LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX18) — Kentucky Women's Basketball has been awarded a No. 5 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament and will face No. 12 James Madison (26-8) in the Fort Worth Regional 3. The first-round game is scheduled for Saturday, March 21, in Morgantown, West Virginia.
THE PATH IS SET! 🔥
— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) March 16, 2026
Kentucky Women’s Basketball earns a No. 5 seed and will take on No. 12 James Madison in Morgantown, WV. @LEX18News @KentuckyWBB pic.twitter.com/NA3gDi8O6O
Kenny Brooks played at James Madison from 1987 to 1991 and later returned to the program as an assistant coach from 1998 to 2002 before serving as head coach from the 2002–03 season through 2016.
The Kentucky women are playing James Madison where Kenny Brooks played and then coached the women's team. He was there as head coach from 2002-'16 where he led them to 5 NCAA Tournaments and won 337 games.
— Keith Farmer (@KeithFarmer18) March 16, 2026
The Cats enter the tournament with an overall record of 23-10 (8-8 SEC). Their regular season ended with a loss to South Carolina, and the Gamecocks also eliminated Kentucky from the SEC Tournament.
For the first time ever, the NCAA Selection Committee revealed the top 16 overall seeds prior to Selection Sunday. Teams earning the top four lines and will be hosting first and second-round games include Duke, Iowa, Louisville, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, TCU, Texas, UCLA, UConn, Vanderbilt, and West Virginia.
Regional 3 - Fort Worth (5) @kentuckywbb vs (12) James Madison in Morgantown, WV to open their run in the 2026 NCAA Tournament pic.twitter.com/IsEclTYLLH
— Sierra Newton (@SoFlossieWrites) March 16, 2026
Last season, in coach Kenny Brooks’ debut, Kentucky, as a fourth seed, fell to fifth-seeded Kansas State 80-79 in overtime in the second round at Historic Memorial Coliseum. That game featured nine ties and 21 lead changes. Kentucky had multiple chances in the final 30 seconds to score but could not convert, ending the 2024-25 season at 23-8 overall, 11-5 in the SEC.
Kentucky enters the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 16 in the NET. The Wildcats were undefeated in Quad 3 and Quad 4 games and had just one Quad 2 loss, a Jan. 24 home defeat to Georgia that they later avenged with a 15-point SEC Tournament win. Kentucky finished 5-9 in Quad 1 matchups.
For more on Kentucky Women's Basketball and all of the Wildcats, join us on BBN Tonight, airing weeknights at 7:30 p.m. on the official station for UK Athletics, LEX 18.
