{"id":587965,"date":"2026-04-05T23:34:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:34:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/587965\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T23:34:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T23:34:18","slug":"ucla-wins-the-2026-di-womens-basketball-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/587965\/","title":{"rendered":"UCLA wins the 2026 DI women&#8217;s basketball championship"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    Share<\/p>\n<p>            <a id=\"social-share-facebook\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-women\/article\/2026-04-05\/ucla-wins-2026-di-womens-basketball-championship\" data-shareto=\"facebook\" class=\"sharebutton icon-social-facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-women\/article\/2026-04-05\/ucla-wins-2026-di-womens-basketball-championship\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Facebook\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/modules\/custom\/casablanca_social\/modules\/casablanca_social_hanger\/img\/social-facebook.svg\" width=\"30px\" height=\"30px\"\/><br \/>\n            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>            <a id=\"social-share-twitter\" data-shareto=\"twitter\" class=\"sharebutton icon-social-twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-women\/article\/2026-04-05\/ucla-wins-2026-di-womens-basketball-championship\" title=\"Share on X\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n                <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"X\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/modules\/custom\/casablanca_social\/modules\/casablanca_social_hanger\/img\/social-twitter.svg\" width=\"30px\" height=\"30px\"\/><br \/>\n            <\/a><\/p>\n<p>UCLA won its first NCAA women&#8217;s basketball championship, defeating fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina 79-51 on April 5.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 tournament featured an all-No. 1 seed Final Four for the fifth time in women&#8217;s tournament history. UCLA cruised past Texas, and South Carolina handed UConn its first loss of the season en route to the title game.<\/p>\n<p>Games started with the First Four beginning Wednesday, March 18 and cotinued through the national championship on April 5.<\/p>\n<p>2026 NCAA women&#8217;s basketball tournament bracket<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/brackets\/print\/basketball-women\/d1\/2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Click or tap here for a printable bracket\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/brackets\/basketball-women\/d1\/2026\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Click or tap here for the interactive bracket<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Final-2026-DI-women's-basketball-bracket.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"2026 DI NCAA women's basketball final bracket\"\/><\/p>\n<p>2026 NCAA women&#8217;s basketball tournament schedule<\/p>\n<p>            2026 NCAA women&#8217;s tournament schedule, scores, highlights<\/p>\n<p>All times ET<\/p>\n<p>Wednesday, March 18 (First Four)<\/p>\n<p>Thursday, March 19 (First Four)<\/p>\n<p>Friday, March 20 (First Round\/Round of 64)<\/p>\n<p>\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534685\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(3) Duke 81, (14) Col. of Charleston 64<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534677\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(3) TCU 86, (14) UC San Diego 40<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534689\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(8) Oregon 70, (9) Virginia Tech 60<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534684\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(6) Baylor 67, (11) Nebraska 62<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534676\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(6) Washington 72, (11) South Dakota State 54<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534666\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(5) Maryland 99, (12) Murray State 67<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534682\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(5) Ole Miss 81, (12) Gonzaga 66<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534688\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(1) Texas 87, (16) Missouri State 45<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534695\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(2) Michigan 83, (15) Holy Cross 48<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534667\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(4) North Carolina 82,\u00a0(13) Western Illinois 51\u00a0<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534687\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(2) LSU 116, (15) Jacksonville 58<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534683\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(4) Minnesota 75,\u00a0(13) Green Bay 58<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534674\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(5) Michigan State 65,\u00a0(12) Colorado State 62<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534694\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(7) NC State 76,\u00a0(10) Tennessee 61\u00a0<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534686\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(7) Texas Tech 57,\u00a0(10) Villanova 52<\/a>\u00a0<br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534675\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(4) Oklahoma 89,\u00a0(13) Idaho 59<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Saturday, March 21 (First Round\/Round of 64)<\/p>\n<p>\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534669\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(3) Ohio State 75, (14) Howard 54<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534693\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(3) Louisville 72, (14) Vermont 52<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534672\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(1) South Carolina 103, Southern U 34\u00a0<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(10) Virginia 82, (7) Georgia 73<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534668\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(6) Notre Dame 79,\u00a0(11) Fairfield 60<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534692\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(6) Alabama 68, (11) Rhode