KANSAS CITY, Mo. – No. 24 UT Southern has officially punched its ticket to the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship, earning a No. 3 seed in the Liston Quadrant when the NAIA announced the 64-team bracket Thursday afternoon.

The Firehawks will travel to Spring Arbor, Mich., for the NAIA First and Second Rounds, hosted by No. 6 seed and nationally ranked No. 18 Spring Arbor, on March 13-14.

UT Southern will open the tournament against No. 14 seed Northwestern (Iowa) in the First Round. The other matchup in the pod features No. 6 seed and No. 18-ranked Spring Arbor (Mich.), the host institution, facing No. 11 seed Indiana Tech.

The winners of those two contests will meet in the Second Round on March 14, with the victor advancing to the NAIA Championship Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa, held March 19-24 at the Tyson Events Center.

The appearance marks the sixth NAIA National Championship berth in program history for UT Southern. The Firehawks hold a 0-4 record in national tournament play, while the program's most recent appearance in 2020 ultimately did not occur after the NAIA National Championship was prematurely cancelled due to COVID.

UT Southern earned one of the tournament's 29 at-large selections after a standout 2025-26 campaign that saw the Firehawks finish 22-6 overall and reach the Southern States Athletic Conference Championship game. The Firehawks also climbed into the NAIA Coaches' Top 25, finishing the regular season ranked No. 24 nationally.

The Firehawks' résumé includes several signature wins, highlighted by victories over then-No. 1 Bethel (Tenn.) and then-No. 24 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), while all five of UT Southern's losses came to teams that finished the season ranked or receiving votes in the final NAIA poll, including No. 5 Campbellsville (Ky.), No. 16 Loyola (La.) (twice), No. 25 William Carey (Miss.), and Faulkner (Ala.).

The First and Second Round games will be streamed free on the NAIA Channel via the Urban Edge Network, with the winners advancing to Sioux City to compete for the 45th annual NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship.

UT Southern will look to secure the first NAIA National Championship win in program history when the Firehawks tip off tournament play March 13 in Spring Arbor, Michigan.

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