NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship

NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship

Current season or competition: 2012 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
Sport	Basketball
Founded	1982
No. of teams	64
Country(ies)	NCAA Division I (USA)
Most recent champion(s)	Texas A&M
TV partner(s)	ESPN (Championship game)
Official website	NCAA.com

The NCAA Women's Division I Championship is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each April, the Women's Championship was inaugurated in the 1981–82 season. The NCAA tournament was preceded by the AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament, which was held annually from 1972 to 1982.

Attendance and interest have grown over the years, especially since 2003, when the final championship game was moved to the Tuesday following the Monday men's championship game.^{[citation needed]} The women's championship game is now the final overall game of the college basketball season.

The tournament bracket is made up of champions from each Division I conference, which receive automatic bids. The remaining slots are at-large bids, with teams chosen by an NCAA selection committee. The selection process and tournament seedings are based on several factors, including team rankings, win-loss records and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) data.

Unlike the men's tournament, there are only 33 at-large bids, and no play-in game. The women's tournament, like the men's, is staged in a single elimination format, and is part of the media and public frenzy known colloquially as March Madness or The Big Dance.

All 63 games have been broadcast on television since 2003 on ESPN and ESPN2. Similar to the pre-2011 men's tournament coverage on CBS, local teams are shown on each channel when available, with "whip-around" coverage designed to showcase the most competitive contests in the rest of the country.

Tournament format

Main article: NCAA basketball tournament selection process

A total of 64 teams qualify for the tournament played in March and April. 30 of the 64 teams earn automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. Since the Ivy League does not conduct a post-season tournament, the regular-season conference champion receives an automatic bid. The remaining teams are granted "at-large" bids, which are extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. Dr. Marilyn McNeil, vice president/director of athletics at Monmouth University is the current chairwoman. On March 1, 2011, Bowling Green State University's director of intercollegiate athletics, Greg Christopher, was appointed chair of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee during the 2011–12 academic year.

The tournament is split into four regional tournaments, and each regional has teams seeded from 1 to 16, with the committee ostensibly making every region as comparable to the others as possible^{[citation needed]}. The top-seeded team in each region plays the #16 team, the #2 team plays the #15, etc.

Number of teams, and seeding

The first NCAA women's basketball tournament was held in 1982. The AIAW also held a basketball tournament in 1982, but most of the top teams, including defending AIAW champion Louisiana Tech, decided to participate in the NCAA tournament.

The championship consisted of 32 teams from 1982–1985, 40 teams from 1986–1988, and 48 teams from 1989–1993. Since 1994 64 teams compete in each tournament.

Prior to 1996, seeding was conducted on a regional basis. The top teams (eight in the 32-, 40-, and 48-team formats, and 16 in the 64-team format) were ranked and seeded on a national basis. The remaining teams were then seeded based on their geographic region. Teams were moved outside of its geographic region only if it was necessary to balance the bracket, or if the proximity of an opponent outside of its region would be comparable and a more competitive game would result. In 1993, all teams except for the top four were explicitly unseeded. The regional seeding resumed in 1994. In 1996, seeds were assigned on a national basis using an "S-Curve" format similar to the process used in selecting the field for the men's tournament.

Selection process

For more details on this topic, see NCAA basketball tournament selection process.

A special selection committee appointed by the NCAA determines which 64 teams will enter the tournament, and where they will be seeded and placed in the bracket. Because of the automatic bids, only 33 teams (the at-large bids) rely on the selection committee to secure them a spot in the tournament.

Tournament trends

Top-ranked teams

Since the women's tournament began in 1982, 13 teams have entered the tournament ranked #1 in at least 1 poll and gone on to win the tournament:

• 1982: Louisiana Tech
• 1983: USC
• 1986: Texas
• 1988: Tennessee
• 1989: Tennessee
• 1995: Connecticut
• 1998: Tennessee
• 1999: Purdue
• 2000: Connecticut
• 2002: Connecticut
• 2003: Connecticut
• 2009: Connecticut
• 2010: Connecticut

#1 seeds

Since 1982, only once have all #1 seeds made it to the Final Four:

• 1989 Auburn, Louisiana Tech, Maryland, Tennessee

The championship game has matched two #1 seeds nine times:

• 1983 USC defeated Louisiana Tech
• 1986 Texas defeated USC
• 1989 Tennessee defeated Auburn
• 1991 Tennessee defeated Virginia
• 1995 Connecticut defeated Tennessee
• 2000 Connecticut defeated Tennessee
• 2002 Connecticut defeated Oklahoma
• 2003 Connecticut defeated Tennessee
• 2010 Connecticut defeated Stanford

At least one #1 seed has made the Final Four every year.

