NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

Last updated

NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
Current season, competition or edition:
Basketball current event.svg 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
Women's March Madness.svg
Sport Basketball
Founded1982;42 years ago (1982)
First season 1982
Organising body NCAA
No. of teams68
Most recent
champion(s)
South Carolina
(3rd title)
(2024)
Most titles UConn (11)
TV partner(s) ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS
Streaming partner(s) ESPN+
Level on pyramid1
Official website ncaa.com/basketball

The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, sometimes referred to as Women's March Madness, [1] is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 women's college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), to determine the national championship.

Contents

The tournament was preceded by the AIAW women's basketball tournament, which was organized by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) 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 AIAW for sole governance of women's collegiate sports. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same 12 (and other) sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA prevailed, while the AIAW disbanded.

As of 2022, the tournament follows the same format and selection process as its men's counterpart, with 32 automatic bids awarded to the champions of the Division I conferences, and 36 "at-large bids" extended by the NCAA Selection Committee, which are placed into four regional divisions and seeded from 1 to 16. The four lowest-seeded automatic bids, and the four lowest-seeded at-large bids, compete in the First Four games to advance to the 64-team bracket in the first round. The national semi-finals, branded as the Women's Final Four, are traditionally scheduled on the same weekend as the men's Final Four, but in a different host city. Presently, the Women's Final Four uses a Friday/Sunday scheduling, with its games occurring one day prior to the men's Final Four and championship, respectively. [2]

Attendance and interest in the women's championship have grown over the years, especially from 2003 to 2016, when the final championship game was moved to the Tuesday following the Monday men's championship game. [2] The tournament is often overshadowed by the more-prominent men's tournament; after a gender equality review following the 2021 tournament, the NCAA expanded it to the current 68-team format of the men's tournament and extended the "March Madness" branding to the tournament as well. The 2024 women's championship was the first to receive higher viewership than the men's championship the same year. Still, the tournament receives a smaller amount of funding from broadcast rights (which are held by ESPN, and are pooled with those of other NCAA Division I championships besides golf and men's basketball) and sponsorship (which are sold by CBS and Turner Sports) than the men's tournament.

With 11 national titles, the UConn Huskies hold the record for the most NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships, which included four straight championships from 2013 through 2016. [3] The team had also made the semi-finals for 14 consecutive tournaments.

Tournament format

From 1982 to 1990, 1996 to 2002, 2017 to 2019 and since 2021, the Women's Final Four is usually played on the Friday before the Men's Final Four or the hours before the men played on the final Saturday of the tournament. The final, since 2023, is played the Sunday afternoon following the Men's Final Four; from 2017 to 2019, 2021 and 2022, Sunday evening.

The tournament bracket is made up of champions from each Division I conference, which are 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 NET data.

Since 2022, 68 teams qualify for the tournament played in March and April. Of these teams, 32 earn automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. Since 2017 the Ivy League conducts its own post-season tournament. 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. [4]

The tournament begins with four opening-round games known as the First Four. Like the men's version, the women's First Four involves the four lowest-ranked conference champions playing for 16 seeds in the round of 64, and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams playing for their own spots in the round of 64. [5]

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. (meaning that all first-round games involve teams whose seeds add up to 17).

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 to 1985 (in 1983, 36), 40 teams from 1986 to 1988, and 48 teams from 1989 to 1993. From 1994 to 2021, 64 teams competed in each tournament. From 2022, the tournament will involve 68 teams, matching the size of the D-I men's 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[ clarification needed ] similar to the process used in selecting the field for the men's tournament.

The following table summarizes some of the key attributes of the seeding process: [6]

 Number of teams selected  
Year Automatic At-large Total Location of first round(s) Seeding Basis
1982 12 20 32 Higher seed Regional
1983 14 22 36 Higher seed [seed 1]
1984 17 15 32
1985 18 14 Higher seed
1986 17 23 40 Higher seed [seed 1]
1987 18 22
1988
1989 19 29 48
1990 21 27
1991
1992 22 26
1993 23 25
1994 32 32 64
1995
1996 31 33 Higher seed National
1997 30 34 Higher seed [seed 1]
1998 Higher seed
1999
2000 Higher seed [seed 1]
2001 31 33
2002 Higher seed
2003 16 Sites [seed 2]
2004
2005 8 Sites [seed 2]
2006
2007
2008
2009 16 Sites [seed 2]
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014 3232
2015 Higher seed [seed 1]
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020Cancelled due to COVID-19
202131 [seed 3] 33645 Sites [seed 4] National
2022323668 Higher seed [seed 1]
2023
2024
20253137
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Some exceptions. Due to venue availability, in some cases, the lower seed hosted, or the game was played at a neutral site.
  2. 1 2 3 From 2003 to 2014, sixteen predetermined sites were selected for first and second-round games. Teams were allowed to play at home, if hosting.
    Between 2005 and 2008, eight sites were used for first-round games.
  3. Ivy League cancelled all winter athletics due to COVID-19.
  4. Due to COVID-19, the entire tournament was played in Texas with the first two rounds having games played between 5 venues in and around the San Antonio area, with the last four rounds having all games played at the Alamodome.

