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2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

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2009 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
File:2009WomensFinalFourLogo.jpg
Teams64
Finals siteScottrade Center
St. Louis, Missouri
ChampionsConnecticut Huskies (6th title)
Runner-upLouisville Cardinals (1st title game)
Semifinalists
Winning coachGeno Auriemma (6th title)
MOPTina Charles (Connecticut)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
«2008 2010»

The 2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament commenced 21 March 2009 and concluded 7 April 2009 when the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the Louisville Cardinals 76–54.

As of 2022, this tournament remains the last time that all four 1 seeds did not reach at least the Sweet Sixteen.

Subregionals

2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Albuquerque
Albuquerque
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge
Columbus
Columbus
College Park
College Park
Duluth
Duluth
Lubbock
Lubbock
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
Piscataway
Piscataway
Bowling Green
Bowling Green
East Lansing
East Lansing
Iowa City
Iowa City
South Bend
South Bend
Seattle
Seattle
San Diego
San Diego
Storrs
Storrs
Chattanooga
Chattanooga
2009 NCAA subregionals

Once again, the system is the same as the Division I men's basketball tournament, with the exception that only 64 teams went and there was no play-in game. Automatic bids were secured by 31 conference champions and 33 at-large bids.

The subregionals, which used the "pod system", keeping most teams either at or close to the home cities, was held from 21 March to 24 at sixteen sites. The following were chosen in July 2006, prior to the re-expansion of the subregional sites from eight to sixteen:

As per the return to the 16-site subregional format, the following sites were added in 2008:

Regionals

2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
Berkeley
Berkeley
Raleigh
Raleigh
Trenton
Trenton
St. Louis
St. Louis
2009 NCAA Regionals and Final Four

The regionals, held in the city rather than the geographic area as a practice that has been used since 2005, were held there from 28 March to 31 at these sites:

The regional winners advanced to the Final Four, held 5 and 7 April 2009 at the Scottrade Center, in St. Louis, Missouri, hosted by the Missouri Valley Conference.

Tournament records

  • Three-pointers—Iowa State hit 16 three-point field goals in a first-round game against East Tennessee State, tied for the most number of three-point shots completed in an NCAA Tournament game.
  • Three-pointers—South Dakota State hit 16 three-point field goals in a first-round game against TCU, tied for the most number of three-point shots completed in an NCAA Tournament game.
  • Three-pointers—Connecticut hit 47 three-point field goals, tied for the most number of three-point shots completed in an NCAA Tournament.[1]

Qualifying teams – automatic

Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-one conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA tournament.[1]

Automatic Bids
    Record  
Qualifying School Conference Regular
Season
Conference Seed
Austin Peay State University Ohio Valley Conference 17–15 10–8 16
Ball State University MAC 25–8 14–2 12
Baylor University Big 12 Conference 27–5 12–4 2
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Atlantic 10 23–8 13–1 11
University of Connecticut Big East 33–0 16–0 1
Dartmouth College Ivy League 18–10 13–1 16
Drexel University Colonial 24–8 16–2 12
East Tennessee State University Atlantic Sun Conference 20–10 16–4 13
University of Evansville Missouri Valley Conference 15–18 4–14 15
California State University, Fresno WAC 24–8 12–4 13
Gonzaga University West Coast Conference 26–6 12–2 12
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Horizon League 29–3 18–0 11
Lehigh University Patriot League 26–6 12–2 15
Liberty University Big South Conference 24–8 15–1 14
Marist College MAAC 29–3 16–2 12
University of Maryland, College Park ACC 28–4 12–2 1
Middle Tennessee State University Sun Belt Conference 28–5 17–1 8
University of Montana Big Sky Conference 28–4 15–1 13
North Carolina A&T MEAC 26–6 15–1 14
Ohio State University Big Ten 27–5 15–3 3
Prairie View A&M University SWAC 23–10 17–1 16
Sacred Heart University Northeast Conference 25–7 18–0 14
South Dakota State University The Summit League 31–2 17–1 7
Stanford University Pac-10 29–4 17–1 2
University of California, Santa Barbara Big West Conference 22–9 15–1 15
University of Central Florida Conference USA 17–16 11–5 14
University of Utah Mountain West 22–9 13–3 9
University of Texas at San Antonio Southland 24–8 14–2 15
Vanderbilt University SEC 24–8 10–4 4
University of Vermont America East 21–11 12–4 16
Western Carolina University Southern Conference 21–11 14–6 13

