No. 10 seed Virginia defeated Arizona State 57-55 in Thursday's First Four finale, claiming its first Women's March Madness victory since 2018 and setting up a first-round showdown with No. 7 seed Georgia basketball.
The Cavaliers (20-11) overcame the fellow No. 10 seed Sun Devils (24-11) behind double-doubles from Kymora Johnson and Caitlin Weimar. Johnson led Virginia with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. Weimar provided a crucial spark off the bench with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Paris Clark added nine points and four steals.
"I'm really proud of our players," head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton said postgame. "That was a gutsy performance. We had to grind that one out."
Neither team led by more than four points until late in the first quarter, when Virginia subsequently rattled off a 7-0 run. The Cavaliers then took a 19-14 lead into the second quarter, after shooting 7-for-13 from the field.
Virginia extended its advantage to nine points in the first half to lead 30-22 at halftime. However, the Cavaliers held Arizona State to 0 made baskets in their final seven first-half attempts.
Arizona State trimmed the deficit to four points heading into the fourth quarter, before Johnson responded with a clutch 3-pointer to regain the lead. Clark sealed the victory with a steal in the final four seconds.
The win marks Agugua-Hamilton's first NCAA tournament victory at Virginia. The fourth-year coach improves to a 4-2 overall Women's March Madness coaching record after leading Missouri State to the 2021 Sweet Sixteen.
Johnson moved into sole possession of 10th place on Virginia's all-time scoring list with 1,651 career points. She also became the third player in program history to record at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in an NCAA tournament game.
Weimar recorded the 49th double-double of her career and her first in an NCAA tournament game.
How to Watch Virginia vs. Georgia basketball in Women's March Madness
Virginia tips off against Georgia basketball on Saturday at 1:30 PM ET, live on ESPN2.
Nebraska and Missouri State are going dancing, as the No. 11 seed Cornhuskers and No. 16 seed Bears punched their tickets to the 64-team Big Dance bracket with Wednesday's First Four wins.
Nebraska topped mid-major standout Richmond 75-56, as Husker guards Britt Prince and Callin Hake's combined 36 points helped neutralize Spiders star forward Maggie Doogan's game-leading 24-point, 10-rebound double-double.
"As a senior, there's definitely a sense of urgency that I want to fight for more games with these girls," said Hake after the Huskers' season-extending win. "I think we did exactly that today."
Wednesday's nightcap saw Missouri State down Stephen F. Austin 85-75, with Bears guard Kaemyn Bekemeier's 22 points leading her team's five double-digit scorers to secure the win — and a Friday date with No. 1 seed Texas.
"We can't get too high on this one," said Bekemeier. "I know we're really excited to play against a really high level team.... It's just going to make us a better team and better basketball players individually."
The First Four will wrap up on Thursday night ahead of Friday's first-round tipoff — though one team fighting for qualification could find itself short-handed.
No. 10 seed Arizona State's head coach Molly Miller might miss the Sun Devils' First Four clash with fellow 10 seed Virginia due to illness, with the team traveling to Iowa without the first-year boss on Wednesday.
No. 16 seeds Samford and Southern will also square off on Thursday, battling for a shot at challenging No. 1 seed South Carolina on Saturday.
How to Watch Thursday's First Four March Madness Games
First Four action continues on Thursday night with Southern facing Samford at 7 PM ET before Virginia takes on Arizona State at 9 PM ET.
Both clashes will air live on ESPN2.
March Madness is setting the scene, as lower-seeded Power Four programs and mid-major high-achievers tip off this year's First Four on Wednesday — with tickets to the 2026 NCAA women's basketball tournament's 64-team first round on the line.
Big Ten No. 11 seed Nebraska will open the play-in round against Atlantic 10 upstart No. 11 Richmond on Wednesday night before No. 16 seeds Stephen F. Austin and Missouri State fight for a first-round date with No. 1-seed Texas.
"I think this is a group that feels like we have not really maxed out yet," said Nebraska head coach Amy Williams. "So, to have another opportunity to do that on this stage in the NCAA tournament just feels kind of like a new life."
The First Four features two games between the season's lowest-ranked conference champions plus two between the lowest-seeded at-large teams.
Thursday's lineup spotlights No. 16 seeds Samford and Southern U, with No. 10 seeds Arizona State and Virginia closing out the round.
