Yukon Enters the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. But were the Huskies the most popular choice among ESPN’s college basketball analysts to win the national championship?
Which team from each region will advance to Phoenix and the Final Four? And who will win the NCAA title? Ahead of Friday’s first-round tipoff (11:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2), our experts made their predictions.
The Huskies, who are six wins away from their 13th NCAA title and seventh perfect season, were a popular vote: UConn was selected as the Fort Worth 1 Region champion by all 22 voters. No other team was unanimously selected to the Final Four, but the 1-seed received a clear majority. South Carolina Got 21 votes, texas there were 19 more UCLA 15.
While half of the voters picked all four No. 1 seeds to advance to the national semifinals, LSU, ruler, michigan, louisville And TCU Also received at least one vote to reach Phoenix.
UConn was picked to win the national title on 13 ballots. Fellow 1-seeds UCLA (four), Texas (four) and South Carolina (one) were the only teams selected to win championships.
Let’s take a look at the experts’ picks — but first, let’s break down the bracket a bit.
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Experts’ Choice
What is the most difficult area?
Charlie Cream: With LSU, the top No. 2 seed, and Duke, the No. 3 seed, at best, along with UCLA, the No. 2 overall seed, simple math says it’s Sacramento 2. But as loaded as this field is, it doesn’t make the Bruins’ path any more difficult. they can play one of the two Not the Tigers or the Blue Devils, neither. If the seeds hold up through the first two rounds, LSU and Duke will play each other before reaching UCLA.
ole miss That’s a team that can accelerate the Bruins’ path to the Final Four. The No. 5 seed Rebels stumbled with four losses to end the regular season, but they were also good enough to beat Vanderbilt twice, oklahoma And Notre DameAnd have to play Texas within three points in Austin.
Michael Voepel: Agree that Sacramento 2 looks loaded. But Fort Worth 3 can also be challenging. No. 1 seed Texas will be close to home and riding for its SEC Tournament championship. but the number 4 seed West Virginia Wins the Big 12 Tournament and possibly No. 3 seed Louisville Needed Won the ACC Tournament, but lost to Duke in overtime. Michigan did not perform well in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament and lost 59–42. iowaWho had the Wolverines’ number this season. But Michigan is a dangerous team, so if the seed holds up, Fort Worth 3 could be compelling.
Which is non-no. Who does the 1 seed have the best chance to win it all?
Vopel: LSU’s five losses came to SEC teams, including twice to South Carolina. What the Tigers learned from those losses could help them reach the Elite Eight for the fourth consecutive year. If the seed remains, they will have to beat UCLA, Texas and UConn or South Carolina for the championship. This seems very difficult. So why potentially choose them to do this? Guard play, led by flaujay johnson, Mikayla Williams And Milesia Fulville. The Tigers have plenty of size, athleticism and depth on the perimeter, and have the highest scoring average (94.5 ppg) in Division I. Of course, they scored a lot of points against inferior non-conference foes. But their SEC scoring average was still 82.6, second only to Vanderbilt in the SEC. The No. 1 seed will have to run away from a team with lethal offensive capabilities to prevent him from taking the championship. LSU could be that team.
Cream: This is about the weakness of the No. 1 seed, so I’m going with No. 3 seed Louisville for a different reason. The No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns won’t surprise anyone by winning the national championship. They are also a top-flight program that does not include 3-point shooting. Texas ranks last in the nation in 3-point rate and 344th in attempts from beyond the arc. In a close game, this opens the door for an underdog. The Cardinals, with their balance – seven players averaging between 8.3 and 11.4 points per game – and the ability to defend at a level that is at least equal to Texas’ excellent defense, could give them a chance at a potential Elite Eight meeting. Jeff Walz is another excellent NCAA Tournament coach, having led four teams to the Final Four and five consecutive Elite Eights from 2018 to 2023 (no tournament in 2020). Of course, that’s assuming Louisville also survives a potential regional semifinal with No. 2 seed Michigan, another team that could give Texas some trouble. The Wolverines lost to both UConn and UCLA by only three points.
Which opening round matchup are you most looking forward to?
Vopel: On the opening day of the season, November 4, nc state Beat Tennessee 80–77 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Both teams were then ranked in the AP top 10. On Friday, they met unranked as the No. 7 and 10 seeds at the Fort Worth 3 Regional in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
NC State went 20–10 and finished fourth in the ACC despite the loss of three senior starters from 2024–25. Tennessee also lost three starters, but had a tough time. The Lady Vols are 16–13, finished in a four-way tie for sixth place in the SEC at 8–8, and entered the NCAA Tournament on a seven-game losing streak. Tennessee started 6–0 in SEC play and has lost 10 of its last 12. This included a 30-point non-conference loss to UConn and a 43-point loss to South Carolina, the worst defeat in Tennessee history.
Can Tennessee end its losing streak and at least take some positive momentum out of the tournament? Or will the season end in free fall? This will be an interesting rematch of two teams who might not have guessed in November that they would meet in the NCAA first round.
Cream: The winner will face UConn, so I’m going to enjoy iowa state And Syracuse While I can. The matchup between the two should be fun. It would be better if there is Orange Senior Guard Dominic Darius Could play, but will remain out due to an injury to her left hand in the ACC Tournament. Darius matching up with the Iowa State point guard Jada Williams Would have been interesting, but the head-to-head combat that makes this game so appealing is in post. ‘Iowa State’ audi cruxThe nation’s second-leading scorer, going up against the ACC Freshman of the Year Uche Izoje. At 6-3, Izoje has the ability to cause Crux some problems, and she scores 15.5 points per game herself. hurricane’ eddie brown and of Syracuse layla felia This is another individual battle that could decide the game.
Experts’ Choice
