How to watch Women’s March Madness First Four: Schedule, TV and odds for Day 2
Women’s basketball is drawing broader, more prominent attention than it did even a few years ago, and that matters for more than just optics. Visibility grows the audience, attracts sponsors, strengthens media rights value and gives younger players proof that their game belongs at the center of the conversation, not at its margins. ESPN’s 2026 women’s tournament package again includes all 67 games, much like 2025, but the sport’s visibility and surrounding coverage have clearly grown.
That helps explain why the First Four feels a little different now. These games still live in the uneasy space between invitation and interrogation. You made the tournament, technically.
Now prove you belong. By Day 2, the initial shock has worn off. What remains is clarity: two games, four teams and a simple bargain.
Win, or the season ends before most of the country has learned your name. Thursday’s slate opens with Southern and Samford in a 16-seed play-in, then closes with Virginia and Arizona State in a 10-seed matchup with the cleaner path and a little more intrigue. The winners move on quickly and without ceremony.
How to watch the women’s NCAA Tournament First Four games, Day 2 Date: Thursday, March 19 Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub. Game Region Time (ET) TV Stream Samford vs.