2026 NCAA Women's Tournament Preview: Sacramento 4 Region

The Sacramento 4 region is arguably the most intriguing in the bracket, headlined by a South Carolina program that has won two of the last four national titles and is seemingly poised to reach a sixth consecutive Final Four.

SC could meet an old friend, No. 2 seed Iowa, in the Elite 8, as coach Jan Jensen has continued the momentum Caitlin Clark and Lisa Bluder brought to Iowa City at the start of the decade. And lurking in the shadows? No. 3 seed TCU led by first-team All-American Olivia Miles, looking to build off last season’s Elite 8 run.

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The Top Dogs

No. 1 South Carolina (31-3, 15-1 SEC)

Head Coach: Dawn Staley
How They Got Here: At-Large (SEC Runners-Up)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (National Runners-Up)

You know you’re a historically top-tier program when three total losses and a regular-season conference title gives people cause for pause, but you’d be foolish to discount a program led by Dawn Staley when the calendar turns to March. As mentioned in the intro, South Carolina is seeking a sixth consecutive Final Four appearance, this time on the shoulders of forward Joyce Edwards, Florida State transfer guard Ta’Niya Latson and center Madina Okot, who each average north of 13 points per game. Two of South Carolina’s three losses this season came to Texas, and the Longhorns won’t be a problem until a potential national title game matchup.

No. 2 Iowa (26-6, 15-3 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Jan Jensen
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big Ten Runners-Up)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Round of 32)

A blowout loss to UCLA in the Big Ten title game has Iowa entering the NCAA Tournament on a bit of a sour note, but don’t let that discredit just how dangerous Jan Jensen has made this program in just her second season as head coach. Perhaps you expected Iowa to return to women’s basketball irrelevancy in the post-Caitlin Clark era, but the efforts Jansen put in building this roster from her time as an assistant leading recruiting to her official elevation to the main seat upon Lisa Bluder’s retirement have paid dividends and the Hawkeyes are a legit threat to come out of the region because of it.

Dawn Staley says losing to Iowa in 2023 was the toughest loss of her coaching career, “almost” making her question God pic.twitter.com/J6WQoomSRV

— Van Lathan Jr (@VanLathan) June 3, 2025

No. 3 TCU (29-5, 15-3 Big 12)

Head Coach: Mark Campbell
How They Got Here: At-Large (Big 12 Runners-Up)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Elite 8)

The Horned Frogs went through quite an overhaul after their Elite 8 appearance a year ago, but that’s the environment Mark Campbell has grown accustomed to in Fort Worth. The transfer portal was pivotal for TCU once again this offseason, landing star guard Olivia Miles from Notre Dame. Miles certainly lived up to the hype this season, earning Big 12 Player of the Year and first-team USBWA All-American honors after averaging career highs with 19.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game.

No. 4 Oklahoma (24-7, 11-5 SEC)

Head Coach: Jennie Barancyzk
How They Got Here: At-Large (SEC Quarterfinals)
Last NCAA Tournament Appearance: 2025 (Sweet 16)

The Sooners are looking to build on last season’s Sweet 16 trip with an even longer run in the tournament this year after landing top freshman Aaliyah Chavez in the offseason. Chavez has been every bit as advertised since her arrival, leading Oklahoma with 18.7 points and 4.2 assists per game. You can’t forget about mainstay Reagan Beers either, who averages 15.7 points and a team-high 10.4 rebounds per game for the Sooners.

Possible Sleepers?

No. 7 Georgia (22-9, 8-8 SEC)

Head Coach: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson
How They Got Here: At-Large (SEC Second Round)
Last NCAA Tournament: 2023 (Round of 32)

A .500 finish in SEC play might not inspire much hope in Georgia, until you look closer at some of the wins the Bulldogs have stacked on their resume. They beat Ole Miss and Kentucky early in SEC play while both teams were ranked in the top 20 before beating No. 5 Vanderbilt in February.

No. 11 South Dakota State (27-6, 14-2 Summit League)

Head Coach: Aaron Johnston
How They Got Here: Summit League Champions
Last NCAA Tournament: 2025 (Round of 32)

South Dakota St., to put it simply, is the best mid-major program in the country. The Jackrabbits proved that last season, downing No. 7 seed Oklahoma State in the first round after going an unbeaten 16-0 in the Summit League. They didn’t quite run the table in-conference this year, but this is still a program that has only missed the NCAA Tournament three times since 2009.