Island 55<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534690\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(5) Kentucky 71, (12) James Madison 56<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534664\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(1) UConn 90, (16) UTSA 52<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534673\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(9) USC 71, (8) Clemson 67<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534679\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(2) Iowa 58,\u00a0(15) FDU 48<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534691\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(4) West Virginia 82, (13) Miami (Ohio) 54<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534665\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(9) Syracuse 72, (8) Iowa State 63<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534671\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(2) Vanderbilt 102, (15) High Point 61<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534681\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(8) Oklahoma State 82,\u00a0(9) Princeton 68<\/a><br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534670\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(7) Illinois\u00a066,\u00a0(10) Colorado\u00a057<\/a>\u00a0<br \/>\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/game\/6534680\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">(1) UCLA 96,\u00a0(16) California Baptist 43<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sunday, March 22 (Second Round)<\/p>\n<p>Monday, March 23 (Second Round)<\/p>\n<p>Friday, March 27 (Sweet 16)<\/p>\n<p>Saturday, March 28 (Sweet 16)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, March 29 (Elite Eight)<\/p>\n<p>Monday, March 30 (Elite Eight)<\/p>\n<p>Friday, April 3 (Final Four)<\/p>\n<p>Sunday, April 5 (National Championship)<\/p>\n<p>This is the schedule for the tournament:<\/p>\n<p>\tSelection Sunday:\u00a08 p.m. ET Sunday, March 15 on ESPN<br \/>\n\tFirst Four:\u00a0March 18-19<br \/>\n\tFirst round:\u00a0March 20-21<br \/>\n\tSecond round:\u00a0March 22-23<br \/>\n\tSweet 16:\u00a0March 27-28 in Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, Calif.<br \/>\n\tElite Eight: March 29-30 in Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, Calif.<br \/>\n\tFinal Four:\u00a0Friday, April 3 in\u00a0Phoenix, Ariz.<br \/>\n\tNCAA championship game: Sunday, April 5 in\u00a0Phoenix, Ariz.<\/p>\n<p>WOMEN&#8217;S FINAL FOUR FUTURE DATES AND SITES<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Year<\/p>\n<p>City<\/p>\n<p>Venue<\/p>\n<p>Dates<\/p>\n<p>Host<\/p>\n<p>2026<\/p>\n<p>Phoenix, Ariz.<\/p>\n<p>Mortgage Matchup Center<\/p>\n<p>April 3 &amp; 5<\/p>\n<p>Arizona State University<\/p>\n<p>2027<\/p>\n<p>Columbus, Ohio<\/p>\n<p>Nationwide Arena<\/p>\n<p>April 2 &amp; 4<\/p>\n<p>The Ohio State University, Greater Columbus sports Commission<\/p>\n<p>2028<\/p>\n<p>Indianapolis, Ind.<\/p>\n<p>Gainbridge Fieldhouse<\/p>\n<p>March 31 &amp; April 2<\/p>\n<p>Horizon League, IUPUI, Indiana Sports Corp<\/p>\n<p>2029<\/p>\n<p>San Antonio, Texas<\/p>\n<p>Alamodome<\/p>\n<p>March 30 &amp; April 1<\/p>\n<p>University of Incarnate Word, UTSA, San Antonio Sports<\/p>\n<p>2030<\/p>\n<p>Portland, Ore.<\/p>\n<p>Moda Center<\/p>\n<p>April 5 &amp; 7<\/p>\n<p>University of Portland, Sport Oregon<\/p>\n<p>2031<\/p>\n<p>Dallas, Texas<\/p>\n<p>American Airlines Center<\/p>\n<p>April 4 &amp; 6<\/p>\n<p>Big 12 Conference, Dallas Sports Commission<\/p>\n<p>NCAA women&#8217;s bracket for 2025<\/p>\n<p>                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2025_DIWBB_Bracket-Final_0.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"2025 women's college basketball bracket final\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/azzi-fudd-uconn-2025-mop.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                    Women&#8217;s Final Four Most Outstanding Players from 1982 to present<\/p>\n<p>Here is a complete list of every player to be the Women&#8217;s Final Four Most Outstanding Player since it was first awarded in 1982.<\/p>\n<p>                                <a class=\"article-related-cta\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-women\/article\/2026-04-05\/womens-final-four-most-outstanding-players-1982-present?utm_campaign=article-carousel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/UCONN-womens-basketball.JPG\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                    Schools with the most DI women&#8217;s basketball national championships<\/p>\n<p>UConn has more DI women&#8217;s college basketball titles than any other program. Here&#8217;s a look at the women\u2019s basketball teams that have won two or more national championships.<\/p>\n<p>                                <a class=\"article-related-cta\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-women\/article\/2026-04-05\/schools-most-di-womens-basketball-national-championships?utm_campaign=article-carousel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/South-Carolina-wins-women's-2024-NCAA-tournament-March-Madness.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                    How preseason No. 1 women&#8217;s basketball teams do in March Madness<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a look at how every preseason No. 1 team in women&#8217;s basketball does every March in the NCAA tournament.<\/p>\n<p>                                <a class=\"article-related-cta\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncaa.com\/news\/basketball-women\/article\/2026-04-04\/how-preseason-no-1-womens-basketball-teams-do-march-madness?utm_campaign=article-carousel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">READ MORE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                            <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share UCLA won its first NCAA women&#8217;s basketball championship, defeating fellow No. 1 seed South Carolina 79-51 on&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":587966,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-587965","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-basketball","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=587965"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/587965\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/587966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=587965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=587965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=587965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}