UConn enters the NCAA women's basketball bracket as the overwhelming favorite to capture a record-extending 13th national championship, as the Huskies capped Selection Sunday with -270 odds — the shortest odds for a pre-tournament favorite since 2018.

Coach Geno Auriemma's squad carries a perfect 34-0 record into March Madness. The defending NCAA champions earned the No. 1 overall seed in this year's tournament.

A sizable gap separates UConn from the rest of the NCAA women's basketball bracket. Big Ten tournament winner UCLA holds the second-best odds at +550, despite finishing 31-1 with an undefeated conference record. The Bruins also earned a No. 1 seed, representing the biggest threat to UConn's title defense.

The SEC dominates the next tier of odds contenders, with Texas sitting at +700 followed by South Carolina at +800. LSU enters between +1,700 and +2,200, while Vanderbilt checks around +5,000.

Michigan (+9,000), Duke (+10,000), Iowa (+10,000), and Louisville (+10,000) round out the bracket's Top 10 highest odds.

Sportsbook BetMGM reports that UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina have attracted 57.4% of championship future handle throughout the season. The three favorites generated public support all year, though Michigan and Vanderbilt could cause March Madness challenges for the college basketball heavy-hitters.

Current NCAA Women’s Basketball Bracket Championship Odds

UConn -275
UCLA +550
Texas +650
South Carolina +900
LSU +1700
Vanderbilt +5000
Michigan +9000
Duke +10000
Iowa +10000
Louisville +10000
Oklahoma +12500
TCU +12500
Ole Miss +12500
NC State +15000
Kentucky +15000
Maryland +17500
Notre Dame +20000
Tennessee +20000
North Carolina +20000
Iowa State +20000
Ohio State +20000
Texas Tech +20000
USC +25000
Baylor +25000
Alabama +25000
West Virginia +25000
Minnesota +25000
Michigan State +30000
Washington +30000
Oklahoma State +50000
Viollanova +50000
Arizona State +50000
Colorado +50000
Colorado State +50000
Princeton +50000
Syracuse +50000
Virginia Tech +50000
Illinois +50000
Nebraska +75000
Oregon +75000
Clemson +75000
Georgia +75000
Gonzaga +75000
Virginia +100000
Richmond +150000
Cal Baptist +150000
FDU +150000
Charleston +150000
Fairfield +200000
Jacksonville +200000
Rhode Island +200000
High Point +200000
South Dakota State +200000
Idaho +200000
Green Bay +200000
James Madison +200000
Western Illinois +200000
Vermont +200000
Holy Cross +200000
Miami Ohio +200000
UC San Diego +200000
Samford +500000
Stephen F. Austin +500000
Southern +500000
Missouri State +500000
UTSA +500000
Murray State +500000
Howard +500000

College women's ice hockey locked in the 2026 Frozen Four over the weekend, as the national tournament's regional finals delivered just one upset on Saturday.

Despite two goals from Olympic gold medalist Abbey Murphy, No. 4-seed Minnesota fell 4-2 to the No. 5 Northeastern Huskies, ending the Golden Gophers' postseason — and the six-time champions' hopes of returning to the top of the podium for the first time in a decade.

"Every day I just kind of soaked it all in," Murphy said after capping her college career with a program-record 143 goals. "It's crazy it's all over."

Northeastern now moves on to face No. 1-seed Ohio State, after the Buckeyes defeated Yale 6-1 in their own regional final on Saturday.

Ohio State's revenge campaign against reigning champions Wisconsin remains intact, as the No. 2 Badgers — and their quartet of Olympic champions — also advanced to the Frozen Four after shutting out Quinnipiac 6-0 on Saturday.

Wisconsin will next take on No. 3 Penn State, with the Nittany Lions booking their trip to the national tournament semifinals with a 3-0 Saturday win over UConn.

How to watch the 2026 Frozen Four

The puck will drop on the 2026 Frozen Four on Friday, with No. 1 Ohio State taking on No. 5 Northeastern at 4 PM ET before No. 2 Wisconsin faces off against No. 3 Penn State at 7:30 PM ET.

