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Women's NCAA Bracket 2026, Updated Schedule and Predictions After Friday's 1st Round
Some must-watch matchups for the second round of the 2026 NCAA women's basketball tournament have already been set.
The first round of March Madness kicked off Friday as higher seeds went 16-0 to open the tournament.
Here's a look at Friday's results and some predictions for Sunday's start of the second round.
Regional 1: Fort Worth
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Friday's Schedule and Results
No. 5 Maryland 99, No. 12 Murray St. 67
No. 4 North Carolina 82, No. 13 Western Illinois 51
Maryland and North Carolina are set to match up in the second round after starting out the first round with blowout victories.
The Terrapins put up 99 points, which tied for the program's highest regulation scoring total this season, while shooting 50 percent from the field and out-rebounding Murray State 51-21.
The Tar Heels meanwhile climbed out to a 14-point lead over Western Illinois in the first half, then went on a 15-3 third-quarter run to secure their own blowout victory.
These two former ACC rivals will now reunite in the Round of 32. UNC will need to build on Friday's defensive performance in order to shut down Maryland, which ranked as one of the top 12 highest-scoring women's basketball teams in the nation this season.
Second-Round Predictions
Maryland over North Carolina
Regional 2: Sacramento
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Friday's Schedule and Results
No. 5 Ole Miss 81, No. 12 Gonzaga 66
No. 6 Baylor 67, No. 11 Nebraska 61
No. 3 Duke 81, No. 14 Charleston 64
No. 4 Minnesota 75, No. 13 Green Bay 58
No. 2 LSU 116, No. 15 Jacksonville 58
No. 7 Texas Tech 57, No. 10 Villanova 52
Nebraska led by as many as nine points in the third quarter on Friday before Baylor stormed back to survive the upset.
The Bears will now advance to face Duke. The No. 3 seed cruised past Charleston despite a 36 points, the most scored against the Blue Devils this season, from Taryn Barbot.
Ole Miss and Minnesota are on track for their own second-round matchup after wins over Gonzaga and Green Bay, respectively.
Green Bay looked to be on track for an upset after gaining a third-quarter lead over Minnesota before the Gophers recovered with a 30-9 run to end the game.
Minnesota will need a stronger start in the Round of 32 in order to claim victory over Ole Miss.
LSU claimed its own spot in the second round with a historic blowout over Jacksonville. The Tigers put up 116 points, an NCAA Tournament record for the program, in their 58-point win.
They will now look to ride the momentum of that blowout into a second-round matchup with Texas Tech, which trailed Villanova at the end of the third quarter before rallying in the fourth to avoid the upset.
Second-Round Predictions
Duke over Baylor
Ole Miss over Minnesota
LSU over Texas Tech
Regional 3: Fort Worth
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Friday's Schedule and Results
No. 1 Texas 87, No. 16 Missouri State 45
No. 8 Oregon 70, No. 9 Virginia Tech 60
No. 2 Michigan 83, No. 15 Holy Cross 48
No. 7 NC State 76, No. 10 Tennessee 61
Michigan will advance to the second round after a commanding blowout win against Holy Cross.
NC State, which went back and forth with Tennessee on Friday night before closing out their win with a dominant fourth quarter, now stands between the No. 2-seed Wolverines and a trip to the Sweet 16.
Texas and Oregon will match up in the Round of 32 after respective wins over Missouri State and Virginia Tech.
The Longhorns looked every bit a top seed with as they opened the tournament with a 42-point victory, while the Ducks spent their first-round matchup building on an early 12-point run.
Oregon will see if they can ride that momentum into a matchup with one of the stingiest defensive teams in the nation in the second round.
Second-Round Predictions
Texas over Oregon
Michigan over NC State
Regional 4: Sacramento
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Friday's Schedule and Results
No. 6 Washington 72, No. 11 South Dakota St. 54
No. 3 TCU 86, No. 14 UC San Diego 40
No. 5 Michigan State 65, No. 12 Colorado State 62
No. 4 Oklahoma 89, No. 13 Idaho 59
After falling behind South Dakota State by 10 points in the first five minutes, Washington came back to claim the program's first NCAA Tournament win since 2017.
That will put the Huskies on track to face TCU, which eliminated UC San Diego in a dominant performance led by a triple-double from Olivia Miles.
Miles will now match up against Washington point guard Sayvia Sellers and Avery Howell, who recorded 30 points and nine rebounds on Friday, with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
Colorado State made a late push to upset Michigan State with a late three-pointer from Brooke Carlson to cut their deficit to three with 39 seconds left on the clock, but the Spartans were able to hold on to close out the win.
Michigan State will now be faced with a tough second-round opponent in Oklahoma. The Sooners are on to the second round for a fifth straight season after a 30-point win over Idaho.
Second-Round Predictions
Washington over TCU
Oklahoma over Michigan State
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