2026 Big Ten Women's Basketball Postseason Central
MARCH 18 - APRIL 5, 2026
Big Ten Women's Basketball
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Big Ten Schedule & Results
Big Ten Statistics
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NCAA Statistics
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National Top 25 Polls (March 16-17)
Big Ten Postseason Release
For the second time in conference history, 12 programs earned their way into the NCAA Tournament. Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington will compete in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Led by No. 2 overall seed UCLA, the 12 berths were the top mark among all Division I conferences, followed by the SEC (10), ACC (9) and Big 12 (8).
This marks the fifth time a Big Ten program has garnered a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament in the last four years. UCLA was the overall No. 1 seed a season ago and reached the program’s first-ever NCAA Final Four.
The 12 selections tied the conference record for most teams chosen in one season, which was set during the 2025 NCAA Tournament. It is the 21st time in the past 25 years and 28th time in Big Ten history that at least six current conference members have been selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament.
Wisconsin will represent the Big Ten Conference after being selected to participate in the 32-team Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), which is in its third year. The Badgers are making their first appearance in the event and earned a No. 3 seed. The Big Ten has dominated the WBIT, having claimed every championship title. Illinois won the inaugural event in 2024 for its first-ever postseason crown with a 71-57 victory over Villanova. Minnesota defeated Belmont, 75-63, to take home the title in 2025.
(NOTES: Regional seeds listed with school names for NCAA Tournament only … all times listed below are Eastern … dates, times and TV coverage subject to change … all games on ESPN family of networks can also be seen on the ESPN app).
2026 Big Ten Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament Schedule
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Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - First Four |
Time (ET) |
Watch |
Links |
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Sacramento 2 Region (Durham, N.C. - Cameron Indoor Stadium) #11 NEBRASKA vs. #11 Richmond |
7 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Friday, March 20, 2026 - First Round |
Time (ET) |
Watch |
Links |
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Fort Worth 3 Region (Austin, Texas - Moody Center) #8 OREGON vs. #9 Virginia Tech |
1:30 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Sacramento 4 Region (Fort Worth, Texas - Schollmaier Arena) #6 Washington vs. #11 South Dakota State |
2:30 p.m. |
ESPNews |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Fort Worth 1 Region (Chapel Hill, N.C. - Carmichael Arena) #5 Maryland vs. #12 Murray State |
3 p.m. |
ESPNU |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Fort Worth 3 Region (Ann Arbor, Mich. - Crisler Center) #2 Michigan vs. #15 Holy Cross |
5:30 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Sacramento 2 Region (Minneapolis, Minn. - Williams Arena) #4 Minnesota vs. #13 Green Bay |
6 p.m. |
ESPNU |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Sacramento 4 Region (Norman, Okla. - Lloyd Noble Center) #5 Michigan State vs. #12 Colorado State |
7:30 p.m. |
ESPNews |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Saturday, March 21, 2026 - First Round |
Time (ET) |
Watch |
Links |
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Fort Worth 1 Region (Columbus, Ohio - Schottenstein Center) #3 Ohio State vs. #14 Howard |
11:30 a.m. |
ESPN2 |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Sacramento 4 Region (Columbia, S.C. - Colonial Life Arena) #9 USC vs. #8 Clemson |
3:30 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Sacramento 4 Region (Iowa City, Iowa - Carver-Hawkeye Arena) #2 Iowa vs. #15 FDU |
4 p.m. |
ESPN |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Fort Worth 1 Region (Nashville, Tenn. - Memorial Gymnasium) #7 Illinois vs. #10 Colorado |
9:30 p.m. |
ESPN2 |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
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Sacramento 2 Region (Los Angeles, Calif. - Pauley Pavilion) #1 UCLA vs. #16 Cal Baptist |
10 p.m. |
ESPN |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |
2026 Big Ten Women's Basketball WBIT Schedule
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Thursday, March 19, 2026 - First Round |
Time (ET) |
Watch |
Links |
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at Corvallis, Ore. (Gill Coliseum) MINNESOTA at Oregon State |
9 p.m. |
Live Stats | Recap | Box Score |