Two Final Four Spots Are Still Up for Grabs

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What to Know About Women’s Basketball Today

We’ve got half the field set for the 2026 Women’s Final Four. On Sunday, UConn shook off a slow start to beat Notre Dame, and UCLA rallied past Duke to punch their tickets.

Tonight, Michigan vs. Texas (7 PM ET) and TCU vs. South Carolina (9 PM ET) will decide the final two spots. Both games are on ESPN. (CBS Sports)

WHY IT MATTERS: The Final Four is one of the biggest stages in the sport, and in recent years, it’s pulled in massive viewership. For UConn, this is their third straight trip and 25th overall, which is just unreal consistency. UCLA is building something real too, with a school-record 35 wins and back-to-back Final Four appearances. Two more teams join them tonight, and suddenly we’re just two wins away from a national champion.

The Connecticut Sun are being sold to the Fertitta family, owners of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, for $300 million and will relocate to Houston in 2027. They’ll play one final season in Connecticut in 2026 before the move, and the expectation is that they’ll bring back the Houston Comets name. (ESPN)

WHY IT MATTERS: The Comets were the league’s first dynasty, winning four straight titles from 1997 to 2000, so this is a full circle moment for longtime WNBA fans who have following the league since the beginning. Moving to Houston also puts the team in a larger market with more resources, which can make a difference when it comes to attracting players. At the same time, it’s a tough loss for Connecticut fans, especially since there was also a separate local ownership group that had expressed interest in keeping the team in the region.

Northwestern has hired Carla Berube as its next head coach after a strong run at Princeton. She replaces Joe McKeown, who retired after a 40-year coaching career. (WGNTV)

WHY IT MATTERS: Berube had a very successful time at Princeton, winning five Ivy League titles in seven years and making five NCAA Tournament appearances. Now she steps into the Big Ten, where the level of competition is higher and the expectations are different. It’s a big jump, but her track record shows she knows how to build a program. She also brings credible playing experience, including playing under Geno Auriemma at UConn and being part of the program’s first national title in 1995.