Three teams have beaten three #1 seeds during the course of a tournament (the largest number of such teams that can be faced):

• 1987 Tennessee (beat Auburn, Long Beach State, Louisiana Tech)
• 1988 Louisiana Tech (beat Auburn, Tennessee, Texas)
• 2005 Baylor (beat LSU, Michigan State, North Carolina)

Prior to the expansion of the tournament to 64 teams, all #1 seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen with three exceptions. Notably, the first two times this occurred were at the hands of the same school:

• 1986 East #1 seed Virginia lost to #8 seed James Madison
• 1991 East #1 seed Penn State lost to #8 seed James Madison
• 1992 Midwest #1 seed Iowa lost to #8 seed Southwest Missouri State

High seeds

• 1999 was the first time in tournament history (since the expansion to 64 teams) that all top seeds (1, 2, 3, and 4 seeds) made it to the Sweet Sixteen.

Low seeds

Lowest seeds to reach each round since the expansion to 64 teams:

• Second Round: #16 seed
  • Harvard in 1998 (the only #16 seed to defeat a #1 seed in either the women's or men's tournament)

• Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen): #13 seed
  • Texas A&M in 1994
  • Liberty in 2005
  • Marist in 2007

• Regional Finals (Elite Eight): #11 seed
  • Gonzaga in 2011

• National Semifinals (Final Four): #9 seed
  • Arkansas in 1998

• National Finals (Championship Game): #4 seed
  • Louisiana Tech in 1994
  • Rutgers in 2007

• National Champion: #3 seed
  • North Carolina in 1994

First-round games

Since the expansion to 64 teams only one #16 seed has defeated a #1 seed (while the men's tournament has none):

• Stanford lost to Harvard in 1998 (4 points, 71–67)

Unlike in the men's tournament, no #14 or #15 seeds have made it to the Second Round of the women's tournament.

Since the expansion to 64 teams in 1994, each seed-pairing has played a total of 72 first round games.

1. The #1 seed is 71–1 against the #16 seed (98.61%).
2. The #2 seed is 72–0 against the #15 seed (100%).
3. The #3 seed is 72–0 against the #14 seed (100%).
4. The #4 seed is 67–5 against the #13 seed (93.06%).
5. The #5 seed is 56–16 against the #12 seed (77.78%).
6. The #6 seed is 51–21 against the #11 seed (70.83%).
7. The #7 seed is 47–25 against the #10 seed (65.28%).
8. The #8 seed is 34–38 against the #9 seed (47.22%).

Second-round games

Since the expansion to 64 teams in 1994, the following results have occurred for each pairing:

• In the 1/16/8/9 bracket:

	vs. #8	vs. #9
#1	32–1 (.970)	32–2 (.941)
#16	–	0–1 (.000)

• In the 2/15/7/10 bracket:

	vs. #7	vs. #10
#2	36–9 (.800)	21–2 (.913)
#15	–	–

• In the 3/14/6/11 bracket:

	vs. #6	vs. #11
#3	34–14 (.708)	14–6 (.700)
#14	–	–

• In the 4/13/5/12 bracket:

	vs. #5	vs. #12
#4	30–17 (.638)	15–1 (.938)
#13	3–2 (.600)	–

Teams entering the tournament undefeated

• In 1986, Texas entered the tournament 30–0, won the national title, and ended the season 34–0.
• In 1990, Louisiana Tech entered the tournament 29–0, but lost in the Final Four to Auburn.
• In 1992, Vermont entered the tournament 29–0, but lost in the first round to George Washington.
• In 1993, Vermont entered the tournament 28–0, but lost in the first round to Rutgers.
• In 1995, Connecticut entered the tournament 29–0, won the national title, and ended the season 35–0.
• In 1997, Connecticut entered the tournament 30–0, but lost in the Midwest Regional final to Tennessee.
• In 1998, Tennessee (33–0) and Liberty (28–0) each entered the tournament undefeated. Liberty lost in the first round to Tennessee. Tennessee won the national title and ended the season 39–0.
• In 2002, 2009, and 2010 Connecticut entered these tournaments 33–0, won the national titles, and ended these seasons 39–0.