Selection process

A special selection committee appointed by the NCAA determines which 68 teams will enter the tournament, and where they will be seeded and placed in the bracket. Because of the automatic bids, only 36 teams (the at-large bids) rely on the selection committee to secure them a spot in the tournament.

Women's NCAA Division I basketball champions

Legend for "Championship games" table below
IndicatorMeaning
OTGame was decided in an overtime period
ScoreEach score is linked to an article about that particular championship game, when available
YearEach year is linked to an article about that particular NCAA Tournament
YearWinnerScoreOpponentVenueOther semifinalists
1982 Louisiana Tech
(1, 1–0)
76–62 Cheyney State
(1, 0–1)
Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, Virginia) Tennessee & Maryland
1983 USC
(1, 1–0)
69–67 Louisiana Tech
(2, 1–1)
Old Dominion & Georgia
1984 USC
(2, 2–0)
72–61 Tennessee
(1, 0–1)
Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, California) Cheyney State & Louisiana Tech
1985 Old Dominion
(1, 1–0)
70–65 Georgia
(1, 0–1)
Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas) Western Kentucky & Northeast Louisiana [a]
1986 Texas
(1, 1–0)
97–81 USC
(3, 2–1)
Rupp Arena (Lexington, Kentucky) Western Kentucky & Tennessee
1987 Tennessee
(2, 1–1)
67–44 Louisiana Tech
(3, 1–2)
Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)Texas & Long Beach State
1988 Louisiana Tech
(4, 2–2)
56–54 Auburn
(1, 0–1)
Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, Washington)Long Beach State & Tennessee
1989 Tennessee
(3, 2–1)
76–60 Auburn
(2, 0–2)
Louisiana Tech & Maryland
1990 Stanford
(1, 1–0)
88–81 Auburn
(3, 0–3)
Thompson–Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tennessee) Virginia & Louisiana Tech
1991 Tennessee
(4, 3–1)
70–67OT Virginia
(1, 0–1)
Lakefront Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana)Connecticut [b] & Stanford
1992 Stanford
(2, 2–0)
78–62 Western Kentucky
(1, 0–1)
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, California) Southwest Missouri State [c] & Virginia
1993 Texas Tech
(1, 1–0)
84–82 Ohio State
(1, 0–1)
Omni Coliseum (Atlanta, Georgia) Iowa & Vanderbilt
1994 North Carolina
(1, 1–0)
60–59 Louisiana Tech
(5, 2–3)
Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia)Purdue & Alabama
1995 UConn [b]
(1, 1–0)
70–64 Tennessee
(5, 3–2)
Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota)Stanford & Georgia
1996 Tennessee
(6, 4–2)
83–65 Georgia
(2, 0–2)
Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina)Connecticut [b] & Stanford
1997 Tennessee
(7, 5–2)
68–59 Old Dominion
(2, 1–1)
Riverfront Coliseum (Cincinnati, Ohio)Notre Dame & Stanford
1998 Tennessee
(8, 6–2)
93–75 Louisiana Tech
(6, 2–4)
Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) Arkansas & North Carolina State
1999 Purdue
(1, 1–0)
62–45 Duke
(1, 0–1)
San Jose Arena (San Jose, California)Louisiana Tech & Georgia
2000 UConn [b]
(2, 2–0)
71–52 Tennessee
(9, 6–3)
First Union Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)Rutgers & Penn State
2001 Notre Dame
(1, 1–0)
68–66 Purdue
(2, 1–1)
Savvis Center (St. Louis, Missouri)Connecticut [b] & Southwest Missouri State [c]
2002 UConn [b]
(3, 3–0)
82–70 Oklahoma
(1, 0–1)
Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas)Tennessee & Duke
2003 UConn [b]
(4, 4–0)
73–68 Tennessee
(10, 6–4)
Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Georgia)Texas & Duke
2004 UConn [b]
(5, 5–0)
70–61 Tennessee
(11, 6–5)
New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana) Minnesota & LSU
2005 Baylor
(1, 1–0)
84–62 Michigan State
(1, 0–1)
RCA Dome (Indianapolis, Indiana) LSU & Tennessee
2006 Maryland
(1, 1–0)
78–75OT Duke
(2, 0–2)
TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)North Carolina & LSU
2007 Tennessee
(12, 7–5)
59–46 Rutgers
(1, 0–1)
Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio)
2008 Tennessee
(13, 8–5)
64–48 Stanford
(3, 2–1)
St. Pete Times Forum (Tampa, Florida) LSU & Connecticut
2009 UConn [b]
(6, 6–0)
76–54 Louisville
(1, 0–1)
Scottrade Center (St. Louis, Missouri) Stanford & Oklahoma
2010 UConn [b]
(7, 7–0)
53–47 Stanford
(4, 2–2)
Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas)Baylor & Oklahoma
2011 Texas A&M
(1, 1–0)
76–70 Notre Dame
(2, 1–1)
Conseco Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana) Connecticut & Stanford
2012 Baylor
(2, 2–0)
80–61 Notre Dame
(3, 1–2)
Pepsi Center (Denver, Colorado) Stanford & Connecticut
2013 UConn [b]
(8, 8–0)
93–60 Louisville
(2, 0–2)
New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana)Notre Dame & California
2014 UConn
(9, 9–0)
79–58 Notre Dame
(4, 1–3)
Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tennessee) Stanford & Maryland
2015 UConn
(10, 10–0)
63–53 Notre Dame
(5, 1–4)
Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida) South Carolina & Maryland
2016 UConn
(11, 11–0)
82–51 Syracuse
(1, 0–1)
Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana) Oregon State & Washington
2017 South Carolina
(1, 1–0)
67–55 Mississippi State
(1, 0–1)
American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas) UConn & Stanford
2018 Notre Dame
(6, 2–4)
61–58 Mississippi State
(2, 0–2)
Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio) UConn & Louisville
2019 Baylor
(3, 3–0)
82–81 Notre Dame
(7, 2–5)
Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida) UConn & Oregon
2020 Tournament canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, Louisiana) [planned]
2021 Stanford
(5, 3–2)
54–53 Arizona
(1, 0–1)
Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) UConn & South Carolina
2022 South Carolina
(2, 2–0)
64–49 UConn
(12, 11–1)
Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Stanford & Louisville
2023 LSU
(1, 1–0)
102–85 Iowa
(1, 0–1)
American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas) South Carolina & Virginia Tech
2024 South Carolina
(3, 3–0)
87–75 Iowa
(2, 0–2)
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Cleveland, Ohio) UConn & North Carolina State
2025 Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida)
2026 Footprint Center (Phoenix, Arizona)
2027 Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio)
2028 Gainbridge Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana)
2029 Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas)
2030 Moda Center (Portland, Oregon)
2031 American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas)
  1. Known as Louisiana–Monroe since 1999–2000; alternately branded athletically as ULM.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Branded athletically as "UConn" since the 2013–14 season.
  3. 1 2 Known as Missouri State since 2005–06.

