ESPN's MegaCast Coverage of 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four Begins Friday, April 3 in Phoenix

ESPN's MegaCast Coverage of 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four Begins Friday, April 3 in Phoenix

ESPN's exclusive presentation of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship presented by Capital One will air live from Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on April 3 and 5. All four No. 1 seeds - UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina - will compete in the semifinals and championship.

Broadcast Schedule

Semifinal action begins Friday, April 3, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, with No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 1 UConn, followed by No. 1 Texas vs. No. 1 UCLA at 9:30 p.m. The national championship will air Sunday, April 5, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC, marking the fourth consecutive year the championship has aired on ABC. All games will also be available on the ESPN App. The games will be available in 4K/HDR for the second consecutive year.

Commentators

Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe, and rules analyst Dee Kantner will call all three games. This is the sixth Women's Final Four for Ruocco, Lobo, and Rowe together.

Studio Coverage

Christine Williamson will host studio coverage, joined by analysts Andraya Carter and Chiney Ogwumike. The NCAA Women's Final Four Special Presented by Capital One airs Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN. The NCAA Women's Championship Special Presented by Capital One airs Sunday at 2:30 p.m. on ABC. Saturday open practices will air on ESPN2 at 4 p.m., with Kelsey Riggs Cuff, Carolyn Peck, and Muffet McGraw.

Courtside Alt-Cast

ESPN's new alt-cast, Courtside at the Women's Final Four Presented by AT&T, will air on ESPN2 for both semifinals and on ESPN for the championship. The broadcast features host Jess Sims, Ilona Maher, Natisha Hiedeman, Courtney Williams, Katie Feeney (semifinals), and Chelsea Gray (championship).

Digital Coverage

Countdown to the Women's Final Four and Countdown to the Women's Championship, both presented by Wendy's, will be hosted by Courtney Cronin, Ari Chambers, and Monica McNutt on ESPN's YouTube, Facebook, and the ESPN App at 5:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The Wrap-Up Presented by AT&T will air on the same platforms following Game 2 on Friday and the championship on Sunday.

SEC Network

SEC Network will provide coverage of South Carolina and Texas with Alyssa Lang, Nell Fortner, and Mike Neighbors throughout the weekend.

Technology

ESPN will deploy more than 50 cameras across game, studio, and alt-cast coverage, including a Railcam, two Supracam systems, Sony FX6, Sony 4800, Sony F5500 cameras, three jibs, 13 Fletcher Robotic Cameras, one Steadicam, and seven Marshalls. Production infrastructure includes Gamecreek's Flagship Fleet for game coverage and Nitro Fleet for studio and alt-cast, nine 12CH XT-VIA Servers, 25 transmission paths, eight return paths, and 100-plus microphones across three shows.

Additional Programming

Breaking Glass: The Pat Summitt Story, a documentary directed by Dawn Porter and executive produced by Robin Roberts, premieres on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 5, ahead of championship coverage.

ESPN's Beyond the Baseline event in Tourney Town will feature Brittney Griner in conversation with Monica McNutt on Saturday, April 4 at 11 a.m. MST at the Phoenix Convention Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Full MegaCast Schedule

DateTime (ET)ProgrammingWhere to Watch

Fri, Apr 3 5:30 p.m. Countdown to the Women's Final Four Presented by Wendy's - Courtney Cronin, Ari Chambers, Monica McNutt ESPN YouTube/Facebook/ESPN App

6 p.m. NCAA Women's Final Four Special Presented by Capital One - Christine Williamson, Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike ESPN

7 p.m. Game 1: No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 1 UConn - Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Dee Kantner, Holly Rowe ESPN/ESPN Deportes

7 p.m. Courtside at the Women's Final Four Presented by AT&T - Jess Sims, Ilona Maher, Natisha Hiedeman, Courtney Williams, Katie Feeney ESPN2

9 p.m. NCAA Women's Final Four Update Presented by Capital One ESPN/ESPN2

9:30 p.m. Game 2: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 1 UCLA - Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Dee Kantner, Holly Rowe ESPN/ESPN Deportes

9:30 p.m. Courtside at the Women's Final Four Presented by AT&T - Jess Sims, Ilona Maher, Natisha Hiedeman, Courtney Williams, Katie Feeney ESPN2

Post Game 2 The Wrap-Up Presented by AT&T - Courtney Cronin, Ari Chambers, Monica McNutt ESPN YouTube/Facebook/ESPN App

Sat, Apr 4 4 p.m. NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Open Practice - Kelsey Riggs Cuff, Carolyn Peck, Muffet McGraw ESPN2

Sun, Apr 5 2 p.m. Countdown to the Women's Championship Presented by Wendy's - Courtney Cronin, Ari Chambers, Monica McNutt ESPN YouTube/Facebook/ESPN App

2:30 p.m. NCAA Women's Championship Special Presented by Capital One - Christine Williamson, Andraya Carter, Chiney Ogwumike ABC

3:30 p.m. NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Presented by Capital One - Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo, Holly Rowe ABC/ESPN Deportes

3:30 p.m. Courtside at the Women's Final Four Presented by AT&T - Jess Sims, Ilona Maher, Chelsea Gray, Katie Feeney ESPN

6 p.m. NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Post-Game Show Presented by Nissan ESPN

Post Champ Game The Wrap-Up Presented by AT&T - Courtney Cronin, Ari Chambers, Monica McNutt ESPN YouTube/Facebook/ESPN App

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/04/02/espns-megacast-coverage-of-2026...
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