At-large
Twenty-three additional teams were selected to complete the forty invitations.
| At-large Bids | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | ||||
| Qualifying School | Conference | Regular Season |
Conference | Seed |
| Rutgers University | Atlantic 10 | 0.9 !27–3 | 1.016 !16–0 | 2 |
| Saint Joseph's University | Atlantic 10 | 0.786 !22–6 | 0.75 !12–4 | 5 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Atlantic Coast | 0.733 !22–8 | 0.714 !10–4 | 4 |
| North Carolina State University | Atlantic Coast | 0.643 !18–10 | 0.643 !9–5 | 6 |
| University of Virginia | Atlantic Coast | 0.929 !26–2 | 0.929 !13–1 | 1 |
| Providence College | Big East | 0.828 !24–5 | 0.875 !14–2 | 9 |
| University of Oklahoma | Big Eight | 0.793 !23–6 | 0.714 !10–4 | 4 |
| University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | Big Ten | 0.679 !19–9 | 0.667 !12–6 | 8 |
| University of Iowa | Big Ten | 0.786 !22–6 | 0.833 !15–3 | 5 |
| James Madison University | Colonial | 0.897 !26–3 | 0.917 !11–1 | 8 |
| Louisiana Tech University | Independent | 0.862 !25–4 | - !-–- | 2 |
| Drake University | Missouri Valley | 0.75 !21–7 | 0.889 !16–2 | 10 |
| University of Washington | Northern Pacific | 0.821 !23–5 | 0.833 !10–2 | 7 |
| California State University, Long Beach | Pacific Coast | 0.875 !28–4 | 1.014 !14–0 | 3 |
| University of Southern California | Pacific West | 0.871 !27–4 | 1.008 !8–0 | 1 |
| Auburn University | Southeastern | 0.821 !23–5 | 0.667 !6–3 | 3 |
| University of Kentucky | Southeastern | 0.643 !18–10 | 0.444 !4–5 | 7 |
| Louisiana State University | Southeastern | 0.833 !25–5 | 0.667 !6–3 | 2 |
| University of Mississippi | Southeastern | 0.759 !22–7 | 0.667 !6–3 | 2 |
| University of Tennessee | Southeastern | 0.7 !21–9 | 0.556 !5–4 | 4 |
| Vanderbilt University | Southeastern | 0.733 !22–8 | 0.444 !4–5 | 5 |
| University of Arkansas at Little Rock | Southwest | 0.759 !22–7 | 0.813 !13–3 | 8 |
| Texas Tech University | Southwest | 0.724 !21–8 | 0.813 !13–3 | 6 |
Read more about this topic: 1986 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament, Qualifying Teams