Team titles

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UConn
ButtonOrange.svg
Tennessee
ButtonGreen.svg
Baylor
ButtonGreen.svg
Stanford
ButtonGray.svg
Louisiana Tech
ButtonGray.svg
USC
ButtonGray.svg
Notre
Dame
ButtonWhite.svg
LSU
ButtonWhite.svg
Maryland
ButtonWhite.svg
North
Carolina
ButtonWhite.svg
Old Dominion
ButtonWhite.svg
Purdue
ButtonGreen.svg
South
Carolina
ButtonWhite.svg
Texas
ButtonWhite.svg
Texas
A&M
ButtonWhite.svg
Texas
Tech
Schools that have won the NCAA Division I women's basketball championship
ButtonBlue.svg 11, ButtonOrange.svg 8, ButtonGreen.svg 3, ButtonGray.svg 2, ButtonWhite.svg 1
Team#Years
UConn 11 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Tennessee 8 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008
Baylor 3 2005, 2012, 2019
South Carolina 2017, 2022, 2024
Stanford 1990, 1992, 2021
Louisiana Tech 2 1982, 1988
Notre Dame 2001, 2018
USC 1983, 1984
LSU 1 2023
Maryland 2006
North Carolina 1994
Old Dominion 1985
Purdue 1999
Texas 1986
Texas A&M 2011
Texas Tech 1993

Multiple NCAA championship coaches

CoachSchoolChampionships
Geno Auriemma UConn11
Pat Summitt Tennessee8
Kim Mulkey Baylor / LSU4
Dawn Staley South Carolina3
Tara VanDerveer Stanford
Muffet McGraw Notre Dame2
Linda Sharp Southern California

NCAA Championship by conference

Note: Conferences are listed by all champions' affiliations at that time; these do not necessarily match current affiliations.

ConferenceYearChampionships
Southeastern1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008, 2017, 2022, 2023, 202412
Big East [a 1] 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 20139
Pac-12 [a 2] 1983, 1984, 1990, 1992, 20215
Big 122005, 2011, 2012, 20194
American Athletic2014, 2015, 20163
Atlantic Coast1994, 2006, 2018
Southwest1986, 19932
Western Collegiate1983, 1984
American South19881
Big Ten1999
Independent1982
Sun Belt1985
  1. The Big East Conference operated in its original form from 1979 until 2013. During that time, UConn won eight championships, and Notre Dame won one. Following the three-way 2013 split of that conference and subsequent settlement between the non-FBS schools and the remaining schools, the conference legally changed its name to the American Athletic Conference. Three schools (among them Notre Dame) left for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013, with a fourth doing the same in 2014; one school left for the Big Ten in 2014; and the non-FBS schools retained the Big East name. However, the current Big East now maintains the history of the original conference in all sports that it sponsors, including women's basketball. UConn then moved from the American to the new Big East in all sports outside football in the summer of 2020. The American no longer claims any of the original Big East's competitive history, though legally it does even in the two sports that it sponsors and the current Big East does not (football and women's rowing).
  2. Known as the Pacific-10 Conference, or Pac-10, when its first 4 titles were won.

