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 (and other) sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA prevailed, while the AIAW disbanded.
Most recent season or competition: 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament | |
Sport | Basketball |
---|---|
Founded | 1982 |
No. of teams | 64 |
Most recentchampion(s) | Stanford (3) |
Most titles | UConn (11) |
TV partner(s) | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, WatchESPN |
Official website | NCAA.com |
Attendance and interest in the Women's Division I 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.[1] The women's championship game is the penultimate overall game of the college basketball season since 2017. From 1982 to 1990, 1996 to 2002, and since 2017 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 was usually played the Sunday afternoon following the Men's Final Four; since 2017, Sunday evening.
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 NET data.
Unlike the men's tournament, there are only 32 at-large bids (since 2014), 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.
Both 2020 men's and women's tournaments were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
In 2021, the entire tournament was played in Texas, with most games, including the Final Four, in San Antonio; some games were played in Austin and San Marcos.[3]
Tournament format
A total of 64 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 their 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 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 where the two seeds add up to 17, that team will be assigned to play another).
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. 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[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:[5]
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† | |
1984 | 17 | 15 | 32 | ||
1985 | 18 | 14 | Higher seed | ||
1986 | 17 | 23 | 40 | Higher seed† | |
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† | ||
1998 | Higher seed | ||||
1999 | |||||
2000 | Higher seed† | ||||
2001 | 31 | 33 | |||
2002 | Higher seed | ||||
2003 | 16 Sites‡ | ||||
2004 | |||||
2005 | 8 Sites‡ | ||||
2006 | |||||
2007 | |||||
2008 | |||||
2009 | 16 Sites‡ | ||||
2010 | |||||
2011 | |||||
2012 | |||||
2013 | |||||
2014 | 32 | ||||
2015 | Higher seed† | ||||
2016 | |||||
2017 | |||||
2018 | |||||
2019 | |||||
2020 | |||||
2021 | |||||
2022 |
† Some exceptions. Due to venue availability, in some cases, the lower seed hosted, or the game was played at a neutral site.
‡ 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.
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 32 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
Year | Winner | Score | Opponent | Venue | Other 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 |
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) | 70–67 (OT) | Virginia (1, 0–1) | Lakefront Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Connecticut & Stanford |
1992 | Stanford (2, 2–0) | 78–62 | Western Kentucky (1, 0–1) | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, California) | Southwest Missouri State & 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 | Connecticut (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 & 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 | Connecticut (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 & Southwest Missouri State |
2002 | Connecticut (3, 3–0) | 82–70 | Oklahoma (1, 0–1) | Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) | Tennessee & Duke |
2003 | Connecticut (4, 4–0) | 73–68 | Tennessee (10, 6–4) | Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Georgia) | Texas & Duke |
2004 | Connecticut (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) | 78–75 (OT) | 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 | Connecticut (6, 6–0) | 76–54 | Louisville (1, 0–1) | Scottrade Center (St. Louis, Missouri) | Stanford & Oklahoma |
2010 | Connecticut (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 | Connecticut (8, 8–0) | 93–60 | Louisville (2, 0–2) | New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Notre Dame & California |
2014 | Connecticut (9, 9–0) | 79–58 | Notre Dame (4, 1–3) | Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tennessee) | Stanford & Maryland |
2015 | Connecticut (10, 10–0) | 63–53 | Notre Dame (5, 1–4) | Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida) | South Carolina & Maryland |
