2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament qualifying teams
This is a list of qualifying teams in the 2026 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. A total of 68 teams will be entered into the tournament. Thirty-one of the teams will qualify via automatic bids, usually earned by winning their conference tournaments, while the remaining 37 teams are going to be selected via "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. Teams will be seeded from 1 to 16 within each of the four regionals, while the Selection Committee will also seed the entire field from 1 to 68.
Automatic bids
A total of 31 automatic bids to the tournament are granted to the below listed conferences, normally to the team that wins the conference's championship tournament.
Qualifying school |
Record (Conf.) |
Seed |
Last app. |
# of app. |
Tournament |
Runner-up |
Record (Conf.) |
Seed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vermont |
27–7 (13–3) |
1 |
2025 |
9th |
America East |
Maine |
19–13 (12–4) |
2 |
UTSA |
18–15 (9–9) |
6 |
2009 |
3rd |
American |
Rice |
28–5 (17–1) |
1 |
Rhode Island |
28–4 (16–2) |
1 |
1996 |
2nd |
Atlantic 10 |
George Mason |
23–9 (16–2) |
2 |
Duke |
24–8 (16–2) |
1 |
2025 |
28th |
ACC |
Louisville |
27–7 (15–3) |
2 |
Jacksonville |
24–8 (13–5) |
2 |
2016 |
2nd |
ASUN |
Austin Peay |
19–13 (8–10) |
8 |
West Virginia |
27–6 (14–4) |
2 |
2025 |
17th |
Big 12 |
TCU |
29–5 (15–3) |
1 |
UConn |
32–0 (18–0) |
1 |
2025 |
37th |
Big East |
Villanova |
25–7 (16–4) |
2 |
Idaho |
29–5 (17–1) |
1 |
2016 |
5th |
Big Sky |
Montana State |
25–7 (16–2) |
2 |
High Point |
27–5 (13–3) |
1 |
2025 |
28th |
Big South |
Radford |
22–12 (12–4) |
2 |
UCLA |
31–1 (18–0) |
1 |
2025 |
21st |
Big Ten |
Iowa |
26–6 (15–3) |
2 |
UC San Diego |
24–8 (17–3) |
2 |
2025 |
2nd |
Big West |
Hawaii |
22–11 (14–6) |
4 |
Charleston |
27–5 (16–2) |
1 |
Never |
1st |
CAA |
Hofstra |
11–22 (6–12) |
10 |
Missouri State |
22–12 (11–7) |
6 |
2022 |
18th |
CUSA |
Louisiana Tech |
26–6 (17–1) |
1 |
Green Bay |
25–8 (17–3) |
1 |
2025 |
21st |
Horizon |
Youngstown State |
24–9 (15–5) |
2 |
Princeton |
25–8 (17–3) |
1 |
2025 |
13th |
Ivy League |
Harvard |
18–11 (10–4) |
3 |
Fairfield |
28–4 (19–1) |
1 |
2025 |
8th |
MAAC |
Quinnipiac |
26–6 (19–1) |
2 |
Miami (OH) |
28–6 (16–2) |
1 |
2008 |
8th |
MAC |
Toledo |
17–15 (9–9) |
6 |
Howard |
25–7 (13–2) |
1 |
2022 |
8th |
MEAC |
Norfolk State |
18–13 (11–3) |
4 |
Colorado State |
27–7 (15–5) |
3 |
2016 |
7th |
Mountain West |
Air Force |
16–18 (7–13) |
9 |
Murray State |
31–3 (19–1) |
1 |
2025 |
3rd |
Missouri Valley |
Evansville |
10–25 (5–15) |
10 |
Fairleigh Dickinson |
30–4 (18–0) |
1 |
2025 |
3rd |
NEC |
LIU |
22–11 (14–4) |
3 |
Western Illinois |
26–5 (16–4) |
1 |
2017 |
3rd |
Ohio Valley |
Lindenwood |
25–8 (13–3) |
2 |
Holy Cross |
23–9 (14–4) |
2 |
2024 |
15th |
Patriot |
Lehigh |
17–14 (11–7) |
4 |
Texas |
31–3 (13–3) |
3 |
2025 |
38th |
SEC |
South Carolina |
31–3 (15–1) |
1 |
Samford |
16–18 (6–8) |
6 |
2012 |
3rd |
Southern |
Chattanooga |
20–10 (10–4) |
1 |
Stephen F. Austin |
25–9 (16–6) |
3 |
2025 |
3rd |
Southland |
McNeese |
28–4 (21–1) |
1 |
Southern |
19–13 (12–6) |
4 |
2025 |
8th |
SWAC |
Alabama State |
17–15 (12–6) |
3 |
South Dakota State |
27–6 (14–2) |
1 |
2025 |
14th |
Summit |
North Dakota State |
28–4 (15–1) |
2 |
James Madison |
25–8 (14–4) |
4 |
2023 |
14th |
Sun Belt |
Troy |
25–6 (15–3) |
2 |
California Baptist |
23–10 (15–3) |
1 |
2024 |
2nd |
WAC |
Abilene Christian |
23–10 (13–5) |
2 |
Gonzaga |
24–9 (14–4) |
2 |
2024 |
16th |
WCC |
Oregon State |
23–10 (13–5) |
4 |
At-large bids
37 at-large teams will be determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process.
