Upcoming Changes to NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament

One significant update is coming to the Sunday selection, a key moment in college basketball.

As fans tune into ESPN next March to see the bracket, there are some anticipated surprises.

This shift comes because the NCAA Selection Committee plans to announce the top 16 teams the night before, allowing schools that qualify to host games in the opening weekend of March Madness an additional day to prepare. This announcement will also take place on ESPN.

Yet, some elements of suspense will remain. While the 16 hosting teams will be revealed on Saturday, their seed orders, along with the rest of the 68-team field, will not be disclosed until Sunday. The hosting teams will be announced in alphabetical order.

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee approved this change during its summer meeting in Philadelphia last week.

It’s worth mentioning that revealing the top 16 teams a day before the full seed list and brackets has been a norm for many years in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

While there’s been considerable discussion about the potential for expanding the tournament field, both the men’s and women’s committees have yet to make a decision on adding any teams.

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee stated, “The committee’s comprehensive preliminary format review will continue through the October meeting.”

For now, the format for the Division I Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament will remain unchanged. The first four games will still be played on campus sites, followed by the first and second rounds. This season, the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds will take place in Fort Worth, Texas, and Sacramento, California.

Amanda Brown, the Athletics Director at Milwaukee and the Committee Chair for 2025-26, remarked, “The committee is examining all championship elements. The Championship continues to grow on various fronts, including attendance and broadcast ratings over the last three years. We will keep discussing these topics to enhance the experiences for teams, players, and fans, ensuring a robust business model for the women’s basketball championship.”

One new aspect for the teams participating in the NCAA Tournament is the introduction of a WAB (bubble above) rating metric to aid in selection criteria.

“We believe WAB serves as a valuable tool for objectively assessing the significance of each win and loss. Whether it’s a conference match or a non-conference game, WAB provides insight into a team’s performance in relation to their schedule,” a committee representative stated.