"To be the last team called this year was a little stressful," Sun Devils head coach Molly Miller said about ASU's Selection Sunday experience. "I felt really, really confident. I trusted what we had done would speak volumes throughout the season."
How to watch the 2026 March Madness First Four Games
The First Four will tip off with Nebraska taking on Richmond at 7 PM ET on Wednesday before Missouri State and Stephen F. Austin battle at 9 PM ET.
Thursday will see Southern facing Samford at 7 PM ET, with Virginia taking on Arizona State at 9 PM ET.
All First Four games will air live on ESPN2.
Nebraska is gearing up to meet Richmond in North Carolina, as the Huskers tip off the 2026 NCAA tournament with Wednesday's First Four. The winner advances to face No. 6 seed Baylor in the Big Dance.
Both teams enter as 11 seeds, with the Cornhuskers (18-12) earning their tournament berth despite finishing 7-11 in Big Ten play thanks to a strong NET ranking.
Nebraska nearly missed March Madness entirely after blowing an 18-point third-quarter lead against Indiana in the Big Ten tournament. The Hoosiers rallied to win 72-69, putting the Cornhuskers squarely on the bubble before Selection Sunday.
Richmond (26-7) makes its third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance under head coach Aaron Roussell, after the Spiders finished 15-3 in Atlantic 10 play behind back-to-back conference Player of the Year Maggie Doogan. The 6-foot-2 forward averaged 21 points and nearly eight rebounds per game.
Senior guard Rachel Ullstrom provides secondary scoring for Richmond with 14 points per game, hitting a team-leading 92 3-pointers at 41.3% shooting in 2025/26. Junior Ally Sweeney rounds out the double-figure scorers at 10.5 points per game.
The First Four matchup marks the first-ever meeting between Nebraska and Richmond.
The Cornhuskers seek their second NCAA tournament victory in three years after their 2024 breakthrough. Richmond won its first March Madness game last season, as the Spiders ride conference tournament momentum into Wednesday's clash.
The winner earns a challenging second-round matchup against Big 12 powerhouse Baylor.
How to Watch the 2026 NCAA Women's Tournament's First Four
The First Four matchup tips off at 7 PM ET, live on ESPN2.
March Madness opens its doors on Wednesday night, as the 2024/25 NCAA tournament’s First Four round takes the court with eight teams pursuing the final four tickets to the Big Dance.
Two of the play-in games will pit the last four teams to receive at-large bids against each other, sending Princeton, Iowa State, Washington, and Columbia into battle to snag one of the tournament's final two No. 11 bids.
The other two games are comprised of the lowest ranked conference tournament champions, meaning SWAC champ Southern, Big West winner UC San Diego, CAA victors William & Mary, and Big South title-holders High Point will all compete to enter this weekend's first round as No. 16 seeds.
First Four ups the ante with compelling NCAA storylines
Thanks to growing parity across the NCAA, this year’s First Four brings a new level of heat, with 2024 breakout stars, conference titans, and tournament newcomers raising the stakes right from the jump.
As two of 2025’s six March Madness debutants, both UC San Diego and William & Mary are hoping for a bit of beginner's luck as they take the NCAA tournament court for the very first time.
Meanwhile, the Ivy League will take aim at securing three spots in the 64-team bracket, with both Princeton and Columbia hoping to join conference tournament champion No. 10 seed Harvard in the first round's field.
Standing in Princeton's way is underdog Iowa State, who nearly scored what would have been one of the 2024 tournament's biggest upsets.
Fueled by now-sophomore sharpshooter Audi Crooks — who currently ranks 12th in the nation in field goal percentage — the Cyclones pushed then-No. 2 seed Stanford to the brink, forcing overtime before the Cardinal claimed the 87-81 second-round victory.
"It’s definitely possible," Crooks said this week, commenting on the likelihood of replicating Iowa State's 2024 run. "I think for me it just amplified me personally, and also us as a team. Any success that I have is the team’s success, not necessarily about individual things."
How to watch Women's March Madness First Four games
Stepping into Wednesday's spotlight are Princeton and Iowa State, who will take the court at 7 PM ET before UC San Diego takes on Southern at 9 PM ET.
Then on Thursday, Washington will face Columbia at 7 PM ET, with William & Mary's match against High Point wrapping up the First Four round at 9 PM ET.