Team |
Conference |
Last appearance |
# of appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
Louisville |
ACC |
2025 |
28th |
NC State |
2025 |
34th |
|
North Carolina |
2024 |
33rd |
|
Notre Dame |
2024 |
31st |
|
Virginia |
2018 |
26th |
|
Virginia Tech |
2022 |
14th |
|
Richmond |
Atlantic 10 |
2025 |
6th |
Villanova |
Big East |
2023 |
15th |
Arizona State |
Big 12 |
2019 |
18th |
Baylor |
2025 |
24th |
|
Colorado |
2024 |
17th |
|
Iowa State |
2025 |
24th |
|
Oklahoma State |
2025 |
19th |
|
TCU |
2025 |
11th |
|
Illinois |
Big Ten |
2025 |
10th |
Iowa |
2025 |
32nd |
|
Maryland |
2025 |
33rd |
|
Michigan |
2025 |
14th |
|
Michigan State |
2025 |
21st |
|
Minnesota |
2018 |
11th |
|
Nebraska |
2025 |
18th |
|
Ohio State |
2025 |
29th |
|
Oregon |
2025 |
19th |
|
USC |
2025 |
20th |
|
Washington |
2025 |
21st |
|
Alabama |
SEC |
2025 |
17th |
Kentucky |
2025 |
19th |
|
LSU |
2025 |
31st |
|
Georgia |
2023 |
37th |
|
Oklahoma |
2025 |
26th |
|
Ole Miss |
2025 |
22nd |
|
South Carolina |
2025 |
22nd |
|
Tennessee |
2025 |
44th |
|
Vanderbilt |
2025 |
30th |
Listed by region and seeding
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Conferences with multiple bids
Teams in boldface won their conference tournament and received the conference's automatic bid.
data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage="" style="background: #e3e3e3;" |Bids |
data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage="" style="background: #e3e3e3;" |Conference |
data-darkreader-inline-bgcolor="" data-darkreader-inline-bgimage="" style="background: #e3e3e3;" |Schools |
|---|---|---|
12 |
Big Ten |
Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Washington |
10 |
SEC |
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vanderbilt |
8 |
ACC |
Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Virginia, Virginia Tech |
Big 12 |
Arizona State, Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia |
|
2 |
Atlantic 10 |
Rhode Island, Richmond |
Big East |
UConn, Villanova |
Bids by state
Bids |
State |
Schools |
|---|---|---|
2 |
Alabama |
Alabama, Samford |
1 |
Arizona |
Arizona State |
4 |
California |
California Baptist, UCLA, UC San Diego, USC |
2 |
Colorado |
Colorado, Colorado State |
2 |
Connecticut |
Fairfield, UConn |
1 |
Florida |
Jacksonville |
1 |
Georgia |
Georgia |
1 |
Idaho |
Idaho |
2 |
Illinois |
Illinois, Western Illinois |
1 |
Indiana |
Notre Dame |
2 |
Iowa |
Iowa, Iowa State |
3 |
Kentucky |
Kentucky, Louisville, Murray State |
2 |
Louisiana |
LSU, Southern |
1 |
Maryland |
Maryland |
1 |
Massachusetts |
Holy Cross |
1 |
Minnesota |
Minnesota |
2 |
Mississippi |
Ole Miss |
1 |
Missouri |
Missouri State |
2 |
Michigan |
Michigan, Michigan State |
2 |
New Jersey |
Fairleigh Dickinson, Princeton |
1 |
New York |
Syracuse |
1 |
Nebraska |
Nebraska |
4 |
North Carolina |
Duke, High Point, North Carolina, NC State |
2 |
Ohio |
Miami (OH), Ohio State |
2 |
Oklahoma |
Oklahoma, Oklahoma State |
1 |
Oregon |
Oregon |
1 |
Pennsylvania |
Villanova |
1 |
Rhode Island |
Rhode Island |
3 |
South Carolina |
Charleston, Clemson, South Carolina |
1 |
South Dakota |
South Dakota State |
2 |
Tennessee |
Tennessee, Vanderbilt |
6 |
Texas |
Baylor, Stephen F. Austin, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, UTSA |
1 |
Vermont |
Vermont |
4 |
Virginia |
James Madison, Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Tech |
2 |
Washington |
Gonzaga, Washington |
1 |
Washington, D.C. |
Howard |
1 |
West Virginia |
West Virginia |
1 |
Wisconsin |
Green Bay |
See also
- 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament qualifying teams