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What To Know About The 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Sweet 16

What To Know About The 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Sweet 16

Only 16 teams remain in the 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship, and there’s more fun ahead this weekend. Here’s what to know.

Mar 12, 2026 by Matt Cannizzaro
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March is about college basketball. Everyone knows that. 

Among the elite hoops action happening this month is the 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship, which is winding down to its March 21 conclusion at the Cregger Center on the campus of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.

If you’re just logging on, you’re not too late. There’s still plenty of excitement and drama ahead, as 16 talented teams remain in contention for this year’s national title, but the remainder of the tournament is going to be fast and furious, so buckle up.

After this weekend (March 13-14), only four teams will remain in the prestigious bracket, and the turnaround will be quick. The national semifinals are set for March 19, and the coveted championship trophy will be claimed two days later.

The biggest question that looms now, is if anyone will be able to dethrone two-time defending champion NYU.

Along with the pair of championships under Meg Barber in 2024 and 2025, defeating Smith College both times, the Violets are riding a winning streak that now spans three seasons. 

The last time the NYU women were beaten was a 79-63 loss to eventual national champion Transylvania in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Division III Women’s Basketball Championship.

The Violets were 31-0 during the 2023-2024 season that followed and 31-0 during the 2024-2025 campaign. The team’s win against Carnegie Mellon on Feb. 8 of this year was the record-setting 82nd in a row for the NYU, which bested the previous mark of 81, set by Washington University in St. Louis as part of a national-championship four-peat from 1998-2001.


NYU now has won 89 consecutive contests and will look to continue the streak with a Sweet 16 win against Hardin-Simmons on March 13. Tipoff will be at 7:30 p.m. Eastern on the Violets’ home court at John A. Paulson Center.

If the Violets can survive that matchup and pick up another home win in the quarterfinals, they’ll head back to Salem with a chance at a three-peat.

The single-elimination 2026 Division III Women’s Basketball Championship began March 6 with 43 automatic qualifiers and 21 at-large selections.

The Division III women’s title tilt will get underway at the 2,500-seat Cregger Center on March 21 at 4 p.m. Eastern.

As you settle in for the whirlwind conclusion of the tournament and the 2026 season, here are some things to know:

NYU Is The Two-Time Defending Division III Women's National Champion

NYU claimed the 2024 Division III women’s national championship with a 51-41 victory over Smith College, and the Violets upped their game in a 77-49 performance to take the title in 2025. 

Smith’s shot at redemption will have to wait another year, as the team was bounced from the 2026 tournament with a 74-70 loss to Bates in last weekend’s second round. 

With NYU’s most recent victory, the Violets surpassed the NCAA men’s record for consecutive wins, which stood at 88 since UCLA set the mark in 1974.

If the Violets are going to climb another step in the record book, history is on the horizon. 

The UConn women, the defending Division I national champions, won 90 consecutive games from 2008-2011 and then topped their own record with 111 wins from 2014-2017.

Can NYU continue to build on its legacy?

To see all of the results from the first and second round of this year’s tournament, click here.

To read more about the 2026 Division III Men’s Basketball Championship: What To Know About The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Sweet 16

Washington-St. Louis Holds The Record For Division III Women’s National Basketball Championships

Washington-St. Louis won four consecutive national titles during its 81-game winning streak from 1998-2001.

The Bears added a record-setting fifth national championship in 2010.

Amherst, Hope and NYU are tied for second all-time with three titles apiece. The first victory for NYU came in 1997 as part of a 29-1 campaign. 

2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship Schedule

  • National third round games and quarterfinals (Sectionals) are being played at campus sites across the country – New York (NYU), Scranton, Pennsylvania (University of Scranton), Oshkosh, Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh), and Lexington, Virginia (Washington and Lee University).
  • The semifinals will be played March 19 at the Cregger Center in Salem.
  • The Division III women’s championship game will be played March 21 at the Cregger Center.

2026 Division III Women’s Basketball Championship Bracket

Here’s a look at how it all started and where it’s heading:

How To Watch The 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament

Competition at the 2026 Division III Women’s Basketball Championship can be watched on the NCAA’s Championships Pass on NCAA.com.

The championship game March 21 will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with tipoff set for 4 p.m. Eastern.

If you’re going to be in Virginia and want to catch the action in person, tickets to the semifinals and championship game can be purchased by visiting NCAA.com.  

How Many Teams Participate In The Division III Basketball Championship Events Now?

The number of participating teams for the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship has changed many times over the years. 

The inaugural edition in 1975 had 30 teams. There were 28 in 1976, and then it went back to 30. 

In 1980, there were 32 teams. In 1989, it expanded to 40. Finally, in 1995, the field ballooned to 64 teams split into four sectionals, but the change only lasted three years, before it was changed to 48. 

The number slowly increased again, until the full 64-team bracket returned in 2017.

The NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship needed just one year to double in size, as 32 teams participated in 1983. That number remained steady, though regional brackets were introduced in 1989. In 1994, 40 teams played. Then 64 in 1995.

When Was The First NCAA Division III Basketball Championship?

The first NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship was held in 1975 and included 30 teams split into eight regions. 

The first NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship was held in 1982 and featured 16 teams. 

Learn More About Division III Athletics

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NYU vs. Carnegie Mellon Women’s Basketball Full Replay | 2026 UAA Basketball

On Feb. 8, the NYU women defeated Carnegie Mellon 69-58 to set the NCAA Division III record for consecutive victories with 82. Here’s that entire game.


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