2016 | Connecticut (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) | Connecticut & Stanford |
2018 | Notre Dame (6, 2–4) | 61–58 | Mississippi State (2, 0–2) | Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio) | Connecticut & Louisville |
2019 | Baylor (3, 3–0) | 82–81 | Notre Dame (7, 2–5) | Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida) | Connecticut & Oregon |
2020 | Tournament canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak | ||||
2021 | Stanford (5, 3–2) | 54–53 | Arizona (1, 0–1) | Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) | Connecticut & South Carolina |
2022 | Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) | ||||
2023 | American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas) | ||||
2024 | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (Cleveland, Ohio) | ||||
2025 | Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida) | ||||
2026 | Phoenix Suns Arena (Phoenix, Arizona) |
Team titles
Carolina
Dame
Carolina
A&M
Tech
Team | Titles | Year Won |
---|---|---|
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 |
Stanford | 3 | 1990, 1992, 2021 |
Louisiana Tech | 2 | 1982, 1988 |
Notre Dame | 2 | 2001, 2018 |
USC | 2 | 1983, 1984 |
Maryland | 1 | 2006 |
North Carolina | 1 | 1994 |
Old Dominion | 1 | 1985 |
Purdue | 1 | 1999 |
South Carolina | 1 | 2017 |
Texas | 1 | 1986 |
Texas A&M | 1 | 2011 |
Texas Tech | 1 | 1993 |
NCAA Final Fours by school
School | Final Four Years | Number of Appearances | Championships |
---|---|---|---|
UConn | 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 | 21 | 11 |
Tennessee | 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 | 18 | 8 |
Stanford | 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2021 | 14 | 3 |
Louisiana Tech | 1982, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1998, 1999 | 10 | 2 |
Notre Dame | 1997, 2001, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 | 9 | 2 |
Georgia | 1983, 1985, 1995, 1996, 1999 | 5 | 0 |
LSU | 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 | 5 | 0 |
Maryland | 1982, 1989, 2006, 2014, 2015 | 5 | 1 |
Baylor | 2005, 2010, 2012, 2019 | 4 | 3 |
Duke | 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006 | 4 | 0 |
Auburn | 1988, 1989, 1990 | 3 | 0 |
Louisville | 2009, 2013, 2018 | 3 | 0 |
North Carolina | 1994, 2006, 2007 | 3 | 1 |
Oklahoma | 2002, 2009, 2010 | 3 | 0 |
Old Dominion | 1983, 1985, 1997 | 3 | 1 |
Purdue | 1994, 1999, 2001 | 3 | 1 |
South Carolina | 2015, 2017, 2021 | 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 |
Cheyney St. | 1982, 1984 | 2 | 0 |
Long Beach St. | 1987, 1988 | 2 | 0 |
Mississippi St. | 2017, 2018 | 2 | 0 |
Missouri St. | 1992, 2001 | 2 | 0 |
Rutgers | 2000, 2007 | 2 | 0 |
Alabama | 1994 | 1 | 0 |
Arizona | 2021 | 1 | 0 |
Arkansas | 1998 | 1 | 0 |
California | 2013 | 1 | 0 |
Iowa | 1993 | 1 | 0 |
Louisiana–Monroe | 1985 | 1 | 0 |
Michigan St. | 2005 | 1 | 0 |
Minnesota | 2004 | 1 | 0 |
North Carolina St. | 1998 | 1 | 0 |
Ohio St. | 1993 | 1 | 0 |
Oregon | 2019 | 1 | 0 |
Oregon St. | 2016 | 1 | 0 |
Penn St. | 2000 | 1 | 0 |
Syracuse | 2016 | 1 | 0 |
Texas A&M | 2011 | 1 | 1 |
Texas Tech | 1993 | 1 | 1 |
Vanderbilt | 1993 | 1 | 0 |
Washington | 2016 | 1 | 0 |
Multiple NCAA championship coaches
Coach | School | Championships |
---|---|---|
Geno Auriemma | UConn | 11 |
Pat Summitt | Tennessee | 8 |
Kim Mulkey | Baylor | 3 |
Tara VanDerveer | Stanford | |
Muffet McGraw | Notre Dame | 2 |
Linda Sharp | USC |
NCAA Championship by Conference
Note: Conferences are listed by all champions' affiliations at that time; these do not necessarily match current affiliations.
Conference | Year | Championships |
---|---|---|
Big East[a 1] | 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013 | 9 |
Southeastern | 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008, 2017 | |
Pac-12[a 2] | 1983, 1984, 1990, 1992, 2021 | 5 |
Big 12 | 2005, 2011, 2012, 2019 | 4 |
American Athletic | 2014, 2015, 2016 | 3 |
Atlantic Coast | 1994, 2006, 2018 | |
Southwest | 1986, 1993 | 2 |
Western Collegiate | 1983, 1984 | |
American South | 1988 | 1 |
Big Ten | 1999 | |
Independent | 1982 | |
Sun Belt | 1985 |
- ^ 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. 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).
- ^ Known as the Pacific-10 Conference, or Pac-10, when its first 4 titles were won.
