Louisville Receives No. 3 Seed in NCAA Tournament, Will Face Vermont in Opener

The Cardinals will face the Catamounts at the KFC Yum! Center to start their run in the Big Dance.

Mar 7, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Tajianna Roberts (22) dribbles against the North Carolina Tar Heels in the third quarter at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The bracket for the 2026 NCAA Tournament has finally been revealed, and with it, the Louisville women's basketball program now knows their draw for the Big Dance.

The Cardinals (27-7) received a No. 3 seed for the tournament, and will open tournament play against Vermont on Saturday, Mar, 20. Tip-off date and time against the 14th-seeded Catamounts (27-7) will be determined later this evening.

Since Louisville received a top-four seed, for the first time in four years, they will host a pod at the KFC Yum! Center for the first two rounds of the the tournament. Sixth-seeded Alabama and 11th-seeded Rhode Island will make their way to the Derby City for the other side of the pod.

Louisville was placed in the Fort Worth 3 Region, where Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games will be played at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Texas, Michigan, Louisville and West Virginia claimed the top four seeds in the region, with the remaining No. 1 seeds being awarded to UConn. UCLA and South Carolina.

While the Cardinals fell short in the ACC Championship, they have still put together an excellent campaign in head coach Jeff Walz's 19th year at the helm.

Louisville started conference play at 11-0 for their longest undefeated start to ACC play since joining the conference, fired off a 14-game win streak during the middle portion of the year, and six of their losses are to teams ranked in the AP Top 25. UofL was able to clinch their 16th consecutive 20-win season, and 18th overall under Walz.

Forward Laura Ziegler took home First Team All-ACC from both the ACC's head coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel, while guard Tajianna Roberts was named First Team All-ACC by the coaches and Second Team All-ACC by the panel. Guard Imari Berry earned a Second Team All-ACC nod by the panel and was also named ACC Sixth Player of the Year, becoming the second UofL player to win the award after Dana Evans won it following the 2018-19 season.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is scheduled to begin with the First Four on Wednesday, Mar. 18 and Thursday, Mar. 19.

(Photo of Tajianna Roberts: Brett Davis - Imagn Images)

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