Charlie CremeMar 15, 2026, 09:00 PM ET
CloseCharlie Creme projects the women’s NCAA tournament bracket for ESPN.com.
Multiple Authors
After 4½ months of predicting which teams would make up the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament field, we’re no longer projecting which teams are in the bracket. It’s time to pick the winners for every game in it.
Put down the pencil. This exercise is about your brain and gut working as one and going with your first instinct. Make a pick. Move teams along. Don’t look back. I made these picks without hesitation: Read the matchup, made a quick assessment and selected a winner. That’s an instant bracket. A season’s worth of slowly consumed basketball knowledge now explodes onto a blank bracket. Here are my picks for every game of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.
Jump to: Fort Worth 1 Region | Sacramento 2 Region | Fort Worth 3 Region | Sacramento 4 Region | Final Four
First Four
SACRAMENTO 2 REGIONAL
No. 11 Nebraska Cornhuskers 72, No. 11 Richmond Spiders 62
FORT WORTH 3 REGIONAL
No. 16 Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks 56, No. 16 Missouri State Lady Bears 48
SACRAMENTO 4 REGIONAL
No. 10 Arizona State Sun Devils 61, No. 10 Virginia Cavaliers 59
No. 16 Southern Jaguars 60, No. 16 Samford Bulldogs 50
Fort Worth 1Editor’s Picks
2 Related
FIRST-ROUND PICKS
No. 1 UConn Huskies 111, No. 16 UTSA Roadrunners 47
No. 8 Iowa State Cyclones 62, No. 9 Syracuse Orange 58
No. 5 Maryland Terrapins 78, No. 12 Murray State Racers 64
No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels 80, No. 13 Western Illinois Leathernecks 58
No. 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 88, No. 11 Fairfield Stags 52
No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes 77, No. 14 Howard Bison 42
No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes 62, No. 7 Illinois Fighting Illini 61
No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores 87, No. 15 High Point Panthers 50
SECOND-ROUND PICKS
No. 1 UConn 90, No. 8 Iowa State 58
No. 4 North Carolina 77, No. 5 Maryland 65
No. 6 Notre Dame 60, No. 3 Ohio State 58
No. 2 Vanderbilt 82, No. 10 Colorado 67
SWEET 16 PICKS
No. 1 UConn 82, No. 4 North Carolina 58
No. 2 Vanderbilt 72, No. 6 Notre Dame 58
ELITE EIGHT PICK
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Chiney Ogwumike, Andraya Carter and Rebecca Lobo detail the potential Regional 1 matchup between UConn and Vanderbilt.
No. 1 UConn 91, No. 2 Vanderbilt 67
REGION ANALYSIS:
UConn should not have much resistance in reaching the Elite Eight and is playing teams that its No. 1-rated defense can feast upon. What’s intriguing here is a possible regional final matchup with Vanderbilt, which would pit Geno Auriemma against his former UConn player and assistant coach Shea Ralph. Along with sophomore Mikayla Blakes, Ralph has transformed the Commodores’ program. In the Sweet 16, Blakes could potentially go head-to-head with Hannah Hidalgo in a matchup between the nation’s leading scorer and its best perimeter defender.
Elsewhere, Maryland could be pushed by Murray State in the first round. The Racers like to play fast and are the fifth-highest-scoring team in the country. Injuries have hampered the Terps’ depth, and playing an up-tempo game for 40 minutes could be a challenge.
Sacramento 2
FIRST-ROUND PICKS
No. 1 UCLA Bruins 92, No. 16 California Baptist Lancers 38
No. 9 Princeton Tigers 77, No. 8 Oklahoma State Cowgirls 74
No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels 68, No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs 51
No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers 73, No. 13 Green Bay Phoenix 59
No. 6 Baylor Bears 65, No. 11 Nebraska Cornhuskers 52
No. 3 Duke Blue Devils 87, No. 14 Charleston Cougars 52
No. 10 Villanova Wildcats 70, No. 7 Texas Tech Lady Raiders 64
No. 2 LSU Tigers 101, No. 15 Jacksonville Dolphins 61
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SECOND-ROUND PICKS
No. 1 UCLA 79, No. 9 Princeton 56
No. 4 Minnesota 69, No. 5 Ole Miss 67
No. 3 Duke 68, No. 6 Baylor 52
No. 2 LSU 79, No. 10 Villanova 52
SWEET 16 PICKS
No. 1 UCLA 90, No. 4 Minnesota 67
No. 2 LSU 75, No. 3 Duke 70
ELITE EIGHT PICK
No. 1 UCLA 81, No. 2 LSU 77
REGION ANALYSIS:
On Dec. 4, LSU beat Duke 93-77. They are headed on a regional semifinal collision course. I went with LSU again, but the game will be much closer and could come down to a possession or two. The Tigers have lost a few of those close games this season. This is one they get. Of course, that would likely set up a game against UCLA for a right to go to the Final Four. The Bruins won’t miss on that opportunity and will take care of LSU in the regional final.
Ole Miss and Minnesota in a potential second-round game is interesting. The Rebels wanted to host opening-round games. Instead, they must travel to Big Ten country for the chance to get to a second straight Sweet 16. The Gophers might have been the most overlooked team in the nation this season. They won’t be anymore, and Minnesota advances in that game.
Villanova won’t have enough to beat LSU in the second round, but the Wildcats are a prime first-round upset pick against Texas Tech, which is in its first NCAA tournament since 2013.