NCAA Final Four locations
- 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 Bay, Florida
- 2009 – St. Louis, Missouri
- 2010 – San Antonio, Texas
- 2011 – Indianapolis, Indiana
- 2012 – Denver, Colorado
- 2013 – New Orleans, Louisiana
- 2014 – Nashville, Tennessee
- 2015 – Tampa Bay, Florida
- 2016 – Indianapolis, Indiana
- 2017 – Dallas, Texas
- 2018 – Columbus, Ohio
- 2019 – Tampa Bay, Florida
- 2020 – New Orleans, Louisiana
- 2021 – San Antonio, Texas
- 2022 – Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 2023 – Dallas, Texas
- 2024 – Cleveland, Ohio
- 2025 – Tampa Bay, Florida
- 2026 – Phoenix, Arizona
Tournament trends
Top-ranked teams
Since the women's tournament began in 1982, 17 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
- 1989: Tennessee
- 1995: Connecticut
- 1998: Tennessee
- 1999: Purdue
- 2000: Connecticut
- 2002: Connecticut
- 2003: Connecticut
- 2009: Connecticut
- 2010: Connecticut
- 2012: Baylor
- 2014: Connecticut
- 2015: Connecticut
- 2016: Connecticut
- 2019: Baylor
- 2021: Stanford
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.
- 1985 champion Old Dominion went 15–13 in 1986.
#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):
- 1989 Auburn, Louisiana Tech, Maryland, Tennessee
- 2012 Baylor, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Stanford
- 2015 Connecticut, Maryland, Notre Dame, South Carolina
- 2018 Connecticut, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Louisville
The championship game has matched two #1 seeds 14 times:
- 1983 USC beat Louisiana Tech
- 1986 Texas beat USC
- 1989 Tennessee beat Auburn
- 1991 Tennessee beat Virginia
- 1995 Connecticut beat Tennessee
- 2000 Connecticut beat Tennessee
- 2002 Connecticut beat Oklahoma
- 2003 Connecticut beat Tennessee
- 2010 Connecticut beat Stanford
- 2012 Baylor beat Notre Dame
- 2014 Connecticut beat Notre Dame
- 2015 Connecticut beat Notre Dame
- 2018 Notre Dame beat Mississippi State
- 2019 Baylor beat Notre Dame
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):
- 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 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:
- 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[6]
- Harvard in 1998 (the only #16 seed to beat a #1 seed in either the women's or men's tournament until 2018, and still the only one to do so in the women's tournament)
- Regional Semifinals (Sweet Sixteen): #13 seed[6]
- 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[6]
- Arkansas in 1998
- National Finals (Championship Game): #5 seed
- Louisville in 2013
- National Champion: #3 seed[6]
- North Carolina in 1994
- Tennessee in 1997
Best Performances by #14 & #15 Seeds
Unlike in the men's tournament, no #14 seed has beaten a #3 and no #15 seed has beaten a #2 seed, but they have come close.
- 2 points: #14 Seed
- Austin Peay lost to UNC in 2003 (2 points, 72–70)
- Eastern Michigan lost to Boston College in 2004 (2 points, 58–56)
- Creighton lost to St. John's in 2012 (2 points, 69–67)
- Overtime games: #15 Seed
- UTSA lost to Baylor in 2009 (5 points, 87–82). UTSA is the only #15 seed to take a game into overtime.
- 1 point: #15 Seed
- Long Beach State lost to Oregon State in 2017 (1 point, 56–55)
First-round games
Since the expansion to 64 teams in 1994, each seed-pairing has played 108 first-round games with these results:
- The #1 seed is 107–1 against the #16 seed (.991).
- The #2 & #3 seeds are 108–0 against the #15 & #14 seeds, respectively (1.000).
- The #4 seed is 101–7 against the #13 seed (.935).
- The #5 seed is 85–23 against the #12 seed (.787).
- The #6 seed is 75–33 against the #11 seed (.694).
- The #7 seed is 71–37 against the #10 seed (.657).
- The #8 seed is 53–55 against the #9 seed (.491).
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 | #9 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | 48–1 (.980) | 52–2 (.963) | 100–3 (.971) |
#16 | – | 0–1 (.000) | 0–1 (.000) |
Total | 1–48 (.020) | 3–52 (.055) | 104 |
note: The 3 losses by the #1 seed vs #8/9 were: Duke (vs Michigan St, 2009), Ohio St (vs Boston College, 2006), Texas Tech (vs Notre Dame, 1998).
note: The #9 vs. #16 game was Arkansas over Harvard in 1998.
