NCAAW Tournament Bracket Watch 2026: UConn Leads Projected Field as BYU and Arizona State Strengthen Bubble Cases

The latest 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket projections show UConn Huskies women's basketball holding the projected No. 1 overall seed while BYU Cougars women's basketball and Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball surged back into at large consideration during a critical week of conference tournament games.

Championship week delivered a dramatic update to the tournament timeline. One day after several bubble teams damaged their tournament chances, BYU and Arizona State responded with statement wins that reshaped the at large race heading toward Selection Sunday.

BYU extended its momentum with a fifth consecutive victory, rallying to defeat rival Utah Utes women's basketball. The win elevated the Cougars to the First Four Out category in the latest projections and effectively ended Utah’s remaining path to an at large berth.

Arizona State delivered another key result by leading wire to wire in a victory against Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball. The Sun Devils secured their first Quadrant 1 win of the season, a metric heavily evaluated by the NCAA selection committee when determining tournament bids.

The results highlight how conference tournament play can rapidly shift the NCAA Tournament bubble. Teams that were previously outside serious consideration can reenter the conversation with strong late season performances, particularly against ranked opponents.

At the top of the projected bracket, UConn remains the overall No. 1 seed as the Huskies continue one of the most consistent championship programs in college basketball history. UConn’s résumé combines elite defensive efficiency with a schedule that includes multiple high level conference victories. Historically, the program has produced one of the most dominant tournament records in the sport, making its projected top seed status a familiar position.

Other projected No. 1 seeds include Texas Longhorns women's basketball, UCLA Bruins women's basketball, and South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball. Each program has maintained strong national rankings throughout the season and entered conference tournament play positioned to host early round games.

The latest bracket projection also illustrates the strength of several major conferences. The Big Ten Conference leads the field with 12 projected teams, followed by the Southeastern Conference with 10 and the Atlantic Coast Conferencewith 9. The Big 12 Conference currently places 7 teams into the projected field, underscoring the depth across the power conferences this season.

Among the final teams currently projected to make the tournament are Princeton Tigers women's basketball, Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball, Richmond Spiders women's basketball, and Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball. These programs represent the last group inside the projected field and remain vulnerable to late tournament results.

Immediately outside the bracket are BYU, Arizona State, South Dakota State Jackrabbits women's basketball, and Utah. Each program remains within striking distance depending on conference tournament outcomes during the next several days.

Additional teams just beyond the bubble include Mississippi State Bulldogs women's basketball, Stanford Cardinal women's basketball, Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball, and Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball. These teams likely require deep conference tournament runs or multiple bubble team losses to move back into contention.

The impact of the remaining conference tournament games will determine the final bracket structure. For BYU in particular, the next step is a quarterfinal matchup against TCU Horned Frogs women's basketball. A victory in that game could complete the Cougars’ late season surge and move them back into the projected tournament field.

Selection Sunday will ultimately finalize the 68 team bracket, but the latest results show that several teams still control their postseason outlook. As championship week continues, every win and loss carries major implications for the final NCAA Tournament field.