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Women's college basketball predictions: Experts make title picks for every major conference tournament
CBS Sports experts are predicting who will win the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC Tournaments over the coming days
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3 min read
The four major conference tournaments in women's college basketball all tip off on Wednesday, and the Big East tournament will follow suit on Friday. The next few days will go a long way toward answering the lingering questions about the March Madness field, and surely the NCAA selection committee will be keeping a close eye on it all.
CBS Sports experts already made their bold predictions for these tournaments, but who will cut down the nets at their respective conference tournaments? Below are our picks for the championship games in the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC.
Expert explanations
Erica Ayala
For the ACC, I keep going back and forth, but I'm sticking with Duke to take down rival North Carolina in the ACC title game. While UConn may stumble in March, it won't be in the Big East Tournament. In the Big 12, I think West Virginia will surprise many people, but ultimately this year will belong once again to TCU. The Big Ten is my toughest pick -- I think it will be an overtime championship game between UCLA and Michigan, but I'm ultimately picking what I've said all season instead of my bold prediction.
Lindsay Gibbs
Louisville and Duke had the longest winning streaks in the ACC this season, of 14 and 17 games, respectively, but North Carolina enters the ACC tournament as the hottest team, having won 12 of its last 13. The Tar Heels also have the motivation of still trying to play their way into hosting NCAA tournament games, so I think they win the crown for the first time since 2008. UConn and UCLA both went undefeated in conference play, and I don't expect either to really get challenged in the conference tournaments -- though UCLA of course will face much tougher competition. TCU is peaking at the right time, so I like the Horned Frogs in the Big 12 and as bullish as I have been on Texas all season, I just can't bet against Dawn Staley's team in the SEC Tournament.
Isabel Gonzalez
Louisivlle had some stumbles late in the season but the team has what it takes to make it deep in the ACC Tournament. But I'm still taking Duke to win it all in the ACC. In the Big East, UConn going undefeated was my bold prediction of the preseason and I still think the Huskies are the strongest team in the nation. It was tough to pick between Baylor and West Virginia as the runner-up in the Big 12, but I chose the Mountaineers to make the championship game since they picked up momentum late in the regular season with an impressive 118-60 win over Cincinnati and their highest AP ranking of their 2025-26 campaign. Still, I think TCU will take the Big 12 title. UCLA had a perfect Big Ten regular season and I think the Bruins are strong enough to remain unbeaten in the conference tournament. My SEC pick of Texas over South Carolina might be a little bold, especially since the tournament is in South Carolina. However, the Longhorns are one of the only two teams to defeat South Carolina this season and they have the added incentive of trying to cement their status as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Jack Maloney
I realize I'm not going out on a limb here by picking all the No. 1 seeds to win their respective conference tournaments, but I think there's a big gap between the top teams -- UConn, UCLA, South Carolina and Texas -- and everyone else. UConn should cruise to the Big East crown and UCLA should likewise have little trouble in the Big Ten. The SEC Tourney is going to be a gauntlet, but I trust Dawn Staley come March. I'm slightly less confident on the TCU pick, but they have the best player in Olivia Miles and the most overall talent in the Big 12. I'm the least confident about Duke given the chaos in the ACC this season, but I'll lean on that elite defense.