- In the 2/15/7/10 bracket:
vs. | #7 | #10 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
#2 | 49–13 (.790) | 31–3 (.912) | 80–16 (.833) |
#15 | – | – | – |
Total | 13–49 (.210) | 3–31 (.088) | 104 |
- In the 3/14/6/11 bracket:
vs. | #6 | #11 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
#3 | 45–22 (.672) | 17–12 (.586) | 62–34 (.646) |
#14 | – | – | – |
Total | 22–45 (.328) | 12–17 (.414) | 104 |
- In the 4/13/5/12 bracket:
vs. | #5 | #12 | Total |
---|---|---|---|
#4 | 42–27 (.609) | 18–3 (.857) | 60–30 (.667) |
#13 | 3–3 (.500) | – | 3–3 (.500) |
Total | 30–45 (.400) | 3–18 (.143) | 104 |
Teams entering the tournament unbeaten
Of the 18 teams who have entered the tournament unbeaten, 9 went on to win the National Championship.[7]
One exception is Cal Baptist, who was excluded from the 2021 tournament as a transitional Division I member, despite a 24–0 record.
- In 1986, Texas entered the tournament 30–0, beat USC for 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, UConn entered the tournament 29–0, beat Tennessee for the national title, and ended the season 35–0.
- In 1997, UConn entered the tournament 30–0, but lost in the Midwest Regional Final to Tennessee.
- In 1998, Tennessee (33–0) and Liberty (28–0) 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 39–0.
- In 2002, 2009, and 2010, UConn entered the tournament 33–0, won the national title in each, and ended those seasons 39–0. They respectively beat Oklahoma, Louisville, and Stanford in those championship games.
- In 2012, Baylor entered the tournament 34–0, beat Notre Dame for the national title, and ended the season 40–0. The Lady Bears became the first team in NCAA college basketball history, for either women or men, to win 40 games in a season. Notably, Louisiana Tech went 40–5 during the 1979–80 season. This was during the AIAW era for women's basketball.
- In 2014, UConn (34–0) and Notre Dame (32–0) both entered the tournament unbeaten; UConn beat Notre Dame 79–58 for the national title, ended the season 40–0 and is the 8th team to end the season unbeaten.
- In 2015, Princeton entered the tournament 30–0, but lost in the second round to Maryland.
- In 2016, UConn entered the tournament 32–0, beat Syracuse for the national title, ending the season 38–0.
- In 2017, UConn entered the tournament 32–0, but lost in the Final Four to Mississippi State, ending their 111-game winning streak to finish 36–1.
- In 2018, UConn entered the tournament 32–0, but lost in the Final Four to Notre Dame, ending their 36-game winning streak to finish 36–1.
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.[8] 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 cannot 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; the Lancers has lost in the quarterfinals to 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 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 Chartway Arena. The following year, USC won the national title at Pauley Pavilion, the home court of its Los Angeles arch-rival 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
- Overtime games in a championship game:[9]
- Tennessee 70, Virginia 67/OT (1991)
- Maryland 78, Duke 75/OT (2006)
- Smallest margin of victory in a championship game: 1 point[10]
- North Carolina 60, Louisiana Tech 59 (1994)
- Baylor 82, Notre Dame 81 (2019)
- Stanford 54, Arizona 53 (2021)
- Biggest margin of victory in a championship game: 33 points[10]
- Connecticut 93, Louisville 60 (2013)
- Margin of 10 points: Louisiana Tech (1982), Tennessee (1987 & 1989), Purdue (1999), Connecticut (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. The 2016 UConn team won every game by more than 20 points.
- Top 9 largest point differentials accumulated over the entire tournament by tournament champion. Notably, Louisiana Tech's differential is prior to the expansion of 64 teams and the addition of one more round of play.
- 2016 Connecticut (+239)
- 2010 Connecticut (+214)
- 2013 Connecticut (+208)
- 2015 Connecticut (+197)
- 2000 Connecticut (+187)
- 2002 Connecticut (+161)
- 2019 Baylor (+159)
- 1982 Louisiana Tech (+158)
- 2014 Connecticut (+156)
Same-conference championship games
7 championship games have featured two teams from the same conference (winner listed first and bolded):
- 1989 SEC, Tennessee and Auburn
- 1996 SEC, Tennessee and Georgia
- 2006 ACC, Maryland and Duke
- 2009 Big East, Connecticut and Louisville
- 2013 Big East, Connecticut and Louisville
- 2017 SEC, South Carolina and Mississippi State
- 2021 Pac-12, Stanford and Arizona
Result by school and by year
283 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.[11]
The code in each cell represents the furthest the team made it in the respective tournament:
- • Round of 64 (Fewer than 64 teams invited before 1994.)
