2026 Women's NCAA Tournament: Where to watch Selection Sunday, start time, TV channel for bracket reveal
Plus, the biggest storylines to follow as the field of 68 is unveiled
Selection Sunday has arrived, and the full 68-team field will be revealed for the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament on Sunday night. Reigning national champion UConn enters the tournament with a perfect 34-0 record and will likely be the No. 1 overall seed. Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma will try to win his 13th national title in the coming weeks with a team led by Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, but the Huskies figure to face stiff competition as the March Madness tournament gets deeper.
UCLA, Texas and South Carolina are other top contenders and are expected to receive 1 seeds as well on Sunday night.
Tennessee, meanwhile, is scuffling into the Big Dance with seven consecutive losses. The Lady Vols struggled late in the regular season and had an early exit in the SEC tournament. They have participated in every NCAA Tournament since the inaugural one in 1982, and that streak is not expected to end this year.
Of course, there will be a lot of attention on the bubble on Selection Sunday. One team that might feel particularly nervous is Stanford. The Cardinal, who are not among CBS Sports' projected field of 68, are on the verge of missing the Big Dance for a second consecutive year. Before last year, the program had competed in 36 consecutive tournaments under Tara VanDerveer.
Here is everything you need to prepare for Selection Sunday in women's basketball.
Where to watch Selection Sunday
Date: Sunday, March 15 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
Women's NCAA Tournament schedule
- First Four: March 18-19
- First round: March 20-21 | Second round: March 22-23
- Sweet 16: March 27-28 in Fort Worth and Sacramento
- Elite Eight: March 29-30 in Fort Worth and Sacramento
- Final Four: Friday, April 3 in Phoenix
- Championship game: Sunday, April 5 in Phoenix
How the field of 68 is selected
A total of 68 teams will make the field for the NCAA DI women's basketball tournament, with 31 of those teams earning an automatic by winning their respective conference tournaments.
The other 37 teams will be handpicked by a 12-member selection committee and revealed on Selection Sunday. The decisions are based on résumés with the criteria including overall record, significant wins and strength of schedule.
The top 16 teams -- which were revealed on Saturday -- get home-court advantage during the first weekend by hosting first- and second-round games. This year, the regionals (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight) will be held in Sacramento and Fort Worth. The Final Four and championship game will take place in Phoenix.
Selection Sunday storylines
Can UCLA steal the top overall seed?
At this point, it is safe to predict UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina will be the top four overall seeds, but the order might not be fully determined yet.
UConn will enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated for the 11th time in program history. This is one of the deepest rosters Geno Auriemma has had in a while, and the Huskies have shown their strength on both sides of the court with some very lopsided victories. However, UConn's strength of schedule was not particularly tough, especially during Big East play. UCLA faced bigger competition playing in the Big Ten, where the Bruins finished undefeated. Their only stumble this season was during non-conference play against Texas.
After UCLA won the Big Ten Tournament with a blowout victory against a top-10 Iowa team last Sunday, UConn was no longer the unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Our own Erica Ayala thinks the Bruins have done enough to take the top seed from UConn, but it will be interesting to see if the committee feels the same way.
Which bubble teams have done enough?
Maggie Doogan is one of the top scorers in the nation, so it would be a shame to see Richmond miss the NCAA Tournament due to some costly losses in the past month. According to CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel, the Spiders are set to be on the outside looking in. The same can be said for Texas A&M, a bubble team that had a lot of momentum until getting upset by Kansas State in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. Stanford's chances might have also been shattered with an overtime loss to Miami in the ACC Tournament.
Multiple bubble teams struggled last week, which, according to Groel, might have given Virginia and BYU a boost. Meanwhile, Molly Miller could be taking Arizona State back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. The Sun Devils put themselves in a good spot with a win over Iowa State in the second round of the Big 12 tournament.