NCAA Final Four locations

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NCAA Final Four locations (hover over city to see arena)
  • 1982 – Norfolk, Virginia
  • 1983 – Norfolk, Virginia
  • 1984 – Los Angeles, California
  • 1985 – Austin, Texas
  • 1986 – Lexington, Kentucky
  • 1987 – Austin, Texas
  • 1988 – Tacoma, Washington
  • 1989 – Tacoma, Washington
  • 1990 – Knoxville, Tennessee
  • 1991 – New Orleans, Louisiana
  • 1992 – Los Angeles, California
  • 1993 – Atlanta, Georgia
  • 1994 – Richmond, Virginia
  • 1995 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 1996 – Charlotte, North Carolina
  • 1997 – Cincinnati, Ohio
  • 1998 – Kansas City, Missouri
  • 1999 – San Jose, California
  • 2000 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 2001 – St. Louis, Missouri
  • 2002 – San Antonio, Texas
  • 2003 – Atlanta, Georgia
  • 2004 – New Orleans, Louisiana
  • 2005 – Indianapolis, Indiana
  • 2006 – Boston, Massachusetts
  • 2007 – Cleveland, Ohio
  • 2008 – Tampa, Florida
  • 2009 – St. Louis, Missouri
  • 2010 – San Antonio, Texas
  • 2011 – Indianapolis, Indiana
  • 2012 – Denver, Colorado
  • 2013 – New Orleans, Louisiana
  • 2014 – Nashville, Tennessee
  • 2015 – Tampa, Florida
  • 2016 – Indianapolis, Indiana
  • 2017 – Dallas, Texas
  • 2018 – Columbus, Ohio
  • 2019 – Tampa, Florida
  • 2020 – New Orleans, Louisiana
  • 2021 – San Antonio, Texas
  • 2022 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 2023 – Dallas, Texas
  • 2024 – Cleveland, Ohio
  • 2025 – Tampa, Florida
  • 2026 – Phoenix, Arizona
  • 2027 – Columbus, Ohio
  • 2028 – Indianapolis, Indiana
  • 2029 – San Antonio, Texas
  • 2030 – Portland, Oregon
  • 2031 – Dallas, Texas

Result by school and by year

Two hundred and eighty-three teams have appeared in the NCAA tournament in at least one year starting with 1982 (the initial year that the post-season tournament was under the auspices of the NCAA). The results for all years are shown in this table below. [7]

For each season, the 4 teams seeded No. 1 are shown with double underline, and 12 teams seeded between No. 2 and No. 4 are shown with dotted underline.

SchoolConference#16E8F4CGCH 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 23 24

