Let’s talk NCAA Basketball. Specifically, ACC women. The conference had a rough start overall but it ended with a record number of teams being selected for the NCAA Tournament. The ACC has delivered 8 teams nine times since 2014 and this year the selection committee sent bids to 9 teams that’s headlined by three top-16 seeds in Duke, Louisville and North Carolina. Those three teams will also named hosts of first and second round action which literally and figuratively puts the ball in their court.
In just a few short but furious weeks the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four will begin play in Phoenix on April 3 and 5. The big question this year is can anyone knock off a very dominant UConn, an overwhelming favorite. The Huskies are the overall top seed in the tournament and according to Nate Silver’s model the group of No. 1 seeds, UConn, South Carolina, Texas and UCLA have a combined 93% chance of winning the tournament.
NCAA Bracket | 2026 Seeds And Printable Bracket
Take that prediction however you may but it’s an incredibly daunting wall of talent to find a way around. Luck often finds it’s way into how tournaments turn out and in this case break out the leprechauns and four-leaf clovers for your favorite team that isn’t named above.
NCAA Basketball
Let’s take a look at the ACC teams who will put their best foot forward in hopes of breaking some of the projected ceilings we lay out for them in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Duke
The Blue Devils are the No. 3 seed in the Sacramento 2 Region. They come into the tournament with a 16-2 conference record and overall are 24-8. What are their title odds? Right now, it stands at 75/1. They open as a 31.5 point favorite against No. 14 College of Charleston with the game set for Durham on Friday, March 20 beginning at 11:30a ET and airing on ESPN2.
Duke started out slow but has turned it around and should be looked at as ascending. But there’s a brick wall in their bracket. No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 2 seed LSU both of whom are monsters this season. The Blue Devils did lose earlier in the season to both teams before firing up a hot streak. Defense is their strength and they are ranked third nationally in blocked shots.
We’re thinking Sweet 16 with a possibility of an Elite Eight but that projected second-round matchup with LSU looms large. Ceiling? Dark horse Final Four.
Louisville
The Cardinals are the No. 3 seed in the Fort Worth 3 Region and come into the NCAA Basketball Tournament with a conference record of 15-3 and 27-7 overall. What are their title odds? Currently around 150/1 and they are favored to win against their first tournament opponent, Vermont by more than 24 points. The game will be on home court for Louisville on Saturday, March 21 at 12p ET and airing on ESPN.
Trouble awaits in the second round as we project they’ll meet No. 2 seed Michigan but home court may be all it takes to push the Cardinals further into the win column. This team’s performance and coaching lead us to believe an Elite Eight showing is most likely with their ceiling being Final Four.
North Carolina
The Tar Heels are the No. 4 seed in the Fort Worth 1 Region and present another solid resume similar to the preceding ACC teams. North Carolina delivered a strong conference record at 14-4 and overall at 26-7. They bring title odds of 200/1 into their opener again Western Illinois in Chapel Hill on Friday, March 20 at 5:30p ET which airs on ESPN2.
This team carries heavy credentials when it comes to NCAA Basketball having been in the tournament 33 times and add to that the Tar Heels perform exceptionally at home with a 24-1 record in NCAA action. North Carolina is favored to win by more than 24 points against Western Illinois.
What makes this Region absolutely deadly is No. 1 seed UConn and No. 2 seed Vanderbilt a team that features the top scorer in women’s college basketball in Mikayla Blakes. There’s a distinct possibility of these two teams meeting up in the Sweet 16 which we believe is realistic. As for their NCAA Basketball Tournament ceiling? Elite Eight is what we’re projecting.
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Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish have the No. 6 seed in the Forth Worth 1 Region and as the case with the preceding ACC teams have a healthy conference record at 12-6 and overall at 22-10. Notre Dame’s title odds are 300/1 and are 12 point favorites over No. 11 Fairfield in their opener in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, March 21 at 2p ET with the game on ESPN.
Just like North Carolina, Notre Dame has an incredible resume in NCAA basketball with 31 visits to the tournament. When the Irish’s Hannah Hidalgo is on she’s a show-stopper. She can be the key to the team pulling off a big win again No. 3 Ohio State.
