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STORRS — The UConn women’s basketball team’s path to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament title was set Sunday night, and the defending champions headline the bracket as the No. 1 overall seed.
The undefeated Huskies (34-0) earned their first top overall seed since 2018 on Selection Sunday, leading the Fort Worth 1 regional. The team was a 2-seed or lower in the past four straight NCAA Tournaments, the program’s longest streak without a 1-seed since the early 1990s. UConn won the national championship as a 2-seed last year, but its 11 other titles all came when the team was a 1-seed.
This is the the fourth season that the women’s tournament has played its regionals at just two sites as opposed to the four in the men’s tournament. Phoenix will host the Final Four, which begins April 3 with the championship game set for April 5.
UConn begins the 2026 tournament on Saturday with a first-round matchup at Gampel Pavilion against 16-seed UT San Antonio. They will also host the first-round game between 8-seed Iowa State and 9-seed Syracuse. The winners of those games will play Monday in Storrs with a trip to the Sweet 16 in Fort Worth on the line.
The Huskies and UTSA have never met previously, but they’re familiar with both potential second round opponents. Syracuse was a Big East rival from 1983-2013, and the teams’ last four meetings were in the NCAA Tournament. UConn eliminated the Orange in the second round of the tournament in 2024, 2021 and 2017, and they completed their run of four consecutive titles with a win over Syracuse in the 2016 NCAA championship game. The Orange haven’t beaten UConn since 1996.
Iowa State and UConn have met just four times but twice in the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones knocked the Huskies out in the 1999 Sweet 16, and UConn returned the favor in the 2010 Sweet 16. The last time the programs meet in Dec. 2024, the Huskies dominated 101-68.
Vanderbilt is the 2-seed in the Fort Worth 1 region, setting up a potential Elite Eight showdown between coach Geno Auriemma and former Huskies star Shea Ralph. Ralph played for UConn from 1996-2001 and was a first-team All-American in her junior season, leading the Huskies to the 2000 NCAA Championship as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Ralph also spent 13 years as an assistant coach at UConn from 2008-21, helping the program to an additional six national titles.
Since Ralph was hired in 2021, Vanderbilt has appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments and had its winningest season since 2007 this year. The Commodores finished second in the SEC during the regular season, though they were upset by Ole Miss in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
UConn and Vanderbilt haven’t met since Ralph took over, but the Huskies have a 6-2 record in the all-time series. The last time the teams faced off was Nov. 2020 in Nashville, and UConn won that matchup 64-51.
UConn is the most decorated program in the history of the NCAA Tournament with 12 national championships, and this year’s team looks to become the first to win back-to-back titles since the Huskies’ historic run of four consecutively from 2012-16. They enter the 2026 tournament on a 50-game winning streak, the fifth-longest ever in NCAA women’s basketball.
Coach Geno Auriemma has led UConn to 37 consecutive tournament appearances over 41 seasons, and the team has reached the Final Four 24 times during that span. The Huskies have made it to at least the Sweet 16 in every tournament dating back to 1994.
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The undefeated Huskies (34-0) earned their first top overall seed since 2018 on Selection Sunday, leading the Fort Worth 1 regional. The team was a 2-seed or lower in the past four straight NCAA Tournaments, the program’s longest streak without a 1-seed since the early 1990s. UConn won the national championship as a 2-seed last year, but its 11 other titles all came when the team was a 1-seed.
This is the the fourth season that the women’s tournament has played its regionals at just two sites as opposed to the four in the men’s tournament. Phoenix will host the Final Four, which begins April 3 with the championship game set for April 5.
UConn begins the 2026 tournament on Saturday with a first-round matchup at Gampel Pavilion against 16-seed UT San Antonio. They will also host the first-round game between 8-seed Iowa State and 9-seed Syracuse. The winners of those games will play Monday in Storrs with a trip to the Sweet 16 in Fort Worth on the line.
The Huskies and UTSA have never met previously, but they’re familiar with both potential second round opponents. Syracuse was a Big East rival from 1983-2013, and the teams’ last four meetings were in the NCAA Tournament. UConn eliminated the Orange in the second round of the tournament in 2024, 2021 and 2017, and they completed their run of four consecutive titles with a win over Syracuse in the 2016 NCAA championship game. The Orange haven’t beaten UConn since 1996.
Iowa State and UConn have met just four times but twice in the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones knocked the Huskies out in the 1999 Sweet 16, and UConn returned the favor in the 2010 Sweet 16. The last time the programs meet in Dec. 2024, the Huskies dominated 101-68.
Vanderbilt is the 2-seed in the Fort Worth 1 region, setting up a potential Elite Eight showdown between coach Geno Auriemma and former Huskies star Shea Ralph. Ralph played for UConn from 1996-2001 and was a first-team All-American in her junior season, leading the Huskies to the 2000 NCAA Championship as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Ralph also spent 13 years as an assistant coach at UConn from 2008-21, helping the program to an additional six national titles.
Since Ralph was hired in 2021, Vanderbilt has appeared in three straight NCAA Tournaments and had its winningest season since 2007 this year. The Commodores finished second in the SEC during the regular season, though they were upset by Ole Miss in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
UConn and Vanderbilt haven’t met since Ralph took over, but the Huskies have a 6-2 record in the all-time series. The last time the teams faced off was Nov. 2020 in Nashville, and UConn won that matchup 64-51.
UConn is the most decorated program in the history of the NCAA Tournament with 12 national championships, and this year’s team looks to become the first to win back-to-back titles since the Huskies’ historic run of four consecutively from 2012-16. They enter the 2026 tournament on a 50-game winning streak, the fifth-longest ever in NCAA women’s basketball.
Coach Geno Auriemma has led UConn to 37 consecutive tournament appearances over 41 seasons, and the team has reached the Final Four 24 times during that span. The Huskies have made it to at least the Sweet 16 in every tournament dating back to 1994.
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