When is Women’s March Madness 2023? Dates, TV schedule, locations, odds & more for the NCAA Tournament

By | March 16, 2023

Back-to-back action packed days of men’s and women’s basketball. It’s like Christmas in March! The gift being several games on several different stations all at once, with different matchups bringing different intensities of competition. The only letdown is likely the performance of your bracket when all is said and done.

Last year, Dawn Staley and her South Carolina team managed to rip the crown from the longstanding queens at UConn. This year, the Gamecocks made it through the regular season and conference tournament untouched, a perfect 32-0 record with the tournament’s top-seed as their first accomplishment in March. If they win it all, they’ll be the fifth ever school to have a completely undefeated season. The only other schools to do so are UConn, six times (1994-95, 2001-02, 2008-09, 2009-2010, 2013-14, 2015-16); and Tennessee (1997-98), Baylor (2011-12) and Texas (1985-86) all once.

Which powerhouse program will be the winner this year? Who will unseat who for a shocking advance toward glory?

The Sporting News has you covered on how to watch all of it unfold in 2023, including start and end dates, TV schedule, streaming options, venues, updated betting odds and more.

Women’s March Madness bracket 2023

The March Madness bracket will be set on March 12 during the Selection Sunday showing on ESPN. 32 teams will already have automatic bids, awarded for winning their conference tournament, and 36 others will receive an invitation, or at-large bid, if they’ve proved their pedigree to be up to committee standards for the competition.

2023 Women's March Madness bracket blank

(SN illustration)

MORE: Download a printable Women’s March Madness bracket here

NCAA Women’s Tournament schedule 2023

  • Start date: Wednesday, March 15-16 (First Four)
  • End date: Sunday, April 2 (national championship)

The 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament is compromised of the First Four; Rounds 1 and 2; Sweet 16; Elite Eight; Final Four and the national championship games. The First Four begins Wednesday, March 15. The national championship game will take place on Sunday, April 2.

Here is the full schedule for women’s March Madness 2023:

Round Date
First Four March 15-16
Round 1 March 17-18
Round 2 March 19-20
Sweet 16 March 24-25
Elite Eight March 26-27
Final Four March 31
National championship April 2

When is the Women’s First Four?

The 2023 NCAA Tournament begins with the First Four games, which will take place over the course of two days: on Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16.

A field of eight teams, compromised of the four lowest-seeded automatic and at-large bids will partake in the First Four games. The teams that come out victorious are granted a bid with access to the tournament’s proper 64-team field. The at-larges are fighting for two 11 seeds and the automatics are fighting for two 16 seeds.

When is the Women’s Final Four?

The 2023 NCAA Tournament ends with the Final Four and a championship game, which will also take place over the course of two-days: on Friday, March 31 and Sunday, April 2.

  • Date: Sunday, April 2
  • Time: 3:30 p.m.
  • TV channel: ESPN
  • Live stream: Sling TV

**More specific information will be released after Selection Sunday.

First Four

Wednesday, March 15

Results
(16) Sacred Heart 57, (16) Southern 47 
(11) Mississippi State 70, (11) Illinois 56

Thursday, March 16

Matchup Time (ET) TV
(16) Tennessee Tech vs. (16) Monmouth 7 p.m. ESPNU
(11) Purdue vs. (11) St. John’s 9 p.m. ESPNU

