The 2026 NCAA women’s basketball tournament officially-but-unofficially tips off on Wednesday night, when the first two “First Four” games will be played.
No. 11-seeds Richmond and Nebraska will meet at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC to earn an official bid to the Big Dance (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The winner will play No. 6-seed Baylor on Friday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN). Then, No. 16-seeds Stephen F. Austin and Missouri State face off at the Moody Center in Austin, TX (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2), with the winner earning
a date with No. 1-seed Texas on Friday (4 p.m. ET, ESPN).
On Thursday, the third “First Four” game features two more No. 16-seeds, with Samford and Southern playing at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). Saturday, the winner meets No. 1-seed South Carolina (1 p.m. ET, ABC). The final entrant into the 64-team field will be determined at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA between No. 10-seeds Arizona State and Virginia (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2). No. 7-seed Georgia awaits the victor for a Saturday game (1:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2).
Here’s what to know about the four “First Four” showdowns. Be sure to also share your predictions in the comments below.
Britt Prince and Maggie Doogan will look to shoot their squads into the 64-team field
Two of the most-efficient scorers in women’s college basketball will look to lead their teams into the 64-team tournament field.
For Nebraska, which finished 18-12 overall and 7-11 in the Big Ten, the name to know is Britt Prince. The sophomore guard led the Huskers with 17.4 points per game, while shooting better than 45 percent from 3. She arguably should fire away more frequently from downtown, as she averaged under three attempts per game. Prince, however, scores just as smoothly inside the arc, finishing almost 56 percent of her 2-pointers. And in a tighter tournament game, Prince’s 90.5 percent from the free throw could be crucial.
Richmond’s scoring star is Maggie Doogan. The Spiders were knocked off in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament after finishing the regular-season conference slate 15-3, good for third place; their overall mark was 26-7. A senior forward, Doogan averaged 21 points per game as she repeated as Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. She more frequently fires off 3-pointers, taking 6.6 per game and converting them at a 40 percent clip. She’s likewise hyper-efficient on 2-pointers, hitting almost 60 percent, and from the line, where she shoots 89.2 percent.
And as Eric Nemchock highlighted, Doogan’s ambitions extend beyond the “First Four,” as a strong tournament could see her rise up the draft boards of WNBA teams.
Although neither player is a one-woman show, the outcome of the first “First Four” could be swung by which of Prince or Doogan finds a sweeter scoring groove.
Similar journeys brought SFA and Missouri State to this “First Four” fight
After a third-place finish in the Southland Conference with a 16-6 record, Stephen F. Austin won the conference tournament, upsetting regular-season conference champion McNeese in the final to book their second-straight ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
As SFA lost to McNeese twice during the regular season, including a 17-point defeat in the final regular-season game, the tournament final win, by a score of 71-59, had to be particularly sweet. A tight affair for three quarters, the Ladyjacks pulled away in the fourth to take the trophy.
Myka Perry, a sophomore guard, scored 21 points to lead the Ladyjacks. Senior guard Harmonie Dominguez added 18 points, while freshman wing Aziyah Farrier grabbed a team-best 10 boards from off the bench.
Missouri State has arrived on the precipice of the 64-team field with a similar story. The Lady Bears finished in third place in Conference USA with an 11-7 record and met Louisiana Tech, the regular-season champions that they had lost to twice during the regular season, in the conference tournament final. Missouri State prevailed in a low-scoring affair, 43-38, to get the chance to go dancing for the first time since 2022.
Although the Lady Bears scored just six points in the fourth quarter, they held the Lady Techsters to only 12 second-half points. The tandem of Lainie Douglas and Kaemyn Bekemeier combined for 31 of Missouri State’s points. Douglas, a sophomore forward, scored 15 points with Bekemeier, a junior guard, leading with 16 points. The two also totaled 20 rebounds.
Southern or Samford will not be scared of South Carolina
After a sixth-place regular-season finish in the Southern Conference, plus a below .500 overall record at 16-18, Samford might be the Cinderella-est of Cinderellas.
They beat the conference’s top-three teams—Wofford (59-57), East Tennessee State (57-48) and Chattanooga (72-67)—to win the SoCon Tournament and sneak into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 16 seed. It’s their first tournament appearance since 2012.
Southern is dancing for the second-straight year, as well as for the third time in the last four seasons. Last year, when the Jaguars also were a “First Four” team, they earned their bid to the official dance with a win over UC San Diego before the suffering a blowout loss to No. 1-seed UCLA in the first round.
The Jags repeated as SWAC Tournament champs after finishing the regular season in third place with a 12-6 record. In the semis of the SWAC tourney, Southern snuck by regular-season champs Alabama A&M, 51-49, before running away from Alabama State in the final, 73-56.
Barring a miracle, neither squad will have much of a chance against No. 1-seed South Carolina in the round of 64.
But, that’s doesn’t mean they’ll be intimated. Samford’s schedule featured games against five Power Four teams, including fellow “First Four” squad Nebraska and Alabama. Southern embraced an even more daunting non-conference slate, challenging seven tournament teams, including taking on UCLA in Pauley Pavilion again.
It’s been awhile since ASU or UVA made the Big Dance
Under first-year head coach Molly Miller, Arizona State started the season 15-0, taking advantage of a fairly soft schedule by tallying win after win.
Big 12 play presented more challenges for the Sun Devils, as they finished in ninth place in the conference at 9-9. Two of those wins came against conference opponents that made the tournament. Back in November, they opened conference play with a big home win over Colorado, now a No. 10 seed in the tournament. In the second round of the Big 12 Tournament, they knocked off Iowa State, a No. 9 seed in the tournament.
Although a similarly-situated middle-of-the-pack Power Four team, as Virginia finished ACC play at 11-7 and in eighth place, the Cavaliers have a few signature wins that inspire greater confidence in their potential to be a tournament threat. Virginia beat Notre Dame before scoring a huge upset of Louisville on the Cardinals’ home floor. However, the Cavaliers skidded after their banner win, closing out the regular season with two losses before falling in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
Among the two teams, Virginia’s Kymora Johnson certainly brings the most offensive juice. A 19-points-per-game scorer, the sophomore guard owns a season-high scoring mark of 41 points. She also led the Hoos in assists and steals per game, with 5.9 and 2.2, respectively. However, the Sun Devils have more sources of scoring pop, with Gabby Elliot and her 16 points per game, McKinna Brackens’ almost 15 points per game and Heloisa Carrera’s more than 10 points per contest.
ASU last made the tournament in 2019, while 2018 was the last time UVA was tournament-bound. So, dipping their toes into the “First Four” is noteworthy achievement for two programs that hope to keep heading in the right direction.
