2026 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament Underway in Kansas City

Top seeds TCU, West Virginia, Baylor, and Oklahoma State advance to Quarterfinals

Mar. 4, 2026 at 4:34pm

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The 2026 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament is taking place this week in Kansas City, Missouri at the T-Mobile Center. All sixteen teams have qualified for the tournament, with the top four seeds - TCU, West Virginia, Baylor, and Oklahoma State - advancing to the Quarterfinals. The First Round and Second Round games are being broadcast on ESPN+, while the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Championship game will air on ESPNU and ESPN.

Why it matters

The Big 12 Tournament is a highly anticipated annual event that determines the conference champion and automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. With several top teams in the field, this year's tournament is expected to be highly competitive and feature exciting matchups as teams vie for the conference title.

The details

The First Round games kicked off on March 4, with the top four seeds receiving byes to the Quarterfinals. In the First Round, No. 12 Kansas State faced No. 13 Cincinnati, No. 9 BYU took on No. 16 Houston, No. 10 Arizona State played No. 15 Arizona, and No. 11 Kansas battled No. 14 UCF. The winners of those games will advance to face the top four seeds in the Second Round on March 5.

  • The 2026 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament is taking place from March 4-8 in Kansas City, Missouri.
  • The First Round games were played on March 4.
  • The Second Round games are scheduled for March 5.
  • The Quarterfinals will be held on March 6.
  • The Semifinals are set for March 7, with the Championship game on March 8.

The players

TCU

The No. 1 seed in the tournament, TCU had a strong regular season and is looking to capture the Big 12 title.

West Virginia

The No. 2 seed, West Virginia is another top contender in the Big 12 Tournament.

Baylor

Baylor, the No. 3 seed, is a perennial power in women's college basketball and will be a tough out in the tournament.

Oklahoma State

The No. 4 seed, Oklahoma State is also expected to make a deep run in the Big 12 Tournament.

Houston

Despite only winning one conference game in the regular season, Houston qualified for the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 16 seed.

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What they’re saying

“This year's Big 12 Tournament is going to be must-watch basketball. The top teams in the conference have had great seasons and are all capable of winning it all.”

— Steve Samra, on3.com reporter (on3.com)

What’s next

The winners of the First Round and Second Round games will advance to the Quarterfinals on March 6, where they will face the top four seeds. The Semifinals are scheduled for March 7, with the Championship game set for March 8.

The takeaway

The 2026 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament promises to be an exciting and competitive event, with several top teams vying for the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Fans can look forward to high-stakes matchups throughout the week as the tournament determines the Big 12 champion.