. (1:15)
Undefeated UConn continues its title defense and heads into March Madness with a perfect 34-0 record and riding a 50-game winning streak. The Huskies are seeking the program’s seventh perfect season and 13th national championship.
The First Four games tip off Wednesday and Thursday. The first round opens Friday morning on ESPN networks.
After winning in 2016, the Huskies went seven seasons without a national championship, which for them is a long time. That ended last season, as they won NCAA title No. 12 with dominant Final Four victories against UCLA and South Carolina. Despite losing 2025 WNBA No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, UConn is 34-0 and favored to win it all again for the program’s seventh perfect season. The Huskies enter the NCAA tournament on a 50-game winning streak.
UConn ranks second in Division I in scoring average at 88.8 PPG and first in scoring defense, holding opponents to 50.4 PPG. The Huskies’ only close game this season was a 72-69 win over Michigan on Nov. 21. UConn beat its Big East foes by an average of 41.9 PPG, combining the regular season and league tournament. — Michael Voepel
Gabriela Jaquez (13.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG) and Angela Dugalić (9.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG) round out the balance, and all of them are capable of taking over a game. — Kendra Andrews
Texas has adjusted well since its move to the SEC from the Big 12 in 2024. The Longhorns tied South Carolina for the regular-season title last season and then reached the Final Four for the first time since 2003. This season, they tied Vanderbilt for second in the SEC and then upset the top-seeded Gamecocks for the league tournament championship. Now their goal is another Final Four.
Texas made waves in November with wins on consecutive days over UCLA and South Carolina at the Players Era Championship. After starting 18-0, the Longhorns lost on the road to LSU and South Carolina in mid-January. Their only other loss was at Vanderbilt on Feb. 12, after which coach Vic Schaefer criticized his team as being “soft.” Now the Longhorns enter the NCAA tournament on an eight-game winning streak. — Voepel
But the Gamecocks (31-3) have stayed the course behind sophomore forward Joyce Edwards (19.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG), the leadership of guards Raven Johnson (10.3 PPG, 5.4 APG) and Tessa Johnson (12.9 PPG) and the addition of two key transfers: guard Ta’Niya Latson (14.3 PPG) and center Madina Okot (13.4 PPG, 10.9 RPG).
South Carolina’s only losses were to Texas — in a non-SEC game in November at the Players Era Championship and in the SEC final — and in overtime at Oklahoma in January. The Gamecocks won 12 in a row after each of those first two defeats. We’ll see how the loss in the SEC tournament final motivates them. — Voepel
The stain of a 51-point loss to UCLA in the Big Ten tournament championship game should not be hard to remove given the otherwise successful season. The Hawkeyes were second in the conference in the regular season and the tournament after being picked to finish outside of the top five in the preseason. They did it with efficiency and sharing the ball. Iowa ranks sixth in the country in effective field goal percentage and second in assisted shot rate.
The addition of point guard Chazadi “Chit-Chat” Wright (12.3 PPG, 4.6 APG), a transfer from Georgia Tech, has been key. Her quickness helps create passing opportunities to post duo Ava Heiden (17.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG) and Hannah Stuelke (13.4 PPG, 8.5 RPG), who are the focus of the offense. Led by Wright (45.2% 3-point shooting) and Taylor Stremlow (40.4% 3-point shooting), the Hawkeyes can shoot it, too; they rank 14th nationally in 3-point percentage. — Charlie Creme
The Tigers returned guards Flau’jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams and Jada Richard from last season’s Elite Eight team, and through the transfer portal added guard MiLaysia Fulwiley from rival South Carolina, center Kate Koval from Notre Dame and forward Amiya Joyner from East Carolina. Among the five-player freshman class, guards ZaKiyah Johnson and Grace Knox have made the most impact. The Tigers are averaging a Division I-leading 94.5 points, with eight players scoring between 14.6 and 8.5.
LSU overwhelmed most of its nonconference foes, scoring at least 100 points against the first eight. That streak ended with a 93-77 win at Duke on Dec. 4. In all, The Tigers have had 14 games scoring 100 points or more this season, most recently in a 112-78 win over Oklahoma in the SEC tournament quarterfinals. But they lost their 19th consecutive game to South Carolina in the semifinals. The Gamecocks are the only team coach Kim Mulkey has not beaten since taking over LSU in 2021.
