For the sixth consecutive season, the South Carolina women’s basketball team has been awarded the top seed of a region in the NCAA Tournament.
The Gamecocks (31-3) will open first-round play at home Sunday in Region 4 of the 2026 edition of March Madness.
Second-seeded Iowa (26-6) also will open with a home game, as will No. 3 TCU (29-5) and No. 4 Oklahoma (24-7).
Breaking down Region 4:
No. 1 seed: South Carolina
The Gamecocks have been ranked in the top five of the national polls and NET rankings since the start of the season. South Carolina won its 10th SEC regular-season championship with a 15-1 record.
With seven Final Four appearances in the past 10 seasons, expect another deep run for the Gamecocks, who won national titles in 2017, ’22 and ’24.
Under head coach Dawn Staley, South Carolina is 47-10 in the tournament.
Region 4 in Sacramento.#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5NOhMiLoYO
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 16, 2026
Top challenger:
The Horned Frogs got home games for the first two rounds, but they will be traveling to California if they make the regional semifnals instead of staying in Fort Worth (which hosts two regionals).
TCU is coming off a trip to the Elite Eight last season and is enjoying consecutive tournament berths for the first time in 16 years.
Trysta’s Takes
(Editor’s note — NBA and WNBA analyst Trysta Krick offers her take on the region below. Follow Trysta on social media: @Trysta_Krick)
“South Carolina has to face Oklahoma again — and yes, again — because the Sooners already stunned the Gamecocks 94-82 in overtime during the regular season in Norman. The hero of that game was freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez, who set a school record with 15 points in overtime, finishing with 26 points and eight assists in one of the most jaw-dropping freshman performances of the season. She since has been named ESPN’s National Freshman of the Year, averaging 18.4 points, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
“I’m still picking South Carolina to make the Final Four along with the other three No. 1 seeds. These Final Four picks aren’t exactly going out on a limb. But in women’s hoops, at least for now, the chalk holds. Top seeds historically don’t get upset, and even in an NIL era that has created real parity across college sports — the kind that turned Vanderbilt from a doormat into a program that nearly pushed Texas for the final 1-seed — we’re still a few years away from the chaos we’ve come to expect on the men’s side. No team ranked lower than a 3 has ever won the women’s title, and a No. 3 seed has only won it all three times in women’s college basketball history.
“So yes, all four 1-seeds in Phoenix. Deal with it.”
Region 4, Sacramento first-round matchups
At Columbia, South Carolina
1. South Carolina (31-3)
16. Southern or Samford
8. Clemson (21-11)
9. USC (17-13)
At Norman, Oklahoma
5. Michigan State (22-8)
12. Colorado State (22-7)
4. Oklahoma (24-7)
13. Idaho (29-5)
At Fort Worth, Texas
6. Washington (21-10)
11. South Dakota State (27-6)
3. TCU (29-5)
14. UC San Diego (24-8)
At Iowa City, Iowa
7. Georgia (22-9)
10. Virginia or Arizona State
2. Iowa (26-6)
15. Fairleigh Dickinson (30-4)
