Colorado University Athletics
Colorado Earns 17th NCAA Tournament Berth
March 15, 2026 | Women's Basketball
The Buffs will face Illinois in the first round on Saturday, Mar. 21, in Nashville, Tenn.
BOULDER – The Colorado women's basketball team (22-11, 11-7 Big 12) was awarded one of the 37 at-large berths into the 2026 NCAA tournament and will make its 17th appearance in the national tourney, the NCAA selection committee announced on Sunday, Mar. 15.
The Buffs received the 10-seed in one of the two Fort Worth quadrants of the bracket and will face Illinois (21-11, 9-9 Big 10) in a first-round game on Saturday, Mar. 21, at 7:30 p.m. MT/8:30 p.m. CT at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
In the other first-round match at the Nashville site, second-seeded host No. 6 Vanderbilt (27-4, 13-3 SEC) will take on Big South Conference tournament champion High Point (27-5, 13-3 Big South). The winners of the two first-round contests will meet in the second round on Monday, Mar. 23.
Tickets for individual rounds or all sessions are available via NCAA here or via Vanderbilt here.
The Buffs make their first appearance in the postseason tournament since the 2023-24 season, and the program's 17th overall. The Black and Gold have reached three Elite Eights and are 21-16 (.568) in NCAA tournament games. Since the program's inception, Colorado has advanced to eight regional championship games (Sweet Sixteens), 12 second-round appearances, and 16 first-round appearances (two first-round byes). In 2024, the Buffs reached their second Sweet Sixteen in as many years, defeating 12-seed Drake (86-72) and four-seed Kansas State (63-50) in the first and second rounds, respectively. Colorado fell in the round of 16 to top-seeded Iowal, 89-68 (Mar. 30, 2024).
This tournament berth marks 10th year head coach JR Payne's fourth at Colorado. Payne has two regionals (2023, 2024) and one first-round appearance (2022) as head coach of the Buffs.
For more information on the Colorado women's basketball team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsWBB.
The Buffs received the 10-seed in one of the two Fort Worth quadrants of the bracket and will face Illinois (21-11, 9-9 Big 10) in a first-round game on Saturday, Mar. 21, at 7:30 p.m. MT/8:30 p.m. CT at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
In the other first-round match at the Nashville site, second-seeded host No. 6 Vanderbilt (27-4, 13-3 SEC) will take on Big South Conference tournament champion High Point (27-5, 13-3 Big South). The winners of the two first-round contests will meet in the second round on Monday, Mar. 23.
Tickets for individual rounds or all sessions are available via NCAA here or via Vanderbilt here.
The Buffs make their first appearance in the postseason tournament since the 2023-24 season, and the program's 17th overall. The Black and Gold have reached three Elite Eights and are 21-16 (.568) in NCAA tournament games. Since the program's inception, Colorado has advanced to eight regional championship games (Sweet Sixteens), 12 second-round appearances, and 16 first-round appearances (two first-round byes). In 2024, the Buffs reached their second Sweet Sixteen in as many years, defeating 12-seed Drake (86-72) and four-seed Kansas State (63-50) in the first and second rounds, respectively. Colorado fell in the round of 16 to top-seeded Iowal, 89-68 (Mar. 30, 2024).
This tournament berth marks 10th year head coach JR Payne's fourth at Colorado. Payne has two regionals (2023, 2024) and one first-round appearance (2022) as head coach of the Buffs.
For more information on the Colorado women's basketball team, a complete schedule and results, please visit CUBuffs.com. Fans of the Buffs can follow the team on Instagram and on Twitter @CUBuffsWBB.
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