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FIRST-ROUND PICKS
No. 1 Texas Longhorns 93, No. 16 Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks 47
No. 8 Oregon Ducks 70, No. 9 Virginia Tech Hokies 60
No. 5 Kentucky Wildcats 68, No. 12 James Madison Dukes 52
No. 4 West Virginia Mountaineers 82, No. 13 Miami (Ohio) RedHawks 58
No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide 62, No. 11 Rhode Island Rams 59
No. 3 Louisville Cardinals 92, No. 14 Vermont Catamounts 50
No. 10 Tennessee Lady Volunteers 81, No. 7 NC State Wolfpack 76
No. 2 Michigan Wolverines 95, No. 15 Holy Cross Crusaders 65
SECOND-ROUND PICKS
No. 1 Texas 77, No. 8 Oregon 57
No. 5 Kentucky 72, No. 4 West Virginia 68
No. 3 Louisville 84, No. 6 Alabama 62
No. 2 Michigan 90, No. 10 Tennessee 68
SWEET 16 PICKS
No. 1 Texas 85, No. 5 Kentucky 72
No. 3 Louisville 74, No. 2 Michigan 71
ELITE EIGHT PICK
No. 1 Texas 74, No. 3 Louisville 73
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REGION ANALYSIS:
If any of the top seeds is going to have an issue getting to the Final Four, it might be Texas. Louisville is a potential problem matchup for the Longhorns in the Elite Eight because of the Cardinals’ versatility on offense. There is no one player to key on with Louisville, and it also has the guard quickness to combat the Longhorns’ defense. Of course, a potential Louisville vs. Michigan game a round earlier could also be an instant classic. Louisville is the sneaky team in this region. Put Texas through to Phoenix, but keep an eye on the Cardinals.
Tennessee vs. NC State in the opening round pits two teams who slumped badly toward the end of the season. Now, each has a chance at redemption. Tennessee has never entered the NCAA tournament with a worse record, but this is a game the Lady Vols can win.
If a double-digit seed is going to advance out of the first round, go with Rhode Island. I have Alabama in a close one, but the Rams play topflight defense and have veterans. They will give the Crimson Tide fits.
Sacramento 4
FIRST-ROUND PICKS
No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks 105, No. 16 Southern Jaguars 42
No. 9 USC Trojans 52, No. 8 Clemson Tigers 48
No. 5 Michigan State Spartans 76, No. 12 Colorado State Rams 56
No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners 98, No. 13 Idaho Vandals 46
No. 6 Washington Huskies 60, No. 11 South Dakota State Jackrabbits 59
No. 3 TCU Horned Frogs 74, No. 14 UC San Diego Tritons 52
No. 7 Georgia Lady Bulldogs 65, No. 10 Arizona State Sun Devils 60
No. 2 Iowa Hawkeyes 94, No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights 56
SECOND-ROUND PICKS
No. 1 South Carolina 90, No. 9 USC 66
No. 4 Oklahoma 84, No. 5 Michigan State 74
No. 3 TCU 80, No. 6 Washington 61
No. 2 Iowa 68, No. 7 Georgia 65
SWEET 16 PICKS
No. 1 South Carolina 87, No. 4 Oklahoma 71
No. 3 TCU 73, No. 2 Iowa 72
ELITE EIGHT PICK
No. 1 South Carolina 77, No. 3 TCU 67
REGION ANALYSIS:
Not only does South Carolina reach the Final Four, but the Gamecocks also get to exact some revenge on the one SEC team that beat them in the regular season. This time the game won’t be in Norman, and South Carolina will dispatch Oklahoma routinely.
A potential TCU-Iowa matchup in the regional semifinals could be the game of the region. It’s the Big 12 regular-season champ against the Big Ten’s second-best team. Olivia Miles can have a big game against another team that likes to play fast. But the Horned Frogs won’t have enough left in the tank against South Carolina.
This isn’t the best South Dakota State team to enter the NCAA tournament in recent years, but the Jackrabbits should still give Washington all it can handle in Round 1. The Huskies survive, though.
Sean Rayford/Getty ImagesFinal Four (Phoenix)
NATIONAL SEMIFINALS
No. 1 UConn 80, No. 1 South Carolina 74
No. 1 UCLA 72, No. 1 Texas 70
ANALYSIS:
UCLA lost one game all season, and it was back in November to Texas. The Bruins have another chance at the Longhorns, this time with bigger stakes. In that first meeting, UCLA made just 4 of 13 3-pointers. The Bruins are the sixth-most-accurate 3-point shooting team in the country. This will be the difference in the game. Texas ranks last in the nation in 3-point rate. The teams are very different now, and the outcome will be as well. UCLA gets over the hump to the championship game, the program’s first in the NCAA era.
UConn and South Carolina meet a round earlier than last season in a rematch of the 2025 title game. This time it will be much closer than the Huskies’ 82-59 blowout of the Gamecocks a year ago — but the end result will be the same. Just like she was in that title game a year ago, Sarah Strong will be a matchup problem for the Gamecocks. Strong had 24 points and 15 rebounds in that one. Expect something similar from the likely national player of the year.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 1 UConn 80, No. 1 UCLA 71
ANALYSIS:
It’s hard to pick against UConn in a national title game. Strong will be a matchup problem for UCLA, too, and if 3-point shooting is what gets UCLA to this point, the Bruins will meet their match in this game. UConn is the most accurate 3-point shooting team in the country, led by Azzi Fudd at 44.6% accuracy. The Huskies’ top-rated defense will help them combat the length that UCLA has with Lauren Betts and 6-foot wings Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens.