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Michael Voppel
multiple authors
As we bid farewell to the 2025-26 ESPN Women’s College Basketball Power Rankings, we say hello to one of the most fun parts of the season: conference tournament.
Not all coaches agree. They see Champ Week as another challenge to face after more than two months of hard work. But for fans, it’s a chance to see several high-stakes games in a short period of time as a teaser for the NCAA Tournament.
Sometimes, the results of league tournaments predict the greatest success in March Madness. But the team that hoists the trophy It’s not always one of the leagues to delve deeper into March Madness during these next two weeks.
In the Power 4, the 2026 regular-season champion — ruler (acc), UCLA (Big Ten), TCU (Big 12) and South Carolina (SEC) — are also the defending champions of their respective 2025 tournaments.
The Bruins and Gamecocks are likely to clinch the No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of their performance between now and Sunday. Duke and TCU are currently Estimate As a No. 3 seed, so Champ Week performance could play a big role in saving or improving their bracket position. Seven Big Ten teams and five SEC teams participated last Sunday Top-16 revealedLeague tournaments could make or break some March Madness seeding expectations.
Previous ranking: 1
Next seven days: Big East Tournament
The Huskies finished the regular season by defeating Georgetown and St. John’s by a combined 68 points. They have been No. 1 in the power rankings this season all but three weeks in December, when Texas moved up. The last time they did not win their conference tournament was in the “old” Big East in 2013, when they lost the title game to Notre Dame. They then won seven consecutive American Conference Tournament titles, and have won the last five titles in the current edition of the Big East.
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Previous ranking: 2
Next seven days: Big Ten Tournament
The Bruins helped the senior guard beat crosstown rival USC 73-50 on Sunday. Charlie’s Leger-Walker His leading scorer (20 points) for the only time this season. It’s another example of the many offensive threats for UCLA, which has been in the top four of the power rankings throughout the season. The Bruins became the fourth team in Big Ten history to finish regular season league play undefeated (18–0). Their only previous regular season conference title was a Pac-10 tie with Oregon in 1999.
Previous ranking: 3
Next seven days: SEC Tournament
Last week, the Gamecocks defeated Missouri 112–71 to capture their 10th SEC regular season title, then had a slight scare at Kentucky – but ultimately won 60–56. Center Madina Okot He had a combined 47 points and 30 rebounds and is a force heading into the postseason. South Carolina, which is seeking its 10th SEC Tournament title, also remained in the top four of the power rankings throughout the season.
Previous ranking: 4
Next seven days: SEC Tournament
After defeating Georgia 79–50 and Alabama 72–65 last week, the Longhorns tied for second in the SEC with Vanderbilt behind a combined 39 points from the forwards. madison booker. Texas is the only team other than UConn to be ranked No. 1 in the power rankings this season – the Longhorns did so after defeating UCLA and South Carolina consecutively at the Players Era Championship in late November. They won Big 12 Tournament titles in two of their final three seasons in that conference before moving to the SEC in 2024–25.
Previous ranking: 5
Next seven days: SEC Tournament
The Commodores finished their regular season with an 85–60 win over Alabama and an 87–77 win at Tennessee behind 69 combined points from the second-year guard. Mikayla Blakes. She is the only SEC player since 2000 to average at least 30 points during conference play in a season (30.5 ppg). Vanderbilt entered the SEC Tournament as a No. 2 seed, tied Texas for second – at 13–3, a program record for conference wins – and then won the head-to-head matchup. This equals the Commodores’ best seed in the SEC Tournament, and sets them up to chase a seventh Champ Week trophy as they remain in the hunt for a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday.
Previous ranking: 6
Next seven days: SEC Tournament
junior guard Mikayla Williams Had a combined 46 points, 25 rebounds and nine assists in wins over Tennessee (89-73) and Mississippi State (72-63) last week. Those wins secured the Tigers a No. 4 seed in the SEC Tournament, and LSU is currently a projected No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have been to the Final Four six times, but have won the SEC Tournament only twice: in 1991 and 2003.
Previous ranking: 7
Next seven days: SEC Tournament
It’s the nature of the SEC Tournament that even very good teams can end up with a nightmare in the bracket. Oklahoma finished the regular season 11–5 in SEC play after defeating Arkansas 89–44 and Missouri 84–78 and clinching the No. 5 seed in the league tournament. The Sooners missed the double bye for the top four seeds, so they will begin SEC play in the second round and may have to face LSU and South Carolina to reach the championship game. As noted, they are the projected No. 3 NCAA seed.