UConn Big East 35312823121132F432E8CHF4E8E816CHF4CHCHCH16E8E8F4CHCHF4F4CHCHCHCHF4F4F4F4RU16F4
Tennessee SEC 42362818138F4E8RU16F4CHF4CHE8CH16E816RUCHCHCHE8RU16F4RURUF4E8CHCH16E8E8E816E8E8323232161632
Stanford Pac-12 37292215533216E8CHF4CH16E8F4F4F432321632E8E8E832RUF4RUF4F416F416E8F416E8CHF43216
South Carolina SEC 20148633163216E832163216F416CHE816F4CHF4CH
Baylor Big 12 2216104333216CH16323216F4E8CH16E8E8E8E816CHE8323216
Notre Dame ACC 29201097232F4163216CH32161632321616RURUF4RURU16E8CHRU161616
Louisiana Tech CUSA 2720161062CHRUF4E8E8RUCHF4F4E8RU16E816RUF4E8E81616
USC Pac-12 18117332E8CHCH16RU161632E816E8323232E8
Purdue Big Ten 2712832132163216F4E832E8CH32RU32E8163216E832E83232323232ƒ
Old Dominion Sun Belt 2512532116F4E8CH16323232323216RU161616E816
LSU SEC 29161061116E83216321616E83232E8F4F4F4F4F4323232161632CHE8
Maryland Big Ten 311611511F4163232E8F432E8323232CH32E8E832E816F4F4321632321616E8
Texas Big 12 361812311E8E816CHF4E8E8E8323232323216F41632323216E81616E8E832E8
North Carolina ACC 3118731132163216323216CH1616E816161632E8F4F4E8321632E816163232
Texas Tech Big 12 20114111323216CH16E816323216E81616E83216
Texas A&M SEC 18931111632E81632CH1632E83232161616
Auburn SEC 2210633-32161616E8RURURUE81632E8323232323232ƒ
Georgia SEC 36201152-32F4E8RU1616163232E832F4RUE8F4E83216E8161616321616E832323232
Duke ACC 26181142-32323232E8RU1616F4F4E8E8RU161632E8E8E8E8321632163216
Louisville ACC 2612842-32323232323216RU1632RUE8163216F4E8E8F4E8
Iowa Big Ten 3010632-32E8E816323232F432163232323232323216E81632RURU
Mississippi State SEC 125322-32323232163216RURUE832
Virginia ACC 2512731-32323216E816F4RUF4E816E8E81632163232323232
Oklahoma Big 12 2410331-16321616RU32161632F4F4163216323232323232
Western Kentucky CUSA 206331-F4F4323216RU1632163232
Rutgers Big Ten 2611721-E8E81632323216E8F43232E816RUE8163232
Cheyney D2 33221-RU16F4
Ohio State Big Ten 2813411-3232E816E8161632RU32323216321632163216163216E832
Michigan State Big Ten 193111-32323232RU163216323232323232
Arizona Pac-12 112111-3216323232RU3232
Syracuse ACC 131111-32323232RU32323232
Long Beach State Big West 12962--16E8E8E816F4F4E83216
NC State ACC 291632--1632161632161616161632F432161632161616E8F4
Missouri State Missouri Valley 17522--32F416323232F41616
Vanderbilt SEC 281451--32321616E8F41616E81632E8E832161632321616323232
Penn State Big Ten 251341--16E8321616323232321632E8321632F41616E832163216
Washington Pac-12 19731--3232321632E816323216E832F416
Oregon State Pac-12 13631--1632323232F416E81632E8
Oregon Pac-12 17431--32323232323232E8E8F416
Arkansas SEC 13321--E81632F43232323232
Alabama SEC 13611--163232F416161616323232
Minnesota Big Ten 10311--323216F4163232
California Pac-12 14211--32321632F432323232
Virginia Tech ACC 13211--3232163232323232F432
Louisiana–Monroe Sun Belt 3211--3216F4
Ole Miss SEC 20115---321616E8E81616E816E832E81632
Kentucky SEC 1764---E8323232E832E8E8163216323232
Colorado Pac-12 1573---3232E816E8321632E81616
Florida State ACC 2253---3232323232163232E8323232E816E83232ƒ
UCLA Pac-12 1992---32161632E8323232321616E816321616
Arizona State Pac-12 1772---1616321632E832E8321632323216
Iowa State Big 12 2262---32E81616323232E8163232321632
Xavier Big East 1022---32E8E832
Gonzaga West Coast 1551---3216E81616323216
George Washington Atlantic 10 1841---3232321632E832323232321616
Clemson ACC 1641---32321616E8323232323216323232
Indiana Big Ten 1041---163232E8163216
Utah Pac-12 2031---3232163232E832321632
Kansas State Big 12 1831---E816321632323232323232323232
Miami (FL) ACC 1621---1632323232323232E8
Florida SEC 1621---3232E8163232323232
Drake Missouri Valley 1521---E832323216
Villanova Big East 1321---32323232E832323216
Michigan Big Ten 1221---323232323216E832
Creighton Big East 1011---3232323232E832
Dayton Atlantic 10 911---3232E8
Lamar Southland 211---E8
Stephen F. Austin WAC 205----3232321616321616163232
DePaul Big East 254----32323232321616321632163232ƒ
Kansas Big 12 154----3232321632163216163232
James Madison Sun Belt 134----161616321632
Oklahoma State Big 12 173----321632163232163232
San Diego State Mountain West 93----1616323216
Boston College ACC 73----323216163216
Nebraska Big Ten 162----3232323216163232
BYU Big 12 152----32321632163232
Missouri SEC 132----163232323216323232
Georgia Tech ACC 112----3232321616
Illinois Big Ten 92----32323216163232ƒ
Colorado State Mountain West 72----3232163216
Georgetown Big East 42----16321632
Pittsburgh ACC 42----32161632
Montana Big Sky 211----16323232323232
Green Bay Horizon 191----3232321632
Liberty CUSA 171----16
West Virginia Big 12 151----321632323232323232323232
UC Santa Barbara Big West 141----323232323216
South Dakota State Summit 121----32321632
St. John's Big East 111----3232323232321632
UNLV Mountain West 111----323232163232
Bowling Green MAC 111----3216
Marist MAAC 111----16323232
Southern Miss Sun Belt 81----32321632
New Mexico Mountain West 81----1632
Memphis American 61----16323232
Central Michigan MAC 61----323216
Providence Big East 51----1632
Delaware CAA 51----3216
Quinnipiac MAAC 51----1632
Southern Illinois Missouri Valley 41----321632
Seton Hall Big East 41----1632
San Francisco West Coast 41----16
South Dakota Summit 41----16
Buffalo MAC 41----1632
UAB American 21----16
St. Bonaventure Atlantic 10 21----1632
Middle Tennessee CUSA 21-----3232323232323232
Chattanooga SoCon 17-----32
Marquette Big East 15-----323232323232
Holy Cross Patriot 14-----3232
