Will undefeated No. 1 overall seed and defending national champion South Carolina manage to bring it full circle? Or will there be some speed bumps on the road to April 2?
The full 68-team women's NCAA Tournament bracket is complete, setting the stage for a thrilling 40th annual March Madness event.
Dawn Staley and the Gameco*cks, who are led by two-time National Player of the Year, 2022 SEC Player and Female Athlete of the Year and 2022 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Aliyah Boston, have entered as America's favorites.
But could they be dethroned?
Final Four veteran Stanford is always a threat, and Indiana and Virginia Tech are looking to make some noise after earning No. 1 seeds for the first time.
MORE: NCAA Women's March Madness HQ
Here is a complete guide to March Madness 2023 on the women's side, including seeds, how to watch and more for the annual NCAA Women's Tournament.
How to watch, live stream Women's March Madness games in 2023
- TV channel: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ABC
- Live stream: ESPN+, ESPN App, Sling TV
The 2023 NCAA Women's Tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 15, with the First Four games. All games will air on the ESPN family of networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and ABC. Games will also be live streamed on ESPN+, the ESPN App and Sling TV.
MORE: Watch NCAA Women's Tournament games live with SlingTV
Women's March Madness bracket 2023
(SN illustration)
Women's March Madness schedule 2023
First Four
Wednesday, March 15
| Results |
|---|
| (16) Sacred Heart 57, (16) Southern 47 |
| (11) Mississippi State 70, (11) Illinois 56 |
Thursday, March 16
| Results |
|---|
| (16) Tennessee Tech 79, (16) Monmouth 69 |
| (11) St. John's 66, (11) Purdue 64 |
Round 1
Friday, March 17
| Results |
|---|
| (8) South Florida 67,(9) Marquette 65 (OT) |
| (7) Arizona 75,(10) West Virginia 62 |
| (10) Georgia 66, (7) Florida State 54 |
| (1) South Carolina 72, (16) Norfolk State 40 |
| (2) Maryland 93, (15) Holy Cross 61 |
| (6) Michigan 71, (11) UNLV 59 |
| (3) Notre Dame 82,(14) Southern Utah 56 |
| (2) Iowa 95,(15) SE Louisiana 43 |
| (3) LSU 73,(14) Hawaii 50 |
| (1) Virginia Tech 58,(16) Chattanooga 33 |
| (11) Mississippi State 81, (6) Creighton 66 |
| (1) Stanford 92,(16) Sacred Heart 49 |
| (2) Utah 103,(15) Gardner-Webb 77 |
| (9) South Dakota State 62, (8) USC 57 |
| (10) Princeton 64, (7) N.C. State 63 |
| (8) Ole Miss 71, (9) Gonzaga 48 |
Saturday, March 18
| Matchup |
|---|
| (1) Indiana 77,(16) Tennessee Tech 47 |
| (4) Tennessee 95,(13) Saint Louis 50 |
| (3) Ohio State 80,(14) James Madison 66 |
| (9) Miami (Fla.) 62, (8) Oklahoma State 61 |
| (12) Florida Gulf Coast74,(5) Washington State 63 |
| (2) UConn 95,(15) Vermont 52 |
| (12) Toledo 80, (5) Iowa State 73 |
| (6) North Carolina 61,(11) St. John's 58 |
| (4) Villanova 76,(13) Cleveland State 59 |
| (7) Baylor 78,(10) Alabama 74 |
| (6) Colorado 82,(11) Middle Tennessee 60 |
| (5) Louisville 83, (12) Drake 81 |
| (5) Oklahoma 85,(12) Portland 63 |
| (3) Duke 89,(14) Iona 49 |
| (4) Texas 79,(13) East Carolina 40 |
| (4) UCLA 67,(13) Sacramento State 45 |
Round 2
Sunday, March 19
| Matchup |
|---|
| (1) South Carolina 76, (8) South Florida 45 |
| (2) Iowa 74, (10) Georgia 66 |
| (3) Notre Dame 53, (11) Mississippi State 48 |
| (1) Virginia Tech 72, (9) South Dakota State 60 |
| (2) Maryland 77, (7) Arizona 54 |
| (2)Utah 63, (10) Princeton 56 |
| (3) LSU 66, (6) Michigan 42 |
| (8) Ole Miss 54, (1) Stanford 49 |
Monday, March 20
| Matchup |
|---|
| (3) Ohio State 71, (6) North Carolina 69 |
| (4) Tennessee 94, (12) Toledo 47 |
| (5) Louisville 73,(4) Texas 51 |
