The No. 16 Southern University Jaguars defeated Samford 65-53 on Thursday during the First Four to earn their spot in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 64. They will now face the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks in the 2026 March Madness tournament at the Gamecocks’ home court, Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, SC. The first round matchup will be on Saturday, March 21 at 1 p.m. ET, and the game will air nationally on ABC and streams on ESPN Unlimited.
For a complete breakdown of key dates and how to watch every game, we’ve got you covered. Here’s a look at how to watch the entire tournament from the first round to the Championship Final.
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How to watch South Carolina vs. Southern at the women’s March Madness tournament:


Date: March 21, 2026
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV channel: ABC
Streaming: ESPN Unlimited, Fubo, DirecTV and more
When is the South Carolina vs. Southern game?
The South Carolina vs. Southern first-round basketball game is on Saturday, March 21. Tipoff is at 1 p.m. ET.
Where to watch the South Carolina vs. Southern game:
The South Carolina vs. Southern March Madness game will air on ABC.
Where to stream March Madness games without cable:
Every game of the 2026 women’s March Madness Tournament will stream on ESPN Unlimited, including those on ABC. You’ll also be able to access every game on live TV services like Fubo, and DirecTV.
ESPN’s streaming platform offers thousands of exclusive live events, original studio shows and acclaimed series that air across ESPN’s suite of seven linear channels, as well as exclusive content on ESPN+, ABC on ESPN, SEC+, ACCNX and more. The new tier costs $29.99/month or $299.99/year.Â
ESPN Select allows subscribers to access exclusive content only available on the app, and an extensive archive of on-demand content (including the entire 30 For 30 library, select ESPN Films, game replays and more). Whether you purchase a standalone plan, add-on or Disney bundle plan, the service provides access to thousands of sports events for $12.99/month or $129.99/year.
Sling TV’s Day Pass gives consumers the freedom to watch what they want, when they want, without committing to a monthly streaming subscription. Sign up for a single day ($4.99), a weekend ($9.99), or a full week ($14.99) and watch every channel available through Sling Orange, which includes ESPN and ESPN2, and over 30 more channels. No strings attached.
Want to catch a specific sporting event like the women’s March Madness tournament that’s spread across additional channels that Sling Orange doesn’t typically carry? You can customize your channel lineup with a Sports Extra add-on to get additional coverage of ESPNU and more for just a dollar more.


2026 NCAA women’s basketball tournament game schedule
The following is the First Round schedule for all teams participating in this year’s March Madness tournament.
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All times Eastern.
First Round:
Saturday, March 21
11:30 p.m.: No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 14 Howard (ESPN2)
12 p.m.: No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Vermont (ESPN)
1 p.m.: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Southern (ABC)
1:30 p.m.: No. 7 Georgia vs. No. 10 Virginia (ESPN2)
2 p.m.: No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Fairfield (ESPN)
2:30 p.m.: No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 12 James Madison (ESPNU)
2:30 p.m.: No. 6 Alabama vs. No. 11 Rhode Island (ESPN News)
3 p.m.: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 UTSA (ABC)
3:30 p.m.: No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 USC (ESPN2)
4 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson (ESPN)
5 p.m.: No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 13 Miami (Ohio) (ESPNU)
5:30 p.m.: No. 8 Iowa State vs. No. 9 Syracuse (ESPN2)
7 p.m.: No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 15 High Point (ESPN News)
7:30 p.m.: No. 8 Oklahoma State vs. No. 9 Princeton (ESPN2)
9:30 p.m.: No. 7 Illinois vs. No. 10 Colorado (ESPN2)
10 p.m.: No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 16 California Baptist (ESPN)
2026 NCAA women’s basketball tournament schedule:
The schedule and locations for the women’s tournament:
Selection Sunday: 8 p.m. ET Sunday, March 15 on ESPN
Second round: March 22-23
Sweet 16: March 27-28 in Fort Worth, TX and Sacramento, CA
Elite Eight: March 29-30 in Fort Worth, TX and Sacramento, CA
Final Four: Friday, April 3, Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, AZ
NCAA championship game: Sunday, April 5, Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, AZ

