Women's March Madness bracket 2026: Winners and losers from Selection Sunday South Carolina didn't get the No. 1 overall seed, but that doesn't mean there aren't reasons to celebrate By Isabel Gonzalez & Lindsay Gibbs Mar 15, 2026 at 10:54 pm ET • 7 min read Getty Images The 2026 women's NCAA Tournament has not tipped off yet, but there are already winners and losers after Selection Sunday. As expected, undefeated No. 1 UConn, the reigning national champion, earned the top overall seed. This is the 11th time in program history the Huskies enter the Big Dance without a blemish on their record. The rest of the No. 1 seeds were also not surprising: UCLA, Texas and South Carolina. This feels like a continuation of last year because these are the same teams that made it to the 2025 Final Four. The NCAA released the top 16 seeds a day earlier to give hosting sites extra time for logistics. However, the teams were released in alphabetical order, so not all the anticipation was lost. Some bubble teams let out a sigh of relief and celebrated hearing their name called. Others got their dreams shattered. Seeding and toughness of region are also worthy topics of conversation. Without further ado, here is a closer look at what stood out during Selection Sunday. Winner: Texas and UCLA's travel schedule The Texas Longhorns were not a complete lock for a No. 1 seed until recently, as they were still battling it out with Vanderbilt for the last spot. Texas took care of its own destiny by beating South Carolina in the SEC Tournament championship and winning its first trophy since joining the conference. That was a huge victory for the Longhorns because that push helped them overtake the Gamecocks for the third overall seed, giving them the possibility of playing the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in Fort Worth, which is less than three hours away from Austin. Meanwhile, UCLA ended up getting the second overall No. 1 seed, despite having a strong case for the No. 1 overall seed. But, while their bracket is difficult -- more on that later -- the Bruins actually benefit from being the second-highest seed. Sacramento is a six-hour drive from Los Angeles, which makes it a more ideal Sweet 16 location for its fans than Fort Worth. Neither Texas nor UCLA have to leave their home states to earn a Final Four bid. -- Isabel Gonzalez Loser: Vanderbilt's Final Four hopes The Commodores were still very much in the running for a No. 1 seed less than two weeks ago. However, they said goodbye to that possibility after falling to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. Vanderbilt is still a No. 2 seed, its highest seeding since 2007, but earning a ticket to Phoenix will be extremely difficult. Shea Ralph's team is in the same region as No. 1 overall seed UConn, a team that has made 16 of the last 17 Final Fours. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt's deepest run in the NCAA Tournament was a Final Four appearance in 1993. That being said, a Sweet 16 appearance seems very feasible for Vanderbilt, which would be a first for the Commodores since 2009. In the Sweet 16, Vanderbilt could face No. 3 Ohio State or No. 6 Notre Dame. A UConn vs. Vanderbilt meeting in the Elite Eight would be exciting, as Sarah Strong and Mikayla Blakes are two of the top Player of the Year candidates and Ralph was an assistant coach for Geno Auriemma for 13 seasons. -- Isabel Gonzalez Winner: South Carolina's penchant for revenge The overtime loss to Oklahoma in January was South Carolina's only loss in the SEC regular season, and if there is one thing to know about Dawn Staley, it's that her teams know how to bounce back. These two teams could potentially meet again in the Sweet 16, and you'd best expect the Gamecocks to arrive with revenge in mind. Sacramento 4 also seems like one of the easier regions. No. 3 TCU and No. 2 Iowa are not easy outs at all, but South Carolina losing the third overall seed to Texas means the Gamecocks don't have to be in the same group as some other tough opponents like Michigan, Louisville and Kentucky -- a team that gave South Carolina an upset scare during the regular season finale. -- Isabel Gonzalez Loser: Duke While the ACC conference as a whole might be a winner, the conference champions did not end up in the best spot on Selection Sunday. Despite going 20-2 to end the season and being ranked No. 8 in the final AP top 25 poll, Duke was given a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament. To make matters worse, it ended up in the bracket with the top-ranked No. 2 seed, LSU, and a team many thought had an argument for being the No. 1 overall seed, UCLA. Before going on a 17-game winning streak starting in December, the Blue Devils actually lost back-to-back games to both of those teams, falling 89-59 to then-No. 3 UCLA and 93-77 to then-No. 5 LSU. Duke will face No. 14 Charleston in the first round in Durham and could face No. 6 Baylor in the second round. -- Lindsay Gibbs Winner: West Virginia The biggest winners from Saturday night's top 16 reveal wer