Qualifying teams – at-large

Thirty-three additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations.[1]

At-large Bids
    Record  
Qualifying School Conference Regular
Season
Conference Seed
Arizona State University Pacific-10 23–8 15–3 6
Auburn University Southeastern 29–3 12–2 2
University of California, Berkeley Pacific-10 25–6 15–3 4
DePaul University Big East 23–9 10–6 7
Duke University Atlantic Coast 26–5 11–3 1
University of Florida Southeastern 23–7 9–5 8
Florida State University Atlantic Coast 25–7 12–2 3
University of Georgia Southeastern 18–13 7–7 11
Georgia Tech Atlantic Coast 21–9 8–6 9
University of Iowa Big Ten 21–10 13–5 8
Iowa State Big 12 24–8 11–5 4
Kansas State Big 12 24–7 10–6 5
Louisville Big East 29–4 14–2 3
LSU Southeastern 18–10 10–4 6
Michigan State University Big Ten 20–10 13–5 9
Minnesota Big Ten 19–11 11–7 10
Mississippi State University Southeastern 22–9 8–6 11
University of North Carolina Atlantic Coast 27–6 10–4 3
University of Notre Dame Big East 22–8 10–6 7
University of Oklahoma Big 12 28–4 15–1 1
University of Pittsburgh Big East 23–7 12–4 4
Purdue University Big Ten 22–10 13–5 6
Rutgers University Big East 19–12 9–7 7
San Diego State University Mountain West 23–7 13–3 10
TCU Mountain West 20–10 12–4 10
Temple University Atlantic 10 21–9 11–3 9
University of Tennessee Southeastern 22–10 9–5 5
University of Texas at Austin Big 12 21–11 8–8 6
Texas A&M University Big 12 25–7 11–5 2
VCU Colonial 26–6 15–3 10
Villanova University Big East 19–13 10–6 8
University of Virginia Atlantic Coast 23–9 8–6 5
Xavier University Atlantic 10 25–6 13–1 5

