March Madness Brackets: Expert Predictions for the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament

Sports Illustrated writers and editors make their round-by-round picks and predict which teams will advance to the Final Four in Phoenix.

Can Azzi Fudd and the Huskies finish out a perfect season with a second straight national title? A few of our experts think so. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The madness is almost here. The 2026 women’s NCAA tournament features defending champ and undefeated UConn as the No. 1 overall seed with UCLA, Texas and South Carolina rounding out the rest of the one-seed line.

Now that the field of 68 is set, Sports Illustrated’s writers and editors make their picks for each round of the tourney, all the way to the Final Four in Phoenix. New this year, the SI College Hoops Bracket Challenge lets you compete against SI’s college basketball experts. Fill out your bracket now.

Here are SI’s picks.

Emma Baccellieri’s women’s March Madness bracket

Click on the bracket for a full-sized version of Emma Baccellieri’s picks. | Sports Illustrated

Baccellieri’s Final Four: UConn, UCLA, Texas, South Carolina.

Baccellieri’s 2026 champion: UConn.

Clare Brennan’s women’s March Madness bracket

Click on the bracket for a full-sized version of Clare Brennan’s picks. | Sports Illustrated

Brennan’s Final Four: UConn, UCLA, Texas, South Carolina.

Brennan’s 2026 champion: UConn.

Dan Falkenheim’s women’s March Madness bracket

Click on the bracket for a full-sized version of Dan Falkenheim’s picks. | Sports Illustrated

Falkenheim’s Final Four: UConn, UCLA, Texas, South Carolina.

Falkenheim’s 2026 champion: UCLA.

Kristen Nelson’s women’s March Madness bracket

Click on the bracket for a full-sized version of Kristen Nelson’s picks. | Sports Illustrated

Nelson’s Final Four: UConn, LSU, Texas, South Carolina.

Nelson’s 2026 champion: UConn.

Michael Rosenberg’s women’s March Madness bracket

Click on the bracket for a full-sized version of Michael Rosenberg’s picks. | Sports Illustrated

Rosenberg’s Final Four: UConn, UCLA, Michigan, South Carolina.

Rosenberg’s 2026 champion: South Carolina.

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