Women’s Tourney at Crossroads

Morning Edition

March 18, 2026

Women’s March Madness has surged in recent years, but this tournament will test whether that momentum can continue without as many big stars. The First Four tips off Wednesday, with a few key storylines—from rising programs to WNBA-bound talent—set to shape what comes next.

Meanwhile overnight, at a hotel in Manhattan, the WNBA and WNBPA came to a tentative verbal agreement for a new CBA after eight straight days of in-person negotiations.

— Colin Salao and Annie Costabile

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Women’s March Madness Growth Faces Next Star-Power Test

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The NCAA women’s basketball tournament is entering its fifth year since adopting the March Madness moniker with significant momentum.

The tournament has seen extensive growth sparked by back-to-back title runs from Caitlin Clark and Iowa in 2023 and 2024, including the 2024 title game that drew 18.9 million viewers to the 2024 title game, four million more than the men’s game.

Like the men’s tournament, the women’s side has also been given a unit reward system, which gives conferences a monetary reward for programs qualifying and advancing in the tournament.

But the women’s tournament still has plenty of room to grow, especially with names like Clark and Paige Bueckers in the WNBA, and JuJu Watkins sidelined with an injury.

FOS compiled a few storylines to watch throughout the tournament.

First Four Showdown

While the First Four portion of the tournament is often filled with throwaway games, there is a notable matchup between two programs making a much-awaited return to the Big Dance: Arizona State and Virginia.

Arizona State is dancing for the first time since 2019, sparked by the hiring of head coach Molly Miller. The Sun Devils finished with a 24–10 record (9–9 in the Big 12), after finishing 10–22 last season. It’s their first winning season since 2020–21.

It’s only the second time since 2010 that Virginia has qualified for the tournament, but the program used to make deep runs perennially. Dawn Staley led the Cavaliers to the 1991 title game, along with two other Final Four appearances.

After finishing near the bottom of the ACC in the 2021–22 season, the program hired head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton, who has slowly lifted the program back to relevancy.

A trip to the First Four is likely already a success for both programs; a win would be icing on the cake.

Early-Round Upsets?

The viewership numbers for the tournament final are unlikely to immediately replicate the highs of Clark’s peak. Last year’s championship game between UConn and South Carolina drew 8.5 million viewers, behind only Iowa’s two title runs for the most-watched title games, but still 10 million less than 2024.

But the true growth for the tournament comes from its early rounds.

The first two rounds of the tournament trailed only 2024 as the most watched. It helped that ESPN started putting first- and second-round women’s basketball games on its main networks in 2020, and it has continued to expand that coverage in recent years.

The problem with the early rounds of the women’s tournament is that there are not nearly as many upsets as in the men’s tournament. Last year, only six lower seeds won games—and none were significant upsets. There were also huge blowouts—including a 69-point win from UConn over Arkansas State in the first round.

There’s little to suggest that anything will change this year, but any changes could signal potential growing parity in the sport.

Undefeated Season

The four No. 1 seeds of the NCAA tournament are the same four teams that made the Final Four last year: UConn, South Carolina, UCLA, and Texas. It’s no surprise, considering the history of each of the programs and the stars some have kept.

But defending champion UConn is the team to watch as it tries to chase history. Despite the loss of Bueckers, the Huskies finished the season undefeated (31–0) and are looking to be the first UConn team to finish undefeated since the 2015–16 season.

That Geno Auriemma–led Huskies squad featured eight future WNBA players, including Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

This year’s UConn team is led by potential 2026 WNBA No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong.

WNBA Watch

The women’s college tournament has always served as a proving ground for future professionals because of the quick turnaround to the WNBA season. The WNBA draft falls two Mondays after the national championship game, meaning players who played in the title game—like Paige Bueckers last year and Caitlin Clark in 2024—have just eight days to prepare.

Players often declare their intentions to stay in college or go pro immediately after their team finishes in the tournament. But that may not be the case this year.

Still, there are several names whose tournament performances could affect their stock for the eventual WNBA draft. Some of the names worth watching that could be first-round picks:

Lauren Betts, UCLA
Kiki Rice, UCLA
Gianna Kneepkens, UCLA
Raven Johnson, South Carolina
Flau’jae Johnson, LSU
Olivia Miles, TCU
Ashlon Jackson, Duke
Marta Suarez, TCU
Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
Azzi Fudd, UConn
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Gabriela Jaquez, UCLA

While NIL has put money in the pockets of many NCAA players, incoming WNBA players would go pro at an opportune time. Rookie deals in the past made a maximum of $78,831 in the first year, but those are expected to exponentially increase under the new CBA.

There will also be more opportunities to be a first-round pick with the WNBA expanding to 15 teams for the upcoming season.

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ONE BIG FIG

Money Madness

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$20 million

That’s how much NCAA Division I conferences could earn from the women’s March Madness tournament through the “units program.” The system awards each conference a unit, worth about six figures each, for its automatic qualifier and each at-large bid. Then each school will earn a unit for its conference for every round it advances in the tournament, including the First Four.

In previous years, the NCAA stopped awarding units in the Final Four. But this year, for the first time, schools will also earn units for advancing to the championship game and for winning the title.

It’s just the second year that the women’s tournament has had the program. The NCAA awarded $15 million last year, and it is expected to award $25 million in the 2027–28 season. The men’s tournament has a prize pool of $220 million.

LOUD AND CLEAR

Tourney Expansion Timeline

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“It sounds to me like the earliest that expansion could happen would be next year, 2027.”

—Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, explaining to Front Office Sports the ongoing discussions around expanding the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

Ackerman made clear the Big East is comfortable whether the field stays the same or grows modestly, but she emphasized the decision hinges more on finances and logistics. The NCAA is weighing added costs—travel, operations, and staging—while looking to TV partners and sponsors to help fund any expansion.

For now, discussions are paused until after this year’s tournaments, with conversations expected to pick back up in the spring. Ackerman called the situation a “waiting game,” with 2027 shaping up as the earliest realistic window for change. Watch the clip.

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STATUS REPORT

Three Up, One Down

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Viewership ⬆ ESPN and Fox both reported strong ratings for the women’s college basketball regular season. Average viewership on ESPN was up 19% at 333,000, making it the network’s most-watched season since 2008–09. The women’s regular season was the most-watched on FS1, averaging 148,000 viewers (up 22%), while Fox’s seasonal viewership of 700,000 ranks second.

Azzi Fudd ⬆ The UConn guard has announced several partnerships ahead of March Madness, including signing with Jordan Brand. Fudd is the latest women’s basketball star to sign with Jordan, joining former and current WNBA players Maya Moore, Napheesa Collier, and Rhyne Howard. She also recently promoted deals with Celsius, CoverGirl, Planet Fitness, Cash App, Madison Reed, Marriott Bonvoy, and GEICO.

NYU ⬆ The Violets have the second-longest winning streak in women’s college basketball history at 91 games, after defeating Wisconsin-La Crosse to advance to the Division III Final Four. NYU will look to achieve the second D-III women’s basketball three-peat, with Washington University the only other school to do so, winning four consecutive championships from 1998 to 2001.

ESPN ⬇ A betting preview for the women’s college basketball tournament contained incorrect win-loss totals, with the records shown representing the men’s teams at the respective schools. No. 1 South Carolina, which is 31–3, was one of many teams listed with an incorrect record at 13–19. All games for the NCAA women’s tournament will be broadcast by ESPN.