Both Wednesday matchups will air on ESPNU, with ESPN2 carrying live coverage of the Thursday clashes.
The 2024/25 NCAA basketball tournament bracket is officially locked in, as Selection Sunday saw March Madness favorites, underdogs, and a few surprises claim their tickets to the Big Dance.
After winning the Big Ten tournament one week prior, UCLA not only earned the NCAA competition's overall top spot, but the Bruins claimed their first-ever No. 1 seed in program history.
Sitting atop the three other quadrants are SEC tournament title-winners and NCAA defending champions South Carolina as well as conference runners-up Texas and USC, giving both the SEC and Big Ten two of the tournament's top contenders.
Chasing the four top teams as No. 2 seeds are Big 12 tournament champs TCU, ACC tournament winners Duke, ACC runners-up NC State, and Big East champions UConn, whose late-season momentum wasn't quite enough to life the Huskies above a second-spot bid.
In a season that saw a record-tying four teams reach No. 1 in the AP Poll, three (UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas) claimed NCAA No. 1 seeds, with once-No. 1 ranked Notre Dame falling out of top-seed contention after losing three of their last five games.
The Irish will now tip off their March Madness campaign as a No. 3 seed alongside 2022/23 NCAA champs LSU, North Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Snagging the tournament's last hosting spots are the No. 4 seeds, meaning Ohio State, Kentucky, Baylor, and Maryland will all have home-court advantage through the competition’s first two rounds.
Coaches question NCAA committee's seeding decisions
While some teams were thrilled with their placements, a tinge of disappointment overshadowed other top contenders’ watch parties.
"I never thought I'd be a No. 1 seed and feel disrespected," said USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb after learning the NCAA committee awarded the Trojans the last top seed, ranking them fourth overall.
"It's not an arrogance of any kind, I think that there's a lot of really good teams...but I would love to ask [this committee] some questions."
Head coach Dawn Staley had a similar reaction to South Carolina's positioning, saying "I'm a little bit surprised."
"I'd like to get some feedback on how they came to that conclusion," said Staley. "We put together, manufactured, a schedule that — if done right — should produce the overall No. 1 seed."
The NCAA committee broke down their determination of the Gamecocks on ESPN, explaining that South Carolina’s head-to-head November loss to UCLA plus last month's 29-point nonconference defeat at the hands of UConn played major roles in the decision.
Despite the disappointment, Gottlieb says her team is ready to take care of business.
"You've gotta play the first game in front of you and earn your way from there, and that's what we'll do."
Big Ten makes NCAA March Madness bracket history
With 12 teams booking spots in the Big Dance, the Big Ten not only earned the season’s most NCAA tournament bids, it also smashed the Division I record for the most programs in a single conference to make a March Madness bracket.
With a conference-record 10 teams, the SEC closely followed the Big Ten, while eight ACC squads and seven Big 12 programs round out the Power Four's 37 total berths.
Also experiencing a record-setting Selection Sunday was the Ivy League, which saw three teams sneak into the competition for the first time in the eight-program conference's history.
After upsetting their way through last weekend's conference competition, Ivy League tournament champions Harvard secured a No. 10 seed on Sunday, while both Columbia and Princeton have a shot at snagging a No. 11 seed as contenders in the NCAA's First Four games.
Dancing for the first time are six teams, with Arkansas State, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Mason, Grand Canyon, UC San Diego, and William & Mary all set to make their NCAA tournament debuts later this week.
To be the best, teams must beat the best, and the talent concentrated at the top of the NCAA bracket — regardless of seeding — is guaranteed to make for some tough competition.
How to watch the First Four March Madness games
While the the official first round of the 2024/25 NCAA basketball tournament doesn't begin until Friday, the March Madness action will tip off with the First Four round on Wednesday, when eight teams will battle for the final four spots in the 64-team bracket.
Stepping into Wednesday's spotlight are Princeton and Iowa State, who will take the court at 7 PM ET before UC San Diego takes on Southern at 9 PM ET.
Then on Thursday, Washington will face Columbia at 7 PM ET, with William & Mary's match against High Point wrapping up the First Four round at 9 PM ET.
The Huskies' Thursday clash with the Lions will air live on ESPN2, with the other three First Four games earning live coverage on ESPNU.
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