Both national women's ice hockey semifinals will air live on ESPN+.

It's time to fill out that NCAA tournament bracket, as 68 women's basketball teams discovered their 2026 March Madness paths in the Selection Sunday show over the weekend.

The undefeated UConn Huskies enters the NCAA tournament bracket as the No. 1 overall top seed, with the defending national champs joined by fellow No. 1-seeds UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas at the top of their quadrants.

"There are a lot of good teams out there, and there are times I felt like we deserved a No. 1 seed based on our wins, our record, who we have beaten, and it didn't pan out that way," reflected Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma. "This year, it did."

It only gets harder from here, however, as No. 2-seeds Vanderbilt, LSU, Michigan, and Iowa eye matchups with their higher-seeded competition.

Should UConn and Vanderbilt meet in the Elite Eight, Auriemma will face his former protege, after Commodores boss Shea Ralph won the 2000 NCAA title as a Husky before spending 13 years on UConn's coaching staff.

"The NCAA Tournament is the best sporting event in the world," Ralph said on Sunday night. "We're thrilled with the work that we've done this season to put ourselves in position to do well, but we're really not looking past the first game. We can't. It's a one-game season now."

How to Watch the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament

The 2026 NCAA women's basketball tournament opens with the First Four games on Wednesday and Thursday.

The play-in round will tip off with Nebraska taking on fellow potential No. 11-seed Richmond at 7 PM ET on Wednesday before Missouri State and Stephen F. Austin battle for a No. 16 seed at 9 PM ET.

Thursday will see Southern facing Samford for the final No. 16-seed spot at 7 PM ET, with a No. 10-seed entry on the line when Virginia takes on Arizona State at 9 PM ET.

All First Four games will air live on ESPN2.

Complete 2026 NCAA Tournament Bracket

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The Women's National Invitation Tournament announced its 48-team field on Sunday, setting the scene for Monday's 2026 Women's NIT bracket drop.

The Women's NIT bracket includes automatic bids for teams that finished second in their respective conference tournaments but failed to make either the NCAA Tournament or Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.

This year's automatic berths are Abilene Christian (WAC), Alcorn State (SWAC), Florida International (Conference USA), Lamar (Southland), Mercyhurst (NEC), Montana State (Big Sky), Radford (Big South), Maryland Eastern Shore (MEAC), and Youngstown State (Horizon League).

"I'm very proud of this team and we're excited to continue playing," said Montana State head coach Tricia Binford.

"The resume this team put together is certainly deserving of post-season basketball. We finished 69th in the NET Ranking, had a Quad One win, and won 25 basketball games. I believe our best basketball remains in front of this team, and with no seniors on this team the post-season experience we gain will be valuable."

Additional programs headlining the Women's NIT field include Wake Forest from the ACC and Southern Indiana from the Ohio Valley Conference. Mid-major programs dominate the bracket, with strong representation from the Summit League, Horizon League, and Conference USA.

The WNIT has fallen in stature since the WBIT replaced it as the NCAA's second-tier postseason tournament in 2024, with the NIT now serving as the third option for teams seeking extended postseason play.

Organizers will reveal the full bracket with seeding and matchups on Monday, with the tournament set to tip off on March 19th before culminating in April 4th's championship.

Complete 2026 Women's NIT Field

Ohio State basketball sophomore guard Jaloni Cambridge became a 2026 Dawn Staley Award finalist this week. One of five finalists for the prestigious award, Cambridge is the only player representing the Big Ten.

The Dawn Staley Award recognizes women's college basketball's top guard each season.

Cambridge appeared on multiple preseason watch lists, including the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award. She earned spots on the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 and Late Midseason Top 20 lists. Cambridge also made the Naismith Trophy Late Season Team and landed on the national ballot for the Wooden Award.

The Athletic and ESPN both named Cambridge to this year's All-American Second Team, while USA Today gave her an honorable mention. Both Big Ten head coaches and media selected her unanimously for All-Big Ten First Team.

