Texas Moves to No. 1 Seed in Latest NCAA Women's Bracket Preview

Longhorns join UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina as top seeds

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Texas has replaced Vanderbilt as the fourth No. 1 seed in the latest NCAA women's basketball tournament bracket preview. The Longhorns join UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina as the top seeds if the tournament started now. The NCAA selection committee cited Texas' stronger overall resume compared to Vanderbilt as the reason for the change.

Why it matters

The NCAA's in-season bracket reveals provide an early look at which teams are positioned to earn top seeds in the upcoming women's NCAA Tournament. This latest update shows Texas emerging as a new powerhouse in women's college basketball, joining perennial contenders UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina at the top of the field.

The details

In the second bracket preview, the NCAA selection committee moved Texas up to a No. 1 seed, replacing Vanderbilt. Committee chair Amanda Braun said the Longhorns' overall resume was stronger than Vanderbilt's, and their head-to-head win over the Commodores tipped the scales. Undefeated UConn remains the overall No. 1 seed, followed by UCLA and South Carolina.

  • Texas was a No. 2 seed in the initial bracket reveal on February 14.
  • The latest bracket preview was released on March 1.

The players

Texas Longhorns

The women's basketball team at the University of Texas, which has emerged as a new powerhouse in the sport.

Amanda Braun

The chair of the NCAA women's basketball selection committee, who explained the committee's reasoning for moving Texas to a No. 1 seed.

UConn Huskies

The women's basketball team at the University of Connecticut, which remains the overall No. 1 seed in the latest bracket preview.

UCLA Bruins

The women's basketball team at the University of California, Los Angeles, which is projected as a No. 1 seed in the Sacramento regional.

South Carolina Gamecocks

The women's basketball team at the University of South Carolina, which is projected as a No. 1 seed in the Fort Worth regional.

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What they’re saying

“We were all viewing it the same way, in the conversation it was so close and that head-to-head tipped the scales last time. The loss (by Vanderbilt) tipped it back. The overall resume of Texas is stronger than Vanderbilt in a few different ways.”

— Amanda Braun, NCAA women's basketball selection committee chair (wbal.com)

What’s next

The NCAA will reveal the top 16 teams in alphabetical order a day before Selection Sunday on March 15, giving schools more time to sell tickets and ESPN more time to prepare for the tournament broadcast.

The takeaway

Texas' rise to a No. 1 seed in the latest NCAA women's basketball bracket preview underscores the program's emergence as a national power, joining perennial contenders UConn, UCLA, and South Carolina at the top of the field. This early look at the tournament landscape provides an exciting preview of the competitive matchups to come in the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.