If you aren’t over UCLA’s trophy-lifting hangover yet, this is your call to splash some water on your face and get ready for the first-ever college basketball season with a bracket of 76 teams.

That being said, here’s all you need to know about the 2026-27 NCAA season, schedule, and games you should keep an eye on

The regular season begins in November

November 1 to April 4 – not an easy stretch, but it’ll be fun watching Villanova Wildcats and Notre Dame go off at the Palazzetto dello Sport in Rome, Italy (Nov 1).

NCAA’s official website notes the packed return to the US on November 2, and here are the games none of us should miss:

Maryland vs. South Carolina

Arizona vs. Stanford

Oklahoma vs. North Carolina (Paris, France)

Lehigh vs. UCLA

Cornell vs. UConn

“The opening stretch will also feature several early-season multi-team events, including the Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 24-26) and the Baha Mar Hoops (Nov. 19-20),” the post read further.

2027 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Schedule

But it is when the regular season wraps up that the real madness begins. Here’s the schedule for you to catch that as well, via NCAA.com:

Selection Sunday: Sunday, March 14

Opening Round (12 games): March 17-18 at campus sites

First Round (32 games): March 19-20 at campus sites

Second Round (16 games): March 21-22 at campus sites

Sweet 16 (Eight games): March 26-27 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Las Vegas, Nevada

Elite Eight (Four games): March 28-29 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Las Vegas, Nevada

Final Four: Friday, April 2 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio

NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 4 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio

Who Will Return to the Final Four?

The UConn Huskies, heavy fan-favorite with the 2025 NCAA title and a 38-0 undefeated regular-season record, couldn’t get past Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks (62-48) in the 2026 semifinals.

Meanwhile, the Texas Longhorns took a 51-44 semifinal loss to the UCLA Bruins, leaving room for a UCLA Vs Gamecocks final, which resulted in a 79-51 victory for the Bruins.

Surely these four will be thrilling to watch, but teams like Notre Dame, Michigan, TCU, and Duke will also demand attention.

Unless the stories are written differently this season.