2023 WOMEN'S NCAA TOURNAMENT

MARCH MADNESS

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Welcome to The Sporting News’ guide to the 2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament. Download a printable bracket and keep track of the latest news, scores and results from every game with our live Women's March Madness bracket.

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What is a March Madness Bracket?

How does the Women's March Madness bracket work?

  • Like the men's version, your Women's March Madness bracket will consist of 64 teams — after completion of the First Four play-in games — divided evenly among the West, Midwest, East and South regions.
  • The first round is determined by the NCAA selection committee on a seeding system: A 1-seed (considered the best team in its region), will play a 16-seed (considered the worst), a 2-seed will play a 15-seed, and so on. Pick which team you expect to win the first round and have them advance to the second by writing their name on the ensuing matchup line.
  • From there, repeat the process until you have predicted the entire tournament throughout the first and second rounds, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and NCAA championship game.
  • Predict the score of the championship game as a final potential tiebreaker with anyone who may have the same score as you by the end of the tournament.

Tips to win your March Madness bracket

  1. There are all kinds of strategies to fill out a March Madness bracket. Use whatever methodology you want, but higher seeds are usually favored in their respective matchups, especially in earlier rounds. That doesn’t guarantee victory, however: Upsets happen every year and have been known to bust brackets.
  2. Picking one or two early upsets won’t bust your bracket— and could actually score you points — but don’t pick a team to go far in the tournament unless you’re confident in their ability. Otherwise, you could potentially cost yourself a higher score.
  3. Your bracket can be altered as much as you want before the tournament starts; once play has begun, however, it is locked in. Make sure you feel comfortable with your bracket before you submit it — and don’t leave it incomplete!

How Do I Score the Bracket?

The most common scoring method features one point for every correct prediction in the first round; two points for every prediction in the second round; four points for the Sweet 16; eight points for the Elite Eight; 16 points for the Final Four; and 32 points for picking the NCAA champion.

This scoring method places greater weight on correct predictions further into the tournament. For example, simply predicting the correct NCAA Tournament champion is worth as many points for your bracket (32) as a perfect first round. Keep this in mind as you make your picks.

First Four games are not typically used in scoring, which begins in Round 1. An incorrect prediction in any of the First Four play-in games will not result in penalties or lost points.

When do March Madness Brackets come out?

When do March Madness Brackets come out?

The women's NCAA Tournament bracket will be released at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 12. It will feature 60 locked-in teams and four empty spaces. The teams that fill those spaces will be determined by First Four games, and the final 64-team bracket will not be set until the day before the first round of the NCAA Tournament begins.

When are March Madness Brackets due?

Brackets are locked in once play begins during Round 1 of the NCAA Tournament at noon ET on Friday, March 17.

March Madness 2023

March 12

The women's NCAA Tournament bracket will be released on Sunday, March 12. It will feature 60 locked-in teams and four empty spaces. The teams that fill those spaces will be determined by First Four games, and the final 64-team bracket will not be set until the day before the first round of the NCAA Tournament begins.

March 15-16

The initial bracket released on Selection Sunday includes 60 locked-in teams and four empty spaces, to be determined among eight teams — the four lowest-seeded automatic bids and the four lowest-seeded at-large bids — competing in the First Four play-in games. The winners of these four games will take up the final four available spots and complete the field of 64.

This year, the women's First Four matchups will be held on Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16 at four of the top-16 host sites.

March 17-18

Round 1 of the NCAA women's basketball tournament consists of 32 games played between 64 teams over the course of two days (Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18). Games will be played at the arenas of the top-16 host seeds.

March 19-20

Round 2 of the NCAA women's basketball tournament consists of 16 games played between 32 teams over the course of two days (Sunday, March 19 and Monday, March 20). Games will be played at the arenas of the top-16 host seeds.

March 24-25

The Sweet 16 of the NCAA women's basketball tournament consists of eight games played between 16 teams over the course of two days (Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25).

Beginning in 2023, the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds will be held at two sites:

*Greenville, South Carolina (Bon Secours Wellness Arena)
*Seattle (Climate Pledge Arena)

March 26-27

The Elite Eight serves as the national quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament, consisting of four games played between eight teams over the course of two days (Sunday, March 26 and Monday, March 27). All games will be played at the same sites as the Sweet 16.

*Greenville, South Carolina (Bon Secours Wellness Arena)
*Seattle (Climate Pledge Arena)

March 31

The Final Four serves as the national semifinal round of the NCAA women's basketball tournament, consisting of two games played between four teams on Friday, April 1. This year, the Final Four will be held in Dallas at American Airlines Arena.

April 2

The NCAA women's basketball championship game, the final game of the 2022-23 season, will be played on Sunday, April 2 to determine the champion of the 2023 Women's March Madness tournament. It will be held in Dallas at American Airlines Arena.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

Year Champion Score Runner-up
2022 South Carolina (36-2) 64-49 Connecticut
2021 Stanford (31-2) 54-53 Arizona
2020 N/A -- --
2019 Baylor (37-1) 82-81 Notre Dame
2018 Notre Dame (34-3) 61-58 Mississippi State
2017 South Carolina (33-4) 67-55 Mississippi State
2016 Connecticut (38-0) 82-51 Syracuse
2015 Connecticut (38-1) 63-53 Notre Dame
2014 Connecticut (40-0) 79-58 Notre Dame
2013 Connecticut (35-4) 93-60 Louisville
2012 Baylor (40-0) 80-61 Notre Dame
2011 Texas A&M (33-5) 76-70 Notre Dame
Year Champion Score Runner-up
2010 Connecticut (39-0) 53-47 Stanford
2009 Connecticut (39-0) 76-54 Louisville
2008 Tennessee (36-2) 64-48 Stanford
2007 Tennessee (34-3) 59-46 Rutgers
2006 Maryland (34-4) 78-75 (OT) Duke
2005 Baylor (33-3) 84-62 Michigan State
2004 Connecticut (31-4) 70-61 Tennessee
2003 Connecticut (37-1) 73-68 Tennessee
2002 Connecticut (39-0) 82-70 Oklahoma
2001 Notre Dame (34-2) 68-66 Purdue
2000 Connecticut (36-1) 71-52 Tennessee
Year Champion Score Runner-up
1999 Purdue (34-1) 62-45 Duke
1998 Tennessee (39-0) 93-75 Louisiana Tech
1997 Tennessee (29-10) 68-59 Old Dominion
1996 Tennessee (32-4) 83-65 Georgia
1995 Connecticut (35-0) 70-64 Tennessee
1994 North Carolina (33-2) 60-59 Louisiana Tech
1993 Texas Tech (31-3) 84-82 Ohio State
1992 Stanford (30-3) 78-62 Western Kentucky
1991 Tennessee (30-5) 70-67 (OT) Virginia
1990 Stanford (32-1) 88-81 Auburn
Year Champion Score Runner-up
1989 Tennessee (35-2) 76-60 Auburn
1988 Louisiana Tech (32-2) 56-54 Auburn
1987 Tennessee (28-6) 67-44 Louisiana Tech
1986 Texas (34-0) 97-81 Southern California
1985 Old Dominion (31-3) 70-65 Georgia
1984 Southern California (29-4) 72-61 Tennessee
1983 Southern California (31-2) 69-67 Louisiana Tech
1982 Louisiana Tech (35-1) 76-62 Cheyney