INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (theACC.com) – Headlined by three top-16 seeds, nine Atlantic Coast Conference teams were selected for the 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, breaking the conference’s previous record of eight teams set nine times since 2014.

Announced on Saturday, March 14, Duke, Louisville and North Carolina were named hosts for the first and second rounds. Making their 28th appearance in March Madness, the Blue Devils (24-8, 16-2 ACC) earned the No. 3 seed and will host No. 14 seed College of Charleston in the first round on Friday, March 20. The Cardinals (27-7, 15-3 ACC), who earned a No. 3 seed, will welcome No. 14 seed Vermont on Saturday, March 21, for their 28th trip to the Big Dance. The fourth-seeded Tar Heels (26-7, 14-4 ACC) will face No. 13 seed Western Illinois on Friday inside Carmichael Arena, marking their conference-leading 33rd trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Notre Dame (22-10, 12-6 ACC) returns to the NCAA Tournament for the 31st time in program history, earning a No. 6 seed. The Fighting Irish begin their NCAA Tournament campaign on Saturday against No. 11 seed Fairfield in Columbus, Ohio.

NC State (20-10, 13-5 ACC) will make its 31st appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed. The Wolfpack will open tournament play on Friday against No. 10 seed Tennessee in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game will be a rematch of each team’s season opener, when the Wolfpack defeated the Volunteers 80-77 in Greensboro, North Carolina, on November 4.

After missing the tournament a season ago, Syracuse (23-8, 12-6 ACC) is back in March Madness as a No. 9 seed. Heading to Storrs, Connecticut, for their first-round matchup for the third straight time, the Orange will face No. 8 seed Iowa State on Saturday, marking their 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia Tech (23-9, 12-6 ACC) is back in the NCAA Tournament after earning the top seed in the 2025 WBIT a season ago. The Hokies, who earned a No. 9 seed, will open against No. 8 seed Oregon in Austin, Texas, on Friday. Heading to the tournament for the 14th time, the trip will be the first under head coach Megan Duffy.

For the first time since 2019, Clemson (21-11, 11-7 ACC) returns to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 seed Southern California on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina. This is the first trip to the tournament under head coach Shawn Poppie.

Virginia is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 and will participate in the First Four against fellow No. 10 seed Arizona State in Iowa City, Iowa. The Cavaliers punched their ticket for the first time under head coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton.

The ACC has compiled 141 NCAA Tournament victories since 2014, tied for the most among all conferences. The league has sent at least one team to the Elite Eight in each of the past 23 NCAA Tournaments, the longest active streak among all conferences.

Following the first and second rounds, regional play in Fort Worth, Texas (Dickies Arena) and Sacramento, California (Golden 1 Center) will take place March 27-30, with each site hosting two regional semifinal games on March 27 and two on March 28. In addition, each site will host a regional championship game on March 29 and one on March 31.

The 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four will be played April 3 and 5 at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

ACC in 2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament
Thursday, March 19 – First Four
No. 10 Virginia vs. No. 10 Arizona State – Regional 4 Sacramento – Iowa City, Iowa

Friday, March 20 – First Round
No. 4 North Carolina vs. No. 13 Western Illinois – Regional 1 Fort Worth – Chapel HIll, N.C.
No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 College of Charleston – Regional 2 Sacramento – Durham, N.C.
No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech – Regional 3 Fort Worth – Austin, Texas
No. 7 NC State vs. No. 10 Tennessee – Regional 3 Fort Worth – Ann Arbor, Mich.

Saturday, March 21 – First Round
No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Syracuse – Regional 1 Fort Worth – Storrs, Conn.
No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Fairfield – Regional 1 Fort Worth – Columbus, Ohio
No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Vermont – Regional 3 Fort Worth – Louisville, Ky.
No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 USC – Regional 4 Sacramento – Columbia, S.C.