Five of them have been first overall picks: Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004), Tina Charles (2010), Maya Moore (2011), and Breanna Stewart (2016). 2022-23 Women's Basketball records For questions or updates to the Womens Basketball Records, please email Phil Pierce ([emailprotected]ncaa.org). On December 7, 2018, UConn announced that the #50 worn by Rebecca Lobo would be permanently retired, effective with ceremonies to be held during the Huskies' final 201819 home game on March 2, 2019. As the season progressed, however, the team quickly found its rhythm, beating ranked teams like Baylor, Notre Dame and Maryland, and showcasing a talented core of young players. [2], The UConn Huskies are the most successful women's basketball program in the nation, having won a record 11 NCAA Division I National Championships and a women's record four in a row, from 2013 through 2016,[3] plus over 50 conference regular season and tournament championships. The #6 seed is 7533 against the #11 seed (.694). Discovery Sports),[15] and golf (which is held by Golf Channel). Motivated by the previous disappointing season, UConn came back in 19992000 with the clear goal of reaching the championship level again. The final, since 2023, is played the Sunday afternoon following the Men's Final Four; from 2017 to 2019, 2021 and 2022, Sunday evening. This is the case for California Baptist, which began a transition from Division II in 2018 and thus cannot play in the NCAA tournament until 2023. The format for the 2024 NCAA tournament will stay the same for the first time in three years. During her tenure, shooting guard Karen Mullins was the first UConn woman to receive a basketball scholarship; that number had increased to 12 by 1980. Women's NCAA Division I basketball champions. Geno Auriemma is now the only coach in college basketball to have won 11 titles, passing UCLA legend John Wooden (who has 10) and reaching former NBA coach Phil Jackson. Players expected to be active in 202223 are in bold. The women's tournament championship game had 9.9 million views, becoming the most-watched women's basketball game in history. Since 2017 the Ivy League conducts its own post-season tournament. The Huskies found their rhythm during the NCAA Tournament, in which they were a #2 seed; in the Elite Eight they beat top-seeded Penn State to advance to the Final Four at the New Orleans Arena. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Senior Nykesha Sales suffered a season-ending injury in one of the final games of the regular season. 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: 33 points. [17] Coverage later expanded to include ESPN's college sports-oriented network ESPNU, and ESPN360 for streaming. Margin of 10 points: Louisiana Tech (1982), Tennessee (1987 & 1989), Purdue (1999), UConn (2000, 2002, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016), and Baylor (2012) are teams to win every game in the tournament by 10 points or more on their way to a championship. Leading up to the Final Four in San Antonio, UConn dominated teams from Southern, Temple, Iowa State and Florida State. [10] 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. [85], In the 2016 WNBA draft UConn performed even better, with the three seniors Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck sweeping the first three picks for the first time in the history of any major sport.[86]. The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament 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. They dominated the Big East tournament, winning the championship game 6032. [75][76][77] In his astonishing career Auriemma has won more than 25 different national Coach of the Year awards and was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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. Taurasi was the third basketball player to receive this final honor, after former UConn star Rebecca Lobo and Tennessee star Chamique Holdsclaw. Branded athletically as "UConn" since the 201314 season. UConn finished the regular season undefeated for the 5th time in school history with a 300 record. "[36], Taurasi received many personal accolades at UConn including the 2003 and 2004 Naismith College Player of the Year awards, the 2003 Wade Trophy, the 2003 Associated Press Women's College Basketball Player of the Year award, the 2003 USBWA Women's National Player of the Year award and the 2004 Best Female Athlete ESPY Award. The #7 seed is 7137 against the #10 seed (.657). LSU has won its first NCAA women's basketball title, overpowering Iowa with a 102-85 victory on Sunday, scoring the most points ever in a women's title game. UConn was found to have committed a secondary violation (involving a tour of the ESPN campus) and no punishment was handed out.[42][43]. While other #1 seeds Notre Dame, South Carolina and Baylor suffered early upsets in the NCAA Tournament, UConn easily advanced to the Final Four where they defeated Oregon State 8051 and then old Big East rival Syracuse 8251 in the Championship Game. Mosqueda-Lewis was another State Farm/WBCA High School Player of the Year for UConn,[55] Banks was a highly rated guard,[56] and Stokes, a 6'3 post player, was highly ranked as well. Conference regular season and conference tournament champion The Lady Bears became the first team in NCAA college basketball history, for either women or men, to win 40 games in a season. The Scope has never been the Lady Monarchs' regular home court. Notre Dame, led by junior star Skylar Diggins, beat the Huskies twice in the regular season, but UConn was able to reverse the roles in the Big East tournament Championship Game; the win was the school's 15th conference title, as well as the 800th career win for coach Geno Auriemma. The Lady Vols havent been back to the Final Four since. [25], Many people weighed in on the decision on both national and local levels. By Charlie Creme Updated: 4/18/2023 at 9:00 a.m. In 1993, all teams except for the top four were explicitly unseeded. [18] 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. In 1986, Texas entered the tournament 300, beat USC for the national title, and ended the season 340. Division I They won their 17th Big East Regular Season title and their 15th Big East tournament title beating the Louisville Cardinals. Annual college basketball tournament for women, NCAA women's college basketball tournaments, NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. 