NCAA Women's Basketball News · LatestSaturday, Mar 21, 2026

Sydney Shaw had 19 points and nine rebounds, Gia Cooke scored 18 points and West Virginia used an early defensive lockdown to take control in a 82-54 victory over Miami (Ohio) in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Saturday. West Virginia (28-6), the fourth seed in the Fort Worth region, will meet No. 5 seed Kentucky in the second round on Monday. The Wildcats beat 12th-seeded James Madison earlier Saturday.

Watch the highlights from No. 2 Iowa and No. 15 FDU’s matchup in the first round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

Abby Cooch scored 18 points, Ada Taute added 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Denison beat Scranton 55-41 on Saturday to win the program's first Division III national championship. Denison (30-2), which has won six games in a row, extended the program's single-season wins record. Anelly Mad-toingué grabbed 16 rebounds to go with eight points and three blocks for the Big Red.

Ava Heiden scored a career-high 29 points, including 12 straight for Iowa in the fourth quarter, and the No. 2-seeded Hawkeyes survived an upset bid from 15th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson with a 58-48 victory in an NCAA Tournament first-round game on Saturday. Hannah Stuelke added 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Hawkeyes (27-6), who advanced to Monday’s second-round game against 10th-seeded Virginia.

Watch the extended finish to USC vs. Clemson women's basketball in the first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament, featuring a near buzzer beater at the end of regulation followed by a tight overtime finish.

Freshman Jazzy Davidson scored 31 points in her women's NCAA Tournament debut, including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:03 left in overtime to lift ninth-seeded Southern California to a 71-67 victory over No. 8 seed Clemson on Saturday. Davidson, a 6-foot-1 freshman, stroked a perfect shot from the right side to send the Trojans (18-13) into a second-round matchup with top seed South Carolina on Monday. It looked like Clemson had won when Mia Moore flipped in a running basket at the regulation...

Sarah Strong scored 18 points and Ashlynn Shade added 14 to help No. 1 seed UConn rout UTSA 90-52 in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournamen t on Saturday. The Huskies (35-0) have won 51 consecutive games dating back to last season and looked dominant again despite not having a great shooting game from behind the 3-point line. UConn led 19-6 after the first quarter and poured it on in the second.

Watch the highlights from No. 5 Kentucky and No. 12 James Madison’s matchup in the first round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

Watch the highlights from No. 6 Alabama and No. 11 Rhode Island’s matchup in the First round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

Hannah Hidalgo had a dominant performance with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight steals and six assists as sixth-seeded Notre Dame led the entire game en route to a 79-60 victory over 11th-seeded Fairfield on Saturday in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Irish, who have advanced to the Sweet 16 in their last 14 March Madness trips, will face third-seeded Ohio State on Monday. Iyana Moore scored 18 points and Cassandre Prosper had 17 points and eight rebounds as the Fi...

An unseasonably warm day in Iowa City caused some issues

Watch the highlights from No. 10 Virginia and No. 7 Georgia’s matchup in the first round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

Kymora Johnson scored 28 points and Sa’Myah Smith added a career-high 23 to go with 11 rebounds as 10th seed Virginia beat seventh seed Georgia 82-73 in an NCAA Tournament =first-round game on Saturday. The Cavaliers (21-11) became the first lower seed to win in March Madness this season. Virginia will play either second seed Iowa or 15th seed Fairleigh Dickinson in Monday’s second round.

UCLA women’s basketball has six seniors and graduate students entering the 2026 WNBA Draft after this season. As these Bruins approach the final games of their collegiate careers, UCLA’s program has helped set these players up for successful professional careers.…

Joyce Edwards had 27 points and eight rebounds and No. 1 seed South Carolina won its 17th straight home women's NCAA Tournament game with a 103-34 defeat of 16th-seeded Southern on Saturday. Edwards and the Gamecocks (32-3) opened with a 15-0 burst and never let up against the Jaguars (20-14), the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions.

