It's officially tournament time. Women's college basketball conference tournaments kick off today and will play through Monday, March 9. Some teams are going into their brackets as heavy favorites, while some are trying to prove themselves before the NCAA tournament. With both the Big Ten and SEC stacked with title contenders, each game will be just as entertaining as the next. Here are the schedules for each of the big five conference tournaments, and how to watch every matchup.
ACC Tournament
Duke is entering the ACC tourney as the highest seed, but that doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. The Blue Devils were handed a loss in their regular-season finale by North Carolina. UNC is heading into March having won 12 of its last 13 matchups. The Tarheels could use that recent success to drive through this tournament.
Notre Dame is another team to keep an eye on. In their latest matchup, the Fighting Irish got their biggest win of the season over No. 10 Louisville, thanks to Hannah Hidalgo's insane defense.
Matchup | Date + Time | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|
First Round, Game 1: No. 13 Stanford vs. No. 12 Miami | Wednesday, March 4 at 11 a.m. ET | ACC Network |
First Round, Game 2: No. 15 Wake Forest vs. No. 10 California | Wednesday, March 4 at 1:30 p.m. ET | ACC Network |
First Round, Game 3: No. 14 Florida State vs. No. 11 Georgia Tech | Wednesday, March 4 at 4 p.m. ET | ACC Network |
Second Round, Game 4: No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 8 Virginia | Thursday, March 5 at 11 a.m. ET | ACC Network |
Second Round, Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. No. 5 Notre Dame | Thursday, March 5 at 1:30 p.m. ET | ACC Network |
Second Round, Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. No. 7 Syracuse | Thursday, March 5 at 5 p.m. ET | ACC Network |
Second Round, Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech | Thursday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET | ACC Network |
Quarterfinals, Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. No. 1 Duke | Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m. ET | ESPN2 |
Quarterfinals, Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. No. 4 NC State | Friday, March 6 at 1:30 p.m. ET | ACC Network |
Quarterfinals, Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. No. 2 Louisville | Friday, March 6 at 5 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
Quarterfinals, Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. No. 3 North Carolina | Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET | ACC Network |
Semifinals, Game 12: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner | Saturday, March 7 at 12 p.m. | ESPN2 |
Semifinals, Game 13: Game 11 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner | Saturday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
Championship: Game 12 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner | Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Big East Tournament
It should come as a surprise to no one that UConn is the favorite to win the Big East title. They've been dominant all year and have finished the season undefeated. NPOY hopeful, Sarah Strong, and the rest of the Huskies should be able to breeze by most of their Big East opponents. When it comes to who will be meeting them in the championship, I'd expect it to be Villanova. They closed out in-conference play with a 16-4 record, with two of those losses coming at the hands of UConn.
Matchup | Date + Time | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|
First Round, Game 1: No. 8 Georgetown vs. No. 9 Butler | Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m. ET | Peacock |
First Round, Game 2: No. 7 Providence vs. No. 10 DePaul | Friday, March 6 at 1:30 p.m. ET | Peacock |
First Round, Game 3: No. 6 St. John's vs. No. 11 Xavier | Friday, March 6 at 4 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Quarterfinals, Game 4: Game 1 Winner vs. No. 1 UConn | Saturday, March 7 at 12 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Quarterfinals, Game 5: No. 4 Marquette vs. No. 5 Creighton | Saturday, March 7 at 2:30 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Quarterfinals, Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. No. 2 Villanova | Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Quarterfinals, Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. No. 3 Seton Hall | Saturday, March 7 at 9:30 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Semifinals, Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner | Sunday, March 8 at 2:30 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Semifinals, Game 9: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner | Sunday, March 8 at 5 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Championship: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner | Monday, March 9 at 7 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Big Ten Tournament
It's a competition between the Big Ten and the SEC as to which conference tournament will be the toughest to get through. The Big Ten has seven teams in the AP Top 25. But only one of those squads is undefeated through conference play: UCLA.
The Bruins are the frontrunners, without a doubt. They have so much starpower, but there are a couple of other squads that can't be counted out. Iowa has had some recent success, as has Michigan. The Wolverines came within three points of beating the Bruins in February.