- 32 Round of 32
- S16 Sweet Sixteen
- E8 Elite Eight
- F4 Final Four
- RU National Runner-up
- CH National Champion
APP | 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 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
School | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee | 39 | F4 | E8 | RU | S16 | F4 | CH | F4 | CH | E8 | CH | S16 | E8 | S16 | RU | CH | CH | CH | E8 | RU | S16 | F4 | RU | RU | F4 | E8 | CH | CH | • | S16 | E8 | E8 | E8 | S16 | E8 | E8 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | |
Stanford | 34 | 32 | S16 | E8 | CH | F4 | CH | S16 | E8 | F4 | F4 | F4 | • | • | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | E8 | E8 | E8 | 32 | RU | F4 | RU | F4 | F4 | S16 | F4 | S16 | E8 | F4 | S16 | E8 | CH | ||||||
Georgia | 34 | 32 | F4 | E8 | RU | S16 | S16 | S16 | 32 | 32 | E8 | 32 | F4 | RU | E8 | • | F4 | E8 | 32 | • | S16 | E8 | S16 | S16 | S16 | 32 | • | S16 | S16 | • | E8 | • | • | 32 | 32 | ||||||
Texas | 33 | E8 | E8 | S16 | CH | F4 | E8 | E8 | E8 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | S16 | F4 | S16 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | • | 32 | S16 | E8 | S16 | S16 | • | E8 | |||||||
UConn | 32 | • | 32 | F4 | 32 | • | E8 | CH | F4 | E8 | E8 | S16 | CH | F4 | CH | CH | CH | S16 | E8 | E8 | F4 | CH | CH | F4 | F4 | CH | CH | CH | CH | F4 | F4 | F4 | F4 | ||||||||
Maryland | 28 | F4 | S16 | 32 | 32 | E8 | F4 | 32 | • | E8 | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | CH | 32 | E8 | E8 | 32 | E8 | S16 | F4 | F4 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | S16 | ||||||||||||
North Carolina | 28 | 32 | S16 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | S16 | CH | S16 | S16 | E8 | S16 | S16 | S16 | 32 | • | E8 | F4 | F4 | E8 | 32 | • | S16 | 32 | E8 | S16 | • | • | ||||||||||||
Louisiana Tech | 27 | CH | RU | F4 | E8 | E8 | RU | CH | F4 | F4 | • | • | E8 | RU | S16 | E8 | S16 | RU | F4 | E8 | E8 | • | S16 | S16 | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||
Vanderbilt | 27 | 32 | 32 | • | S16 | S16 | E8 | F4 | S16 | S16 | E8 | S16 | • | 32 | E8 | E8 | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||
Iowa | 27 | 32 | E8 | E8 | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | F4 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | S16 | • | E8 | S16 | |||||||||||||
Notre Dame | 26 | • | • | 32 | F4 | S16 | 32 | S16 | CH | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | • | 32 | S16 | • | S16 | RU | RU | F4 | RU | RU | S16 | E8 | CH | RU | ||||||||||||||
Purdue | 26 | 32 | S16 | 32 | S16 | F4 | E8 | • | 32 | E8 | CH | 32 | RU | 32 | E8 | S16 | 32 | S16 | E8 | 32 | E8 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||
LSU | 26 | S16 | E8 | 32 | • | S16 | • | 32 | S16 | S16 | E8 | 32 | 32 | E8 | F4 | F4 | F4 | F4 | F4 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | S16 | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||
Rutgers | 26 | E8 | E8 | S16 | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | • | S16 | E8 | F4 | 32 | 32 | • | E8 | S16 | RU | E8 | S16 | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||
North Carolina State | 26 | S16 | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | S16 | S16 | S16 | S16 | S16 | 32 | • | F4 | 32 | • | S16 | • | • | • | S16 | • | • | 32 | S16 | S16 | S16 | ||||||||||||||
Old Dominion | 25 | S16 | F4 | E8 | CH | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | • | S16 | RU | S16 | S16 | S16 | • | E8 | • | • | • | • | • | S16 | |||||||||||||||
Virginia | 25 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | E8 | S16 | F4 | RU | F4 | E8 | S16 | E8 | E8 | S16 | 32 | • | S16 | • | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | |||||||||||||||
Ohio State | 25 | 32 | 32 | E8 | S16 | E8 | S16 | S16 | 32 | RU | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | • | • | S16 | 32 | S16 | • | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | |||||||||||||||
Penn State | 25 | S16 | E8 | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | E8 | 32 | S16 | 32 | F4 | • | S16 | S16 | E8 | • | 32 | S16 | 32 | S16 | |||||||||||||||
Duke | 24 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | E8 | RU | S16 | S16 | F4 | F4 | E8 | E8 | RU | S16 | S16 | 32 | E8 | E8 | E8 | E8 | 32 | S16 | 32 | S16 | ||||||||||||||||
DePaul | 24 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | S16 | • | • | • | • | S16 | 32 | • | S16 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||
Louisville | 23 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | 32 | S16 | RU | S16 | 32 | RU | E8 | S16 | 32 | S16 | F4 | E8 | E8 | |||||||||||||||||
Auburn | 21 | 32 | S16 | S16 | S16 | E8 | RU | RU | RU | E8 | S16 | 32 | E8 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||
Oklahoma | 21 | S16 | 32 | S16 | S16 | RU | • | 32 | • | S16 | S16 | 32 | F4 | F4 | S16 | 32 | S16 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||
Montana | 21 | • | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||
Texas Tech | 20 | 32 | 32 | • | • | S16 | CH | S16 | E8 | S16 | 32 | 32 | S16 | E8 | S16 | S16 | E8 | 32 | S16 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||
Western Kentucky | 20 | F4 | F4 | 32 | 32 | • | • | S16 | RU | S16 | 32 | S16 | • | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||
Washington | 19 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | E8 | S16 | 32 | 32 | S16 | • | • | E8 | • | 32 | • | • | F4 | S16 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Baylor | 19 | • | 32 | S16 | CH | S16 | 32 | 32 | S16 | F4 | E8 | CH | S16 | E8 | E8 | E8 | E8 | S16 | CH | E8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Florida State | 19 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | E8 | 32 | 32 | 32 | E8 | S16 | E8 | 32 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||
Iowa State | 19 | • | 32 | E8 | S16 | S16 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | E8 | S16 | • | • | 32 | • | • | • | 32 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Middle Tennessee | 19 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen F. Austin | 19 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | S16 | S16 | • | • | S16 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||
George Washington | 18 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | E8 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | S16 | S16 | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Green Bay | 18 | • | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | 32 | S16 | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Michigan State | 18 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | RU | S16 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Ole Miss | 17 | 32 | S16 | S16 | E8 | E8 | S16 | S16 | E8 | S16 | • | E8 | 32 | • | • | • | • | E8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Arizona State | 17 | S16 | S16 | • | • | 32 | S16 | 32 | E8 | 32 | E8 | • | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Utah | 17 | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | • | S16 | 32 | 32 | E8 | • | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Liberty | 17 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | S16 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina | 17 | S16 | • | 32 | • | S16 | • | E8 | 32 | S16 | 32 | S16 | F4 | S16 | CH | E8 | S16 | F4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Texas A&M | 17 | S16 | • | • | 32 | E8 | S16 | 32 | CH | S16 | 32 | E8 | • | 32 | 32 | S16 | S16 | S16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