Watch the Game Highlights from South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Southern U. Lady Jaguars, 03/21/2026

Mackenly Randolph scored 20 points to help Louisville pull away for a 72-52 win over Vermont in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday. It marked the second straight game that the 6-foot sophomore posted a career high in points and her second straight game with a career-high 11 rebounds. After shooting just 36.4% in the first half, Louisville made 10 of its 18 shots in the third quarter.

Jaloni Cambridge scored 21 points and third-seeded Ohio State rolled to a 75-54 victory over 14th-seeded Howard on Saturday in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Kennedy Cambridge, Chance Gray and Ava Watson had 11 points apiece for the Buckeyes (27-7), who will face sixth-seeded Notre Dame or 11th-seeded Fairfield on Monday for a chance to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2023. Zennia Thomas led Howard with 15 points and Ariella Henigan added 14 points and 10 rebounds.

We're following all the action from 16 games throughout Day 2 of the women's NCAA tournament.

Watch the highlights from No. 8 Oklahoma State and No. 9 Princeton’s matchup in the first round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

The Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville will be rocking this Saturday, March 21, as the #2 seed Vanderbilt Commodores begin their 2026 tournament run against the #15 seed High Point Panthers. This First Round matchup in the Fort Worth 1 Regional features Shea Ralph's record-breaking SEC squad looking to protect their home floor against a High Point team that dominated the Big South to secure their highest seed in program history. The Vanderbilt Commodores (27-4) enter the tournament as one of the...

The WVU Coliseum in Morgantown will be at a fever pitch this Saturday, March 21, as the #4 seed West Virginia Mountaineers begin their 2026 title charge against the #13 seed Miami RedHawks. This First Round matchup in the Fort Worth Regional features a clash between Mark Kellogg's dominant Big 12 unit and a resilient Miami squad that swept the MAC Tournament to earn their first Big Dance berth since 2008. The West Virginia Mountaineers (27-6) enter the tournament as a defensive juggernaut, ra...

The Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC, will host a high-stakes "Palmetto State" showdown this Saturday, March 21, as the #9 seed USC Trojans travel across the country to face the #8 seed Clemson Tigers. This First Round matchup in the Sacramento 4 Regional features a fascinating contrast: Lindsay Gottlieb's battle-tested Big Ten squad against a Clemson team making its second tournament appearance in 25 years under breakout coach Shawn Poppie. The USC Trojans (17-13) arrive in South Carolina...

'It was the worst year of my professional career'

The Colonial Life Arena in Columbia prepares for a David vs. Goliath showdown this Saturday as the #1 overall seed South Carolina Gamecocks host the #16 seed Southern Jaguars. Fresh off another dominant regular season and a brief stumble in the SEC title game, Dawn Staley's squad begins its quest for a fourth national title in front of a raucous home crowd. The South Carolina Gamecocks (31-3) enter the tournament as the heavy favorites, led by All-American forward Joyce Edwards and veteran fl...

Watch the highlights from No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 13 Idaho’s matchup in the first round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

Seventh-seeded North Carolina State beat 10th-seeded Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday, handing the Lady Vols their eighth straight loss.

Bailey Maupin scored seven of her 17 points in the final three minutes, and No. 7 seed Texas Tech held on to defeat 10th seed Villanova 57-52 on Friday night in the first round of March Madness. Denae Fritz scored 13 points for Texas Tech (26-7), which went 7 of 15 from 3-point range, outshot Villanova, 44% (18 of 41) to 37% (20 of 54) and made 14 of 15 foul shots. Fritz and Maupin both hit 3-pointers in the final 4:22 to help Tech carry a 53-47 lead into the final two minutes.

Watch the highlights from No. 7 Texas Tech and No. 10 Villanova’s matchup in the First round of the 2026 women’s NCAA tournament.

VanSlooten added 10 rebounds for Michigan State (23-8), the fifth seed in the Sacramento Region. The Spartans will play either No. 4 seed Oklahoma or No. 13 seed Idaho in the second round on Sunday.