Previous ranking: 8
Next seven days: Big 12 Tournament
The Frogs won their second consecutive Big 12 regular season title with a much different roster than the previous season. Last week, they won 83–70 over Cincinnati and ended the season with a 65–53 loss to Baylor. This effort was led marta suarezWho made his final college season his best yet: He had a combined 53 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and six steals in last week’s win. Senior transfers Suarez and olivia miles (20.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 6.5 apg) will play in his first Big 12 tournament this week.
Previous ranking: 9
Next seven days: Big Ten Tournament
Like Vanderbilt and TCU, Iowa was not in our first power ranking in November but finished in the top 10. second year development ava hayden And Taylor Stremlow There is a big key. Last week, the Hawkeyes had an 82-78 win over Illinois and then an 81-52 win over Wisconsin. Haden had a combined 44 points on 21 of 29 shooting (72.4%) and Stremlow had a combined 23 points and 20 assists. It will be tough for anyone to beat No. 1 seed UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament, but No. 2 seed Iowa looks to protect its projected NCAA No. 2 seed.
Previous ranking: 10
Next seven days: Big Ten Tournament
Last week, the Wolverines survived 88-86 against Ohio State in a fierce overtime game that featured several momentum swings. They then defeated Maryland 87–69 and tied with Iowa for second place in the Big Ten. Like the Hawkeyes, Michigan is also hoping to secure its projected NCAA No. 2 seed with a good showing in the conference tournament. Iowa and Michigan could face off in the Big Ten semifinals. The Hawkeyes won the regular season meeting 62–44 on February 22, making Michigan the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
Previous ranking: 14
Next seven days: Big 12 Tournament
We mentioned earlier how West Virginia – a program long known for defense – is having one of its best offensive seasons. In Big 12 play, the Mountaineers were second in scoring with an average of 76.1 points. Last week, they beat UCF 74–62 and then beat Cincinnati 118–60, the most points scored by West Virginia since 2002. The Mountaineers have won seven of their last eight and are the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. Their only loss in that span was to top-seeded TCU.
Previous ranking: 16
Next seven days: acc tournament
North Carolina, like West Virginia, has been flying under the radar this season. But since consecutive losses to Stanford and Notre Dame in early January, the Tar Heels have won 12 of 13 games. Their only loss in that span came to Duke on February 15, but they avenged it 74–69 in the regular season finale on Sunday. A good performance in the conference tournament could open the door for UNC to get a top 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament; The Tar Heels are currently projected as a No. 5 seed.
Previous ranking: 11
Next seven days: acc tournament
The Blue Devils won the ACC title despite losing two of their last three games. That’s because Louisville, which fell out of the power rankings, did the same thing. In the final week of the regular season, Duke defeated Florida State 80–52 but then lost at North Carolina 74–69. The Blue Devils need to recapture what was working well during their 17-game winning streak.
Previous ranking: 13
Next seven days: Big Ten Tournament
The Buckeyes remain in the power rankings and the projected top 16 of the NCAA, but they can’t afford a loss early in the conference tournament. They have lost three of their last five matches, all against ranked foes. They almost got a big win against Michigan last Wednesday, but blew an eight-point lead in overtime, losing 88-86. But that was followed by a crucial 87-68 win against Michigan State on Sunday.
Previous ranking: 15
Next seven days: Big Ten Tournament
The Terrapins have helped their NCAA Tournament seeding over the past few weeks, winning six of their last seven. Their 87-69 regular season finale loss at Michigan shouldn’t hurt them too much. But like Ohio State, Maryland must avoid an early loss in the Big Ten Tournament to remain in the NCAA Top 16.
Previous ranking: not ranked
Next seven days: Big Ten Tournament
On December 7, the Gophers looked as if they had defeated Maryland (more than once) but lost 100–99 in a double-overtime heartbreaker and were eliminated from their Big Ten opener. This could have been confidence crushing, but it wasn’t. Minnesota struggled and tied for fourth in the conference with Ohio State. After winning a head-to-head matchup with the Buckeyes on February 18, the Gophers earned the tiebreaker and the No. 4 seed in the league tournament. Minnesota has won 10 of its last 11 games and entered the power rankings for the first time this season in its last edition in 2025-26.
dropped out: louisville cardinals