UCLA | 17 | 32 | S16 | • | S16 | 32 | E8 | • | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | S16 | E8 | S16 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
USC | 16 | E8 | CH | CH | S16 | RU | S16 | S16 | 32 | E8 | S16 | E8 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clemson | 16 | 32 | 32 | S16 | S16 | E8 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kansas State | 16 | E8 | S16 | 32 | • | • | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Missouri State | 16 | 32 | F4 | S16 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | F4 | • | • | • | • | S16 | S16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kentucky | 16 | E8 | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | E8 | 32 | E8 | E8 | S16 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oregon | 16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | E8 | E8 | F4 | S16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oklahoma State | 16 | 32 | • | S16 | • | • | • | 32 | • | S16 | 32 | 32 | S16 | • | • | 32 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida | 15 | 32 | • | 32 | • | E8 | S16 | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chattanooga | 15 | • | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
California | 14 | • | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | S16 | 32 | F4 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nebraska | 14 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | • | 32 | S16 | • | S16 | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Miami (FL) | 14 | • | S16 | 32 | • | • | • | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UC Santa Barbara | 14 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | • | 32 | 32 | S16 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BYU | 14 | 32 | 32 | • | • | S16 | • | 32 | • | • | S16 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colorado | 13 | 32 | 32 | • | E8 | S16 | E8 | 32 | S16 | 32 | E8 | S16 | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drake | 13 | E8 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | • | S16 | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kansas | 13 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | S16 | 32 | S16 | 32 | • | S16 | S16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Missouri | 13 | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | S16 | • | • | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saint Joseph's | 13 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
West Virginia | 13 | 32 | S16 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marquette | 13 | • | • | 32 | • | • | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long Beach State | 12 | S16 | E8 | E8 | E8 | S16 | F4 | F4 | E8 | 32 | S16 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
James Madison | 12 | S16 | S16 | S16 | 32 | S16 | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Holy Cross | 12 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saint Francis (PA) | 12 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Syracuse | 12 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | 32 | 32 | RU | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oregon State | 12 | S16 | 32 | • | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | F4 | S16 | E8 | S16 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arkansas | 12 | • | • | E8 | S16 | 32 | F4 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gonzaga | 12 | • | 32 | S16 | E8 | S16 | • | • | S16 | • | • | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mississippi State | 11 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | S16 | RU | RU | E8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Villanova | 11 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | E8 | 32 | • | • | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bowling Green | 11 | • | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | S16 | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Temple | 11 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulane | 11 | • | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alabama | 11 | S16 | • | 32 | 32 | F4 | S16 | S16 | S16 | S16 | 32 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marist | 11 | • | • | S16 | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minnesota | 10 | 32 | 32 | S16 | F4 | S16 | • | • | 32 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Xavier | 10 | • | 32 | • | E8 | • | • | • | • | E8 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
St. John's | 10 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | • | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee Tech | 10 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Virginia Tech | 10 | • | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TCU | 10 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Dakota State | 10 | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | S16 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
San Diego State | 9 | S16 | S16 | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | S16 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Georgia Tech | 9 | • | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | 32 | S16 | • | S16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maine | 9 | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hampton | 9 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michigan | 9 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dayton | 8 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | E8 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Illinois | 8 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNLV | 8 | 32 | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southern Miss | 8 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | S16 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Mexico | 8 | • | • | S16 | • | • | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Toledo | 8 | 32 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Princeton | 8 | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arizona | 8 | 32 | S16 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | RU | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northwestern | 8 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boston College | 7 | 32 | 32 | • | S16 | S16 | 32 | S16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Memphis | 7 | S16 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Creighton | 7 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SMU | 7 | • | 32 | • | • | 32 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wisconsin | 7 | • | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saint Peter's | 7 | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dartmouth | 7 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Austin Peay | 7 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fresno State | 7 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indiana | 7 | S16 | • | • | • | 32 | 32 | E8 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Florida | 7 | • | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida Gulf Coast | 7 | • | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colorado State | 6 | 32 | 32 | S16 | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida International | 6 | • | 32 | • | 32 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hartford | 6 | • | • | 32 | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Little Rock | 6 | 32 | • | • | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Harvard | 6 | • | • | 32 | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albany | 6 | • | • | • | • | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hawaii | 6 | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Mexico State | 6 | • | 32 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Santa Clara | 6 | 32 | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vermont | 6 | • | • | • | • | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oral Roberts | 6 | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boise State | 6 | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grambling | 6 | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Prairie View A&M | 6 | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Morris | 6 | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Central Michigan | 6 | 32 | 32 | • | S16 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UCF | 6 | • | • | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Belmont | 6 | • | • | • | • | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Providence | 5 | • | • | S16 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Quinnipiac | 5 | • | • | S16 | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Illinois State | 5 | 32 | 32 | 32 | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Houston | 5 | 32 | • | 32 | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kent State | 5 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Illinois | 5 | 32 | 32 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Howard | 5 | 32 | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penn | 5 | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northwestern State | 5 | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southern | 5 | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jackson State | 5 | 32 | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Carolina A&T | 5 | • | • | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Georgetown | 4 | S16 | 32 | S16 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pittsburgh | 4 | 32 | S16 | S16 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southern Illinois | 4 | 32 | S16 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seton Hall | 4 | S16 | 32 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Delaware | 4 | • | • | 32 | S16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
San Francisco | 4 | • | S16 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati | 4 | • | • | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
La Salle | 4 | • | • | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Idaho | 4 | 32 | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Appalachian State | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bucknell | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cal State Northridge | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fairfield | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manhattan | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pepperdine | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portland | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Radford | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UT Martin | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Idaho State | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Troy | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lehigh | 4 | • | • | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cheyney[a] | 3 | RU | S16 | F4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Louisiana–Monroe | 3 | 32 | S16 | F4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Buffalo | 3 | • | S16 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rice | 3 | 32 | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youngstown State | 3 | • | 32 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fordham | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Richmond | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wichita State | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alabama State | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alcorn State | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Army | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coppin State | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Tennessee State | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Georgia State | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Navy | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ohio | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sacred Heart | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
San Diego | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stetson | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tennessee State | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UC Riverside | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNC Asheville | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Dakota | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mercer | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mount St. Mary's | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UC Davis | 3 | • | • | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wright State | 3 | • | • | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lamar | 2 | E8 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
St. Bonaventure | 2 | S16 | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UAB | 2 | • | S16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
East Carolina | 2 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tulsa | 2 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UTEP | 2 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cal State Fullerton | 2 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saint Mary's | 2 | • | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Michigan | 2 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Charlotte | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Massachusetts | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UTSA | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Illinois | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
American | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Central Arkansas | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cleveland State | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Kentucky | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Michigan | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elon | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Evansville | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida A&M | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Furman | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Georgia Southern | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Loyola (MD) | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
McNeese State | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Milwaukee | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Montana State | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Iowa | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oakland | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portland State | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Samford | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Southeast Missouri State | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Texas State | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Texas–Arlington | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Valparaiso | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weber State | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Western Carolina | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wake Forest | 2 | 32 | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Washington State | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
