Leading up to the Final Four in San Antonio, UConn dominated teams from Southern, Temple, Iowa State and Florida State. 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. 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. They have taken part in every NCAA tournament since 1989; as of the end of the 201819 season, this is the third-longest active streak in Division I. [24], 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. The Lady Vols havent been back to the Final Four since. [62] 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. Coming from a 75-wins streak from previous season, UConn tied its own previous 90-wins record with a 10237 win against South Florida on October 1, 2017;[63] the 100th straight wins mark was reached on February 13, 2017 with a 6655 win against South Carolina. The regional seeding resumed in 1994. The #8 seed is 5355 against the #9 seed (.491). In 1993, Vermont entered the tournament 280, but lost in the first round to Rutgers. Inheriting a program that had only had one winning season in its entire history, Auriemma has overseen one of the most successful rebuilding projects in college sports history. [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. Bascom had an immediate impact on the UConn program: in 1989 she won the Big East Player of the Year award as a sophomore (she also won the award in her junior and senior years) and led UConn to its first Big East regular season and Tournament title, along with its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance; the tournament ended in a first round loss. With the TASS force in their senior season and Taurasi emerging as a star in her sophomore year, UConn rolled through its opponents throughout the year. He was head coach of the United States women's national basketball team from 2009 until stepping down from that role after the 2016 Summer Olympics. Starting with their two meetings in 1995, the rivalry between the Tennessee Lady Vols and UConn escalated through the late 1990s and into the 2000s, becoming the marquee matchup in all women's sports, and taking on parallels to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry in Major League Baseball. 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. Odds to win Women's March Madness 2023. UConn trailed for the entire game and lost for the first time since their April 6, 2008 Final Four appearance (also against the Cardinal). The women's tournament championship game had 9.9 million views, becoming the most-watched women's basketball game in history. 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. Connecticut defeated Maryland 8158, while Notre Dame narrowly beat South Carolina, 6665, in the semifinals. 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 Connecticut Huskies were the #3 selection on the list, behind only the professional basketball Lakers and the professional football Patriots, making the Connecticut women's basketball team the highest ranked of the collegiate teams for the three sports under consideration. [22], UConn defeated Tennessee during the 199697 regular season; after a season-ending injury for Shea Ralph in the first round of the NCAA tournament, UConn reached the Regional Final where the two teams met again, with Tennessee prevailing and ending Connecticut's unbeaten season by winning 9181.[23]. [58], In 2015 UConn landed another top recruit in #1 High School prospect Katie Lou Samuelson; she quickly earned a spot in the starting five alongside sophomore Kia Nurse and seniors Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck. The #7 seed is 7137 against the #10 seed (.657). [70] They lost to the number one overall seed South Carolina 64-49. Basketball was one of 12 women's sports added to the NCAA championship program for the 198182 school year, as the NCAA engaged in battle with the AIAW for sole governance of women's collegiate sports. [61] [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. The next game, with Bascom's blessing, and assistance from friend and Villanova head coach Harry Perretta, Auriemma arranged to have Sales, who was on crutches, score a basket and then allow Villanova to score a basket to start the game at 22. Dr. Marilyn McNeil, vice president/director of athletics at Monmouth University is the current chairwoman. [39] Behind a home state crowd, UConn almost upset #1 ranked Duke in the regional final, before falling in overtime by 2 points. The Huskies are trailed by Tennessee (eight), Baylor and Stanford (three) and Louisiana Tech, Notre UConn became the first team to win a championship without a senior on their roster.[34][35]. They are one of nine ACC teams slated to be in the mix for a postseason bid in some capacity. 