Cardinals Earn No. 3 Seed, Face No. 14 Vermont in First Round
March 15, 2026 | Women's Basketball
This is the fifth time in program history the Cardinals have been the No. 3 seed
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A day after the Louisville women's basketball team found out it was hosting the 1st and 2nd rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, the full field was announced at the Selection Show on Sunday night. The Cardinals (27-7, 15-3 ACC) earned a No. 3 overall seed and will face off against No. 14 seed Vermont (27-7, 13-3 AE) in the first round at the KFC Yum! Center. No. 6 Alabama (23-10, 7-9 SEC) and No. 11 Rhode Island (28-4, 16-2 A-10) will be the two other teams playing the first and second rounds in Louisville from March 21-23.
Louisville and Vermont will play at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 21, with the game broadcast nationally on ESPN. Alabama and Rhode Island will follow at 2:30 p.m. ET and it will be broadcast on ESPNEWS.
This is the 28th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Cardinals and their 15th-straight appearance under head coach Jeff Walz. The Cardinals have made the tournament in 16 of the 18 seasons a tournament was held during Walz's tenure. The Cardinals have 45 all-time wins in the NCAA Tournament, a mark that ranks 15th in the country.
It is the fifth time the Cardinals have been the No. 3 overall seed and the first time since 2016. The Cardinals reached their first ever Final Four as the No. 3 seed back in 2009. It is the 11th time the Cardinals have been a Top 4 seed in the tournament and they have advanced to the Sweet 16 in nine of those seasons.
Louisville is one of nine ACC teams to make the NCAA Tournament, setting a conference record for most teams to make a single tournament. The Cardinals had 17 games against teams in the NCAA Tournament field this season and held a 10-7 record in those games. The Cards had 10 wins over teams with 20 or more victories this season.
Louisville and Vermont will play at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 21, with the game broadcast nationally on ESPN. Alabama and Rhode Island will follow at 2:30 p.m. ET and it will be broadcast on ESPNEWS.
This is the 28th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the Cardinals and their 15th-straight appearance under head coach Jeff Walz. The Cardinals have made the tournament in 16 of the 18 seasons a tournament was held during Walz's tenure. The Cardinals have 45 all-time wins in the NCAA Tournament, a mark that ranks 15th in the country.
It is the fifth time the Cardinals have been the No. 3 overall seed and the first time since 2016. The Cardinals reached their first ever Final Four as the No. 3 seed back in 2009. It is the 11th time the Cardinals have been a Top 4 seed in the tournament and they have advanced to the Sweet 16 in nine of those seasons.
Louisville is one of nine ACC teams to make the NCAA Tournament, setting a conference record for most teams to make a single tournament. The Cardinals had 17 games against teams in the NCAA Tournament field this season and held a 10-7 record in those games. The Cards had 10 wins over teams with 20 or more victories this season.
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