What teams are in First Four for Women's March Madness? Game times, dates, where to watch
The First Four of the women's NCAA Tournament gets underway on Wednesday. Here's what you need to know on which teams are playing in the First Four, including game schedule and how to watch info.
Let the madness officially begin!
On Wednesday, the women's NCAA Tournament gets underway with the First Four, a one-of-a-kind play-in tournament in hopes of living out a childhood dream of dancing in the much larger March Madness bracket.
Audi Crooks and No. 11 seed Iowa State get the postseason started against No. 11 seed Princeton at 7 p.m. ET in South Bend, Indiana at Purcell Pavilion.
IT'S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter Paste BN's Bracket Challenge contest for a chance at $1 million prize.
Others that were sent to the First Four on Selection Sunday include: Washington, Columbia, Southern, UC San Diego, William & Mary and High Point.
The winner of No. 11 Iowa State and Princeton will take on No. 6 Michigan in South Bend, Indiana in Region 3 Birmingham side of the bracket, while the No. 11 Columbia vs. Washington winner will play No. 6 West Virginia in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in the Region 2 Birmingham.
In the other First Four games, No. 16 UC San Diego and Southern will play for a chance to take on No. 1 UCLA in Region 1 Spokane, and No. 16 High Point and William & Mary will vie for a spot against No. 1 Texas in Region 3 Birmingham.
The winners of the First Four games will advance to the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament either on Friday, March 21 or Saturday, March 22.
Here's what you need to know about who is competing in the Final Four in the women's NCAA Tournament, including TV channel, tip off time information and more:
Who is competing in the First Four of women's March Madness?
The eight teams that are competing in the First Four of the women's NCAA Tournament include Iowa State, Princeton, Washington, Columbia, Southern, UC San Diego, William & Mary and High Point.
Like the men's tournament, the women's First Four is composed of the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers — Southern, UC San Diego, William & Mary and High Point— and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams — Iowa State, Princeton, Washington and Columbia — that heard their names called on Selection Sunday.
First Four women's March Madness schedule
Here's a full breakdown of the women's NCAA Tournament First Four schedule:
All times Eastern
Wednesday, March 19
- Game 1: (11) Iowa State vs. (11) Princeton | 7 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
- Game 2: (16) Southern vs. (16) UC San Diego | 9 p.m. | ESPNU (Fubo)
Thursday, March 20
- Game 1: (11) Washington vs. (11) Columbia | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
- Game 2: (16) William & Mary vs. (16) High Point | 9 p.m. | ESPN2 (Fubo)
Where to watch First Four of women's March Madness? TV channel, streaming
- TV channels: ESPNU | ESPN2
- Streaming options: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
ESPNU will broadcast nationally Wednesday's First Four double-header of the women's NCAA Tournament; while ESPN2 will broadcast Thursday's slate of First Four games.
Streaming options for all four women's NCAA Tournament First Four games include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.
Where is the First Four for women's March Madness?
Unlike the men's NCAA Tournament, where the First Four is played at one venue, the First Four games take place on the campuses of four of the top 16 overall seeds in the women's NCAA Tournament.
Here's a full breakdown of site locations for the women's First Four games:
- UC San Diego vs. Southern: Los Angeles
- Columbia vs. Washington: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
- Iowa State vs. Princeton: Notre Dame, Indiana
- High Point vs. William & Mary: Austin, Texas
Women's First Four history
As previously noted by Paste BN, Mississippi State is the only team to have started in the First Four and go past the first round of March Madness, having done so in 2023 with a First Four win against Illinois and Creighton in the first round.
Here's a full list of how past First Four games have gone since it was added to the women's NCAA Tournament format in 2022:
2022:
- (16): Howard 55, Incarnate Word 51
- (11): Dayton 88, DePaul 57
- (16): Longwood 74, Mount St. Mary's 70
- (11): Missouri State 61, Florida State 50
2023:
- (16): Sacred Heart 57, Southern 47
- (11): Mississippi State 70, Illinois 56
- (16): Tennessee Tech 79, Monmouth 69
- (11): St. John's 66, Purdue 64
2024:
- (16): Presbyterian 49, Sacred Heart 42
- (11): Arizona 69, Auburn 59
- (16): Holy Cross 72, UT Martin 45
- (11): Vanderbilt 62, Columbia 58
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