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. After just one winning season in 10 years under coaches Sandra Hamm (197475), Wanda Flora (197580) and Jean Balthaser (198085), UConn hired as their new head coach Geno Auriemma, who had served as assistant coach at Virginia, with the goal of revitalizing the program. [82] UConn's announcement did not make it clear whether both numbers would be retired across both men's and women's programs, but a university spokesperson clarified that the retirements applied only to the teams that Lobo and Allen competed for, meaning that #50 remains available in men's basketball and #34 in women's. The Women's Final Four and championship remained exclusive to ESPN. Throughout the regular season and the Big East tournament, UConn's closest win was against Stanford, by 12 points. Rebecca Lobo was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. 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. Connecticut's Auriemma, that's who", "Case for UConn's Geno Auriemma being best coach ever goes beyond basketball", "UConn Women's Basketball 2015-2016 Media Guide", "UConn Women's Basketball 2020-2021 Media Guide", "2021-22 Women's Basketball Schedule - University of Connecticut Athletics", "UConn Women's Basketball 2022-2023 Media Guide", "Ray Allen, Rebecca Lobo to have UConn numbers retired", "UConn women's basketball retires Swin Cash's number at Gampel Pavilion: 'I'm humbled, I'm honored', "Connecticut's Fab Four Makes Pro Basketball History", "Breanna Stewart top pick in WNBA, leading 1-2-3 UConn sweep", "March Madness 2023: Stats and reactions to Ohio State-UConn upset", "UConn Huskies' NCAA-record win streak snapped at 111 games", "Despite loss, UConn women still have incredible streak going", "St. John's women stun UConn, end 99-game streak", Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States, Thomas J. Dodd Prize in International Justice and Human Rights, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UConn_Huskies_women%27s_basketball&oldid=1152671077, Articles containing potentially dated statements from April 2022, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 11 NCAA Tournament Championships (1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), 27 Conference tournament Championships: 19 Big East Conference (1989, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2021, 2022) and 7 American Athletic Conference (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), 28 Conference regular season Championships: 20 Big East Conference (1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2021, 2022) and 7 American Athletic Conference (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), Most NCAA Championships, any Division, men's or women's (11), Most NCAA Division I Final Fours, men's or women's (22), Most NCAA Division I tournament #1 seeds, men's or women's (22), Most NCAA Division I undefeated seasons, men's or women's (6), Most NCAA Division I 30-win seasons, men's or women's (25), Most NCAA Division I weeks ranked No. In 2010 Sports Illustrated selected the top 25 sports franchises of the decade 20002009. UConn has featured a great number of star players, All-Americans, Hall of Famers and recipients of individual trophies. They then beat long-time rival and defending national champions Stanford to reach the National Championship game for the first time since 2016. Geno Auriemma jokingly once referred to Pat Summitt and Tennessee as the "evil empire", like Red Sox president and CEO Larry Lucchino said of the Yankees. 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. Division I Rebecca Lobo was part of the 1997 inaugural draft, with the top players allocated to founding teams without any particular order; similarly Nykesha Sales was part of the 1998 WNBA expansion players allocation. The #4 seed is 1017 against the #13 seed (.935). [16], The 199495 UConn team was widely credited with increasing interest in women's basketball. The #5 seed is 8523 against the #12 seed (.787). Together with sophomore Katie Lou Samuelson and junior Kia Nurse, the only returning starters, the duo of sophomore Napheesa Collier and junior Gabby Williams quickly rose to national attention; even senior Saniya Chong, who had played few minutes in her first three seasons, showed great improvements, leading the nation in assists-to-turnovers ratio. After a break in the schedule for the holidays, UConn traveled out west and beat the Pacific Tigers to stretch the streak to 90 games. [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. Auriemma found himself in a national debate following a decision he made during the 199798 season. 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 Huskies advanced to their 10th Final Four with an 8364 victory over Arizona State, and then to the 6th NCAA Championship Game in program history by defeating Stanford, also by the score of 8364. The 6661 loss was UConn's first of the season, but not its last. The team was unstoppable all season long, beating every opponent by an average of 39.7 points, and easily winning conference regular season and tournament. In 2002, 2009, and 2010, UConn entered the tournament 330, won the national title in each, and ended those seasons 390. 