Fulwiley, a junior guard, is LSU’s leader in scoring (14.6), assists (3.7), steals (3.0) and blocks (1.4). Guard play usually is especially important in the NCAA tournament, and that’s a strength for 27-5 LSU. — Voepel
Olson plays bigger than her 6-foot-1 frame and is the Wolverines’ leading scorer (19.2 PPG) and rebounder (6.2 RPG). Swords (14.2 PPG) has equal star quality and Holloway (12.4 PPG, 4.7 APG) runs the team from the point guard spot. Michigan, the ninth-highest-scoring team in the country, lost only one game this season to a team outside of the top 10 (Washington on Jan. 1) and had a school-record 15 Big Ten wins. — Creme
Sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes is driving the success. She was SEC Freshman of the Year in 2025 and the league’s player of the year in 2026. Blakes averaged 30.5 PPG in SEC regular-season games and for the season leads Division I at 27.0 PPG. Blakes’ rebounds (3.8), assists (4.4) and steals (2.9) per game also were up a bit from her first season.
Backcourt mate Aubrey Galvan was the SEC’s freshman of the year, averaging 13.1 PPG and 5.9 APG. Guard/forward Justine Pissott (11.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG) and forward Sacha Washington (10.6 PPG, 7.6 RPG) are also averaging double-figures scoring. Fellow senior guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (7.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG) transferred in this season from Texas and has filled in well as Vandy’s fifth starter.
Shea Ralph was the SEC’s coach of the year. She took over the program in 2021-22 when it had missed the previous six NCAA tournaments. After rebuilding her first two seasons, Ralph now has led Vandy to the NCAA tournament three years in a row. The Commodores are seeking their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2009. — Voepel
The turnaround from a 3-6 start to winning both the ACC regular-season and tournament titles is one of the best college basketball stories of the season. The 19-game winning streak that followed not only changed Duke’s season but altered the complexion of the ACC. With important wins over Louisville and North Carolina in early- and mid-February, the Blue Devils took control of the race, going on to become the first team since Notre Dame in 2019 to sweep the regular-season and tournament titles.
Last season was historic for the program: For the first time, TCU won the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight. The Frogs lost their top four scorers, led by guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince. But they had three key transfers come in: guard Olivia Miles, forward Marta Suarez and center Clara Silva.
This season, TCU’s only nonconference loss was 71-69 to Ohio State at the Coretta Scott King Classic in January. The Frogs went 15-3 in Big 12 play to repeat their regular-season title, although they fell to West Virginia in the Big 12 tournament final. That 62-53 loss ended an eight-game winning streak but gave TCU some things to work on for the NCAA tournament.
TCU was the top defensive team in the Big 12 this season, holding foes to 56.3 PPG. The Frogs also had the most 3-pointers of any league team with 306 in 34 games. Miles, a projected lottery pick in April’s WNBA draft, leads TCU in scoring (19.6 PPG), assists (6.4 APG) and steals (1.8 SPG). She played in the NCAA tournament twice while at Notre Dame, losing in the Sweet 16 both times.
“Wins and losses come, and there’s lessons in both,” Miles said after TCU lost in the Big 12 final. “I’ll do my best to try to lead the young ones and [those] who haven’t been far in March.” — Voepel
Last season was the Sooners’ first in the SEC after leaving the Big 12, and they finished tied for fourth. Then they advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 and lost to eventual champion UConn.
Oklahoma (24-7) returned three starters who all have had a big impact. Center Raegan Beers is averaging 15.7 PPG and a team-high 10.4 rebounds. Fellow senior Payton Verhulst, a guard, is averaging 11.9 PPG and junior forward Sahara Williams 12.5. The five-member freshman class is highlighted by guard Aaliyah Chavez, who leads Oklahoma in scoring (18.4 PPG) and assists (4.2 APG).
Sophomore guard Zya Vann (10.5 PPG) rounds out the double-figure scorers for the Sooners, whose 86.7 PPG average is third in Division I behind LSU and UConn.
The Sooners started the season 14-1, with their only nonconference loss to eventual Big Ten champion UCLA. After consecutive SEC losses to Ole Miss, Kentucky and LSU, the Sooners regrouped and handed South Carolina its only regular-season SEC loss, 94-82 in overtime on Jan. 22. Like last season, Oklahoma finished 11-5 in the SEC.
Oklahoma’s favorite pace is fast and faster, which is hard for many teams to keep up with. Beers has battled foul trouble at times, but when she’s getting the ball deep in the paint, she is hard to stop. — Voepel