BYU women’s basketball passed up in NCAA Tournament, will play in WBIT
Mar 15, 2026, 7:47 PM | Updated: Mar 16, 2026, 10:56 am
PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s basketball will not be dancing in the NCAA Tournament.
The Cougars were not selected with an at-large bid in the 2026 field.
Going into Selection Sunday, Bracketologists such as ESPN’s Charlie Creme had BYU barely missing the field of 68. That proved to be true. What made the snub even more difficult was that fellow Big 12 opponent Arizona State was one of the last teams selected for the field.
BYU women’s basketball was the first team left out of the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament
BYU defeated Arizona State twice during the regular season, but it wasn’t enough.
The Cougars lacked a Quad 1 victory on their resume, which possibly kept them out of the field. BYU was the first team left out of the field of 68.
The first four out. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/xfw9ciW2s9
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 16, 2026
In year one under head coach Lee Cummard, BYU won 22 games, the most for the program since 2022.
No. 1 overall seed in the WBIT
They will now turn their attention to the NCAA-sanctioned WBIT (Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament). It’s the third year of the WBIT, which has evolved into the second-best postseason tournament in women’s college basketball.
With BYU being the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament, they received the No. 1 overall seed in the WBIT.
BYU women's basketball team did not receive a bid in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
They will be the No. 1 overall seed in the WBIT and host Alabama A&M.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 16, 2026
BYU will host Alabama A&M at the Marriott Center on Thursday, March 19. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning on Monday, March 16 at 11:30 a.m. (MDT).
This will be the second all-time appearance for BYU in the WBIT. They are 0-1 in WBIT games, falling to Santa Clara in the inaugural field two years ago.
THEY’RE IN! @byuwbb#ElevateTheGame pic.twitter.com/eWLnq40s2U
— Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (@wbitwbb) March 16, 2026
The Lady Bulldogs were the SWAC regular-season champions. They closed the regular season on a 17-game win streak before falling in the SWAC Tournament to Southern.
The WBIT is a 32-team field with the semifinals and championship rounds being played in Wichita, Kansas, on March 30 and April 1.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYUathletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