VCU | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wyoming | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Drexel | 2 | • | • | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monmouth | 1 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Carolina State | 1 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Orleans | 1 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ball State | 1 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Duquesne | 1 | 32 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Texas | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Washington | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
South Alabama | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eastern Illinois | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brown | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UC Irvine | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Butler | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rhode Island | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Marshall | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Detroit Mercy | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNC Greensboro | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northeastern | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Campbell | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Denver | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LIU[b] | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Siena | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Norfolk State | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boston University | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colgate | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lipscomb | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Loyola Marymount | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Canisius | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Florida Atlantic | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Arizona | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Delaware State | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Louisiana | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UMBC | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cornell | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Miami (OH) | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Murray State | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gardner–Webb | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cal Poly | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
North Dakota | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Akron | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Winthrop | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Savannah State[a] | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
St. Francis Brooklyn | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Iona | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jacksonville | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Texas Southern | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nicholls | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northern Colorado | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seattle | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Abilene Christian | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bethune–Cookman | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Towson | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bradley | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
High Point | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stony Brook | 1 | • | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Utah Valley | 1 | • |
- Notes
- ^ a b No longer a member of NCAA Division I (as of 2019–20).
- ^ Following the 2019 merger of the LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post athletic programs into a single LIU program, the new program inherited the athletic history of LIU Brooklyn.
Television coverage and revenues
Broadcast rights to the NCAA women's basketball tournament are included in a larger package covering the majority of Division I national championships outside of men's basketball.[12] 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.[13] Coverage later expanded to include ESPN's college sports-oriented network ESPNU, and ESPN360 for streaming.[14] In 2011, ESPN renewed this agreement through the 2023–24 season, in a deal reported to be worth $500 million in total (also adding international rights to the men's tournament for ESPN International).[15]
In the first two rounds, one channel (typically ESPNHD or ESPN2HD) typically aired "whiparound" coverage during each coverage window, carrying rolling coverage of all games in progress, while ESPN's standard definition channels were used to broadcast games on a regional basis. Games could also be viewed in their entirety on ESPN3 or alternate channels.[14] 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.[16]
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, CBS/WarnerMedia's 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.[17][18] 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".[19]
See also
- AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament
- NAIA Women's Basketball Championships
- NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament
References
- ^ "NCAA may move Women's Final Four dates". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaab/2020/03/12/ncaa-tournament-canceled-amid-coronavirus-concerns-march-madness/5030185002/
- ^ "2021 NCAA women's basketball tournament dates, schedule | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ "Greg Christopher named chair of DI Women's Basketball Committee". NCAA. March 1, 2011.
- ^ "2013 NCAA Women's Final Four Records" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Record p 58
- ^ Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Record p 67
- ^ Baer, Jack (March 14, 2021). "College basketball's only undefeated women's team isn't going to NCAA tournament". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
- ^ Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Record p 6,7
- ^ a b Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Record p 9
- ^ Nixon, Rick. "Official 2020 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
- ^ "ESPN Sports NCAA women's basketball tourney gets new TV contract". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Record p 75
- ^ a b "ESPN 'Tweets' Fans To Enhance NCAA Women's Tournament Coverage". Sports Video Group. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ "ESPN acquires NCAA rights for US$500 million". SportsPro Media. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ "2021 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships to Make Broadcast Debut on ABC". ESPN Press Room U.S. March 16, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ Higgins, Laine (March 19, 2021). "Women's March Madness Is Growing in Popularity—and Undervalued". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ Strauss, Ben; Hensley-Clancy, Molly. "Women's sports can do at least one thing men's can't, experts say: Get bigger". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ Novy-Williams, Emily Caron,Eben (April 4, 2021). "March Madness Daily: The NCAA's Undervalued Women's TV Rights". Sportico.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.