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. She achieved legendary status among UConn fans, and is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.[37]. Here is the complete history of the DI women's basketball championship Conference tournament champion, UConn played in the Big East Conference from the 198283 season, the first in which the league sponsored women's basketball and held a tournament, until the conference split in 2013. In comparison, the contract for the men's tournament is valued at over $700 million annually. Bascom was hit with early foul trouble and Virginia held off a late UConn rally. In 1990, Louisiana Tech entered the tournament 290, but lost in the Final Four to Auburn. Led by juniors Stewart and Jefferson and senior Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, UConn quickly recovered winning every other season game, including a 7658 win against rival Notre Dame. The team won the Team of the Year Award at the ESPN ESPY awards that year, and Lobo became a popular symbol of the sport. The team gave up large leads against Duke and suffered losses to Notre Dame and Villanova, also losing to Boston College in the semifinals of the Big East tournament. The end of 201213 season saw the breakup of the Big East Conference. 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. Throughout the regular season and the Big East tournament, UConn's closest win was against Stanford, by 12 points. With no seniors on the roster, 2003 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for UConn, but as the year progressed it became clear that Taurasi was up to the challenge of carrying a group of young players to the championship. The trio of Stewart-Jefferson-Tuck ended its college career with a 1515 record, the most victories for college basketball players; they are the only 4-time winners in college basketball history (freshmen were not eligible to play during UCLA men's streak). The Huskies are trailed by Tennessee (eight), Baylor and Stanford (three) and Louisiana Tech, Notre 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. [21], 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. The longest streak, 111 straight wins, started with a win against Creighton University on November 23, 2014, and ended on March 31, 2017 when a buzzer-beater at the end of overtime caused a 6664 loss in the 2017 NCAA Final Four to Mississippi State. The LSU Tigers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 Sunday to win the programs first NCAA womens basketball national championship in Dallas, Texas. Two other teams have played the Final Four in their home cities, and seven others have played the Final Four in their home states. During the regular season UConn played 11 games against ranked opponents (including 6 in the top ten) with an average margin of victory of 24. Their combined record is 12823 .848; they have been to 22 Final Fours and are 11-time National Champions (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016). In its announcement, UConn stated that going forward, number retirement would be reserved for former Huskies players inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as Lobo was in 2017. 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 201213 season began with high hopes having UConn landed three highly ranked recruits: #1 overall Breanna Stewart from Cicero North Syracuse High School, forward Morgan Tuck and guard Moriah Jefferson. For the third consecutive year UConn successfully recruited the top ranked high school player in Elena Delle Donne, but shortly before enrolling at UConn Delle Donne requested a release from her scholarship, giving up basketball in order to stay closer to home and play volleyball at the University of Delaware; Delle Donne would eventually play basketball at Delaware, having a great college career that culminated in the #2 pick at 2013 WNBA draft. In 2015, Princeton entered the tournament 300, but lost in the second round to Maryland. In 1992, Vermont entered the tournament 290, but lost in the first round to George Washington. For the second consecutive year (and the sixth time in school history) UConn finished the regular season undefeated, with an average margin of victory of 35.9 points. In 2010 Lobo became the first Connecticut player inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, among a class of six inductees,[19] followed by teammate Jennifer Rizzotti in the class of 2013.[20]. The Huskies of Honor is a program recognizing the most significant figures in UConn history, with plaques in Gampel Pavilion commemorating the inductees. Auriemma felt guilty that he put Sales through the ordeal and was angry that some columnists chose to fault her and not him. Sales then held the school scoring record. [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. Postseason bans can come about for one of two reasons: California Baptist was eligible for the WNIT because that tournament is not operated by the NCAA, unlike the men's version; the Lancers lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Rice. [31] The championship game that year shattered ratings for ESPN and at the time was the highest rated college basketball game to air on the network, men's or women's. 2 Louisiana Tech. From 1994 to 2021, 64 teams competed in each tournament. Due to venue availability, in some cases, the lower seed hosted, or the game was played at a neutral site. The first regular season game, a 2-point win against #12 Florida State, seemed to confirm the expectations, with coach Auriemma predicting "a good beat" ahead. UConn also signed a landmark deal during the season with Connecticut Public Television to broadcast their games.