We’re comfortable predicting the Round of 32 and think they may have an upset in their back pocket that can push their ceiling to Sweet 16 in NCAA basketball.
NC State
Here we have a team that can push the envelope or head home early. The Pack’s fate is in their hands. NC State is the No. 7 seed in the Fort Worth 3 Region with a conference record of 13-5 and overall they finished at 20-10. What are their title odds? 400/1 and there will be no slouching off in the tournament as they open again No. 10 Tennessee in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Friday, March 20 at 8p ET with the game airing on ESPN2.
Here’s where the fun begins. The Pack defeated the Vols 80-77 in a November season opener. Both teams have only improved with age. NC State has four players averaging double-figure points and they have definitely ‘seasoned’. This game is 50-50 in our eyes. If they move on we see a Sweet 16 ceiling. The brick wall will be No. 2 Michigan.
Syracuse
The Orange are the No. 9 seed in the Fort Worth 1 Region and come into NCAA basketball tournament action with a 12-6 conference record and overall they stand at 23-8. What is Syracuse’s odds of grabbing a title? At this moment, 500/1 as they kick off play in Storrs, Connecticut against No. 8 seed Iowa State on Saturday, March 21 at 5:30p ET with the game on ESPN2.
Here we have another coin flip game with an 8/9 matchup though ESPN’s BPI projects Iowa State as the winner by just under 4 points. Due to some of the struggles this season we’re projecting (but hoping not) that Syracuse will be one and done. If Syracuse pulls off a win then our ceiling for the Orange is Round of 32.
Virginia Tech
A new coach and a new feel for the Hokies who are the No. 9 seed in the Fort Worth 3 Region. Megan Duffy has done a great job picking up right where Kenny Brooks finished with Virginia Tech coming into the tournament with a conference record of 12-6 and overall they are 23-9. What are the title odds for the Hokies? The same as the Orange at 500/1.
The Hokies have begun to establish a history in their women’s program as this is the 14th time they’ve been invited to play in the NCAA basketball tournament.
Tech is an underdog in this game but just slightly with Oregon projected to win by a little over 4 points. Adrenaline and the desire to prove yourself does wonderous things for teams and even though we’re predicting a first round loss (again, hope we’re off) the Hokies ceiling is Round of 32 at best. In this Region UConn awaits and we expect to see some merciless losses along the way.
Clemson
Coming in as the No. 8 seed in the Sacramento 4 Region the Tigers sport a conference record of 11-7 and 21-11 overall. The title odds? 600/1. Why might that be? They’re in the same Region as No. 1 seed South Carolina and No. 2 seed Vanderbilt and if that’s not enough.
Clemson goes head to head with No. 9 USC in Columbia, South Carolina on Saturday, March 21 at 3:30p ET with the game on ESPN2. There’s a bit of a home advantage when it comes to the noise factor. This is a 50-50 game and because of that we’ll project the Tigers winning this game. Their NCAA basketball ceiling is Round of 32.
Virginia
The Hoos are the No. 10 seed in the Sacramento 4 Region and bring an 11-7 ACC and 19-11 overall record to the tournament. What are the Cavaliers title odds? A challenging 800/1. Virginia faces off with #10 seed Arizona State in Iowa City on Thursday, March 19 at 9p ET with the game airing on ESPN2.
It’s been a while since Virginia has been in the tournament, 2018 to be exact. They may find themselves in the cat bird seat as they are projected to win this opener, a play-in by almost 7 points. If their guard Kymora Johnson can continue to crank out her average of 19 points per game it will go a long way in making something special happen.
We’re thinking their ceiling is just past the First Four which is the Round of 64. Past that and you have a major bracket-buster on your hands.
NCAA Basketball – ACC Women
When you have a 3-6 start and turn it into back-to-back ACC Tournament titles and a Top-16 NCAA Basketball seed then you have a compelling story in the Duke turnaround. Louisville is very undervalued at 150/1 given their home-court advantage and Q-1 resume. Consider the Cardinals a deep run dark horse team this year. What could be more exciting than the rematch between the Pack and Vols? And top it off with the return of Virginia to the NCAA for the first time since 2018.
This has been a solid year for ACC women’s basketball and each NCAA basketball win is whipped cream with a cherry on top.
