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Charlie Creme
Multiple Authors
The stretch run has arrived. The 2025-26 women’s college basketball season is now a two-week sprint to decide regular-season champions and conference tournament positioning, and to put the finishing touches on NCAA tournament seedings.
South Carolina has done most of its heavy lifting with a 3-0 SEC record against LSU, Texas and Vanderbilt, but a few challenges await before a fifth straight conference title is secure.
UCLA probably has the Big Ten title and a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed in hand, but what about second place? Michigan, Ohio State and Iowa are all in the mix
The Big 12 might come down to the final day of the regular season.
Duke still has two more games against Tobacco Road rivals before the Blue Devils can claim an ACC championship.
This past weekend’s loaded schedule helped set up those storylines, but these 10 games should be the best and most impactful matchups to finish the regular season.
All times Eastern
Tuesday: 7 p.m., ESPNU (Oxford, Mississippi)
The winter storm that hit the Southeast two weeks ago postponed this game that was scheduled for Jan. 26. It forces both teams to play three games in six days but comes at a critical time with both the Lady Vols and Rebels fighting for a top-four spot in the SEC. This is the middle game in a three-game stretch for Ole Miss that also includes Kentucky and LSU.
Wednesday: 7 p.m., ESPN+ (Lubbock, Texas)
The Big 12 is a four-team race and these are two of the challengers. A one-point win in Waco on Dec. 21 was the defining moment of the Lady Raiders’ surprising season until they beat TCU two weeks ago. A Texas Tech win would give the Lady Raiders a 4-0 record against Baylor, TCU and West Virginia and put them in the driver’s seat to their first conference title since 2000.
Sunday: 3 p.m., SEC Network+ (Nashville, Tennessee)
Vanderbilt’s 84-83 win in Lexington on Feb. 5 might have been the Commodores’ best win of the season until they beat Texas last Thursday. It was also one of Mikayla Blakes’ best games of the season. She scored 19 of her season-high 37 points in the fourth quarter. Kentucky’s hopes of a top-four NCAA tournament seed might rest on a victory in the rematch.
Sunday: noon, Fox (Iowa City, Iowa)
The meat of Michigan’s schedule comes at the end. After hosting Michigan State, the Wolverines travel to Iowa and then Ohio State. Second place in the Big Ten probably will be decided by these two games. The Hawkeyes don’t have a natural matchup for Olivia Olson, so it could be a big game for Michigan’s leading scorer.
Feb. 25: 8 p.m., Peacock (Columbus, Ohio)
The Wolverines might have a difficult time matching up with Ohio State’s speedy guard Jaloni Cambridge. She’s the conference’s top scorer in Big Ten play and torched Michigan for 29 points in last season’s meeting.
Feb. 25: 6 p.m., ESPN+ (Richmond, Virginia)
When these two opened Atlantic 10 play in late December, Rhode Island’s 12-point win in Kingston put the Rams in the driver’s seat for the conference title. To win it outright, they will have to do it again. Richmond hasn’t lost since, setting up this de facto championship game. The loser here also suffers a major blow to its at-large résumé
Baylor at TCU
March 1: 4 p.m., ESPN (Fort Worth, Texas)
A 3-point barrage carried the Horned Frogs to an important and convincing win over the Bears in Waco on Thursday. That set the stage for a two-week, four-team sprint to the Big 12 title that probably y concludes with the winner having at least the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and a spot among the top four seeds in the NCAA tournament heading into Champ Week.
1:42
Olivia Miles drops career-high 40 in TCU’s win vs. Baylor
Olivia Miles dominates with a 40-point game and lifts TCU over Baylor 83-67.
March 1: noon, ESPN (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
There are few better ways to conclude the regular season than a Duke-North Carolina matchup. The ACC-leading Blue Devils probably are out of reach for the Tar Heels, but North Carolina might be playing for a top-four spot in the standings and a double bye in the ACC tournament.
1:19
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils: Game Highlights
North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Duke Blue Devils: Game Highlights
March 1: noon, ACC Network (Charlottesville, Virginia)
It’s another big in-state rivalry with major implications. Virginia’s NCAA tournament hopes might rest on avenging a 12-point loss to the Hokies in Blacksburg on Feb. 1. This is only one of three games for Virginia Tech in the final two weeks that might serve the Hokies well. Their NCAA tournament odds are better than Virginia’s.
March 1: 2 p.m., SEC Network+ (Lexington, Kentucky)
The Wildcats’ challenging finish to the SEC season concludes with a visit from the Gamecocks, who might have the conference’s regular-season title and a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed wrapped up by then. A top-four finish in the SEC and a double bye in the SEC tournament is probably already out of reach for the Wildcats, but a strong finish capped by an upset here could be enough for a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament.
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