Round 1

Friday, March 17

Game Time (ET) TV
(9) Marquette vs. (8) South Florida 11:30 a.m. ESPN2
(10) West Virginia vs. (7) Arizona Noon ESPN
(10) Georgia vs. (7) Florida State 1:30 p.m. ESPN2
(16) Norfolk State vs. (1) South Carolina 2 p.m. ESPN
(15) Holy Cross vs. (2) Maryland 2:30 p.m. ESPNews
(11) UNLV vs. (6) Michigan 3 p.m. ESPNU
(14) Southern Utah vs. (3) Notre Dame 3:30 p.m. ESPN2
(15) SE Louisiana vs. (2) Iowa 4 p.m. ESPN
(14) Hawaii vs. (3) LSU 5:30 p.m. ESPN2
(16) Chattanooga vs. (1) Virginia Tech 5:30 p.m. ESPNU
(11) Mississippi State vs. (6) Creighton 6 p.m. ESPNews
(16) Sacred Heart vs. (1) Stanford 7:30 p.m. ESPN2
(15) Gardner-Webb vs. (2) Utah 7:30 p.m. ESPNU
(9) South Dakota State vs. (8) USC 8 p.m. ESPNews
(10) Princeton vs. (7) NC State 10 p.m. ESPN2
(9) Gonzaga vs. (8) Ole Miss 10 p.m. ESPNU

Saturday, March 18

Game Time (ET) TV
(16) Tennessee Tech/Monmouth winner vs. (1) Indiana 11:30 a.m. ESPN2
(13) Saint Louis vs. (4) Tennessee 1 p.m. ABC
(14) James Madison vs. (3) Ohio State 1:30 p.m. ESPN2
(9) Miami (Fla.) vs. (8) Oklahoma State 2 p.m. ESPN
(12) Florida Gulf Coast vs. (5) Washington State 2:30 p.m. ESPNU
(15) Vermont vs. (2) UConn 3 p.m. ABC
(12) Toledo vs. (5) Iowa State 3:30 p.m. ESPN2
(11) Purdue/St. John’s winner vs. (6) North Carolina 4 p.m. ESPN
(13) Cleveland State vs. (4) Villanova 5 p.m. ESPNU
(10) Alabama vs. (7) Baylor 5:30 p.m. ESPN2
(11) Middle Tennessee vs. (6) Colorado 7 p.m. ESPNews
(12) Drake vs. (5) Louisville 7:30 p.m. ESPN2
(12) Portland vs. (5) Oklahoma 9 p.m. ESPNU
(14) Iona vs. (3) Duke 9:30 p.m. ESPN2
(13) East Carolina vs. (4) Texas 10 p.m. ESPN
(13) Sacramento State vs. (4) UCLA 11:30p.m. ESPN2

Round 2

Round 2 times will be finalized following the completion of Round 1 on Friday and Saturday.

Sunday, March 19

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD 1 p.m. ABC
TBD 3 p.m. ABC
TBD 3:30 p.m. ESPN
TBD 5 p.m. ESPN2
TBD 5:30 p.m. ESPN
TBD 7 p.m. ESPN2
TBD 7:30 p.m. ESPN
TBD 9:30 p.m. ESPN

Monday, March 20

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD 4 p.m. ESPN2
TBD 6 p.m. ESPN2
TBD 7 p.m. ESPN
TBD 7 p.m. ESPNU
TBD 8 p.m. ESPN2
TBD 9 p.m. ESPN
TBD 9 p.m. ESPNU
TBD 10 p.m. ESPN2

Sweet 16

Friday, March 24

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD 2:30 p.m. ESPN
TBD 5 p.m. ESPN
TBD 7:30 p.m. ESPN
TBD 10 p.m. ESPN

Saturday, March 25

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD 11:30 a.m. ESPN
TBD 2 p.m. ABC
TBD 4 p.m. ESPN2
TBD 6:30 p.m. ESPN2

Elite Eight

Sunday, March 26

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD 7 p.m. ESPN
TBD 9 p.m. ESPN

Monday, March 27

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD 7 p.m. ESPN
TBD 9 p.m. ESPN

Final Four

Friday, March 31

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD 7 p.m. ESPN
TBD 9:30 p.m. ESPN

National championship

Sunday, April 2

Game Time (ET) TV
TBD 3:30 p.m. ABC

How to watch Women’s March Madness games in 2023

The ESPN family of networks (ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews) will split the duty of broadcasting the 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament.

