Does NCAA March Madness include women’s basketball?

March Madness, stated, is the largest in college basketball. Teams nationwide are invited to participate, and all D1 schools want to attend. The prestige of winning the competition is considered the biggest accomplishment a college team could aspire to.

Until recently, only male teams were invited to play or had participated in ‘March Madness,’ but back in 2022, a comprehensive external review of gender equity issues in connection with NCAA championships recommended to the organization to have the women’s teams to play under the banner and marketing schemes of ‘March Madness.’ Paving the way for women’s college basketball to have the same recognition as their male counterparts.

Does the NCAA include college D1 women’s basketball?

As mentioned before, women had played D1 basketball tournaments for a long time, but it was only in 2022 that the organization decided to officially include women under the marketing scheme of ‘March Madness.’

Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball, said, “the brand recognition that March Madness carries will broaden marketing opportunities as we continue that work to elevate the women’s basketball championship.”

Moreover, she also added that ‘Women’s basketball has grown tremendously over the past several years, and we remain focused on our priority of enhancing and growing the game.’

The 2023 March Madness schedule starts with selections for the women’s tournament on Sunday, March 12.