Anticipation seems to be nearing an all-time high for the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, which is set to feature some of the most intriguing storylines in sports.
Front and center will be Caitlin Clark, a phenom who has made Iowa basketball a focal point of the sports world on her way to just about every scoring record possible.
The Hawkeyes are not title favorites, though. They could have to go through unbeaten South Carolina, with coach Dawn Staley seeking her third national championship with the Gamecocks.
It wouldn’t be fair to forget about LSU, either. The reigning national champions have the experience to do it again, but the Tigers hit a few bumps during the regular season and will need to pull together in March to repeat their title run.
Selection Sunday marks the official start of the madness, when the path to the Final Four in Cleveland becomes clearer for those three teams and 65 more. Here’s a complete guide to Selection Sunday for the Women’s NCAA Tournament.
MORE: Watch select NCAA Tournament games with Sling TV
When is Women’s Selection Sunday 2024?
- Date: Sunday, March 17
- Time: 8 p.m. ET | 5 p.m. PT
The Women’s NCAA Tournament selection show will air at 8 p.m. ET Sunday, March 17.
Fans will get a glimpse of the paths that the powerhouses, such as South Carolina and Iowa, will face on their road to the Final Four as the entire field of 68 is seeded.
What channel is the Women’s March Madness selection show on?
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: ESPN+ | Sling TV
Selection Sunday is airing on ESPN again for the women’s tournament in 2024, but there are several ways to view the selection show without cable. That includes ESPN’s streaming platform ESPN+, as well as Sling TV.
Women’s NCAA Tournament 2024 selection format
While talk of expansion for both the men’s and women’s tournaments is gaining steam, the format for the tournament remains unchanged in 2024.
The women’s tournament will once again use a selection format that hands out 32 automatic bids to conference tournament champions, plus 36 at-large bids, for 68 total teams.
While the higher seeds matter on the men’s side because of the opportunity to be placed in a region relatively close to campus, securing a top-four seed on the women’s side is especially meaningful because the top 16 teams in the tournament host first- and second-round games.
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Women’s March Madness bracket predictions
Bracketologists have been forecasting the NCAA Tournament field for months — in some cases, since the preseason. Sporting News’ Bill Bender has been among those projecting the women’s field of 68 leading up to the tournament.
Below are his projected top 16 teams along the 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-seed lines:
- 1-seeds: South Carolina, Stanford, Iowa, Texas
- 2-seeds: Ohio State, UCLA, LSU, USC
- 3-seeds: UConn, Oregon State, NC State, Virginia Tech
- 4-seeds: Notre Dame, Gonzaga, Indiana, Oklahoma
Here is his latest full bracket prediction.
Women’s NCAA Tournament schedule 2024
- Start date: Wednesday, March 20 (First Four)
- End date: Sunday, April 7 (national championship)
The 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament consists of the First Four, first round, second round, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four and national championship game.
The tournament begins three days after Selection Sunday on Wednesday, March 20, with the first round starting on Friday, March 22. The madness will conclude with the national championship on Sunday, April 7.
Here is the full schedule for March Madness 2024:
| Round | Date |
| First Four | March 20-21 |
| Round 1 | March 22-23 |
| Round 2 | March 24-25 |
| Sweet 16 | March 29-30 |
| Elite Eight | March 31-April 1 |
| Final Four | April 5 |
| National championship | April 7 |
When is the Women’s First Four?
The 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament begins with the First Four games, which will take place Wednesday, March 20, and Thursday, March 21.
A group of eight teams, comprised of the four lowest-seeded automatic and at-large bids, will play in the First Four games. Four teams will advance to the first round and fill out the field of 64.
- Date: March 20-21
- Time: TBD
- TV channel: ESPN
- Live stream: Sling TV
When is the Women’s Final Four?
The 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament ends in Cleveland with the Final Four and the national championship game, which will take place on two different days. Both Final Four games will take place Friday, April 5. The national championship is scheduled for Sunday, April 7.
- Date: Friday, April 5 for the Final Four and Sunday, April 7 for the national championship
- Time: 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET (Final Four), 3:30 p.m. ET (national championship)
- TV channel: ESPN (Final Four), ABC (national championship)
- Live stream: Sling TV
