2026 America East Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket: Schedule, Score, Results, Dates, Start Times, TV Channel, Live Stream

The 2026 Air Force Reserve America East Women's Basketball Playoffs (the conference championship tournament) runs March 5–13, 2026, with a unique format: quarterfinals on Thursday, March 5; semifinals on Monday, March 9; and the championship on Friday, March 13. All games are hosted by the higher seed (campus sites), with reseeding after quarterfinals for semis and final. The winner earns the automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.Seeding & Key TeamsFrom final regular-season standings (Vermont clinched the outright title, first since 2002):No. 1: Vermont Catamounts (13-3 conf., 24-7 overall) –

Top seed, hosting quarterfinal and likely advancing far as favorites.

No. 2: Maine Black Bears (12-4 conf., 17-12 overall) – Strong contender.

No. 3: Binghamton Bearcats (10-6 conf., 18-11 overall).

No. 4: UMBC Retrievers (10-6 conf., 15-13 overall).

No. 5: NJIT Highlanders (9-7 conf., 18-11 overall).

No. 6: Bryant Bulldogs (8-8 conf., 18-11 overall).

No. 7: New Hampshire Wildcats (4-12 conf.).

No. 8: UAlbany Great Danes (lower conf. record).

(Note: No. 2 is Maine, as per bracket matchups and standings; the query's "No. 2 Seed" placeholder is updated here.)

2026 America East Women's Championship Schedule, Score, Results, Dates, Start Times

(All times ET; higher seed hosts)

Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 5, 2026 (all on ESPN+)

No. 8 UAlbany at No. 1 Vermont – 6:00 p.m. (Burlington, VT)

No. 7 New Hampshire at No. 2 Maine – 6:00 p.m. (Orono, ME)

No. 6 Bryant at No. 3 Binghamton – 6:07 p.m. (Vestal, NY)

No. 5 NJIT at No. 4 UMBC – 6:30 p.m. (Baltimore, MD)

Semifinals – Monday, March 9, 2026 (times TBA; ESPN+;

Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed

Second-lowest at second-highest

Championship – Friday, March 13, 2026

At highest remaining seed – 5:00 p.m. (ESPNU – national TV)

How To Watch

Viewing & MoreStreaming: ESPN+ for quarterfinals and semifinals.

TV: Championship on ESPNU (free OTA in many markets via cable/satellite).

Live updates/tickets: americaeast.com/tournaments (id=4328) for bracket PDF, scores, and streams.

Storylines: Vermont seeks to defend recent playoff success (multiple title game appearances); Maine and Binghamton could challenge. Upsets possible in road games.