HBCU Women's Basketball Powers Dominate CIAA Tournament Seedings

The 2026 CIAA Tournament women's bracket is set, and it's clear that the conference's top HBCU basketball programs are poised to battle it out for the championship once again. After an action-packed 2025-26 regular season defined by breakout performances, competitive divisional races, and pivotal conference results, the stage is set for another thrilling postseason in Baltimore.

Winston-Salem State and Bowie State Earn Top Seeds

One of the biggest storylines of the season belongs to Winston-Salem State, which emerged as one of the conference's surprise teams during the 2025-26 campaign. Picked to finish seventh in the CIAA preseason predicted order of finish, the Rams surged to the top of the Southern Division standings behind a historic regular season that included a program record win total, a seven-game win streak late in the year, and a perfect home record. Their defensive identity, highlighted by forcing turnovers, controlling the glass, and limiting scoring opportunities, helped propel them to the division's No. 1 seed entering tournament week.

In the Northern Division, Bowie State secured the top seed after a consistent conference run that included key victories over divisional contenders. Virginia State, last season's runner up, returns as the No.

CIAA Women's Division Seedings

Northern Division

• Bowie State
• Virginia State
• Virginia Union
• Bluefield State
• Elizabeth City State
• Lincoln University (PA)

Southern Division

• Winston-Salem State
• Fayetteville State
• Claflin
• Livingstone
• Shaw
• Johnson C. Smith

Opening round games tip off Tuesday, February 24, followed by quarterfinal contests across February 25 and 26. Semifinal matchups will take place Friday, February 27, and the women's championship game is set for Saturday, February 28 at 1:00 p.m.

Originally reported by HBCU Gameday.