Tournament seeds

Trenton Regional Sovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, New Jersey
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Connecticut Big East 33-0 Automatic
2 Texas A&M Big 12 25-7 At-large
3 Florida State ACC 25-7 At-large
4 California Pac-10 25-6 At-large
5 Virginia ACC 23-9 At-large
6 Arizona State Pac-10 23-8 At-large
7 Notre Dame Big East 22-8 At-large
8 Florida SEC 23-7 At-large
9 Temple Atlantic 10 21-9 At-large
10 Minnesota Big 10 19-11 At-large
11 Georgia SEC 18-13 At-large
12 Marist MAAC 29-3 Automatic
13 Fresno State WAC 24-8 Automatic
14 North Carolina A&T MEAC 26-6 Automatic
15 Evansville Missouri Valley 15-18 Automatic
16 Vermont America East 21-11 Automatic
Berkeley Regional Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, California
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Duke ACC 26-5 At-large
2 Stanford Pac-10 29-4 Automatic
3 Ohio State Big 10 27-5 Automatic
4 Iowa State Big 12 24-8 At-large
5 Tennessee SEC 22-10 At-large
6 Texas Big 12 21-11 At-large
7 DePaul Big East 23-9 At-large
8 Middle Tennessee State Sun Belt 28-5 Automatic
9 Michigan State Big Ten 20-10 At-large
10 San Diego State Mountain West 23-7 At-large
11 Mississippi State SEC 22-9 At-large
12 Ball State MAC 25-8 Automatic
13 East Tennessee State Atlantic Sun 20-10 Automatic
14 Sacred Heart Northeast 25-7 Automatic
15 UCSB Big West 22-9 Automatic
16 Austin Peay Ohio Valley 17-15 Automatic
Raleigh Regional RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Maryland ACC 28-4 Automatic
2 Baylor Big 12 27-5 Automatic
3 Louisville Big East 29-4 At-large
4 Vanderbilt SEC 24-8 Automatic
5 Kansas State Big 12 24-7 At-large
6 LSU SEC 18-10 At-large
7 South Dakota State Summit 31-2 Automatic
8 Villanova Big East 19-13 At-large
9 Utah Mountain West 22-9 Automatic
10 TCU Mountain West 20-10 At-large
11 Green Bay Horizon 29-3 Automatic
12 Drexel CAA 24-8 Automatic
13 Western Carolina Southern 21-11 Automatic
14 Liberty Big South 24-8 Automatic
15 UTSA Southland 24-8 Automatic
16 Dartmouth Ivy 18-10 Automatic
Oklahoma City Regional Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Oklahoma Big 12 28-4 At-large
2 Auburn SEC 29-3 At-large
3 North Carolina ACC 27-6 At-large
4 Pittsburgh Big East 23-7 At-large
5 Xavier Atlantic 10 25-6 At-large
6 Purdue Big 10 22-10 At-large
7 Rutgers Big East 19-12 At-large
8 Iowa Big 10 21-10 At-large
9 Georgia Tech ACC 21-9 At-large
10 VCU CAA 26-6 At-large
11 Charlotte Atlantic 10 23-8 Automatic
12 Gonzaga West Coast 26-6 Automatic
13 Montana Big Sky 28-4 Automatic
14 UCF Conference USA 17-16 Automatic
15 Lehigh Patriot 26-6 Automatic
16 Prairie View A&M SWAC 23-10 Automatic

Bids by conference

Thirty-one conferences earned an automatic bid. In twenty-two cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-three additional at-large teams were selected from nine of the conferences.[1]

Bids Conference Teams
7 Big East Connecticut, DePaul, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Villanova
7 Southeastern Vanderbilt, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi St., Tennessee
6 Atlantic Coast Maryland, Duke, Florida St., Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia
6 Big 12 Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M
5 Big Ten Ohio State, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue
3 Atlantic 10 Charlotte, Temple, Xavier
3 Mountain West Utah, San Diego State, TCU
3 Pacific-10 Stanford, Arizona State, California
2 Colonial Drexel, VCU
1 America East Vermont
1 Atlantic Sun East Tennessee State
1 Big Sky Montana
1 Big South Liberty
1 Big West UC Santa Barbara
1 Conference USA UCF
1 Horizon Green Bay
1 Ivy Dartmouth
1 Metro Atlantic Marist
1 Mid-American Ball State
1 Mid-Eastern North Carolina A&T
1 Missouri Valley Evansville
1 Northeast Sacred Heart
1 Ohio Valley Austin Peay
1 Patriot Lehigh
1 Southern Western Carolina
1 Southland UTSA
1 Southwestern Prairie View
1 Summit South Dakota State
1 Sun Belt Middle Tennessee State
1 West Coast Gonzaga
1 Western Athletic Fresno State

Bids by state

The sixty-four teams came from thirty-two states. Texas had the most teams with six bids. Eighteen states did not have any teams receiving bids.[1]

NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 2009
Bids State Teams
6 Texas Baylor, Prairie View, UTSA, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M
5 California Fresno State, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, California, San Diego State
5 North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina A&T, Western Carolina, Duke, North Carolina
5 Pennsylvania Drexel, Lehigh, Pittsburgh, Temple, Villanova
5 Tennessee Austin Peay, East Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
4 Indiana Ball State, Evansville, Notre Dame, Purdue
3 Florida UCF, Florida, Florida State
3 Virginia Liberty, VCU, Virginia
2 Connecticut Connecticut, Sacred Heart
2 Georgia Georgia, Georgia Tech
2 Iowa Iowa, Iowa State
2 Ohio Ohio State, Xavier
1 Alabama Auburn
1 Arizona Arizona State
1 Illinois DePaul
1 Kansas Kansas State
1 Kentucky Louisville
1 Louisiana LSU
1 Maryland Maryland
1 Michigan Michigan State
1 Minnesota Minnesota
1 Mississippi Mississippi State
1 Montana Montana
1 New Hampshire Dartmouth
1 New Jersey Rutgers
1 New York Marist
1 Oklahoma Oklahoma
1 South Dakota South Dakota State
1 Utah Utah
1 Vermont Vermont
1 Washington Gonzaga
1 Wisconsin Green Bay

