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UConn, Villanova in NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament; Two Teams in WBIT

NEW YORK – The defending national champions, UConn, and at-large selection Villanova will represent the BIG EAST in the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, announced on Sunday night during the Selection Show.

UConn (34-0) is the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 16 seed UTSA (18-15) in the Fort Worth Regional 1 on Saturday in Storrs, Conn. This is the 15th time the Huskies have been selected as the overall No. 1 seed, and the first time since 2018. The team will compete in its 37th-straight NCAA Tournament, entering undefeated for the 10th time in program history. UConn has advanced to 24 NCAA Final Fours. The Huskies have won a record 12 National Championships and are 142-24 all-time in the Tournament.
 
Villanova (25-7) earned the No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament Sacramento Regional 2 and will face No. 7 Texas Tech (25-7) on Friday, March 20, in Baton Rouge. The team received its third bid under head coach Denise Dillon and its first since the 2022-23 season. It also marks the 22nd time in the last 25 seasons that the Wildcats are advancing to national postseason play.
 
NCAA Tournament First Round tip times and television information will be announced later Sunday night.

The BIG EAST also saw two earn bids into the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), with Seton Hall and St John’s securing national postseason berths to the 32-team event.

Seton Hall (19-12) will welcome No. 4 Missouri, while St. John’s (22-11) will take a short trip to No. 4 Columbia in the first round. All first-round games are slated for Thursday, March 19, on ESPN+.

Second round and quarterfinal games will be televised on ESPN+, while the semifinals will be on ESPNU, and the finals will be on ESPN2. WBIT semifinal and final games will be played at Wichita State’s Charles Koch Arena on March 30 and April 1. Additional WBIT information can be found on www.ncaa.com/WBIT.


BIG EAST in the NCAA Tournament
First Round – Friday, March 20 – Baton Rouge, La.
No. 10 Villanova vs. No. 7 Texas Tech

First Round – Saturday, March 21 – Storrs, Conn.
No. 16 UTSA at No. 1 UConn

BIG EAST in the WBIT
First Round – Thursday, March 19 – New York, N.Y.
St. John’s at No. 4 Columbia

First Round – Thursday, March 19 – South Orange, NJ
No. 4 Missouri at Seton Hall