New England is once again well-represented in this year's NCAA women's basketball tournament.
The UConn Huskies are a household name, but they're only one of a whopping five teams from the region that punched a ticket to March Madness, along with Fairfield, Rhode Island, Vermont and Holy Cross.
Dozens of former NEPSAC and state high school standouts are also scattered across the tournament field, including on a handful of high-major programs that could go far in the big dance.
Looking for a local connection to root for? Here are 20 teams we found with New England natives on the roster.
Region 1 - Fort Worth
No. 1 UConn (34-0)
The Huskies are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and it's no surprise. They're the 21st team ever to enter March Madness undefeated; 10 of the previous 20 have won the national championship. Superstar sophomore Sarah Strong (18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists) has been all-but unstoppable and sharpshooter Azzi Fudd (17.7 points) is a possible top-five WNBA draft pick.
UConn's roster includes redshirt senior and former Nobles standout Caroline Ducharme (Milton, Mass.), who is averaging 8.3 minutes per game as a reserve.
No. 3 Vanderbilt (27-4)
Freshman Ava Black (Auburn, N.H.) starred at Tabor for multiple seasons and helped the Seawolves win a 2021-22 NEPSAC Class AA title. She's averaging 10.2 minutes off the bench and scored a season-high 11 points back on Nov. 21 against Alabama State. Vanderbilt is also must-watch because it boasts the nation's leading scorer: electric guard Mikayla Blakes (27 points per game). The Commodores are helmed by coach Shea Ralph, a former All-American who led UConn to a 2000 national title.
No. 5 Maryland (23-8)
Oluchi Okananwa (Peabody, Mass.), a former Worcester Academy standout, is the biggest star in college basketball from New England right now. In her first season transferring to Maryland, the junior guard paces the Terrapins with 18.0 points, plus 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. "Gucci Luchi" has nine games with 25 or more points, including a season-high 34-point explosion against Indiana on Jan. 4.
No. 9 Syracuse (23-8)
The Orange recruited a pair of our NEPSAC Players of the Year from last winter. Versatile forward Jasmyn Cooper (North Easton, Mass.) won a high school championship at Oliver Ames and two NEPSAC titles at Nobles. She's averaging 10.6 minutes and just logged her most productive collegiate game so far with 11 points and five rebounds March 6 against Louisville.
Point guard Camdyn Nelson (Greenwich, Conn.), who played prep school ball at St. Luke's, is earning 9.4 minutes per game off the bench.
No. 11 Fairfield (28-4)
This is the third straight NCAA Tournament run for the Stags and fourth in the last five seasons. However, they're still chasing an elusive March Madness victory. Fairfield is one of the country's elite mid-major programs that hasn't quite broken through in the big dance, and they'll have another shot at an upset against sixth-seeded Notre Dame. Junior Katie L'Amoreaux (17.6 points) and Meghan Andersen (16.0 points) are the star duo.
Fairfield rosters two local talents. Grad student Lauren Beach (Medway, Mass.) has been a long-tenured presence and is averaging 3.7 points in 16.2 minutes per game. Freshman sharpshooter Christina Pham (South Boston, Mass.) has made 42 3-pointers this year at a 37.5 percent clip in her 13.7 minutes per contest.
No. 14 Howard (26-7)
The Bison have battled to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022. They field two New England natives on the roster, both playing limited bench minutes: junior forward Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn./Hamden Hall) and senior forward Jenesis Perrin (Norwich, Conn./Lawrence Academy).
No. 15 High Point (27-5)
Freshman reserve Cheyenne Brand (West Haven, Conn.) suited up for Greens Farms in NEPSAC. This is High Point's third NCAA Tournament appearance ever, but also its third in the last six years as improvement continues under coach Chelsea Banbury.
Region 2 — Sacramento
No. 3 Duke (24-8)
The Blue Devils are once again directed by two leaders with local ties. Point guard Taina Mair (Boston, Mass.) is averaging 11.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists in a career-best senior season — and she just won ACC Tournament MVP. Mair's also a three-time NEPSAC champ and former Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year.
Head coach Kara Lawson has a basketball connection to the region as well, being a former assistant coach on the Celtics.
FEATURE STORY:Â Mair's rise from Boston highlights the sacrifices made by her and her mom, Mercy Pineda
No. 9 Princeton (26-3)
The Tigers are in their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament under head coach Carla Berube. The Oxford, Mass., native won two state titles at Oxford, captured a 1995 national championship at UConn, and later made four Division 3 Final Four runs as the head coach at Tufts. Grace O'Sullivan (Acton, Mass.), a NEPSAC Class B champ at Rivers last year, is averaging 9.3 minutes as a freshman.
No. 10 Villanova (25-7)
Former Northfield Mount Hermon standout Dani Ceseretti (Barrington, R.I.) is in her second season with the Wildcats. Ceseretti is putting up 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game.