Game summaries

Berkeley Region

First round

Second seeded Stanford easily beat the 15th seeded Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara behind a double-double by Jayne Appel.[2] Third seeded Ohio State beat Sacred Heart by 14 points, but led by only two well into the second half. Freshman guard Samantha Prahalis scored 23 to help lead the Buckeyes to victory.[3] Tenth seeded San Diego State upset seventh seeded DePaul behind Jene Morris's career tying 35 points.[4] Eleventh seed Mississippi State used 21 of 22 free throw shooting to upset the sixth seeded Texas Longhorns.[5] Middle Tennessee's Alysha Clark, the nations D1 scoring leader, scored 34 points, but it wasn't enough to defeat ninth seeded Michigan State, who broke a late tie and held on to win by one point.[6] One seeded Duke easily disposed of sixteen seeded Austin Peay.[7] Fourth seeded Iowa State tied an NCAA tournament record with 16 three-point goals in an easy win over thirteen seed East Tennessee State.[8]

Twelfth seeded Ball State upset defending national champion Tennessee, which had never lost an opening game in the tournament before. Tennessee has been in every one of the 29 NCAA Tournaments, and prior to this year, had never failed to make the Sweet Sixteen.[9]

Second round

Third seeded Ohio State narrowly defeated eleventh seeded Mississippi State 64–58. OSU held MSU scoreless for the last 6:43 of the game.[10] Second seeded Stanford beat San Diego State by 28, but the game was tied 8 minutes into the game. Stanford's Nneka Ogwumike had career highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds.[11]

Ninth seeded Michigan State upsets top-seeded Duke on the home floor of Michigan State, in a match up between Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie and her former team. Michigan State shot under 40% from the floor, but held Duke to under 27%.[12] Twelfth seeded Ball State stayed with Iowa State for 30 minutes, but couldn't maintain the pace. Iowa State extended a four-point lead to win 71–57.[13]

Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

Fourth seeded Iowa State beat ninth seeded Michigan State by a single point. MSU had a seven-point lead with 1:26 to go, but the Cyclones scored the final eight points of the game. They took the lead on a three-point shot by Alison Lacey for three of her 29 points. The Spartans had a chance to retake the lead, but missed their last three shots.[14]

Two seed Stanford beat Ohio State behind Jayne Appel's double-double. OSU freshman Samantha Prahalis scored 19, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Cardinal shooting.[15]

Regional final (Elite Eight)

Two seed Stanford easily beat four seed Iowa State behind Jayne Appel's 46 points. Jayne's 46 points sets a new school record and places her in the NCAA Tournament record book with the third highest point total in NCAA tournament history. Appel's 27 first half points exceeded the first half total for Iowa State.[16]

Oklahoma City Region

First round

Third seeded North Carolina beat Fourteenth seeded Central Florida. UNC had a 14-point lead with 30 seconds left in the game, but UCF scored the final nine points of the game to make the final margin five points.[17] Second seeded Auburn easily beat fifteen seed Lehigh, behind DeWanna Bonner's 26 points.[18] Sixth seeded Purdue beat eleventh seeded Charlotte to win their twelfth consecutive first-round game.[19] Fourth seeded Pittsburgh beat thirteenth seeded Montana behind Shavonte Zellous's 31 points.[20] Twelfth seeded Gonzaga upset fifth seed Xavier, giving the Bulldogs their first ever NCAA Tournament win.[21] Seventh seeded Rutgers beat Virginia Commonwealth to spoil VCU's NCAA Tournament debut.[22] Top seeded Oklahoma struggled early, but ended up winning easily over Prairie View A&M.[23] Ninth seeded Georgia Tech, playing without leading scorer Alex Montgomery, beat eighth seeded Iowa.[24]

