2026 Women's March Madness Bracket Picks: Complete Predictions From First Round to National Champion
If the men's bracket is the chaos bracket, the women's bracket in 2026 is the coronation bracket. One team has spent the entire season looking untouchable, and it happens to be Connecticut's own.
UConn enters the 2026 NCAA Women's Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed with a perfect 34-0 record and a 50-game winning streak. Geno Auriemma's Huskies are the reigning national champions and the shortest-priced favorites in the women's tournament in years. The only question worth asking is who, if anyone, can stop them.
Here are our complete 2026 women's March Madness bracket picks, region by region, all the way to Phoenix.
The 2026 Women's Tournament at a Glance
The 2026 NCAA Women's Tournament features 68 teams in a single-elimination format, with the First Four kicking off on Wednesday, March 18. The first round runs Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, with the top 16 seeds hosting on their home courts.
The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight are set for March 27-30 in Sacramento and Fort Worth, with the Final Four and championship game heading to the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona on April 3 and April 5.
The four No. 1 seeds are UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina — the same four teams that made up last year's Final Four in Tampa. All four are back, battle-tested, and hungry. Only one can win it again.
Fort Worth 1 Region: UConn's Path to Phoenix Starts at Home
UConn opens at home in Storrs, Connecticut, against No. 16 UT-San Antonio. It doesn't get much more comfortable than that.
The region also features No. 2 seed Vanderbilt — coached by Shea Ralph, a former UConn player and longtime Auriemma assistant — and No. 3 seed Ohio State. A UConn vs. Vanderbilt Elite Eight would be one of the most emotionally loaded matchups in recent women's tournament history, pitting Auriemma directly against the coach he helped develop.
Sarah Strong leads UConn at 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game, shooting 60.1% from the field. Senior guard Azzi Fudd has had a fully healthy season at 17.7 points per game. This is the most complete UConn team in years.
Our Fort Worth 1 picks:
First Round: UConn over UT-San Antonio. Vanderbilt advances. Ohio State advances. Notre Dame advances.
Second Round: UConn advances. Notre Dame over Ohio State. Vanderbilt advances.
Sweet 16: UConn over Notre Dame. Vanderbilt advances.
Elite Eight: UConn over Vanderbilt.
Fort Worth 1 winner: UConn
Sacramento 2 Region: UCLA's Loaded Draw
No. 1 seed UCLA enters as the No. 2 overall seed and the only team to push UConn this season, handing the Huskies their lone scare before losing. The Sacramento 2 bracket is widely considered the most stacked in the field, with No. 2 seed LSU, No. 3 seed Duke, and No. 5 seed Ole Miss all capable of causing serious problems.
LSU brings guard depth that can go punch for punch with anyone — Flau'jae Johnson, Mikaylah Williams, and MiLaysia Fulwiley give the Tigers a backcourt combination that could light up any opponent. If seeds hold through the first two rounds, LSU and Duke would face each other before meeting UCLA in the regional final. That's an Elite Eight loaded with tournament pedigree.
Our Sacramento 2 picks:
First Round: UCLA advances. LSU advances. Duke advances. Ole Miss advances.
Second Round: UCLA advances. Duke over LSU.
Sweet 16: UCLA over Ole Miss. Duke advances.
Elite Eight: UCLA over Duke.
Sacramento 2 winner: UCLA
Fort Worth 3 Region: Texas Riding SEC Tournament Momentum
No. 1 seed Texas arrives in Fort Worth — effectively a home region — as the reigning SEC Tournament champions, having beaten South Carolina in the final. The Longhorns are one of the most defensively disciplined teams in the country and have the coaching pedigree under Vic Schaefer to make deep March runs.
No. 3 seed Louisville is the dark horse here. Coach Jeff Walz has taken four teams to the Final Four and made five consecutive Elite Eights between 2018 and 2023. A balanced Louisvile roster with seven players averaging between 8 and 12 points per game and strong defensive capabilities could test Texas in a potential Elite Eight matchup.
No. 4 seed West Virginia, fresh from winning the Big 12 Tournament, and No. 2 seed Michigan are also in the mix, though Michigan struggled down the stretch in the Big Ten.
Our Fort Worth 3 picks:
First Round: Texas advances. Louisville advances. West Virginia advances. Michigan advances.
