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Going down to the final buzzer to decide the regular-season title winners, the bracket is set for the 2026 Credit Union 1 Big West Basketball Championship.
Now in its third season of an eight-team bracket, UC Irvine gets the double bye directly into the semifinal round of the Championship, taking to the court at Lee’s Family Forum on Friday. Joining the Anteaters with extra days of postseason preparation is defending champion UC San Diego Tritons, who claimed the No. 2 seed and a share of the regular-season championship after downing UC Santa Barbara in the finale.
With a program-record 26 wins and just five losses on the year, UCI secured The Big West regular-season title for the second time in program history, also nabbing the top line in the 2023 bracket. UCI has been on one of the top two lines of the bracket every year since the Championship made its return to the Las Vegas Valley, dating back to 2021.
The Anteaters lead The Big West in scoring offense with 71.7 points per game while outscoring opponents by an average of
14.1 points per game. UCI leads the league in multiple statistical categories including three-point percentage (35.3), free throw percentage (79.5), free throws made per game (17.50) and turnovers per game (12.6). The effectiveness and volume from the line both rate in the top 10 nationally. Additionally, the Anteaters’ season was highlighted by 16 straight wins from Nov. 15 to Jan. 22.
The top side of the eight-team bracket is filled by preseason favorite and red-hot Hawai’i, who enters the season on an eight-game winning streak, upstart Cal State Fullerton and CSUN. The Anteaters have a combined 5-1 record over the trio heading into the postseason.
The first game of the Championship pits No. 5 Cal State Fullerton (16-15, 11-8 BW) against eighth-seeded CSUN (10-19, 6-14 BW) tipping off at Noon on Wednesday. The Titans took both ends of the regular-season series by a combined eight points. Under the direction of first-year head coach John Bonner, Cal State Fullerton’s 11 conference wins are the most for the Titans since 1990-91 season.
The winner of the contest takes on No. 4 seed Hawai’i (20-10, 14-6 BW). The Rainbow Wahine are a combined 3-1 over their potential second round foes with the 82-80 loss to the Titans taking place during December’s Bold Week.
UC San Diego’s side of the bracket has UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and UC Riverside in wait. The Tritons hold a 4-2 mark in regular-season contests over their fellow UC’s in their half of the bracket.
The Tritons are enjoying their first regular-season title, sharing the crown with UCI. Sporting a 22-8 record and 17-3 mark in league play, UCSD has now turned in back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in program’s the Division I era.
Sixth-seeded UC Santa Barbara (20-9, 12-8 BW) will tussle with No. 7 seed UC Riverside (10-20, 8-12 BW) in Wednesday’s first round, with a 2:30 p.m. tip time. The Gauchos and Highlanders split the regular-season series with both teams winning on the road.
The advancing side will meet up with No. 3 seed UC Davis (22-9, 15-5 BW) in Thursday’s second round. The Aggies swept through the Highlanders this season but fell twice to the Gauchos, setting up the potential for an intriguing second-round matchup.
The Big West is set to crown the 2026 champion on Saturday, March 14, at 3 p.m. from Lee’s Family Forum. The victor receives automatic entry into the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.
Now that you know when your favorite team is set to compete, The Big West is encouraging fans to go to Henderson! A limited time flash sale offering 20 percent off single-session tickets starts now, with the offer expiring on Sunday, March 8 at Noon. Act fast and beat the buzzer for this exclusive discount at
bigwest.org/26bkbtix by using the code FLASH20 at checkout.
The entirety of the 2026 Credit Union Big West Women’s Basketball Championship, presented by Credit Union 1 will be aired on ESPN+ and SiriusXM 380. Tim Neverett will be on the call with Tammy Blackburn providing analysis on Wednesday. Tracy Warren joins Blackburn for the remaining five contests on ESPN+.
THE 2026 CREDIT UNION 1 BIG WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Lee’s Family Forum | Henderson, Nev.
First Round - Wednesday, March 11
Noon | No. 5 seed Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 8 seed CSUN
2:30 p.m. | No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 7 seed UC Riverside
Second Round - Thursday, March 12
Noon | No. 4 seed Hawai’i vs. No. 5/8 seed
2:30 p.m. | No. 3 seed UC Davis vs. No. 6/7 seed
Semifinals - Friday, March 13
Noon | No. 1 seed UC Irvine vs. No. 4/5/8 seed (Game 3 winner)
2:30 p.m. | No. 2 seed UC San Diego vs. No. 3/6/7 seed (Game 4 winner)
Final - Saturday, March 14
3 p.m. | Championship Game