Second round

Seventh seeded Rutgers upsets second seeded Auburn. Playing on their home court, the Scarlet Knights scored the first nine points and lead 13–2 at the first media timeout. Rutgers held Auburn to 29% shooting and ended the game with a 28-point margin.[25]

Fourth seeded Pittsburgh and twelfth seeded Gonzaga were tied at halftime, and with three and a half minutes to go in the game, but the Panthers outscored the Bulldogs in the final minutes to win by five.[26]

Sixth seeded Purdue upsets third seeded North Carolina. Purdue had lost its last three games to UNC, but hit 57% of the field goals to win by fifteen.[27]

Top seeded Oklahoma held Georgia Tech to 27% shooting in a win that advanced the Sooners to a Sweet Sixteen game in Oklahoma City.[28]

Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

Sixth seeded Purdue holds off a determined Rutgers team. The Scarlet Knights fell behind early but came back to within two with less than two minutes remaining. Purdue shot 55% in the first half, ending with over 52% shooting.[29]

Top seeded Oklahoma beat fourth seed Pittsburgh. Whitney Hand had a career-high 22 points, which helped overcome foul trouble for Courtney Paris. All five Sooner starters scored in double digits.[30]

Regional final (Elite Eight)

Oklahoma beat Purdue to advance to their second ever Final Four. Courtney Paris had 19 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks, while Danielle Robinson scored 23 points to lead the team over the Boilermakers. Purdue had three players in double-figures, led by Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton with 20, but it wasn't enough.[31]

Raleigh Region

First round

Fourth seeded Vanderbilt beat Western Carolina.[32] Fifth seeded Kansas State beat Drexel. Shalee Lehning tied a career high with 13 assists.[33] Seventh seeded South Dakota State tied an NCAA record with 16 three-point goals to help beat the Horned Frogs of TCU.[34] Ninth seed Utah overwhelmed Villanova, winning by 30.[35] Top seeded Maryland easily beat Dartmouth. Kristi Toliver had as many points at halftime (23) as Dartmouth.[36] Sixth-seeded LSU beats Wisconsin-Green Bay behind Allison Hightower's career-best 26 points.[37]

Second seeded Baylor needed overtime to prevail against fifteen seed UTSA. Head coach Kim Mulkey was not at the game, having been hospitalized earlier in the day due to a reaction to medication.[38] Third seeded Louisville forced 27 turnovers in a win over Liberty.[39]

Second round

Fourth seeded Vanderbilt beat fifth seeded Kansas State behind a career-high 27 points by Jennifer Risper, and 24 points by Christina Wirth. Kansas State held a one-point lead at halftime, but Vanderbilt scored eleven consecutive points in a second half run to take a lead they would not relinquish.[40]

Second seeded Baylor beats South Dakota State on a last second shot. Kelli Griffin scored with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game to break a 58–58 tie, and move the Bears into the regional semi-final.[41]

Marissa Coleman has 18 points and 18 rebounds to lead top seeded Maryland over Utah on their home floor. Over ten thousand fans watched Maryland win its 35th consecutive game at home.[42]

Third seeded Louisville beat LSU on LSU's home floor. LSU had won twelve consecutive victories on their home floor. LSU's will not advance to the Final Four, ending an NCAA record-tying streak of five consecutive appearances. The win was the 31st of the year for Louisville, a school record.[43]

Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

Three seed Louisville holds two seed Baylor to 39 points, in a surprisingly easy upset. Both Angel McCoughtry and Candyce Bingham had double-doubles to help lead the Cardinals to the first regional championship game in school history.[44]

Top seed Maryland survived a challenge from fourth seeded Vanderbilt. The Commodores started strong with an opening 12–2, which they extended to a 33–15 margin with six minutes left in the first half. Vanderbilt's Christina Wirth had a career-high 28 points, but it wasn't enough as Maryland's Marissa Coleman scored 42. Coleman scored the basket to give Maryland the lead with just under 30 seconds left in the game, and the clinching free throws.[45]