No. 11 Richmond (26-7)
After scoring their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory last March against Georgia Tech, the Spiders are back for more with three local products. Rachel Ullstrom (Auburn, Mass.), a former Marianapolis standout, is averaging 14.2 points and 5.7 rebounds with a crisp, 41.3 percent 3-point clip. Ullstrom landed on the All-Atlantic 10 First Team and was named a Player of the Week earlier in the season.
Former Brooks NEPSAC champ Sam Dewey (Melrose, Mass.) is posting a career-best season off the bench. The stretch forward is averaging 5.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 21.9 minutes while shooting 36.6 percent behind the arc. Sophomore Payton Richard (Bolton, Mass./Rivers) is averaging 5.7 minutes as a reserve.
Richmond is a First Four team that starts the tournament against Nebraska.
No. 14 College of Charleston (27-5)
The CAA champions are making a landmark first NCAA Tournament appearance. Three New England natives come off the bench: junior Jami Hill (Barrington, R.I./St. Andrew's) and twins Leah and Alana Philpotts (New Haven, Conn./Hamden). Hill plays the most of the three, averaging 5.1 points per game.
Region 3 — Fort Worth
No. 5 Kentucky (23-10)
The Wildcats have two New England prep school alums making noise in the rotation. Grad student Jordan Obi (Hartford, Conn.), formerly of Choate, is averaging 9.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in a high-minutes role in and out of the starting lineup. Kaelyn Carroll (Dedham, Mass.), the top prospect in last year's New England 2025 graduating class, is putting up 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in about 12 minutes per game off the bench. Carroll previously starred at Tabor.
No. 9 Virginia Tech (23-9)
The Hokies' leading minutes-getter is junior Carys Baker (West Hartford, Conn.), the daughter of four-time NBA All-Star Vin Baker. She's averaging 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds as a versatile 6-foot-2 forward who also shoots 36.7 percent behind the arc. In the starting backcourt is redshirt sophomore Mackenzie Nelson (Greenwich, Conn.), the older sister of Syracuse's Camdyn Nelson and a former NEPSAC champion at St. Luke's. Nelson chips in 8.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. Virginia Tech is the only Power Four school with multiple starters from New England.
No. 11 Rhode Island (28-4)
The Rams shattered my own expectations this season, capturing the Atlantic 10 championship and making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996. Head coach Tammi Reiss deserves a ton of credit for bringing this group, comprised heavily of international talent, together for a historic winter. Brooklyn Gray (12.5 points), Palmire Mbu (10.8 points) and Vanessa Harris (10.3 points) are the three players averaging double figures.
There's one important local name to know: starting point guard Sophia Vital (Cambridge, Mass.). The 5-foot-3 speedster once starred at Cambridge and Tabor. Vital is putting up 7.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
No. 12 James Madison (26-8)
The perennial Sun Belt power has reserve freshman Maddie Oliver on the roster. Oliver is a former two-time state finalist at Norwell who made our All-MIAA Second Team last season.
No. 14 Vermont (27-7)
The America East champs fended off Maine in another fantastic matchup to book their third NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four years. Vermont will hope its stingy defense, allowing just 51.6 points per game, can lead to a shock against third-seeded Louisville.
Latvian center Nikola Priede leads the squad at 17.4 points per game followed by Keira Hanson (14.1) and Jadyn Weltz (11.6). The lone Vermont native on the roster, Catherine Gilwee (Shelburne, Vt.) started 10 games but suffered a season-ending foot injury. Maren Maxon (Wells, Maine) is a freshman reserve.
No. 15 Holy Cross (23-9)
The Crusaders are making their third March Madness appearance in four years, but this is the first under second-year head coach Candice Green. Senior forward Meg Calahan paces the squad with 15.3 points per game.
New to the starting lineup this year is Kendall Eddy (Haverhill, Mass.), a former NEPSAC champion at Brooks who completed a Big Three with Duke's Taina Mair and Richmond's Sam Dewey. Eddy is posting 8.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Megan Roche (Millis, Mass./Dexter Southfield) plays sparse minutes as a freshman reserve.
Region 4 — Sacramento
No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson (30-4)
FDU laid waste to the Northeast Conference with a perfect run in conference play. Sophomore guard Kailee McDonald (Lowell, Mass./Worcester Academy) is among the go-to scorers at 12.1 points per game. McDonald drilled seven 3s en route to a career-high 23 points Dec. 4 against Lafayette, and she's canning 36.8 of her long-range attempts this season.
No. 16 Missouri State (22-12)
The Bears pulled off a stunning conference tournament run as a No. 6 seed, beating the top three seeds to win the CUSA championship. Junior Blake O'Grady (Brookline, Mass./Dexter Southfield) plays limited minutes as a reserve.
