INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time in program history Central Washington will serve as host of the NCAA Women’s Basketball West Region Championships as the Wildcats were among three Great Northwest Athletic Conference schools selected for the regional tournament on Sunday.
CWU earned the top overall seed in the west region, going 23-6 overall in 2025-26 and tying for second place in the GNAC standings at 14-4 in league play. Western Washington claimed the No. 2 regional seed after going 24-7 overall and winning the GNAC regular-season title with a conference record of 15-3. Montana State Billings earned the eighth spot in the tournament, by virtue of winning the GNAC Championships on Saturday night in Bellingham, Wash. The Yellowjackets went 20-14 overall and tied for fifth in the GNAC standings at 9-9 in league play.
2026 NCAA Women’s Basketball West Region Championships
March 13-16 at Ellensburg, Wash.
Game times to be announced.
No. 1 seed Central Washington vs. No. 8 seed Montana State Billings
No. 4 seed Vanguard vs. No. 5 seed Cal State LA
No. 2 seed Western Washington vs. No. 7 seed Point Loma
No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona vs. No. 6 seed Azusa Pacific
A rematch of the GNAC semifinals is in the cards for the opening round of the tournament, with the Yellowjackets upsetting GNAC No. 2 seed Central Washington 79-74 on Friday afternoon at Sam Carver Gym. It was MSUB’s first win over CWU this year, with the Wildcats winning each of the regular-season encounters. It will mark the second time that the teams meet in the NCAA tournament, with MSUB winning 91-69 in the opening round of the 2003 event.
Central Washington will be competing in the regional for the fifth time in program history and the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Wildcats are 3-4 all-time at the tournament, and advanced to the regional championship game last year. After becoming the first No. 6 seed in GNAC history to win the conference tournament, the Yellowjackets will make their 18th NCAA tournament appearance and their fourth in-a-row. MSUB won the regional title in 1999 and 2018 for its two NCAA Elite Eight appearances.
Western Washington will square off against seventh-seeded Point Loma (21-8) in the opening round of the tournament. The Vikings won 11 of their final 12 regular-season games to claim their seventh GNAC regular-season title, before falling 66-61 to the Yellowjackets on Saturday night in the conference tournament title game. Since the GNAC was formed, WWU has played in 17 NCAA tournaments and is 14-14 all-time. The Vikings’ deepest run was a trip to the NCAA Division II national title game in 2022.