Regional final (Elite Eight)

Third seeded Louisville knocks off top-seeded Maryland to head to their first ever Final Four. Angel McCoughtry had a double-double to lead the Cardinals to the win. Maryland hurt themselves with 21 turnovers. Louisville head coach Jeff Walz was a former assistant coach of Maryland.[46]

Trenton Region

First round

Fifth seed Virginia trailed at halftime, but came back to beat Marist.[47] Sixth seeded Arizona State beat Georgia, despite playing without injured Dymond Simon.[48] Third seeded Florida State had five players in double figure, helping win over North Carolina A&T.[49] Fourth seeded California beats Fresno State.[50] Top seed Connecticut easily beat Vermont behind Tina Charles's 32 points on 13–14 from the field.[51]

Eighth seeded Florida beats Temple for its 24th win of the year, tying a school record.[52] Second seeded Texas A&M forces 30 turnovers in a win over Evansville.[53] Tenth seeded Minnesota upsets Notre Dame.[54]

Second round

Sixth seeded Arizona State's Danielle Orsillo hit a three-pointer with 32 seconds left to break a 54–54 tie. ASU hung on to upset third seeded Florida State.[55]

Fourth seeded California won easily over fifth seeded Virginia. Ashley Walker tied a career high with 32 points, while Devanei Hampton and Alexis Gray-Lawson each added 22 points.[56]

Second seeded Texas A&M beat tenth seeded Minnesota behind a season-high 20 steals. The Aggies forced 32 turnovers to beat the Gophers by 31.[57]

Top seeded Connecticut beat eighth seeded Florida. Renee Montgomery, playing on her home court for the last time in her career, scored 25. The win moves Connecticut in the Sweet Sixteen for the 16th consecutive time, the longest active streak.[58]

Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

Connecticut faced their largest deficit of the year (eight points) against California, and went into halftime with only a two-point margin. UConn outscored California by 40–12, starting at the time of the eight-point deficit, to take control of the game. UConn's Tiffany Hayes had a career-high 28 points, shooting 9–10 from the field, including 5–6 from beyond the three-point arc.[59]

Sixth seeded Arizona State upsets two seed Texas A&M. Briann January and Danielle Orsillo were both perfect from the floor, helping the Sun Devils to a season-high 62 percent shooting percentage. The Texas &M team was also shooting well, hitting 55% of their first 29 shots. They were within three as late as 7:12 left in the game, but ASU outscored them and ended with a fifteen-point margin.[60]

Regional final (Elite Eight)

Top-seeded Connecticut beat Arizona State to advance to their tenth Final Four. The game was close early – UConn led at one point 20–19, but UConn went on a 9–2 run to open up the margin. After a score by ASU, Maya Moore scored the next five points, which broke the single-season scoring record held by Kara Wolters. Kara was sitting courtside, doing commentary for a Connecticut radio station. The Sun Devils got to within eight at one point in the second half, but Moore and Montgomery combined for eight consecutive points to stretch the lead to 16. ASU would not get within double digits again.[61]

Final Four

Two very different games in terms of Final Four experience. In the first game, Oklahoma is in only its second Final Four (the first in 2002) and Louisville is making its first ever Final Four.

Only four coaches in NCAA history have multiple NCAA championships, and two of them, Tara VanDerveer and Geno Auriemma, coach the second game.

Louisville versus Oklahoma

Louisville plays the role of newcomer to the Final Four by missing its first 13 shots. Over seven minutes into the game, Louisville has taken their second full timeout, has yet to hit a basket, and is losing 16–2. Louisville shook off the opening jitters and began scoring. Just after the final media timeout of the first half, two Angel McCoughtry free throws would cut the lead to six, but Oklahoma would outscore Louisville 10–4 to take a twelve-point lead into the half.

