March Madness 2026: Fort Worth Region 3 bracket Cinderella, players to watch, schedule, odds and more

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More region breakdowns: Fort Worth 1 | Sacramento 2 | Sacramento 4

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The2026 NCAA women's tournament is just days away. Here’s everything you need to know about the Fort Worth Region 3.

Texas has the third-best odds to win the whole thing, behind fellow No. 1 seeds UCLA and Connecticut. Michigan and Louisville, the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the region, are among the teams with the 10-shortest odds to win the national title, though, so the Longhorns have some legit competition in their quadrant.

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Of the four top seeds, Texas might have the hardest path to the Final Four. In the Elite Eight, the Longhorns will likely face either Michigan or Louisville. Both teams could pose issues. The Wolverines are top 10 in both offensive (117.6) and defensive rating (76.7), according to Her Hoop Stats, and the Cardinals have a fleet of contributors — with seven players averaging at least eight points per game, scoring comes from everywhere. That kind of versatility could be hard to handle, even for a Texas squad that's second nationally in Her Hoop Stats defensive rating and 17th in scoring defense (56.6 points per game allowed).

Madison Booker leads Texas with 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. (Scott Wachter/Getty Images)Scott Wachter via Getty Images

No. 11 seed Rhode Island will face No. 6 seed Alabama in the first round. The A-10 champion Rams have never won an NCAA tournament game and are making just their second appearance in the dance. The last time they were on this stage was 30 years ago. Tammi Reiss guided URI to a program-record 28 wins in 2025-26, and one of those came against then-No. 16 North Carolina State. The Rams like to slow things down, and they're known for a defense that gives up the sixth-fewest points per game (53.8) in the country. The slipper fits.

The Madison Booker-led Longhorns made the Final Four last season, enduring a fifth-seeded Tennessee and a second-seeded TCU at the time. Then they were bounced in a national semifinal against South Carolina. Don't be surprised if Booker and Co. aren't in Phoenix this year. Their journey could end in the Elite Eight. Michigan's an intriguing pick to unseat Texas. Not only do the Wolverines have head-turning metrics on both ends of the court, but they've also stood tall against the best of the best. Led by Olivia Olson and Syla Swords, Michigan gave UConn a scare in the Hall of Fame Women's Showcase on Nov. 21. The Wolverines lost by just three points in what's still the Huskies' lone single-digit game this season. Michigan also suffered three-point defeats to No. 2 seed Vanderbilt and No. 1 seed UCLA. In other words, the Wolverines have been knocking on the door of a marquee upset, and they might get it versus Texas.

  • Texas F Madison Booker

Booker earned Big 12 Co-Player of the Year honors in 2024. Then she won SEC Player of the Year in 2025. She's coming off an SEC Tournament in which he she collected MVP accolades. The junior forward leads the 31-win Longhorns with 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

  • Michigan G Olivia Olson

Olson paces the Wolverines with 19.2 points per game this season. The sophomore guard has reached or eclipsed the 20-point mark in 16 games during the 2025-26 campaign. She piled up a career-high 31 points in an overtime victory at rival Ohio State on Feb. 25. 

  • Kentucky G Tonie Morgan

While the Forth Worth 1 region is stacked with top-tier scorers, the Fort Worth 3 region features a batch of premier playmakers. Kentucky's Tonie Morgan is one of them. She ranks second nationally with 8.2 assists per game. She's also top 25 in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.32). Morgan often works in tandem with Wildcats center Clara Strack, who averages 17.1 points and 10 rebounds per contest.

All times ET

No. 1 Texas vs. No. 16 Stephen F. Austin/No. 16 Missouri State
Where: Austin, TX
When: Friday | 4 p.m.
TV: ESPN

No. 8 Oregon vs. No. 9 Virginia Tech
Where: Austin, TX
When: Friday | 1:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN

No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 James Madison
Where: Morgantown, WV
When: Saturday | 2:30 p.m.
TV: ESPNU

No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Miami (OH)
Where: Morgantown, WV
When: Saturday | 5 p.m.
TV: ESPNU

No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Rhode Island
Where: Louisville, KY
When: Saturday | 2:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN News

No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Vermont
Where: Louisville, KY
When: Saturday | 12 p.m.
TV: ESPN

No. 7 NC State vs. No. 10 Tennessee
Where: Ann Arbor, MI
When: Friday | 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN

No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Holy Cross
Where: Ann Arbor, MI
When: Friday | 5:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN2

Michigan comes out of the Fort Worth Region 3 with an upset win over Texas in the Elite Eight, and the Wolverines reach their first Final Four in program history. There's some pretty darn good basketball being played over in Ann Arbor, and not just on the men's side. Kim Barnes Arico is in her 14th season at the helm, and this iteration of the Wolverines is both efficient and energized, particularly on the offensive glass, where they help buoy an offense that scores the ninth-most points per game (83.6) in D-I.

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