Saint Joseph's Atlantic 10 13-----323232323232323232
Saint Francis (PA) Northeast 12-----
Princeton Ivy League 11-----323232
Tennessee Tech Ohio Valley 11-----3232323232
Temple American 11-----3232323232
Tulane American 11-----323232
Maine America East 10-----32
Florida Gulf Coast ASUN 10-----32323232
Hampton CAA 9-----
TCU Big 12 9-----3232323232
South Florida American 9-----3232323232
Toledo MAC 9-----32323232
Hawaii Big West 8-----32
Northwestern Big Ten 8-----323232323232
Jackson State SWAC 7-----32
Saint Peter's MAAC 7-----32
SMU American 7-----323232
Wisconsin Big Ten 7-----3232
Austin Peay ASUN 7-----
Dartmouth Ivy League 7-----
Belmont Missouri Valley 7-----3232
Vermont America East 7-----32
UCF Big 12 7-----32
Fresno State Mountain West 7-----
Albany America East 7-----32
Kent State MAC 6-----3232
Fairfield MAAC 6-----
Portland West Coast 6-----
Howard MEAC 6-----32
New Mexico State CUSA 6-----32
Illinois State Missouri Valley 6-----323232
Santa Clara West Coast 6-----32
Florida International CUSA 6-----323232
Harvard Ivy League 6-----32
Hartford D3 6-----3232
Oral Roberts Summit 6-----
Boise State Mountain West 6-----
Prairie View A&M SWAC 6-----
Robert Morris Horizon 6-----
Little Rock Ohio Valley 6-----3232
Grambling State SWAC 6-----
Sacred Heart Northeast 5-----ƒ
UT Martin Ohio Valley 5-----ƒ
Northern Illinois MAC 5-----3232
Southern SWAC 5-----ƒ
Northwestern State Southland 5-----
Houston Big 12 5-----3232
Penn Ivy League 5-----
North Carolina A&T CAA 5-----
Rice American 4-----32
Richmond Atlantic 10 4-----
Idaho Big Sky 4-----32
La Salle Atlantic 10 4-----32
Appalachian State Sun Belt 4-----
Cincinnati Big 12 4-----32
Bucknell Patriot 4-----
Manhattan MAAC 4-----
Pepperdine West Coast 4-----
Idaho State Big Sky 4-----
Lehigh Patriot 4-----
Cal State Northridge Big West 4-----
Troy Sun Belt 4-----
Radford Big South 4-----
Mount St. Mary's MAAC 4-----ƒ
Mercer SoCon 4-----
Washington State Pac-12 4-----
Norfolk State MEAC 3-----
Drexel CAA 3-----
East Carolina American 3-----32
Youngstown State Horizon 3-----32
Georgia State Sun Belt 3-----
Charlotte American 3-----
Alabama State SWAC 3-----
Alcorn State SWAC 3-----
UT Arlington WAC 3-----
Stetson ASUN 3-----
Coppin State MEAC 3-----
Army Patriot 3-----
UC Riverside Big West 3-----
UNC Asheville Big South 3-----
San Diego West Coast 3-----
Cleveland State Horizon 3-----
East Tennessee State SoCon 3-----
Northern Iowa Missouri Valley 3-----
UC Davis Big West 3-----
Navy Patriot 3-----
Fordham Atlantic 10 3-----
Wright State Horizon 3-----32
Ohio MAC 3-----
Tennessee State Ohio Valley 3-----
Wichita State American 3-----
American Patriot 3-----
Montana State Big Sky 3-----
UMass Atlantic 10 3-----
Eastern Washington Big Sky 2-----
UC Irvine Big West 2-----
Marshall Sun Belt 2-----
Monmouth CAA 2-----32ƒ
Western Michigan MAC 2-----32
Wake Forest ACC 2-----32
Cal State Fullerton Big West 2-----32
Georgia Southern Sun Belt 2-----
Loyola (MD) Patriot 2-----
Florida A&M SWAC 2-----
Furman SoCon 2-----
Saint Mary's West Coast 2-----32
Oakland Horizon 2-----
Texas State Sun Belt 2-----
Weber State Big Sky 2-----
Valparaiso Missouri Valley 2-----
Eastern Michigan MAC 2-----
Eastern Kentucky ASUN 2-----
Western Carolina SoCon 2-----
Milwaukee Horizon 2-----
Tulsa American 2-----32
Southeast Missouri State Ohio Valley 2-----
UTEP CUSA 2-----32
Wyoming Mountain West 2-----
Evansville Missouri Valley 2-----
UTSA American 2-----
VCU Atlantic 10 2-----
Portland State Big Sky 2-----
Gardner–Webb Big South 2-----
McNeese Southland 2-----
Samford SoCon 2-----
Iona MAAC 2-----
Western Illinois Ohio Valley 2-----
Central Arkansas ASUN 2-----
Elon CAA 2-----
South Carolina State MEAC 1-----32
North Texas American 1-----
New Orleans Southland 1-----32
South Alabama Sun Belt 1-----
Eastern Illinois Ohio Valley 1-----
Brown Ivy League 1-----
Butler Big East 1-----
Rhode Island Atlantic 10 1-----
Detroit Mercy Horizon 1-----
UNC Greensboro SoCon 1-----
Northeastern CAA 1-----
Campbell CAA 1-----
Denver Summit 1-----
LIU Northeast 1-----
Siena MAAC 1-----
Boston University Patriot 1-----
Colgate Patriot 1-----
Lipscomb ASUN 1-----
Loyola Marymount West Coast 1-----
Canisius MAAC 1-----
Florida Atlantic American 1-----
Northern Arizona Big Sky 1-----
Delaware State MEAC 1-----
Louisiana Sun Belt 1-----
UMBC America East 1-----
Cornell Ivy League 1-----
Miami (OH) MAC 1-----
Murray State Missouri Valley 1-----
Ball State MAC 1-----32
Cal Poly Big West 1-----
Akron MAC 1-----
North Dakota Summit 1-----
Winthrop Big South 1-----
Savannah State D2 1-----
St. Francis Brooklyn Defunct1-----
Duquesne Atlantic 10 1-----32
Jacksonville ASUN 1-----
Texas Southern SWAC 1-----
Nicholls Southland 1-----
Northern Colorado Big Sky 1-----
Seattle WAC 1-----
Abilene Christian WAC 1-----
Bethune–Cookman SWAC 1-----
Towson CAA 1-----
Bradley Missouri Valley 1-----
High Point Big South 1-----
Stony Brook CAA 1-----
Utah Valley WAC 1-----
Longwood Big South 1-----
IUPUI Horizon 1-----
Incarnate Word Southland 1-----ƒ
Sacramento State Big Sky 1-----
Saint Louis Atlantic 10 1-----
Southeastern Louisiana Southland 1-----
Southern Utah WAC 1-----
California Baptist WAC 1-----
Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Southland 1-----
Presbyterian Big South 1-----
Columbia Ivy League 1-----ƒ
Notes