Cambridge scored in the double-digits in all 33 games for Ohio State basketball this year, becoming the 40th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points in February. She joined elite company as the fifth Buckeye in program history to score 700 points in a single season.

She finished the regular season with 751 points, ranking sixth in single-season program records while also ranking seventh in made field goals with 283.

Cambridge won the Big Ten scoring title in both overall play (23.4 points per game) and conference play (26.4 points per game).

In January, the sophomore standout also picked up AP Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week honors.

Selection Sunday arrives this weekend, with the top performers in Division I women's basketball preparing to learn their 2026 NCAA tournament fates.

A full 31 teams will breathe easier knowing their conference tournament titles secured automatic spots in this year's March Madness, including mid-major standouts like South Dakota State, Samford, Colorado State, and Fairfield.

However, the rest of the NCAA's best will be hoping their 2025/26 campaigns impressed the selection committee enough to earn one of the 37 at-large bids — a field typically overwhelmingly populated by Power Four titans.

All teams — automatic qualifiers and potential at-large selectees alike — will lock into Sunday's broadcast, as the 68-team bracket will reveal each squad's path to the national championship.

Following their perfect 2025/26 season, defending champ No. 1-ranked UConn is all-but-guaranteed to take the bracket's No. 1 overall seed, with one-loss No. 2 UCLA also gunning for top-seeded entry after running the table in the Big Ten.

Meanwhile, SEC tournament title game opponents No. 3 Texas and No. 4 South Carolina will likely take the national competition's final two No. 1 seeds, with No. 5 LSU and No. 6 Vanderbilt on the outside looking in after clunky conference tournament runs.

All top prospects are aiming to break into the Top 16 on Sunday, as that elite tier of teams will have home-court advantage in the first two full-tournament rounds, serving as hosts for opening weekend once next week's First Four games are in the books.

How to watch the NCAA women's basketball's Selection Sunday

The full 68-team 2026 March Madness bracket will drop at 8 PM ET this Sunday, live on ESPN.

The NCAA hockey season is winding down, with the puck dropping on the first round of the Division I national tournament on Thursday as players start down the road to the 2026 Frozen Four.

Unseeded qualifiers Franklin Pierce, Quinnipiac, Princeton, UConn, Yale, and Minnesota Duluth will open national bracket play in Thursday's regional semifinals.

The winners will then meet either No. 1-seed Ohio State, No. 2 Wisconsin, or No. 3 Penn State in Saturday's regional finals, with No. 4 Minnesota and No. 5 Northeastern readying to make their tournament debuts against each other the same round.

Conference tournament upsets notably shaped this year's field, with the Buckeyes earning the top seed after booking a 2-1 title victory over the formerly top-ranked Badgers in the WCHA Final Faceoff on Saturday.

The perennial titans have owned the national championship over the last six NCAA hockey seasons, with Wisconsin tallying four (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025) and Ohio State taking two (2022, 2024).

"Maybe we'll see them again down the road," Badgers co-captain Caroline Harvey said after Saturday's loss, hinting at a possible Midwestern rivalry rematch in the Frozen Four's national title game. "We'll look forward to that if that's the case."

How to watch the 2026 NCAA women's ice hockey tournament 

Division I's best will hit the ice beginning with Yale vs. Minnesota Duluth at 6 PM ET on Thursday.

All tournament games will air live on ESPN+, with the network elevating the March 22nd championship game to ESPNU.

UConn captured its sixth consecutive Big East tournament title on Monday with a dominant three-game run at Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Huskies defeated Georgetown, Creighton and Villanova by an average of 44.3 points to claim the program's 31st conference tournament title. Along the way, Sarah Strong earned Most Outstanding Player honors while Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold landed on the all-tournament team.

UConn remains undefeated at 31-0 heading into the 2026 NCAA Tournament. And while the Huskies secured the Big East's automatic bid, the team still faces a major question: Will it earn the national tournament's No. 1 overall seed?