Matchup | Date + Time | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|
First Round, Game 1: No. 12 Nebraska vs. No. 13 Indiana | Wednesday, March 4 at 3:30 p.m. ET | Peacock |
First Round, Game 2: No. 10 Illinois vs. No. 15 Wisconsin | Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. ET | Peacock |
First Round, Game 3: No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 14 Purdue | Wednesday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET | Peacock |
Second Round, Game 4: No. 8 Washington vs. No. 9 USC | Thursday, March 5 at 12 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Second Round, Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. No. 5 Ohio State | Thursday, March 5 at 2:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Second Round, Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. No. 7 Michigan State | Thursday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Second Round, Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. No. 6 Maryland | Thursday, March 5 at 9 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Quarterfinals, Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. No. 1 UCLA | Friday, March 6 at 12 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Quarterfinals, Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. No. 4 Minnesota | Friday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Quarterfinals, Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. No. 2 Iowa | Friday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Quarterfinals, Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. No. 3 Michigan | Friday, March 6 at 9 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Semifinals, Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner | Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Semifinals, Game 13: Game 10 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner | Saturday, March 7 at 4:30 p.m. ET | Big Ten Network |
Championship: Game 12 Winner vs. Game 13 Winner | Sunday, March 8 at 2:15 p.m. ET | CBS |
Big 12 Tournament
With TCU sitting at No. 10 in the nation, they might seem like the easy choice in this tournament. But there are a few things to watch for. The Horned Frogs finished in-conference play with a 15-3 record — those losses came from Colorado, Texas Tech and Utah. And those three squads aren't even the biggest threats in my opinion.
Audi Crooks and Iowa State might be coming in hot for TCU after suffering a 7-point loss to them in late February. Olivia Miles will have to show out in this tournament, and she is absolutely capable of that. She averaged 22.3 points per game through February.
Matchup | Date + Time | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|
First Round, Game 1: No. 13 Cincinnati vs. No. 12 Kansas State | Wednesday, March 4 at 12 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
First Round, Game 2: No. 16 Houston vs. No. 9 BYU | Wednesday, March 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
First Round, Game 3: No. 15 Arizona vs. No. 10 Arizona State | Wednesday, March 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
First Round, Game 4: No. 14 UCF vs. No. 11 Kansas | Wednesday, March 4 at 9 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Second Round, Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. No 5. Texas Tech | Thursday, March 5 at 12 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Second Round, Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. No. 8 Utah | Thursday, March 5 at 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Second Round, Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. No. 7 Iowa State | Thursday, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Second Round, Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. No. 6 Colorado | Thursday, March 5 at 9 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Quarterfinals, Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. No. 4 Oklahoma State | Friday, March 6 at 12 p.m. ET | ESPNU |
Quarterfinals, Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. No. 1 TCU | Friday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPNU |
Quarterfinals, Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. No. 2 West Virginia | Friday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Quarterfinals, Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. No. 3 Baylor | Friday, March 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Semifinals, Game 13: Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner | Saturday, March 7 at 4 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Semifinals, Game 14: Game 11 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner | Saturday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN+ |
Championship: Game 13 Winner vs. Game 14 Winner | Sunday, March 8 at 5 p.m. ET | ESPN |
*If BYU advances to the championship, the game will be played on Monday, March 9 at 4 PM ET*
SEC Tournament
With eight teams in the AP Top 25, the SEC is the strongest conference in the NCAA, in my opinion. There are so many potential scenarios that could play out during this tournament, making it so hard to pick just one favorite. South Carolina is a consistent favorite and leads the conference with a 15-1 record. But they beat LSU, Texas and Kentucky by less than 10 points each. Texas was also the squad that handed them that one SEC loss during their November matchup.
Vanderbilt can't be dropped from the favorites conversation either. They were the longest-lasting undefeated SEC team, and Mikayla Blakes is on an absolute heater right now. She averaged 33.3 points per game in February.
Matchup | Date + Time | How to Watch |
|---|---|---|
First Round, Game 1: No. 16 Arkansas vs. No. 9 Kentucky | Wednesday, March 4 at 11 a.m ET | SEC Network |
First Round, Game 2: No. 13 Mississippi State vs. No. 12 Florida | Wednesday, March 4 at 1:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network |
First Round, Game 3: No. 15 Auburn vs. No. 10 Texas A&M | Wednesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. ET | SEC Network |
First Round, Game 4: No. 14 Missouri vs. No. 11 Alabama | Wednesday, March 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network |
Second Round, Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. No. 8 Georgia | Thursday, March 5 at 11 a.m. PM | SEC Network |
Second Round, Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. No. 5 Oklahoma | Thursday, March 5 at 1:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network |
Second Round, Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs. No. 7 Ole Miss | Thursday, March 5 at 6 p.m. ET | SEC Network |
Second Round, Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs. No. 6 Tennessee | Thursday, March 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET | SEC Network |
Quarterfinals, Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs. No. 1 South Carolina | Friday, March 6 at 12 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Quarterfinals, Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs. No. 4 LSU | Friday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
Quarterfinals, Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs. No. 2 Vanderbilt | Friday, March 6 at 6 p.m. ET | SEC Network |
Quarterfinals, Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs. No. 3 Texas | Friday, March 6 at 8:30 p.m. | SEC Network |
Semifinals, Game 13: Game 10 Winner vs. Game 9 Winner | Saturday, March 7 at 4:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
Semifinals, Game 14: Game 11 Winner vs. Game 12 Winner | Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. ET | ESPN2 |
Championship: Game 13 Winner vs. Game 14 Winner | Sunday, March 8 at 3 p.m. ET | ESPN |