[18]. [17] The team was honored with a parade in Hartford, CT that drew over 100,000 spectators. UConn defeated 7958 Notre Dame (hindered by the loss of one of their stars, Natalie Achonwa, who had torn her ACL in the Elite Eight), to finish the season 400, tying Baylor for the most wins in a season and setting the new record for Championship with nine. 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. 3 Baylor. The current contract, which includes rights not only to the women's tournament but also 28 other NCAA championship events, provides the NCAA an average of $34 million over the life of the contract. 4 UConn 70 , No. UConn has featured a great number of star players, All-Americans, Hall of Famers and recipients of individual trophies. Additionally, junior guard Caroline Doty would be out the entire season due to a third knee injury. 1 in the polls for the first time in program history. 16 FDU 70 | Watch highlights No. In his 38 years as head coach of the University of Connecticut women's basketball team, the Italian-born Luigi "Geno" Auriemma has inextricably linked his name with that of the team. [13][14], 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. Other key players included sophomores Stefanie Dolson and Bria Hartley, junior Kelly Faris and senior Tiffany Hayes, who would be all selected in the WNBA drafts after graduation. During the game there was a scuffle involving Tennessee's Semeka Randall and Connecticut's Svetlana Abrosimova where Randall threw the ball down, hitting Abrosimova's head. In December Griner led #1 ranked Baylor against #2 UConn, scoring 25 points to go along with nine blocks. In 2022 NCAA tournament, in the Bridgeport Region UConn beat the 15th seed Mercer, 7th seed UCF, 3rd seed Indiana and the 1st seed, Nc State to reach the final four for the 14th consecutive year. With every major player back from 1994, and the addition of Auriemma's most highly ranked recruit to date (Connecticut Player of the Year Nykesha Sales), UConn was in for a season to remember in 199495. Top 9 largest point differentials accumulated over the entire tournament by tournament champion. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Watch the final seconds from every title game, Schools with most players selected in single WNBA draft, The colleges (and conferences) with the most players taken in the 2023 WNBA draft, Every WNBA draft No. In her career at UConn, Taurasi led the team to four consecutive Final Fours and three straight national titles. Despite losing Mel Thomas and Kalana Greene to season-ending knee injuries, UConn went through the 200708 regular season with only a single loss at Rutgers, by two points, winning both the Big East regular season and tournament titles. [51] That game, however, was largely a warm-up match for their biggest test of the season, a December 30 matchup at the powerhouse Stanford Cardinal. In 1998, Tennessee (330) and Liberty (280) both entered the tournament unbeaten; Liberty lost in the first round to Tennessee, which went on to beat Louisiana Tech for the national title and ended the season 390. All four #1 seeds have made it to the Final Four 4 times (champion in bold): The championship game has matched two #1 seeds 14 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. From 2022, the tournament will involve 68 teams, matching the size of the D-I men's tournament. [87] During this period, UConn won five national titles, while making the Final Four seven of the ten years. Connecticut returned every key player and added Duke's transfer Azur Stevens[67] and nation top ranked recruit Megan Walker; the team easily reached the Final Four with a 360 record that included solid wins over Stanford, Notre Dame, Louisville and South Carolina. Notably, Louisiana Tech's differential is prior to the expansion of 64 teams and the addition of one more round of play. In 2018, UConn entered the tournament 320, but lost in the Final Four to Notre Dame, ending their 36-game winning streak to finish 361. Including these final tournament games, Bascom had set a new UConn scoring record with 2,177 points during her years at the school.[12]. [40], In the 200607 season, the team improved with the additions of Renee Montgomery, Mel Thomas, Ketia Swanier, and the #1 ranked high school player Tina Charles, helping UConn emerge as a contender again. In the NCAA tournament Final Four UConn met Notre Dame for the fourth time of the season, with the underdog Fighting Irish prevailing and ending UConn's bid for a third straight national championship. The 201112 season would inevitably be a new era after Maya Moore's graduation. Maya Moore and Tina Charles played little more than half the minutes of every game, with Moore averaging one point per minute played, and the team outscoring its opponents by an average of 47 points. (Other possibilities are that the team is independent, or is from a conference not yet eligible for an automatic bid.) Taurasi hailed from Chino, California, and attended Don Lugo High School where she was the recipient of the 2000 Cheryl Miller Award, presented by the Los Angeles Times to the best player in southern California. 1 in the preseason polls, having returned 10 players from the 2008 Final Four team (including All-Americans Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles), in addition to Kalana Greene who recovered from her knee injury. The move to 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. 1 are shown with double underline, and 12 teams seeded between No. 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.
