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 Gamecocks, 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
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
Saturday, March 18
Round 2
Sunday, March 19
Monday, March 20
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 |