Home state

Only one team has ever played the Final Four on its home court. One other team has played in its home city, and seven others have played the Final Four in their home states.

The only team to play on its home court was Texas in 1987, which lost its semifinal game at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center.

Old Dominion enjoyed nearly as large an advantage in 1983 when the Final Four was played at the Norfolk Scope in its home city of Norfolk, Virginia, but also lost its semifinal. The Scope has never been the Lady Monarchs' regular home court. ODU has always used on-campus arenas, first the ODU Fieldhouse and since 2002 the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

Of the other teams to play in their home states, USC (1984) and Stanford (1992) won the national title; Notre Dame (2011) lost in the championship game; and Western Kentucky (1986), Penn State (2000), Missouri State (2001), LSU (2004), and Baylor (2010) lost in the semifinals.

Championship margins

• Overtime games in a championship game:
  • Tennessee 70, Virginia 67/OT (1991)
  • Maryland 78, Duke 75/OT (2006)

• Smallest margin of victory in a championship game: 1 point
  • North Carolina 60, Louisiana Tech 59 (1994)

• Biggest margin of victory in a championship game: 23 points
  • Tennessee 67, Louisiana Tech 44 (1987)

• Margin of 10 points: Louisiana Tech (1982), Tennessee (1987 & 1989), Purdue (1999), and Connecticut (2000, 2002, & 2009) are teams to win every game in the tournament by 10 points or more on their way to a championship.

Same-conference championship games

4 championship games have featured two teams from the same conference:

• 1989 SEC, Tennessee and Auburn
• 1996 SEC, Tennessee and Georgia
• 2006 ACC, Maryland and Duke
• 2009 Big East, Connecticut and Louisville

Women's NCAA Division I basketball champions

Year	Winner	Score	Opponent	Venue	Other Finalists
1982	Louisiana Tech	76–62	Cheyney State	Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, Virginia)	Tennessee & Maryland
1983	USC	69–67	Louisiana Tech	Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, Virginia)	Old Dominion & Georgia
1984	USC	72–61	Tennessee	Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, California)	Cheyney State & Louisiana Tech
1985	Old Dominion	70–65	Georgia	Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)	Western Kentucky & Northeast Louisiana
1986	Texas	97–81	USC	Rupp Arena (Lexington, Kentucky)	Western Kentucky & Tennessee
1987	Tennessee	67–44	Louisiana Tech	Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)	Texas & Long Beach State
1988	Louisiana Tech	56–54	Auburn	Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, Washington)	Long Beach State & Tennessee
1989	Tennessee	76–70	Auburn	Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, Washington)	Louisiana Tech & Maryland
1990	Stanford	88–81	Auburn	Thompson–Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tennessee)	Virginia & Louisiana Tech
1991	Tennessee	70–67 (OT)	Virginia	Lakefront Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana)	Connecticut & Stanford
1992	Stanford	78–62	Western Kentucky	Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, California)	Southwest Missouri State & Virginia
1993	Texas Tech	84–82	Ohio State	Omni Coliseum (Atlanta, Georgia)	Iowa & Vanderbilt
1994	North Carolina	60–59	Louisiana Tech	Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)	Purdue & Alabama
1995	Connecticut	70–64	Tennessee	Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota)	Stanford & Georgia
1996	Tennessee	83–65	Georgia	Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina)	Connecticut & Stanford
1997	Tennessee	68–59	Old Dominion	Riverfront Coliseum (Cincinnati, Ohio)	Notre Dame & Stanford
1998	Tennessee	93–75	Louisiana Tech	Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri)	Arkansas & NC State
1999	Purdue	62–45	Duke	San Jose Arena (San Jose, California)	Louisiana Tech & Georgia
2000	Connecticut	71–52	Tennessee	First Union Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)	Rutgers & Penn St.
2001	Notre Dame	68–66	Purdue	Savvis Center (St. Louis, Missouri)	Connecticut & SW Missouri St
2002	Connecticut	82–70	Oklahoma	Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas)	Tennessee & Duke
2003	Connecticut	73–68	Tennessee	Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Georgia)	Texas & Duke
2004	Connecticut	70–61	Tennessee	New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana)	Minnesota & LSU
2005	Baylor	84–62	Michigan State	RCA Dome (Indianapolis, Indiana)	LSU & Tennessee
2006	Maryland	78–75 (OT)	Duke	TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)	North Carolina & LSU
2007	Tennessee	59–46	Rutgers	Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)	North Carolina & LSU
2008	Tennessee	64–48	Stanford	Tampa Bay Times Forum (Tampa, Florida)	LSU & Connecticut
2009	Connecticut	76–54	Louisville	Scottrade Center (St. Louis, Missouri)	Stanford & Oklahoma
2010	Connecticut	53–47	Stanford	Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas)	Baylor & Oklahoma
2011	Texas A&M	76–70	Notre Dame	Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)	Connecticut & Stanford
2012				Pepsi Center (Denver, Colorado)
2013				New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana)
2014				Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tennessee)
2015				Tampa Bay Times Forum (Tampa, Florida)
2016				Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis, Indiana)

