NEW ORLEANS – After winning the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship, James Madison will be a No. 12 seed in the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

The Dukes will face No. 5 seed Kentucky on Saturday, March 21, in Morgantown, W.Va.

Also in Morgantown are host No. 4 seed West Virginia and No. 13 seed Miami (Ohio).

James Madison is making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its second under the direction of head coach Sean O’Regan. Since the Dukes joined the Sun Belt Conference ahead of the 2022-23 season, O’Regan has guided James Madison to a 105-34 (.755) record, including a 58-14 (.806) mark against conference opponents.

The Dukes earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Championship after capturing their second Sun Belt Conference Tournament title on Monday, March 9, with a 69-52 victory over Troy in Pensacola, Fla. The win marked James Madison’s second Sun Belt tournament title in four seasons.

Also heading to the postseason are Georgia Southern and Troy, who will participate in the WBIT.

Georgia Southern will face No. 2 seed Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., while Troy will head to Lawrence, Kan., to take on No. 2 seed Kansas.