The top seeds have done it again, as No. 1 seeds South Carolina and Texas cruised through Monday's Elite Eight closers to join UCLA and UConn in booking just the second full-slate Final Four repeat in NCAA women's basketball tournament history.
First, Texas dominated No. 2 Michigan from the jump, ousting the Wolverines 77-41 in a team effort that saw four Longhorns score in the double-digits.
Then in the nightcap, South Carolina flew past No. 3 TCU 78-52 behind a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double from star sophomore forward Joyce Edwards plus 18 points and three steals off the bench from freshman guard Agot Makeer.
The two SEC giants will now gear up to meet fellow No. 1-seeds UConn and UCLA in Phoenix — and while the four teams are the same as in 2025, the Friday matchups look a little different this year.
Last year's Final Four pitted Texas and 2025 runners-up South Carolina against each other in the Final Four, with eventual champion UConn ousting UCLA in the other semifinal.
This weekend, however, will open with a championship game rematch between the Huskies and the Gamecocks before the Bruins square off against the Longhorns — the only team to defeat UCLA all season.
"The feeling of losing was not good last year," said South Carolina junior guard Tessa Johnson. "But this is a whole new year, whole new team."
How to watch the 2026 Final Four
The Final Four tips off with UConn vs. South Carolina at 7 PM ET on Friday, before UCLA takes on Texas at 9:30 PM ET.
Both semifinal games will air live on ESPN.
Half of the 2026 Final Four is in the books, as No. 1 seeds UConn and UCLA punched their tickets to Phoenix with Elite Eight victories in Sunday's Women's March Madness slate.
The Huskies overcame a rough offensive start to thwart No. 6 Notre Dame's upset bid, securing the 70-52 win behind Player of the Year frontrunner Sarah Strong's 21 points, seven rebounds, and five steals.
Freshman Blanca Quiñonez added 20 points off the bench — the first-ever Husky to do so in the Elite Eight or later — to help UConn overcome the 22-point, 11-rebound double-double posted by Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo.
Elsewhere, the Bruins rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to top No. 3 Duke 70-58, with star center Lauren Betts's game-leading 23 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocks silencing a red-hot Blue Devils team fresh off Friday's buzzer-beater Sweet 16 victory over No. 2 LSU.
Both UConn and UCLA looked like formidable foes on Sunday, tapping into depth and professionalism to offset lower-seed momentum.
"So proud of the way that we're able to just stay calm and still hold each other accountable while also just competing at the highest level," said Betts.
"I don't know if I've ever been prouder to take a team to the Final Four than this one," Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma said of his still-unbeaten squad.
How to watch UCLA and UConn in the 2026 Final Four
The Bruins and Huskies will get a few days of rest before the 2026 Final Four tips off on Friday, when UConn will face the winner of Monday's Elite Eight tilt between No. 1 South Carolina and No. 3 TCU while UCLA similarly contends with either No. 1 Texas or No. 2 Michigan.
The Final Four semis will tip off at 7 PM ET on Friday, airing live on ESPN.
Monday's Elite Eight closers will see No. 1 teams Texas and South Carolina hunting Final Four spots alongside fellow top seeds UConn and UCLA — with women's basketball history on the line.
Should all No. 1 seeds advance, it will mark just the second back-to-back repeat Final Four in women's NCAA history, after the Bruins, Gamecocks, Huskies, and Longhorns all featured in the 2025 national semifinals.
To do so, Texas will take on No. 2 Michigan to open Monday's slate before South Carolina closes out the Elite Eight round against No. 3 TCU.
The Gamecocks will aim for a sixth straight Final Four ticket and a Friday date with UConn, while the Longhorns will face off against UCLA should they survive the Wolverines.
"We have a lot of room to grow, and I think we're growing at the right time," South Carolina guard Raven Johnson said. "Everybody's clicking. I feel like the ceiling is high for us."
Both SEC titans will face determined backcourts, as the Horned Frogs and Wolverines aim to crash the next weekend's party in Phoenix.
"Anybody can come out and have a night," said Michigan guard Syla Swords. "We're an exciting brand of basketball to watch, and we can beat anybody in the country."
"That's just another bonus," star TCU transfer guard Olivia Miles said after advancing to the Elite Eight. "I truly feel like the people around me have helped me to love basketball again."
How to watch Texas, South Carolina in the Elite Eight
The Elite Eight closes up shop on Monday night, with No. 1 Texas taking on No. 2 Michigan at 7 PM ET before No. 1 South Carolina tips off against No. 3 TCU at 9 PM ET.
Both clashes will air live on ESPN.
March Madness is back for its second weekend of action, with the Sweet 16 tipping off a stacked slate to determine the 2026 Final Four contenders — with top seeds primed to collide throughout the bracket.
