Will the 2026 Women’s NCAA Final Four be a repeat of last year?
USAT’s Sam Cardona Norberg and Megan Hall share their thoughts on the No. 1 seed for this year’s women’s NCAA March Madness tournament.
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Eight teams remain in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
The first and second rounds of women’s tournaments usually don’t produce as many upsets as the men’s, but things could get spicy and interesting during the second weekend of March Madness. This year’s tournament did not disappoint.
No. 3 Duke upset No. 2 LSU with Ashron Jackson’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer, and Hannah Hidalgo’s triple-double led No. 6 Notre Dame to a victory over No. 2 Vanderbilt. The Fighting Irish and Blue Devils are the only teams left in the field from the ACC, along with the Big Ten and SEC on the far left.
Last year’s Final Four teams (UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina) were all No. 1 seeds this season and are still alive after winning Sweet 16 matchups in Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California.
Can Hidalgo and Neele Ivey create more March Madness magic? Will Duke continue to avenge its non-conference losses? Can Raven Johnson lead South Carolina to its sixth straight Final Four?
Four of the eight teams still dancing have won national championships, but Texas hasn’t won it all since 1986 and will be looking to end a long drought. TCU and Michigan State are looking to advance to the Final Four for the first time, while Duke has not reached the national semifinals since losing to Maryland in the national title game in 2006.
Here are all the Elite Eight games airing on Sunday and Monday, ranked by ease of viewing.
1. UCLA vs. Duke
Time/TV: Sunday, 3pm ET (ABC)
Duke has been pretty good in the run-it-back game this season. They won both games against Notre Dame and Louisville, lost to the Tigers in February, beat Clemson in the ACC Tournament, lost to the Bears in Paris, beat Baylor in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by double digits, and beat LSU in the Sweet 16 after losing at home to Kim Mulkey’s team in December. Carla Lawson’s Blue Devils will have a chance to break the record against UCLA after the Bruins won by 30 points in Las Vegas in November. UCLA is on a 28-game winning streak, but hasn’t had a winning percentage below double digits since Feb. 8. The Bruins are like Goliath. Could Duke be David?
2. South Carolina vs. TCU
Time/TV: Monday, 9pm ET (ESPN)
The Shamcocks had a wire win over Oklahoma State on Saturday, winning 94-68. Aaliyah Chavez scored 21 points, but South Carolina pretty much neutralized the rest of the Sooners. The Gamecocks, whose sixth straight Final Four appearance is on the line, will face another team with an extremely talented point guard in Olivia Miles, the nation’s triple-double leader this season. Marta Suarez replaced Miles’ Batman as Robin, dropping 33 points in the Horned Frogs’ win over Virginia. SEC Defensive Player of the Year Raven Johnson is expected to track Miles.
3. UW vs. Notre Dame
Time/TV: Sunday, 1pm ET (ABC)
No team in the history of women’s college basketball has played more in the NCAA Tournament than Notre Dame and UW, who will meet for the ninth time in the Big Dance on Sunday. The former Big East rivals met earlier this season, with the Huskies winning 85-47. Can Hannah Hidalgo pull off the biggest upset in tournament history, or will undefeated UConn continue its run to repeat as champions?
4. Texas vs. Michigan
Time/TV: Monday, 7pm ET (ESPN)
Michigan was the closest team to Yukon this season, losing by just three points in a game played on neutral ground in November. Texas has lost three games all season and is the only team to beat UCLA. Both teams are led by a talented trio, with Madison Booker, Lori Harmon and Jordan Lee leading the Longhorns, and sophomores Saira Swords, Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway anchoring the Wolverines.
