Published on March 15, 2026 at 8 p.m.  
Samford women Celebrate NCAAs
The Samford women's basketball team celebrates seeing its March Madness destination during the NCAA selection show.

Samford’s first trip to the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in 14 years will begin in Columbia, South Carolina, where a First Four matchup against Southern University awaits the 16th-seeded teams on Thursday.

The survivor of that game will face top-seeded South Carolina on its home floor in the Round of 64.

Samford (16-18), led by first-year head coach Matt Wise, earned its NCAA berth by posting three upset victories at that SoCon Tournament. The Bulldogs are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2012.

“Win, lose or draw, we hope that everybody who watches us comes away saying, ‘That's what Samford is about.’ I hope they see a group that comes through with togetherness, love and competitiveness,” Wise said.

Accompanied by the Samford pep band, dance team and cheerleaders, the team also drew the backing of community members who packed Harry’s Coffeehouse for the NCAA Selection Show, which featured a live look-in from ESPN. Wise became emotional about the support.

“For me, personally, and our family — I’ve got two young kids that are here tonight with my wife—we've had a kind of a crazy journey in this profession,” he said. “At one point we lived in six different cities in six years. So for us to be here now for our fourth year, for us to feel established in this community and it feel like home, and for the community to reciprocate that love tonight and come out and support us, it means more than you’re probably aware.”

Samford last won the SoCon championship in 2020, only to see the NCAA tournament canceled a week later by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This season’s Bulldogs didn’t look like much of a threat when saddled by a 1-6 start in league play. Then came their late-season turnaround—a stretch of eight wins in 10 games, including the invigorating run through the SoCon Tournament

“It’s incredible,” said senior guard Alyssa Tarpley. “I couldn’t ask for a better group to do it with, because these girls are like family. Winning together has just been so much fun. To get to go play more games together is absolutely exciting.”

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.