No. 2 seed LSU faces No. 3 Duke in Friday's nightcap, with the bounce-back Blue Devils looking to avenge their early December 93-77 loss to the Tigers.
"They're not the same team, we're not the same team," said Duke senior Ashlon Jackson. "That is a great team, great coach, great players. I would love to see our development over the months that it's been since we played them."
Both Duke and LSU have blown through the first two rounds of the tournament on 20- and 56-point average margins of victory, respectively, as Blue Devils coach Kara Lawson and Tigers boss Kim Mulkey crank up the postseason heat.
"I've gotten to the Elite Eight [every year] since I got to LSU," said Tigers guard Mikaylah Williams, who arrived in Baton Rouge just after the team won the 2023 national title. "It would be lovely for me to get past the Elite Eight and make it to the Final Four. We're almost there."
Despite Duke's recent surge, Las Vegas is currently leaning toward the SEC titans, favoring LSU by 8.5 points over the ACC underdogs.
How to watch Duke vs. LSU in the Sweet 16
The No. 2 Tigers will tip off against the No. 3 Blue Devils at 10 PM ET on Friday, airing live on ESPN.
Star guards are stepping into the March Madness spotlight, as Hannah Hidalgo and her No. 6 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish open the Sweet 16 against Mikayla Blakes and the No. 2 Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday afternoon.
Naismith Player of the Year finalist and Division I leading scorer Blakes anchors the Commodores, as they attempt to hold off Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner and DI steals leader Hidalgo.
Blakes is averaging 27.5 points per game in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, while Hidalgo powered Notre Dame past No. 3 Ohio State with a 26-point, 13-rebound, and eight-steal performance on Monday.
Both teams are pushing for program turnarounds: Vanderbilt is pursuing their first trip to the Elite Eight since 2002 while Notre Dame is hoping to make it past the Sweet 16 for the first time since winning it all under legendary coach Muffet McGraw in 2019.
"You prepare in November, December, January, so you don't have to get ready," said Commodores head coach Shea Ralph. "You don't have to rise to the level of the occasion, because you're gonna fall to the level of your standard."
The sportsbooks are currently giving Vanderbilt a slight edge, tapping the Commodores as a 5.5-point favorite over the Irish.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16
The Sweet 16 tips off with the No. 6 Irish taking on the No. 2 Commodores at 2:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage airing on ESPN.
This year's March Madness is soaking up the spotlight, as early reports indicate that the 2026 competition boasts the second most-watched first and second rounds in NCAA women's basketball tournament history.
Trailing only the Caitlin Clark-fueled 2024 postseason, this season's tournament is already topping 2025's historic viewership numbers.
According to ESPN, this year's bracket logged the second most-consumed first round on record, with overall No. 1-seed UConn's victory over No. 16 UTSA and No. 1 South Carolina's win over No. 16 Southern U clocking in as the sixth and seventh most-watched tournament openers in history.
Also snagging a major viewership mark was No. 7 NC State's opening win over No. 10 Tennessee, with drew an average of 767,000 fans to become the No. 1 weekday first-round clash on record.
This year's second round secured similar records, with a 1 million viewership average making the Round of 32 the second most-watched in women's March Madness history.
The Gamecocks' second-round win over No. 9 USC led the weekend with an average of 1.8 million fans tuning in, followed by the Huskies' ousting of No. 9 Syracuse with a 1.5 million viewership average.
Second-round upsets also proved compelling, as No. 6 Notre Dame's win over No. 3 Ohio State drew an average of 1.5 million viewers, while No. 10 Virginia's toppling of No. 2 Iowa attracted 1.4 million.
All four of those tilts clocked into the Top 10 for the most-watched second round clashes in history.
The 2026 NCAA women's basketball tournament has already amassed 3.3 billion total minutes, giving it the second most-consumed first two rounds on record.
How to watch the 2026 March Madness tournament
Be a part of this year's historic viewership by tuning into March Madness when the Sweet 16 takes the court this weekend.
The action tips off at 2:30 PM ET on Friday, with eight games airing live across the two-day round.
Top-tier teams remain locked in on the 2026 March Madness bracket, as all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the NCAA women's basketball tournament's Sweet 16 round — with a lot of daylight between the title contenders and their challengers.
On Monday, No. 1 UConn blew out No. 9 Syracuse 98-45 before No. 1 South Carolina handled No. 9 USC 101-61, with No. 1 UCLA later dominating No. 8 Oklahoma State 87-68 as the trio joined No. 1 Texas in the Sweet 16.
"After being in this business for 37 years, and to have to be in this particular bracket every freakin' year is unacceptable," said Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack after the Huskies secured their 15th 50-point NCAA tournament win.
Seniors also stole the show on Monday, as graduating talents bid goodbye to their home crowds before moving on to the third round's neutral courts.
