UCLA Women's Basketball Earns No. 1 Seed, Will Host NCAA Tournament Games

Bruins set sights on deeper March Madness run after last year's Final Four breakthrough

Mar. 16, 2026 at 2:34am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The UCLA women's basketball team has earned a No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and will host first- and second-round games at Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins, led by head coach Cori Close, are looking to avenge their blowout loss to UConn in the 2025 Final Four and capitalize on an experienced roster with six senior starters. UCLA will open the tournament against 16th-seeded California Baptist on Saturday.

Why it matters

This marks the fourth straight season the Bruins will host an NCAA Tournament regional, showcasing the program's sustained excellence under Close. However, the team's focus remains on making a deeper March Madness run after last year's Final Four appearance, as they aim to win the national championship for the first time since 1978.

The details

The Bruins (31-1, 18-0 Big Ten) will host Cal Baptist (23-10, 15-3 WAC) in the first round on Saturday. The eight and nine seeds coming to Los Angeles are Oklahoma State and Princeton, with the Round of 32 game scheduled for Monday. The Sweet Sixteen of this region will be played in Sacramento, California.

  • The NCAA Tournament selection show took place on Sunday, March 16, 2026.
  • UCLA will host the first two rounds of the tournament at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, March 22 and Monday, March 24, 2026.
  • The Sweet Sixteen games for this region will be played in Sacramento, California on March 28-29, 2026.

The players

Cori Close

The head coach of the UCLA women's basketball team, who has led the Bruins to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen or better in each of the last three seasons.

Kiki Rice

A senior guard for the UCLA Bruins, who is looking to lead the team to its first national championship since 1978.

Gabriela Jaquez

A senior forward for the UCLA Bruins, part of an experienced roster aiming to make a deep March Madness run.

Tasha Brown

An assistant coach for the UCLA Bruins, who constantly preaches a 'present mindset' to the team.

California Baptist

The 16th-seeded team that will face UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, having won the Western Athletic Conference championship.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We just care about the next matchup ahead of us, and so bottom line for us is that I just really want us to keep a present mindset. What's the challenge in front of us? How do we play our best basketball for that, and earn another day?”

— Cori Close, Head Coach, UCLA Women's Basketball

“You do go off what happened last year, but then again, once we started the season, this is a new team, a new group, and having that mindset to take the lessons from last year, apply that, and let it benefit us to get better, but also, we can't live in the past.”

— Kiki Rice, Senior Guard, UCLA Women's Basketball

What’s next

The Bruins will host 16th-seeded California Baptist in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 22, 2026 at Pauley Pavilion. The winner will advance to face the winner of the Oklahoma State-Princeton matchup in the Round of 32 on Monday, March 24.

The takeaway

UCLA's women's basketball program has established itself as a national power, earning a No. 1 seed for the fourth straight season. However, the Bruins' ultimate goal is to win the national championship for the first time in nearly 50 years, and this experienced roster led by seniors Kiki Rice and Gabriela Jaquez is determined to make a deep March Madness run and avenge last year's Final Four defeat.