Women’s March Madness 2026: South Carolina and Texas reach all-top seed Final Four

The Final Four is set in the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament, and every No. 1 seed is heading to Phoenix. Texas and South Carolina were both victorious on Monday night, ousting No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 TCU to join UConn and UCLA in the Final Four. 

This is the fifth time in women’s NCAA Tournament history that all four No. 1 seeds have made the Final Four. Previously, it happened in 1989, 2012, 2015 and 2018. Additionally, it is the second time that the same four schools have made the Final Four in back-to-back years. The other was 1995 and 1996. 

Texas will face UCLA on Firday, while South Carolina will take on UConn in a rematch of last year’s title game.

Women’s March Madness scores: March 30

• No. 1 Texas 77, No. 2 Michigan 41
• No. 1 South Carolina 78, No. 3 TCU 52

Texas’ defense dominates

The Longhorns made their first nine shots on Monday to build an early double-digit lead, but they went ice cold after that until late in the second half. They were able to cruise to victory anyway thanks to another dominant performance from their elite defense. 

Michigan’s 41 points were not only a season low, but their fewest in a game since 2020. The Wolverines didn’t score more than 12 points in any single quarter, and shot 13 of 57 (23%) from the field, including 2 of 15 (13%) from 3-point range. They also turned the ball over 15 times. 

“Yeah, I think our defense just gets us going,” Texas’ Rori Harmon said. “I think they had two points for quite some time in the first quarter, and I was talking to Madison [Boker] on the bench before the game. Like way in pregame in warmups. I was saying all the other offensive stuff, like, that stuff will come, but Michigan is a great team that knows how to score the ball, so we need to play some defense.”

Edwards leads the way for Gamecocks

South Carolina won its first three games of the tournament by 69, 40 and 26 points, and didn’t trail for a single minute in any of those games. That changed quickly on Monday when they fell behind by eight in the opening minutes against TCU. All-American forward Joyce Edwards made sure they didn’t remain behind for long. 

Edwards scored six points in rapid succession late in the frame, including a jumper right before the buzzer that put the Gamecocks back in front. She never looked back, and finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Edwards’ 22 20-point game of the season tied a program record. 

After a rough showing in the Sweet 16, Edwards stepped up on a night when few in the white and garnet had it going. Seniors Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson and Madina Okot — all possible first-round picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft — combined for just 19 points on 8 of 22 from the field. Without Edwards’ performance, especially in the first half, this game might have turned out differently.