2026 Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) Preview: Teams, Schedule, and More
The 2026 Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT) field has been announced, featuring teams like Brigham Young, North Dakota State, Utah, and Texas A&M. The tournament will kick off on March 19 with first-round games, followed by second-round matches on March 22 and quarterfinals on March 26. The semifinals and championship games will be held in Wichita, Kansas, at Charles Koch Arena, with the semifinals on March 30 and the championship game on April 1. This is the third edition of the WBIT, with Minnesota and Illinois being the previous champions.
This year's WBIT will see 23 schools making their debut appearance in the tournament, representing 20 different conferences. The tournament will feature a record six teams from the Big 12 Conference. Nine teams from the 2025 WBIT have also been selected to participate in the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, including defending champion Minnesota. The first-round matchups will include top-seeded teams like Brigham Young, North Dakota State, Utah, and Texas A&M facing off against Alabama A&M, Chattanooga, Eastern Kentucky, and McNeese, respectively.
The WBIT selection committee has seeded the top half of the 32-team field, with the remaining teams placed in the bracket based on their natural interest areas. The tournament games will be broadcast on ESPN+, ESPNU, and ESPN2, with more information available on ncaa.com/WBIT. The committee is excited about the competitive field and looks forward to a thrilling tournament.