NCAA Championship Game Appearance By School

School	NCAA Finals Appearance	*Championships	Runner Up
Tennessee	1984, *1987, *1989, *1991, 1995, *1996, *1997, *1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, *2007, *2008	8	5
Connecticut	*1995, *2000, *2002, *2003, *2004, *2009, *2010	7	0
Louisiana Tech	*1982, 1983, 1987, *1988, 1994, 1998	2	4
Stanford	*1990, *1992, 2008, 2010	2	2
USC	*1983, *1984, 1986	2	1
Auburn	1988, 1989, 1990	0	3
Notre Dame	*2001, 2011	1	1
Purdue	*1999, 2001	1	1
Old Dominion	*1985, 1997	1	1
Duke	1999, 2006	0	2
Georgia	1985, 1996	0	2
Texas A&M	*2011	1	0
Maryland	*2006	1	0
Baylor	*2005	1	0
North Carolina	*1994	1	0
Texas Tech	*1993	1	0
Texas	*1986	1	0
Louisville	2009	0	1
Rutgers	2007	0	1
Michigan State	2005	0	1
Oklahoma	2002	0	1
Ohio State	1993	0	1
Western Kentucky	1992	0	1
Virginia	1991	0	1
Cheyney State	1982	0	1

NCAA Final Fours by school

School	Final Four Years	Number of Appearances	Championships
Tennessee	1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008	18	8
Connecticut	1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011	12	7
Louisiana Tech	1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1998, 1999	10	2
Stanford	1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011	10	2
Georgia	1983, 1985, 1995, 1996, 1999	5	0
LSU	2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008	5	0
Duke	1999, 2002, 2003, 2006	4	0
Auburn	1988, 1989, 1990	3	0
Maryland	1982, 1989, 2006	3	1
North Carolina	1994, 2006, 2007	3	1
Notre Dame	1997, 2001, 2011	3	1
Oklahoma	2002, 2009, 2010	3	0
Old Dominion	1983, 1986, 1997	3	1
Purdue	1994, 1999, 2001	3	1
Texas	1986, 1987, 2003	3	1
USC	1983, 1984, 1986	3	2
Virginia	1990, 1991, 1992	3	0
Western Kentucky	1985, 1986, 1992	3	0
Baylor	2005, 2010	2	1
Cheyney St.	1982, 1984	2	0
Long Beach St.	1987, 1988	2	0
Missouri St.	1992, 2001	2	0
Rutgers	2000, 2007	2	0
Alabama	1994	1	0
Arkansas	1998	1	0
Iowa	1993	1	0
Louisiana-Monroe	1985	1	0
Louisville	2009	1	0
Michigan St.	2005	1	0
Minnesota	2004	1	0
NC State	1998	1	0
Ohio St.	1993	1	0
Penn St.	2000	1	0
Texas A&M	2011	1	1
Texas Tech	1993	1	1
Vanderbilt	1993	1	0

Multiple NCAA championship coaches

Coach	School	Championships
Pat Summitt	Tennessee	8
Geno Auriemma	Connecticut	7
Tara VanDerveer	Stanford	2
Linda Sharp	USC	2

See also

• NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship
• NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship
• AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament
• Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, Basketball Champions
• Pre-NCAA Women's Basketball Champions
• NCAA Women's Division I Tournament bids by school
• NAIA national women's basketball championship
• List of NCAA Women's Final Four broadcasters
• NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship