Is the 2025-26 college basketball title already decided? Preseason projections suggest the Connecticut Huskies are set to defend their crown, but the path to March glory is far from guaranteed. Also, Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks are back with revenge on their minds, while UCLA looks ready to surge into the Final Four behind the Betts sisters and a loaded roster.
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Meanwhile, USC’s stock has dipped with Juju Watkins sidelined by an ACL tear, leaving questions about their depth and consistency. Still, the season promises high-stakes matchups, bracket-shaping battles, and plenty of surprises. Here’s a look at the key games, early bracketology, and where to catch all the action.
NCAA women’s basketball 2025-26 season overview
The 2025-26 Division I women’s college basketball season officially opened on Monday, November 3, 2025, and runs through Selection Sunday on March 15, 2026. The NCAA tournament First Four starts on March 18 and the national championship on April 5 in Phoenix, Arizona.
SEC
SEC is probably the most interesting conference this season. Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks ruled last year with a 15-1 record, but Texas matched their dominance and pushed all the way to the Final Four before falling to the Gamecocks. In the preseason poll, South Carolina sits second nationally, with Texas close behind at number four, setting up another fierce rivalry.
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NCAA, College League, USA Womens Basketball: Final Four National Semifinal-South Carolina at Texas Apr 4, 2025 Tampa, FL, USA South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the first half in a semifinal of the women s 2025 NCAA tournament against the Texas Longhorns at Amalie Arena. Tampa Amalie Arena FL USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xNathanxRayxSeebeckx 20250404_ajw_fo8_033
Of course, Kim Mulkey’s LSU isn’t far from the conversation. Led by dynamic stars Flau’Jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams, the Tigers have the firepower to shake up the top of the standings. The SEC preseason poll still favors South Carolina, followed by Texas at No. 2 and LSU at No. 3, but the margin separating them is razor-thin.
Big 10
The Big 10 is led by newcomers UCLA, but the question remains: will anyone be able to challenge them? USC was the premier threat, but they have lost arguably the best player in college basketball, Juju Watkins, to an ACL tear. However, still expect them to be competitive. Maryland looks decent with Kaylene Smikle coming back.
Iowa is still in its post-Caitlin Clark, Lisa Bluder era under Jan Jensen. They have some interesting recruits, No. 9-ranked Addie Deal and No. 6-ranked McKenna Woliczko in the 2026 class, and they would be a team to look out for next season. Michigan and Ohio could emerge as dark horses, but it would be surprising if anyone topples UCLA.
ACC
One of the quirks of ACC is that the best player in the conference is stuck in a team rebuilding. Yes, I am talking about Hannah Hidalgo at Notre Dame. The team just bled too much with the likes of Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld to the WNBA, and lost Olivia Miles to the transfer portal. Duke remains the firm favorite in this conference after claiming its first ACC titles since 2013.
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DURHAM, NC – JANUARY 18: The team cheers as Duke Blue Devils guard Jadyn Donovan 4 interviews after the college basketball game between the Duke Blue Devils and the Virginia Tech Hokies on January 18, 2024 at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC. Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire COLLEGE BASKETBALL: JAN 18 Women s – Virginia Tech at Duke EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon24011861
NC State could give them a challenge, but their youngsters will need to step up. In addition, the Tar Heels with ESPN’s No. 5 recruiting class should be competitive as well.
Big 12
Can the Big 12 pull some punches at the national level? The addition of Olivia Miles to TCU gives some hope. The 5’10 guard is a three-time All-American and immediately makes TCU a contender in the Big 12. Iowa State has some firepower too, with Audi Crooks, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year should dominate the paint regardless of their opponent.
She has Addy Brown to give the team some shooting. If these two fire, look out for Iowa. As for the Big East, we can’t really look past UConn, led by Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong.
NCAA women’s basketball schedule 2025–26 Season
Here is the schedule for the 2025-26 women’s basketball, including key dates and matchups:
| Phase | Dates | Key Highlights (ET) |
| Regular Season | November 3, 2025- March 8, 2026 | Nov 3: No. 7 Duke vs No. 16 Baylor in Paris Nov 4: No. 1 UConn vs No. 20 Louisville Nov 4: No.8 Tennessee vs No.9 NC State Nov. 9: No.9 NC State vs. No.18 USC Nov 11: No.6 Oklahoma vs No. 3 UCLA Nov 13: No.11 North Carolina vs No.3 UCLA Nov 16: No.18 TCU vs No.9 NC State Nov 26: Texas vs UCLA, Players Era Championship semifinal in Las Vegas (No. 1 seed stakes). Nov 26: Duke vs South Carolina Nov. 27-28: Players Era Tournament, involving Duke, South Carolina, Texas, and UCLA Nov 30: No.8 Tennessee at No.3 UCLA Dec 3: No.9 NC State at No.5 Oklahoma Dec 4: No.5 LSU at No.7 Duke Dec 14 No.1 UConn vs No.18 USC Jan 14: No.2 South Carolina vs No.18 USC Jan 15: No.4 Texas vs No.2 South Carolina Jan 19: No.1 U Conn vs No.14 Notre Dame Feb 1 No.1 UConn vs No.8 Tennessee Feb 8: No.8 Tennessee vs No.2 North Carolina Feb 14: No.2 South Carolina vs No.5 LSU |
| Conference Tournaments | Approx. Mar 4-9, 2026 (league dependent) | Conference tournaments in women’s college basketball are single-elimination postseason events to award their automatic NCAA bid and to shape seeding for March Madness through high-density, neutral-court Quadrant 1 opportunities. |
| March Madness | Selection Sunday: Mar 15 First Four: March 18-19 Rounds 1-2, March 20-23 Regionals March 27-30 Final Four: April 3 Championship Game: April 5 (Phoenix) | This is where we get to the business end of the season. UConn and South Carolina are the preseason favorites. It’s almost assumed that they are two of the teams in the final four. The other two places are up in the air, but in order to actually win that coveted title, the teams will have to perform a major upset |
NCAA Women’s Basketball Bracketology 2025–26 Season:
Top Overall Seed: Connecticut Huskies (Data via ESPN)
| Last Four Byes | Last Four In | First Four Out | Next Four Out |
| SMU | Virginia Tech | Columbia | Colorado |
| Villanova | Georgia | Kansas | Marquette |
| Florida State | Minnesota | Florida | Utah |
| Illinois | George Mason | Kansas State | UNLV |
Conference-wise breakdown:
| Conference | Teams |
| Big Ten | 13 |
| ACC | 11 |
| SEC | 10 |
| Big 12 | 5 |
| Big East | 2 |
| Atlantic 10 | 2 |
Final Four Predictions: UConn, UCLA, South Carolina, Duke.
Where can you stream the NCAA 2025-26 Women’s Games?
Most of the regular-season NCAA women’s college basketball games will be available on ESPN platforms (ESPN app via ESPN Unlimited and ESPN+). Select additional games will be on conference networks, and select events on Fox/Warner Bros, Discovery apps.
However, the entire Women’s March Madness tournament streams on ESPN platforms in 2026 under the 2024 NCAA-ESPN media deal. The college basketball scenario is changing fast, with even the rules being tweaked for the upcoming season.
TV channels: ESPN, ABC, Fox, FS1, TBS, TNT, CBS, CBSSN, ACC Network, SEC Network, Big Ten Network
Streaming: ESPN, Fox One, Paramount+, Peacock, Fubo, DirecTV Stream, HBO Max, and more