| (4) Villanova 76, (12) Florida Gulf Coast57 |
| (9) Miami (Fla.) 70,(1) Indiana 68 |
| (6) Colorado 61,(3) Duke 53 (OT) |
| (2) UConn 77, (7) Baylor 58 |
| (4) UCLA 82, (5) Oklahoma 73 |
Sweet 16
Friday, March 24
| Matchup |
|---|
| (9) Miami 70, (4) Villanova 65 |
| (3) LSU 66, (2) Utah 63 |
| (2) Iowa 87, (6) Colorado 77 |
| (5) Louisville 72, (8) Ole Miss 62 |
Saturday, March 25
| Matchup |
|---|
| (2) Maryland 76, (3) Notre Dame 59 |
| (1) South Carolina 59, (4) UCLA 43 |
| (3) Ohio State 73,(2) UConn 61 |
| (1) Virginia Tech 73, (4) Tennessee 64 |
Elite Eight
Sunday, March 26
| Results |
|---|
| (3) LSU 54,(9) Miami 42 |
| (2) Iowa 97, (5) Louisville 83 |
Monday, March 27
| Results |
|---|
| (1) South Carolina 86, (2) Maryland 75 |
| (1) Virginia Tech 84, (3) Ohio State 74 |
Final Four
Friday, March 31
| Matchup |
|---|
| (3) LSU 79, (1) Virginia Tech 72 |
| (2) Iowa 77, (1) South Carolina 73 |
National championship
Sunday, April 2
| Game | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|
| (2) Iowa vs. (3) LSU | 3:30 p.m. | ABC |
Round-by-round schedule
| Round | Dates | Cities |
|---|---|---|
| First Four | March 15-16 | Campus sites |
| First/Second round | March 17-20 | Campus sites |
| Sweet 16/Elite Eight | March 24-27 | Seattle; Greenville, S.C. |
| Final Four/national championship | March 31, April 2 | Dallas |
Previous NCAA Women's Tournament champions
Only three schools have won back-to-back championships; South Carolina is heavily favored to become the fourth. It would join UConn, which won consecutively from 2002-04; Tennessee, which won three in a row from 1996-98; and Southern Cal, which won in 1983 and 1984.
There also have been just nine undefeated women's basketball national champions. UConn was home to six of them, including Breanna Stewart's 2013-14 and 2015-16 squads; Tina Charles and Maya Moore's 2008-09 and 2009-10 squads; Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi's 2001-02 squad; and Rebecca Lobo's 1994-95 squad.
Brittney Griner's 2011-12 Baylor squad, Tamika Catchings and Chamique Holdsclaw's 1997-98 Tennessee squad and the Texas 1985-86 squad are also part of the group.
South Carolina can become the 10th should it make it through the madness untouched. The reigning national champions enter the tournament at 32-0 after winning the SEC regular-season and conference tournament titles.
Below is a list of every NCAA women's tournament champion since the inaugural competition in 1982.
| Year | Champion | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Louisiana Tech | 35-1 |
| 1983 | Southern California | 31-2 |
| 1984 | Southern California | 29-4 |
| 1985 | Old Dominion | 31-3 |
| 1986 | Texas | 34-0 |
| 1987 | Tennessee | 28-6 |
| 1988 | Louisiana Tech | 32-2 |
| 1989 | Tennessee | 35-2 |
| 1990 | Stanford | 32-1 |
| 1991 | Tennessee | 30-5 |
| 1992 | Stanford | 30-3 |
| 1993 | Texas Tech | 31-3 |
| 1994 | North Carolina | 33-2 |
| 1995 | UConn | 35-0 |
| 1996 | Tennessee | 32-4 |
| 1997 | Tennessee | 29-10 |
| 1998 | Tennessee | 39-0 |
| 1999 | Purdue | 34-1 |
| 2000 | UConn | 36-1 |
| 2001 | Notre Dame | 34-2 |
| 2002 | UConn | 39-0 |
| 2003 | UConn | 37-1 |
| 2004 | UConn | 31-4 |
| 2005 | Baylor | 33-3 |
| 2006 | Maryland | 34-4 |
| 2007 | Tennessee | 34-3 |
| 2008 | Tennessee | 36-2 |
| 2009 | UConn | 39-0 |
| 2010 | UConn | 39-0 |
| 2011 | Texas A&M | 33-5 |
| 2012 | Baylor | 40-0 |
| 2013 | UConn | 35-4 |
| 2014 | UConn | 40-0 |
| 2015 | UConn | 38-1 |
| 2016 | UConn | 38-0 |
| 2017 | South Carolina | 33-4 |
| 2018 | Notre Dame | 34-3 |
| 2019 | Baylor | 37-1 |
| 2020 | No tournament (COVID-19 pandemic) | — |
| 2021 | Stanford | 31-2 |
| 2022 | South Carolina | 35-2 |
