The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament is an annual college basketball tournament for women. Held each March, 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. Basketball was one of 12 women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 1981–82 school year, as the NCAA engaged in battle with the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) for sole governance of women's collegiate sports. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same 12 sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA prevailed, while the AIAW disbanded.
The College World Series (CWS) is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The CWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Baseball Championship tournament—featuring 64 teams in the first round—which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight participating teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets, with the winners of each bracket playing in a best-of-three championship series.
The Horizon League is a 12-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region.
The selection process for college basketball's NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments determine which teams will enter the tournaments and their seedings and matchups in the knockout bracket. Currently, thirty-two (32) teams gain automatic entry through winning their conference's championship. The remaining teams rely on the selection committee to award them an at-large bid in the tournament. The selection process primarily takes place on Selection Sunday and the days leading up to it. Selection Sunday is also when the men's brackets and seeds are released to the public. The women's championship brackets and seeds are announced one day later, on Selection Monday.
The Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Tournament is the NCAA Division I postseason single-elimination tournament for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The winner of the tournament receives the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. As of the next MAC tournament in 2021, the top eight teams in conference play will qualify for the tournament. Since 2000, the MAC Tournament has been held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The finals are broadcast on ESPN2 and the semi and quarterfinals are broadcast on Spectrum Sports and ESPN3.
The Big East Men's Basketball Tournament is the championship tournament of the Big East Conference in men's basketball. The winner receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.
The 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament began on March 20, 2004 and concluded on April 6, 2004 when Connecticut won a third consecutive national championship, becoming only the second school in history to accomplish such a feat. The Final Four was held at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on April 4–6, 2004, and was hosted by Tulane University. UConn, coached by Geno Auriemma, defeated archrivals Tennessee, coached by Pat Summitt, 81-67 in the championship game. UConn's Diana Taurasi was named Most Outstanding Player for the second consecutive year. The tournament was also notable as UC Santa Barbara became the first double digit seed not to lose by a double-digit margin in the Sweet 16 as they lost to UConn 63-57.
The 2003 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament began on March 22, 2003, and concluded on April 8, 2003, when the Connecticut Huskies (UConn) won their second straight national title. The Final Four was held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia on April 6–8, 2003. UConn, coached by Geno Auriemma, defeated archrival Tennessee, coached by Pat Summitt, 73–68 in the championship game. UConn's Diana Taurasi was named Most Outstanding Player.
The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East for every sport; except football where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association. On December 15, 2012, Villanova and the other six, non-FBS schools announced that they were departing the Big East for a new conference. This conference assumed the Big East name on July 1, 2013.
The 2001 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament began on March 16 and ended on April 1. The tournament featured 64 teams. The Final Four, held at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, consisted of Connecticut, Notre Dame, Purdue, and Southwest Missouri State, with Notre Dame defeating Purdue 68–66 to win its first NCAA title. Notre Dame's Ruth Riley was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.
The 2009 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament was the 13th edition of the Big 12 Conference's annual championship tournament, held at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City from March 12 until March 15, 2009. The Tournament Champion, Baylor's Lady Bears, received an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament.
The Oklahoma Sooners women's basketball team represents the University of Oklahoma (OU) and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.
The 2013 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament was played from March 23 through April 9, 2013. Tennessee continued its streak of making every NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at 32 consecutive appearances. Kansas made the Regional Semifinals for the second year in a row as a double-digit seed, UConn made it into the Final Four for the sixth consecutive year, the longest such streak, and Louisville became the first team seeded lower than fourth in a region to advance to the championship game. For the first time in tournament history, the same four teams were #1 seeds as in the previous year.
The 2010 Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Tournament was the 2010 edition of the Big 12 Conference's championship tournament. It was held at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City from March 11 until March 14, 2010. Texas A&M, as the Tournament Champion, received an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament.
Connie Sue Yori is the former head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball team representing the University of Nebraska in NCAA Division I competition. She formerly coached Loras College from 1990–92 and Creighton from 1992–2002. In 2009–10, Yori was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year, AP College Basketball Coach of the Year and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year after guiding Nebraska to a 32–2 record and the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship Sweet 16.
The 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 2014, and concluded with the UConn Huskies winning the championship game on April 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2016–17 season. The 79th edition of the tournament began on March 14, 2017, and concluded with the championship game on April 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The championship game was the first to be contested in a Western state since 1995 when Seattle was the host of the Final Four for that year.
The 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament began on March 16, 2018, and concluded with the national championship game on Sunday, April 1. The Final Four was played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. This is the third time that the women's Final Four was played in Ohio after previously being held in Cincinnati in 1997 and Cleveland in 2007 and the first time that the women's Final Four was played in Columbus. For only the fourth time in the tournament’s 37-year history, all four of the number one seeds made it to the Final Four.
The 2019 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big 12 Conference. It was played from March 13 to 16, in Kansas City, Missouri at the Sprint Center. No. 5 seed Iowa State defeated Kansas 78–66 to win the championship and receive the Big 12’s automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. It was Iowa State's fourth Big 12 title in the last six years. They also became the first team lower than a four seed to win the tournament.
The 2020 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Big Ten Conference of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The tournament remained in its more traditional Midwest roots as it was held at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