The second half would open up almost a mirror image of the first half. Louisville outscored Oklahoma 15–1 to take their first lead. Oklahoma did not get a basket until more than seven minutes had elapsed. The game would stay close from then on, with never more than a six-point margin by either team. With 18 seconds left in the game Courtney Paris would hit a basket to bring the margin to one. After Candyce Bingham hit one of two free throws, Nyeshia Stevenson took a three-point shot with two seconds left in the game. Her shot rimmed out, and Louisville hung on to win 61–59.[62]

Stanford versus Connecticut

Connecticut entered the game having won its last 37 games, but their opponent Stanford was the last team to have beaten them. Just over nine minutes into the game, Stanford led 14–13. Jayne Appel scored ten of Stanford's 14 points, and assisted on one of the other two baskets. Then Renee Montgomery scored nine of UConn's next eleven points and assisted on the other basket in the stretch. Maya Moore added five points, part of an 18–4 run to bring the score to 31–18. Connecticut entered the halftime break with a 13-point lead, one more than they had had the last time they had played a Final Four game in St. Louis: a 2001 game in which, despite the large halftime lead, Notre Dame went to win the game and the Championship.

This time was different however. Connecticut scored the first eleven points of the second half, to double up Stanford 48–24. Connecticut led by at least 20 until the last five minutes and won 81–64. Jayne Appel matched Renee Montgomery for high scoring honors with 26, but Connecticut also got 24 from Maya Moore.[63]

Championship game – Louisville versus Connecticut

The players, coaches, and other staff of the 2008–2009 UConn Huskies, winners of the 2009 national championship, are honored at the White House by President Barack Obama on 27 April 2009.

Louisville would meet Connecticut for the third time in the season, but it would be the first ever all Big East Championship game. UConn prevailed in the first meeting by 28 points, and won by 39 in the Big East Tournament Championship game.[64]

Angel McCoughtry tried to change the outcome this time, scoring eleven of Louisville's first 15 points, and assisting on two others, to take a 15–13 lead just over eight minutes into the game. UConn began feeding Tina Charles, who helped pull them to a 14-point lead 39–24, at halftime.

Tina would end the game with 25 points, 19 rebounds, and a trophy for the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. Connecticut hit 50% of their field goal tries, holding Louisville to just under 31%.

Connecticut won 76–54, winning its sixth National Championship, and completing its third perfect season. They would win every game by double digits for the first time in NCAA history.[65]

Brackets

Results to date[66]

* – Denotes overtime period

Trenton Regional – Trenton, New Jersey

First round
21–22 March 2009
Second round
23–24 March 2009
Regional semifinals
29 March 2009
Regional finals
31 March 2009
            
1 Connecticut 104
16 Vermont 65
1 Connecticut 87
Storrs, Connecticut
8 Florida 59
8 Florida 70
9 Temple 57
1 Connecticut 77
4 California 53
5 Virginia 68
12 Marist 61
5 Virginia 73
Los Angeles, California
4 California 99
4 California 70
13 Fresno St. 47
1 Connecticut 83
6 Arizona St. 64
6 Arizona St. 58
11 Georgia 47
6 Arizona St. 63
Duluth, Georgia
3 Florida St. 58
3 Florida St. 83
14 North Carolina A&T 71
6 Arizona St. 84
2 Texas A&M 69
7 Notre Dame 71
10 Minnesota 79
10 Minnesota 42
South Bend, Indiana
2 Texas A&M 73
2 Texas A&M 80
15 Evansville 45

Berkeley Regional – Berkeley, California

First round
21–22 March 2009
Second round
23–24 March 2009
Regional semifinals
28 March 2009
Regional finals
30 March 2009
            
1 Duke 83
16 Austin Peay 42
1 Duke 49
East Lansing, Michigan
9 Michigan St. 63
8 Middle Tenn. 59
9 Michigan St. 60
9 Michigan St. 68
4 Iowa St. 69
5 Tennessee 55
12 Ball St. 71
12 Ball St. 57
Bowling Green, Kentucky
4 Iowa St. 71
4 Iowa St. 85
13 East Tenn. St. 53
4 Iowa St. 53
2 Stanford 74
6 Texas 63
11 Mississippi St. 71
11 Mississippi St. 58
Columbus, Ohio
3 Ohio St. 64
3 Ohio St. 77
14 Sacred Heart 63
3 Ohio St. 66
2 Stanford 84
7 DePaul 70
10 San Diego St. 76
10 San Diego St. 49
San Diego, California
2 Stanford 77
2 Stanford 74
15 UCSB 39

