Women’s March Madness 2026: Everything you need to know from times to odd to picks

Who is ready for the Women’s March Madness to begin?

The Women’s NCAA Tournament tips off Wednesday night with the Final Four teams from last season in Tampa, Florida ― UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina ― earning the No. 1 seeds.

The Huskies, who are the overall top seed, are the lone undefeated team in the country at 34-0. UConn has a 50-game winning streak dating back to last season and is looking for its 13th national title, all under coach Geno Auriemma.

UCLA lost only one game all season, to Texas. The Longhorns have three losses in the ultra competitive SEC, against LSU, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The Gamecocks have lost to Oklahoma and Texas twice.

Here’s some info on who has the best path in the women’s bracket and what surprises might be ahead. You want sleepers, here a list. And, of course, we need to know what Vegas thinks.

And if you want to win you office pool, we got you covered there as well.

Here’s what else you need to know about the tournament:

Women’s March Madness first- and second-round TV schedule 2026

(All times Eastern)

Wednesday, March 18 (First Four)

(11) Richmond vs. (11) Nebraska | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(16) Stephen F. Austin vs. (16) Missouri State | ESPN2 (Fubo)

Thursday, March 19 (First Four)

(16) Samford vs. (16) Southern | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(10) Arizona State vs. (10) Virginia | 9 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)

Friday, March 20 (First round)

(14) Charleston Southern vs. (3) Duke | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(14) UC San Diego vs. (3) TCU | Noon | ESPN (Fubo)
(9) Virginia Tech vs. (8) Oregon | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(11) Richmond/Nebraska vs. No. 6 Baylor | 2 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
(11) South Dakota State vs. (6) Washington | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNEWS (Fubo)
(12) Murray State vs. (5) Maryland | 3 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
(12) Gonzaga vs. (5) Ole Miss | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(16) Stephen F. Austin/Missouri State vs. (1) Texas | 4 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
(15) Holy Cross vs. (2) Michigan | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(13) Western Illinois vs. (4) North Carolina | 5:30 p.m. | ESPNEWS (Fubo)
(15) Jacksonville vs. (2) LSU | 6 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
(13) Green Bay vs. (4) Minnesota | 6 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
(12) Colorado State vs. (5) Michigan State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPNEWS (Fubo)
(10) Tennessee vs. (7) North Carolina State | 8 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
(10) Villanova vs. (7) Texas Tech | 8:30 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
(13) Idaho vs. (4) Oklahoma | 10 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Saturday, March 21 (First round)

(14) Howard vs. (3) Ohio State | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(14) Vermont vs. (3) Louisville | noon | ESPN (Fubo)
(16) Samford/Southern vs. No. 1 South Carolina | 12:30 p.m. | ABC (Fubo)
(10) Arizona State/Virginia vs. No. 7 Georgia | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(11) Fairfield vs. No. 6 Notre Dame | 2 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
(12) James Madison vs. No. 5 Kentucky | 2:30 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
(11) Rhode Island vs. No. 6 Alabama | 3 p.m. | ESPNEWS (Fubo)
(16) UTSA vs. (1) UConn | 3 p.m. | ABC (Fubo)
(9) USC vs. (8) Clemson | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(15) Farleigh Dickinson vs. (2) Iowa | 4 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)
(13) Miami Ohio vs. (4) West Virginia | 5 p.m. ESPNU (Fubo)
(9) Syracuse vs. (8) Iowa State | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(15) High Point vs. (2) Vanderbilt | 7 p.m. ESPNEWS (Fubo)
(9) Princeton vs. (8) Oklahoma State | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(10) Colorado vs. (7) Illinois | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
(16) California Baptist vs. (1) UCLA | 10 p.m. | ESPN (Fubo)

Full Women’s March Madness schedule 2026

Start date: Wednesday, March 18 (First Four)
End date: Sunday, April 5 (national championship)

The women’s tournament begins with the First Four, with games beginning on Wednesday, March 18.

The Final Four is scheduled to begin on Friday, April 3, in Phoenix at the Mortgage Matchup Center, with the national championship game two days later on Sunday, April 5.

Here is the full schedule breakdown for the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament:

First Four: Wednesday, March 18 andThursday, March 19
Round of 64: Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21
Round of 32: Sunday, March 22 and Monday, March 23
Sweet 16: Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28
Elite Eight: Sunday, March 29 and Monday, March 30
Final Four: Friday, April 4
National championship game: Sunday, April 6

Women’s March Madness favorites by odds

Odds via BetMGM (as of Tuesday)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Women’s NCAA Tournament 2026: Times, odds and picks for March Madness

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