    Top-ranked teams

    Since the women's tournament began in 1982, 20 teams have entered the tournament ranked #1 in at least 1 poll and gone on to win the tournament:

    Champions excluded the next year

    Only once has the reigning champion (the previous year's winner) not made it to the tournament the next year.

    No. 1 seeds

    Since 1982, at least one #1 seed has made the Final Four every year.

    Under coach Geno Auriemma, Connecticut has been seeded #1 a record 22 times. Tennessee is second with 21 #1 seeds.

    All four #1 seeds have made it to the Final Four 4 times (champion in bold):

    The championship game has matched two #1 seeds 15 times:

    Three teams have beaten three #1 seeds during the course of a tournament (the largest number of such teams that can be faced) (all three teams won the national championship as beating a 3rd #1 seed in a single tournament can only happen in the finals):

    Prior to the expansion of the tournament to 64 teams, all four #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:

    High seeds

    Low seeds

    Teams entering the tournament unbeaten

    Of the 20 teams who have entered the tournament unbeaten, 10 went on to win the National Championship. [8]

    The first record here refers to the record before the first game of the NCAA tournament.

    YearTeamRecordResultFinal record
    1986 Texas 30–0Won the tournament, beat USC 34–0
    1990 Louisiana Tech 29–0Lost in Final Four game to Auburn 32–1
    1992 Vermont 29–0Lost in Round of 64 game to George Washington 29–1
    1993 Vermont 28–0Lost in Round of 64 game to Rutgers 28–1
    1995 UConn 29–0Won the tournament, beat Tennessee 35–0
    1997 UConn 30–0Lost in Elite Eight game to Tennessee 33–1
    1998 Tennessee 33–0Won the tournament, beat Louisiana Tech 39–0
    Liberty 28–0Lost in Round of 64 game to Tennessee28–1
    2002 UConn 33–0Won the tournament, beat Oklahoma 39–0
    2009 UConn 33–0Won the tournament, beat Louisville 39–0
    2010 UConn 33–0Won the tournament, beat Stanford 39–0
    2012 Baylor 34–0Won the tournament, beat Notre Dame 40–0
    2014 Notre Dame 32–0Lost in championship game to UConn37–1
    UConn 34–0Won the tournament, beat Notre Dame40–0
    2015 Princeton 30–0Lost in Round of 32 game to Maryland 31–1
    2016 UConn 32–0Won the tournament, beat Syracuse 38–0
    2017 UConn 32–0Lost in Final Four game to Mississippi State 36–1
    2018 UConn 32–0Lost in Final Four game to Notre Dame 36–1
    2023 South Carolina 32–0Lost in Final Four game to Iowa 36–1
    2024 South Carolina 32–0Won the tournament, beat Iowa 38–0