Raleigh Regional – Raleigh, North Carolina

First round
21–22 March 2009
Second round
23–24 March 2009
Regional semifinals
28 March 2009
Regional finals
30 March 2009
            
1 Maryland 82
16 Dartmouth 53
1 Maryland 71
College Park, Maryland
9 Utah 56
8 Villanova 30
9 Utah 60
1 Maryland 78
4 Vanderbilt 74
5 Kansas St. 68
12 Drexel 44
5 Kansas St. 61
Albuquerque, New Mexico
4 Vanderbilt 74
4 Vanderbilt 73
13 Western Caro. 44
1 Maryland 60
3 Louisville 77
6 LSU 69
11 Green Bay 59
6 LSU 52
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
3 Louisville 62
3 Louisville 62
14 Liberty 42
3 Louisville 56
2 Baylor 39
7 South Dakota St. 90
10 TCU 55
7 South Dakota St. 58
Lubbock, Texas
2 Baylor 60
2 Baylor 87*
15 UTSA 82

Oklahoma City Regional – Oklahoma City

First round
21–22 March 2009
Second round
23–24 March 2009
Regional semifinals
29 March 2009
Regional finals
31 March 2009
            
1 Oklahoma 76
16 Prairie View A&M 47
1 Oklahoma 69
Iowa City, Iowa
9 Georgia Tech 50
8 Iowa 62
9 Georgia Tech 76
1 Oklahoma 70
4 Pittsburgh 59
5 Xavier 59
12 Gonzaga 74
12 Gonzaga 60
Seattle, WA
4 Pittsburgh 65
4 Pittsburgh 64
13 Montana 35
1 Oklahoma 74
6 Purdue 68
6 Purdue 65
11 Charlotte 52
6 Purdue 85
Chattanooga, Tennessee
3 North Carolina 70
3 North Carolina 85
14 UCF 80
6 Purdue 67
7 Rutgers 61
7 Rutgers 57
10 VCU 51
7 Rutgers 80
Piscataway, New Jersey
2 Auburn 52
2 Auburn 85
15 Lehigh 49

Final Four – St. Louis, Missouri

National Semifinals
5 April
National Championship
7 April
      
T1 Connecticut 83
B2 Stanford 64
T1 Connecticut 76
R3 Louisville 54
R3 Louisville 61
O1 Oklahoma 59

Record by conference

Conference # of Bids Record Win % Sweet
Sixteen
Elite
Eight
Final
Four
Championship
Game
Pac-10 3 9-3 .750 3 2 1 0
Big East 7 15-6 .714 4 2 2 2
Big 12 6 12-6 .667 4 2 1 0
Big Ten 5 8-5 .615 3 1 0 0
ACC 6 8-6 .571 1 1 0 0
MAC 1 1-1 .500 0 0 0 0
Summit League 1 1-1 .500 0 0 0 0
West Coast 1 1-1 .500 0 0 0 0
SEC 7 6-7 .462 1 0 0 0
Mountain West 3 2-3 .400 0 0 0 0
Atlantic 10 3 0-3 .000 0 0 0 0
Colonial 2 0-2 .000 0 0 0 0

Nineteen conferences went 0-1: America East, Atlantic Sun Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Big West Conference, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAAC, MEAC, Missouri Valley Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland, Sun Belt Conference, SWAC, and WAC

All-Tournament Team

Game officials

  • Tina Napier(semifinal)
  • Cameron Inouye (semifinal)
  • Lisa Jones (semifinal)
  • Eric Brewton (semifinal)
  • Melissa Barlows (semifinal)
  • Felicia Grinter (semifinal)
  • Dee Kantner (final)
  • Lisa Mattingly (final)
  • Clarke Stevens (final)[1]

See also

References

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