UCLA center Lauren Betts scored a career-high 35 points in her last game at Pauley Pavilion, while UConn guard Azzi Fudd dropped 34 points to tie her career high in Storrs.
"It's kind of what Azzi does — not miss," said fellow Husky Sarah Strong. "I'm happy to see her at her most confident self."
How to watch the No. 1 seeds in the Sweet 16
Two of the top March Madness seeds return on Friday, when UConn takes on No. 4 UNC at 5 PM ET before UCLA faces fellow Big Ten contender No. 4 Minnesota at 7:30 PM ET.
Then on Saturday, both Texas and South Carolina will enter all-SEC matchups as the Longhorns face No. 5 Kentucky at 3 PM ET before the Gamecocks battle No. 4 Oklahoma at 5 PM ET.
Except for Texas vs. Kentucky, which will air live on ABC, all No. 1 seed Sweet 16 games will air on ESPN.
After a weekend that was nearly all chalk, March Madness lived up to its name on Monday, as two major upsets in the 2025/26 NCAA women's basketball tournament saw some Cinderella stirrings en route to next weekend's Sweet 16.
First, No. 10 seed Virginia made tournament history, becoming the first-ever women's team to advance from the First Four to the third round when they took down No. 2 Iowa 83-75 on Monday.
Fueling the Cavaliers' double overtime victory was junior guard Kymora Johnson, who led the game with 28 points to push UVA to its first Sweet 16 since 2000.
"We just believed that we were going to win this game before it even started," said Virginia head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton. "Every time they punched, we punched back, stayed poised."
Elsewhere, Monday's elite guard showdown also delivered, as No. 6 Notre Dame ousted No. 3 Ohio State 83-73 behind Irish junior Hannah Hidalgo's 26 points, 13 rebounds, and eight steals.
"We have really fought through the adversity this season, and really the last several weeks have become more tough," said Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey after her squad forced 21 turnovers to overcome Ohio State guard Jaloni Cambridge's 41-point performance.
"I don't ever really know my stats," Hidalgo said postgame. "I'm just out there hooping."
How to watch Virginia, Notre Dame in the March Madness Sweet 16
The Madness returns this weekend, with No. 6 Notre Dame tipping off the Sweet 16 against No. 2 Vanderbilt at 2:30 PM ET on Friday before No. 10 Virginia faces No. 3 TCU at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday.
Both clashes will air live on ESPN.
Half of the college women's basketball Sweet Sixteen field is set, after top NCAA tournament seeds tallied blowouts, survived scares, and saw more than a few star performances through the first few days of 2026 March Madness action.
With one more day of second-round play left, all of the bracket's No. 1 through No. 4 seeds remain safe, with No. 1 Texas, No. 2 LSU, No. 2 Michigan, and No. 3 Duke among the standouts advancing to next weekend's third round.
"You want to start playing your best basketball at this time," LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson said. "You want to start clicking — you want everything to look seamless."
It hasn't all been smooth sailing, however, as No. 3 TCU and No. 4 Minnesota both saw close calls before punching their Sweet Sixteen tickets on Sunday.
The Horned Frogs eked out a 62-59 win over No. 6 Washington in overtime, while the Gophers needed a buzzer beater from guard Amaya Battle to defeat No. 5 Ole Miss 65-63.
"She hits those shots every day in practice over our scout guys," said Battle's teammate Mara Braun. "Everyone, I think, knew that it was in."
How to watch March Madness teams vie for the last Sweet Sixteen spots
The second round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament continues with No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 3 Louisville at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on ESPN.
Monday's March Madness lineup promises a heated battle, as No. 6 seed Notre Dame and No. 3 Ohio State put their AP All-Americans to the test in the second round of the 2025/26 NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Two dynamic point guards will meet in Columbus, where junior standout Hannah Hidalgo will look to help lift the Fighting Irish to an upset win over the Buckeyes and their sophomore star Jaloni Cambridge.
Hidalgo enters the game leading all of Division I in steals and ranking third in scoring with 25.2 points a game — followed closely by No. 8-ranked Cambridge's 22.7 points per game.
Lower-seeded Notre Dame shouldn't be underestimated, however, as the Irish are riding a late-season winning streak to a 10-2 record over their last 12 games.
"It's super exciting, another phenomenal guard like Jaloni, and to be able to go head-to-head with her, it's going to be a fun game," Hidalgo said ahead of Monday's clash. "She's extremely fast."
"She can do everything, especially on the defensive end," Cambridge said of Hidalgo. "She's a two-way player, so I really look up to her."
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Ohio State in March Madness
No. 3 seed Ohio State will host No. 6 Notre Dame in the second round of the 2025/26 NCAA women's basketball tournament on Monday.
The clash will tip off live at 4 PM ET on ESPN.