    Undefeated teams not in the tournament

    The NCAA tournament has undergone dramatic expansion since its first edition in 1982, and only one unbeaten team has failed to qualify for the tournament—California Baptist in 2021, which was 24–0 after winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. [9] As, by definition, a team would have to win its conference tournament, and thus secure an automatic bid to the tournament, to be undefeated in a season, the only way a team could finish undefeated and not reach the tournament is if the team is banned from postseason play. (Other possibilities are that the team is independent, or is from a conference not yet eligible for an automatic bid.) Postseason bans can come about for one of two reasons:

    • The team is serving a postseason ban due to NCAA sanctions.
    • The team is transitioning from a lower NCAA division, during which time it is barred by NCAA rule from participation in NCAA-sponsored postseason play. This is the case for California Baptist, which began a transition from Division II in 2018 and thus could not play in the NCAA tournament until 2023. California Baptist was eligible for the WNIT because that tournament is not operated by the NCAA, unlike the men's version (or the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament introduced in 2024); the Lancers lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Rice.

    Home state

    Only one team has ever played the Final Four on its home court. Two other teams have played the Final Four in their home cities, 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 now-defunct 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 Monarchs' regular home court. ODU has always used on-campus arenas, first the ODU Fieldhouse and since 2002 Chartway Arena. The following year, USC won the national title at Pauley Pavilion, the home court of its Los Angeles archrival UCLA.

    Of the other teams to play in their home states, 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

    Same-conference championship games

    7 championship games have featured two teams from the same conference (winner listed first and bolded):

    Television coverage and revenues

    Broadcast rights to the NCAA women's basketball tournament are included in a larger package covering most NCAA Division I championships, [12] [13] outside of men's basketball (which is held by CBS and TNT Sports), [14] and golf (which is held by Golf Channel). [15] ESPN has held exclusive rights to the tournament since 1996; beginning with an 11-year, $200 million contract renewal in 2003, ESPN would televise all 63 games in the tournament on television (increasing from 23), with games in the first and second rounds airing regionally on ESPN and ESPN2. Out-of-market games were carried via pay-per-view. [16] Coverage later expanded to include ESPN's college sports-oriented network ESPNU, and ESPN360 for streaming. [17] In 2011, ESPN renewed this agreement through the 2023–24 season, in a deal reported to be worth $500 million in total. The deal also included rights to the men's tournament outside of the United States for ESPN International. [18] In 2024, ESPN renewed the contract again through 2032 (aligned with the end of the media rights for the men's tournament), in an agreement valued at $920 million over eight years. [19]

    In the first two rounds, one channel (typically ESPN or ESPN2's high-definition feed) typically aired "whiparound" coverage during each window, carrying rolling coverage of all games in progress. ESPN's standard definition channels were used to broadcast games on a regional basis, while games could also be viewed in their entirety on ESPN3 or alternate channels. [17] In 2021, ESPN adopted a broadcast arrangement similar to the men's tournament, with all games airing nationally in their entirety on either an ESPN linear channel or, for the first time, ABC. The Women's Final Four and championship remained exclusive to ESPN. [20] Beginning in 2023, the national championship game has aired on ABC. [21] [22]

    In data issued by the NCAA in 2021, it was stated that 15.9% of the value of the contract was allocated to the women's tournament, or approximately $6.1 million annually. In comparison, the contract for the men's tournament is valued at over $700 million annually. Amid scrutiny of inequality between the men's and women's tournaments that year, it has been suggested by critics that the structure of the NCAA's contract undervalues the media rights to the women's tournament. [23] [24] Based on average viewership, Emily Caron and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico estimated that the women's tournament could fetch at least $20 million per year if its media rights were sold separately. America East Conference commissioner Amy Huchthausen argued that the ESPN contract "provides a measure of financial certainty, but it does not provide women's basketball (or any of the other sports, for that matter) an incentive to grow". [25]

    Following major media criticism of inequities between the 2021 men's and women's tournaments, the NCAA commissioned a comprehensive gender equity review of its championships by the law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink. Among the report's findings was that U.S. television rights for the women's tournament would be worth at least $81 million annually by the time the current broadcast contract with ESPN expires in 2024 (in comparison to the $34 million value of the NCAA package as a whole). [12] [13]

    In an interview on NBC's Meet the Press on the day of the 2023 national championship, new NCAA president Charlie Baker implicated that the media rights to the women's basketball tournament may be sold separately in the next rights cycle, stating that "we do have an opportunity to put it out separately, and we're going to work really hard to make sure that those student-athletes, those schools, those programs get what I describe as what they should get." [26] Interest in Caitlin Clark's tournament run had led to record viewership of Iowa's Women's Final Four and championship games on ESPN and ABC, respectively. [21] [27]

    Nevertheless, the NCAA renewed its existing agreements with ESPN in January 2024 under an eight-year agreement, with ESPN paying approximately $115 million per season, and the NCAA having valued the media rights to the Division I women's basketball tournament at $65 million. The agreement also includes expanded rights for ESPN to sell sponsorships (although CBS/WBD will still administer the NCAA Corporate Champion and Partner Program sponsorships per its rights to the men's tournament), and guarantees that the national championship will air on ABC annually. [22]

    See also

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