Second Round: Texas advances. Louisville over West Virginia.
Sweet 16: Texas advances. Louisville over Michigan.
Elite Eight: Texas over Louisville.
Fort Worth 3 winner: Texas
Sacramento 4 Region: South Carolina Gunning for Redemption
No. 1 seed South Carolina enters the tournament with something to prove after losing the SEC Tournament final to Texas. The Gamecocks have an extra layer of motivation with a potential rematch looming — Iowa is in their region, a team they know well from the Caitlin Clark Final Four era, and Oklahoma, the only SEC team to beat South Carolina in the regular season this year, is also in the draw.
No. 2 seed Iowa brings physicality and a high-low offensive attack built around Ava Heiden and Hannah Stuelke. No. 5 seed TCU, with Olivia Miles running the offense, is a legitimate second-round upset threat against Iowa.
Our Sacramento 4 picks:
First Round: South Carolina advances. Iowa advances. TCU advances. Oklahoma advances.
Second Round: South Carolina advances. TCU over Iowa.
Sweet 16: South Carolina advances. Oklahoma over TCU.
Elite Eight: South Carolina over Oklahoma.
Sacramento 4 winner: South Carolina
Final Four Predictions
Our Final Four: UConn (Fort Worth 1) vs. South Carolina (Sacramento 4) | UCLA (Sacramento 2) vs. Texas (Fort Worth 3)
This is a Final Four repeat from 2025. All four No. 1 seeds, all four programs from last year's Tampa semifinals. A repeat of a repeat.
Semifinal 1 — UConn vs. South Carolina: A rematch of last year's national championship game. South Carolina will be motivated and physical. But UConn has Strong, Fudd, the best defense in the country, and Auriemma on the sideline. The Huskies advance.
Semifinal 2 — UCLA vs. Texas: Two teams who have already met this season on a neutral court, with Texas winning. The Longhorns' defensive discipline and SEC tournament form edges them through.
Final Four winners: UConn and Texas
National Championship Pick: UConn Goes Back-to-Back and Completes the Perfect Season
UConn over Texas.
There is simply no realistic argument against picking UConn this year. A 34-0 record, a 50-game winning streak, the best player in the country in Sarah Strong, and the greatest coach in the history of the sport. If they win it all, they become the first team to win back-to-back titles since their own four-in-a-row run from 2013 to 2016, and complete a seventh perfect season in program history.
Texas will compete. Schaefer's team knows how to defend and grind. But UConn's combination of depth, star power, and defensive dominance — allowing just 50.4 points per game this season — is too much for any team in the field to overcome.
National Champion: UConn
A Note for Connecticut Bettors
Under Connecticut state law, the window to bet UConn to win the tournament outright — which opened on Selection Sunday and closed before the First Four — has now passed for 2026. But you can still bet on every other women's tournament matchup right through to the championship game in Phoenix. Head into any MyWinners or Winners venue — East Haven, Stamford, Windsor Locks, Norwalk, New Britain, Hartford, Manchester, Milford, or Waterbury — and get your bracket bets on through Fanatics Sportsbook while you watch the action live.
You can win a share of $2.5K in our March Madness Basketball Shootout at any MyWinners or Winners location.
Find your nearest MyWinners venue here.
Also check out: Connecticut’s March Madness: The Huskies Are Coming for Everything
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 women's NCAA Tournament?
UConn is the No. 1 overall seed, entering the tournament with a perfect 34-0 record and a 50-game winning streak. UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina are the other No. 1 seeds.
Where is the 2026 women's Final Four being held?
The 2026 women's Final Four takes place at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, April 3, with the national championship game on Sunday, April 5.
Where does UConn play in the first round?
UConn opens at home in Storrs, Connecticut, against No. 16 UT-San Antonio on Saturday, March 21.
How many teams are in the 2026 women's NCAA Tournament?
There are 68 teams in the field. Eight compete in the First Four before the main 64-team bracket begins, with the top 16 seeds hosting first and second-round games on their home courts.
Can UConn complete a perfect season in 2026?
UConn has gone undefeated in the regular season 11 times in program history and won the national title in six of those seasons. At 34-0 heading into the tournament, they need six more wins to complete a perfect 2025-26 campaign — and they are the overwhelming favorite to do exactly that.