Round TV channel
First Four ESPNU, ESPN2
Round 1 ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, ABC
Round 2 ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ABC
Sweet 16 ESPN, ESPN2, ABC
Elite Eight ESPN
Final Four ESPN
National championship ABC

The 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament can be streamed via SlingTV.

MORE: Watch NCAA Women’s Tournament games live with SlingTV

Where is Women’s March Madness 2023?

The 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament is more secluded than the men’s side in terms of travel.

The First Four, as well as the first and second rounds will be hosted by the top 16 seeded teams at their home arenas.

The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight will take place in two cities on opposite ends of the country; and the Final Four and national championship game will be held at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.

Below is a full rundown of the sites and locations of the NCAA Women’s Tournament:

Round Location Site
First Four Top 16 seeds host TBD
Round 1 Top 16 seeds host TBD
Round 2 Top 16 seeds host TBD
Sweet 16/Elite Eight Greenville, South Carolina Bon Secours Wellness Arena
  Seattle, Washington Climate Pledge Arena
Final Four Dallas, Texas American Airlines Arena

Odds to win Women’s March Madness 2023

Below are the teams most likely to win the 2023 NCAA Women’s Tournament (as of Friday, March 10), via BetMGM:

  • South Carolina (-145)
  • Stanford (+700)
  • UConn (+700)
  • Indiana (+1000)
  • LSU (+2000)
  • Iowa (+2500)
  • Maryland (+2500)
  • North Carolina (+3000) 
  • Ohio State (+3000)
  • Texas (+4000)
  • Utah (+4000)
  • Notre Dame (+5000)
  • Louisville  (+6000)
  • Michigan (+6000)
  • Arizona (+8000) 
  • NC State (+8000) 
  • Oregon (+8000) 
  • Baylor (+10000)
  • Iowa State (+10000)
  • Tennessee (+10000)
  • Arkansas (+10000)
  • Creighton (+12500)
  • Oklahoma (+15000)
  • Kansas (+20000)
  • Miami (FL) (+20000)
  • Florida (+25000)
  • Mississippi State (+25000)
  • Florida State (+100000)
  • UCF (+100000)
  • USC (+100000)

Future Women’s March Madness locations, Final Four host sites

Below are the host sites for future Women’s Final Fours in ensuing seasons:

Year City Final Four host site
2024 Cleveland Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
2025 Tampa Bay Amalie Arena
2026 Phoenix Footprint Center
2027 Columbus (OH) Nationwide Arena
2028 Indianapolis Gainbridge Fieldhouse 
2029 San Antonio Alamodome
2030 Portland (OR) Moda Center
2031 Dallas American Airlines Arena

NCAA Women’s Tournament 2023 tickets

You can buy regional tournament session tickets through resale markets like Ticketsmarter.

2023 Final Four ticket prices

As of Friday, March 10, Final Four tickets are going for a minimum of $185.

MORE: Buy Women’s March Madness tickets from Ticketsmarter 

Most NCAA Women’s Tournament winners

South Carolina won the NCAA Women’s Tournament in 2022, securing it’s second win in program history by beating UConn 64-49.

There are only three schools in history who have won back-to-back championships and South Carolina is heavily favored to become the fourth this go around, joining elite ranks with UConn, who won consecutively from 2002-04; Tennessee, who won consecutively from 1996-98; and USC, who won consecutively in 1983 and 1984.

UConn leads the charge with 11 national championships under its belt. Below is a complete list of how many titles each school holds, since the tournament’s inauguration in 1982.

School National titles Most recent
UConn 11 2016
Tennessee 8 2008
Baylor 3 2019
Stanford 3 2021
Louisiana Tech 2 1988
Notre Dame 2 2018
South Carolina 2 2022
USC 2 1984
Maryland 1 2006
North Carolina 1 1994
Old Dominion 1 1985
Purdue 1 1999
Texas 1 1986
Texas A&M 1 2011
Texas Tech 1 1993

Source