SoCon Announces 2026 Women's Tournament Bracket
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's basketball team, who received the No. 7 seed, is set to compete in the 2026 Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament at Harrah's Cherokee Center. The Spartans will face No. 2 ETSU on Thursday, March 5, in the quarterfinal round at 1:15 p.m.
The SoCon Women's Basketball Championship takes place March 5-8 at Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina.
The Spartans are entering the tournament with a 14-15 overall mark and a 4-10 SoCon record.
The tournament begins Thursday, March 5, with the quarterfinal games. Two semifinal matchups follow on Friday, March 6, and the championship game is set for Sunday, March 8, at noon. The women's title game will air live on ESPNU, while the remaining six games will stream on ESPN+. The two semifinal games will also be appearing on select Nexstar affiliates across the Southeast.
Chattanooga secured its 24th SoCon regular-season title, the most of any program in the league. ETSU closed the conference slate on a five-game winning streak to earn its share of the crown, while Wofford clinched a share as well, marking just the second regular-season championship in program history for the Terriers.
The last three-way tie for the SoCon women's basketball regular-season title occurred during the 2019–20 season, when Samford, Chattanooga, and UNCG all finished atop the standings. Samford went on to win the tournament that year. However, the Bulldogs were not able to participate in the NCAA Tournament after it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's three-way tie marks just the second occurrence in league history.
Chattanooga opens play in the first quarterfinal game on Thursday, March 5, at 11 a.m., where the Mocs will take on No. 8 seed Western Carolina. Chattanooga swept the Catamounts in the regular season, winning, 61-52, on Jan. 24, and 52-36, on Feb. 19.
Thursday's second contest will see No. 2 seed ETSU take on No. 7 seed UNCG at 1:15 p.m. The Bucs won both matchups in the regular season, winning, 58-48, on Jan. 24, and 52-39, on Feb. 19.
Game three features No. 3 seed Wofford and No. 6 seed Samford, who will tip-off at 3:30 p.m. Wofford won both regular season meetings, topping the Bulldogs, 80-56, on Jan. 22, and 52-44, on Feb. 21.
The final opening day game will feature No. 4 seed Furman against No. 5 seed Mercer at 5:45 p.m. The two teams split contests in the regular season, with the road team coming out victorious in both games. Furman won, 60-49, back on Jan. 22, and Mercer got an 80-63 victory on Feb. 21.
The winners of game one and game four will face off in the first game of the semifinals at 11 a.m. on Friday, followed by the winners of game 2 and game 3 at 1:15 p.m.
2026 SoCon Women's Basketball Championship
Thursday, March 5 (ESPN+)
Game 1 – No. 1 Chattanooga vs. No. 8 Western Carolina, 11 a.m.*
Game 2 – No. 2 ETSU vs. No. 7 UNCG, 1:15 p.m.
Game 3 – No. 3 Wofford vs. No. 6 Samford, 3:30 p.m.
Game 4 – No. 4 Furman vs. No. 5 Mercer, 5:45 p.m.
Friday, March 6 (ESPN+)
Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 11 a.m.*
Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 1:15 p.m.
Sunday, March 8 (ESPNU)
Championship Game, Noon
* Tip-off as part of Education Day program on March 6 and March 7.
