Conference tournaments are upon us in women’s college basketball, and there will be an abundance of games to watch in the coming week. Many tournaments overlap, so it’s worth figuring out how to prioritize where to tune in. To help you do that, we took a closer look at the top five most intriguing conference tournaments based on how competitive they could be and also what NCAA Tournament implications are on the line.

Despite UConn being projected as the No. 1 overall seed in for March Madness, the Big East did not make the cut for these rankings. Let’s get to the rankings:

5. West Coast (March 5 -10 in Las Vegas)

We haven’t talked a lot about the West Coast conference this season, but we could see some competitive games in the WCC Tournament. The regular-season champ was not decided until this past Sunday with Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga and Oregon State as the contenders. LMU got its second WCC title in program history thanks to an overtime victory over Oregon State in their regular-season finale, as well as a one-point Gonzaga loss to Portland in overtime that same day.

The West Coast is only going to send one team in the NCAA Tournament. Loyola Marymount is projected as a No. 15 seed in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology. The stakes will be high for the conference tournament, which makes Las Vegas the perfect location.

The West Coast might not be getting a lot of national recognition at the moment, but Gonzaga’s Lauren Whittaker is certainly worth watching. She is averaging 19.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while registering 17 double-doubles this season, the most for any freshman in the nation.

4. Big 12 (March 4-8 in Kansas City)

TCU will be the No. 1 seed in Kansas City after winning its second consecutive regular-season title, but the Horned Frogs can’t get too comfortable. The team needed a buzzer-beater by Martha Suarez to overcome No. 2 seed West Virginia in January.

Iowa State is the No. 7 seed in the tournament, but the Cyclones have had a roller-coaster of a season. Iowa State became the first team in Big 12 Conference history to lose five consecutive games and bounce back with five consecutive wins. The Cyclones began their 2025-26 campaign 14-0, which tied the best start in program history. Things got shaky when injuries hit, particularly a lower body injury that sidelined starter Addy Brown for 11 games. Brown is back and ready for the postseason. The team also counts with one of the top scorers in the nation, Audi Crooks, who just registered the fifth 40-point game of her career.

Another interesting team has been fifth-seeded Texas Tech. The Red Raiders started 19-0 before cooling off to finish the season with a 25-6 record.

This conference tournament could give us more answers regarding bubble teams. BYU and Utah are “Next Four Out” teams, but CBS Sports bracketologist Connor Groel said they are still “in legitimate contention.” Colorado went 0-2 last week, but the Buffaloes are still in the “Last Four In” category with a résumé that includes a win over TCU in February.

3. ACC (March 4-8 in Duluth, Ga.)

A clutch steal by Hannah Hidalgo helped unranked Notre Dame upset then-No. 10 Louisville a few days ago, and that’s the kind of excitement we can expect in the ACC Tournament.

Despite going through a rough stretch early in the season while facing some tough nonconference competition, Duke bounced back with 17 consecutive wins and completed the comeback by earning the ACC Tournament’s No. 1 seed. But here is where things get interesting, that winning streak was snapped a week before the end of the regular season by Clemson — the No. 9 seed in the conference tournament and a bubble team for the Big Dance. 

North Carolina has a lot to gain in Georgia because the Tar Heels are still fighting for a chance to host in the NCAA Tournament. They finished the regular season with 12 wins in their final 13 games. That lone loss came to Duke, and North Carolina then flipped the script and ended the regular season with a win over the Blue Devils last weekend.

Last year, Stanford missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1987 and is in danger of missing out again. That being said, the Cardinal have shown some fight, including a road overtime victory over North Carolina in January. They are currently projected as one of the “First Four Out” teams, which means they will need that kind of grit in the ACC Tournament.

2. Big Ten (March 4–8 in Indianapolis)

UCLA completed the first perfect Big Ten season in more than a decade, and the Bruins are already locked in for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They will be the favorite this week, but the rest of the field could be unpredictable. 

Iowa was the team to beat during the Lisa Bluder/Caitlin Clark era ,and the Hawkeyes are still very much a dangerous team under Jan Jensen’s leadership. In January, the Hawkeyes got three consecutive wins over top-15 opponents for the first time in program history. 

Big Ten women’s basketball tournament 2026: Bracket, schedule and odds

Isabel Gonzalez

Michigan knows how to step up to big competition as the Wolverines gave UConn and UCLA upset scares this season. And although USC is struggling without star JuJu Watkins this season, the Trojans still managed to pick up a win against Iowa in January and had a real chance to beat Ohio State on the road a week ago. 

1. SEC (March 4-8 in Greenville, S.C.)

“Unforgiving,” “nightmare” and “pure hell” are just a few ways coaches have described the SEC. It’s extremely competitive, and that’s why there were no unbeaten teams in conference play. 

Regular-season champion South Carolina lost to Oklahoma due to a stellar performance by national Freshman of the Year candidate Aaliyah Chavez. The Gamecocks’ only other loss was to Texas in a neutral site game that didn’t count toward the SEC record. South Carolina will have some homecourt advantage since the tournament is in Greenville, but there are multiple teams with something to prove.

SEC women’s basketball tournament 2026: Bracket, schedule and odds

Isabel Gonzalez

Vanderbilt and Texas are still in competition for the last No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they could meet in the semifinals in Greenville. LSU is on track for a No. 2 seed, the best in the Kim Mulkey era and highest for the program since 2008. The Tigers beat Texas this season and had a real chance at upsetting South Carolina. 

Don’t be fooled by lower seeds, either. Kentucky also gave the Gamecocks an upset scare during the regular-season finale, while Georgia beat Vanderbilt two weeks ago. Ole Miss ended the regular season on a low note, but the Rebels can’t be overlooked as they upset Vanderbilt in January despite being displaced by a winter storm. Even the conference’s No. 10 seed, Texas A&M, is a team to watch because the Aggies have picked up momentum late in the season and are one of the hottest bubble teams.