SEC women's basketball tournament 2026: Bracket, schedule and odds

South Carolina will face stiff competition as the team goes for its 10th conference tournament title in 12 years

By Isabel Gonzalez

Mar 2, 2026 at 4:58 pm ET • 3 min read

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The depth of the SEC led to many intriguing upsets through the regular season and the excitement should only intensify in the conference tournament this week. The SEC Women's Basketball Tournament tips off Wednesday and runs through Sunday at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.

Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks, the No. 1 overall seed and the No. 3 team in the country, have been the team to beat in the past decade as they have won nine of the last 11 SEC Tournaments since 2015. Their competition might be stiffer than ever this year, however.

One of the biggest questions ahead of the 2026 NCAA Tournament will be answered in Greenville as Texas and Vanderbilt are still in competition for the final No. 1 seed in March Madness. South Carolina (29-1, 15-1 in SEC) has essentially already locked one of them in after winning the SEC's regular-season title. Unbeaten UConn and Big Ten champ UCLA have firm grips on No. 1 seeds as well. As of Sunday, the Longhorns have a slight edge over the Commodores. Texas was No. 4 and Vanderbilt was No. 5 in the NCAA's latest top 16 reveal. That being said, the Commodores could steal it if they can make a deeper run than Texas this week.

Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes could also use this tournament to make a stronger case for national Player of the Year. Her biggest competition at the moment is UConn's Sarah Strong. The Huskies are the reigning national champions and still undefeated, but Blakes is leading the Commodores in one of the best seasons in program history. Meanwhile, Oklahoma's Aaliyah Chavez is the strongest Freshman of the Year candidate thanks to an explosive performance in a 94-82 overtime victory over South Carolina on Jan. 22, which was the Gamecocks' only conference loss this season.

LSU was also close to upsetting South Carolina in February but fell short. The Tigers have been a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament every year under Kim Mulkey, but they are currently projected as a No. 2. They have not won the SEC Tournament since 2003, but they did win a national championship in 2023 with now-senior Flau'jae Johnson on the roster.

The most recent NCAA top 16 reveal showed five SEC teams, and it could have been six had Ole Miss not slipped up late in the regular season. Regardless, keep an eye on the Rebels as one of the teams that could make noise in March. A winter storm displaced them for a few weeks but they still managed to beat Vanderbilt in January. Will we see more upsets in the coming week? We'll just have to wait and find out.