Four No. 1 seeds still alive - Can the Women’s March Madness tournament make history?

The 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament is heading into the Elite Eight later today, and the four No. 1 seeds are still alive. While being a top seed is generally a good indication of a pretty talented team, it doesn’t always guarantee a spot in the Final Four. So if all four of those teams advance today and tomorrow, it would be a a truly rare historical achievement

As of the conclusion of the Sweet 16, the Elite Eight features four No. 1 seeds still alive: the UConn Huskies, UCLA Bruins, Texas Longhorns, and South Carolina Gamecocks. Should all four move past this weekend and into the Final Four, it would mark only the third time in women’s NCAA history that the national semifinals are made up entirely of No. 1 seeds.

Only twice in history: All-No. 1-seed Women’s Final Fours

According to NCAA historical data, while No. 1 seeds regularly make deep runs, all four No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four is exceedingly rare. Before the 2026 tournament, only two women’s tournaments had ever produced an all‑No. 1 Final Four:

• 2012
• 2013

That means if UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina each win their Elite Eight games and advance to the Final Four this season, the 2026 tournament would be just the third occurrence of this milestone.

Over the decades, No. 1 seeds have dominated women’s March Madness, often reaching the later rounds, but bracket variance and tight competition usually produce at least one upset before the Final Four. Even across more than 40 tournament editions, the most common number of No. 1 seeds in the Final Four has traditionally been two, not four.

2026’s bracket so far

The 2026 women’s tournament has lived up to this narrative of No. 1 seed dominance. Through the Sweet 16, several of these elite programs have showcased why they earned top billing. UConn has continued its march with dominant play in the earlier rounds. UCLA and South Carolina have both asserted control in their regions. Texas rebounded from tight tests to stay alive and on track for the Elite Eight.

Advancing four No. 1 seeds into Sunday’s semifinals would be a testament to both the consistency of top programs and the lack of major upsets in the early rounds.

Women’s Elite 8 full schedule

The Women’s Elite Eight tips off Sunday, March 29 and continues Monday, March 30.

Full Schedule

*all times Eastern

Sunday, March 29

• 1 p.m. - No. 1 UConn vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (ABC)
• 3 p.m. - No. 1 UCLA Bruins vs. No. 3 Duke Blue Devils (ABC)

Monday, March 30

• 7 p.m. - No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Michigan (ESPN)
• 9 p.m. - No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 3 TCU (ESPN)

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