The Connecticut women's basketball powerhouse held that distinction in the first two NCAA bracket reveals. However, UCLA is now gunning for the top spot after finishing the season 31-1 overall with an undefeated Big Ten regular-season run. The Bruins routed Iowa 96-45 in the Big Ten title game and own 18 Q1 victories — double UConn's nine.

UConn leads UCLA in the NET rankings, Torvik rankings, and AP Top 25 Poll, though UCLA did steal three first-place AP Poll votes from the Huskies this week.

Receiving the No. 1 overall seed carries significance beyond bragging rights, with the top NCAA team getting an extra day of rest between the regional finals and the Final Four.

Mohegan Sun Extends Big East Tournament Hosting Deal

The Big East announced during Monday's championship game that the tournament will stay at Mohegan Sun Arena for at least three more years, with Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma praising the venue and atmosphere.

"When you have that many people coming out year after year, when you have people here at 11:30 at night watching the game, the people here at Mohegan know how to run events," said the legendary UConn boss. "I can't imagine it being anywhere else, to be honest with you."

Third-seeded UMass basketball saw its season end this week, as the Minutewomen fell 67-56 to No. 6 Toledo in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Toledo now advances to Friday's semifinals against No. 2 Ball State, with the Rockets reaching the MAC Tournament semifinals for the fifth consecutive year.

Toledo's backcourt trio dominated the quarterfinal matchup. Patricia Anumgba led all scorers with 19 points, including 15 in the second half, while Ella Weaver and Kendall Carruthers each added 16 points. The three guards combined for 51 points.

The Rockets jumped out to a 16-4 lead early before extending their advantage to 15 points in the first half to take a 36-24 lead at the half.

UMass basketball rallied in the third quarter with a 10-0 run that cut Toledo's lead to four, going on to tie the game at 44 in the fourth quarter. However, the Minutewomen never managed to seize the lead.

"We knew this was going to be a hard one," said Toledo coach Ginny Boggess. "That’s an incredibly high-powered offense. Their size is almost blinding at times in that zone, but we stayed confident and connected, and we were able to finish it tonight."

Ball State defeated seventh-seeded Bowling Green 75-63 in Wednesday's other quarterfinal to set up Friday's semifinal clash.

The MAC Tournament championship game takes the court on Saturday, March 14th at 11 AM ET, live on CBS Sports.

ESPN will exclusively present the 2026 NCAA Women's Ice Hockey Championship starting March 12th, with most games streaming live on ESPN+. This month's ice hockey tournament features 11 teams competing for the national title, with the championship game set for March 22nd.

Regional semifinals tip off Thursday, March 12th, followed by regional finals Saturday, March 14th., all streaming exclusively across ESPN platforms. The Frozen Four semifinals then take the ice on March 20th and 22nd, closing out the tournament at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania.

No. 1 seed Ohio State (34-4-0) opens its regional campaign on Saturday at 6 PM ET on ESPN+. The Buckeyes finished as runners-up last season, going on to earn the No. 1 overall seed after defeating Wisconsin 2-1 at the WCHA championship.

No. 2 seed Wisconsin will defend its eighth national championship this year, after the Badgers won the 2025 title with a 4-3 overtime victory over Ohio State. The programs have alternated national championships over the last five seasons, while meeting in the title game for the last three consecutive years.

Penn State earned the No. 3 seed, after the Nittany Lions claimed their fourth straight Atlantic Hockey America title behind the nation's top-scoring defense at 1.35 goals per game.

Minnesota grabbed the No. 4 seed, while Northeastern rounds out this year's automatic berths. Five conferences earned bids, with six at-large teams set to battle through the tournament's opening round.

How to Watch the 2026 NCAA Women's Hockey Tournament on ESPN+

The tournament starts tonight at 6 PM ET, live on ESPN+, with the championship game airing Sunday, March 22 at 4 PM ET on ESPNU.

All coverage will also stream on the ESPN App via direct-to-consumer or pay TV authentication.