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. 1 in the polls for the first time in program history. 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. 1 in WNBA draft - ESPN", "Connecticut Huskies' 90-Game Win Streak - Women's College Basketball Topics - ESPN", "Maya Moore Becomes First Women's Basketball Player Signed To Jordan Brand", "Breanna Stewart, Stefanie Dolson lead UConn to record 9th title", "UConn holds off Notre Dame to claim 10th national title", "Geno Auriemma passes John Wooden with his 11th NCAA title", "With fourth title in hand, Breanna Stewart delivers for UConn", "Geno Auriemma: "We Need A Good Old-Fashioned Ass-Kicking", "Kia Nurse, Gabby Williams have emerged as leaders as UConn women chase history", "UConn Women Win 90th Straight, Tying Their Own Record", "UConn women's basketball wins 100th straight game, beats South Carolina 66-55", "Connecticut's 111-Game Winning Streak Ends With Loss to Mississippi State", "UConn Is 1 Win From Being The Streakiest College Team Ever", "UConn Transfer Azura Stevens Talks Excitement To Play For Huskies", "Notre Dame, a UConn Nemesis, Topples the Huskies in a Final Four Thriller", "Geno Auriemma wins 1000th game as UConn beats Oklahoma 88-64", "DI Women's Basketball Championship History", "NCAA tournaments canceled over coronavirus", "Big East Conference Statistical Archives", "Connecticut's Geno Auriemma keeps making a case to be considered the greatest basketball coach", "Who's the best coach ever? Motivated by the previous disappointing season, UConn came back in 19992000 with the clear goal of reaching the championship level again. 6 Creighton 85, No. ET. 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. 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. On February 28 she was enshrined in the Huskies of Honor (3rd time ever for an active player). [3] The team had also made the semi-finals for 14 consecutive tournaments. Even if both coaches remained vague and unspecific about the reasons of the cancellation, Tennessee filed a complaint to the NCAA about UConn's recruitment of Moore. [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. [83] Additionally, on November 14, 2022, UConn retired the #32 worn by Swin Cash, as she was a 2022 Naismith Hall inductee, with ceremonies held during the women's team game against Texas.[84]. [25], Many people weighed in on the decision on both national and local levels. After the end of the NCAA tournament, the Associated Press selects a Most Outstanding Player. In the 2002 WNBA draft, the four UConn players tabbed "TASS Force" (Tamika Williams, Asjha Jones, Sue Bird, Swin Cash) were all first round selections, each having immediate impact with their WNBA team. The 201415 regular season started with an overtime loss to Stanford in the second game of the season, ending a 47-games winning streak for UConn. 2022-23 Women's Basketball records For questions or updates to the Womens Basketball Records, please email Phil Pierce ([emailprotected]ncaa.org). The NCAA tournament has undergone dramatic expansion since its first edition in 1982, and only one unbeaten team has failed to qualify for the tournamentCalifornia Baptist in 2021, which was 240 after winning the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. 2 Southern Cal. (Other possibilities are that the team is independent, or is from a conference not yet eligible for an automatic bid.) Statistics correct through March 18, 2023.[78][79][80][81]. In addition to all players returning from the 2007 team, #1 ranked high school player Maya Moore joined the team after a bitter recruitment battle between UConn and Tennessee. [11], In Auriemma's 6th season (199091) the program broke through on the national scene, again capturing the Big East regular season and Tournament titles, and earning a #3 seed in the East Regional of the NCAA Tournament, its highest seed up to then. The results for all years are shown in this table below.[7]. In an early test, UConn squeaked by #2 Baylor in their second game of the season. Tennessee defeated Connecticut again in the 199798 regular season. UConn defeated Tennessee 7766 in front of a sold-out crowd in a game televised on ESPN and soon afterwards was ranked No. [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. 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. The format for the 2024 NCAA tournament will stay the same for the first time in three years. 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. In 1986, Texas entered the tournament 300, beat USC for the national title, and ended the season 340. [72] From 201314 to 201920, UConn played in the American Athletic Conference, where they went unbeaten both in regular season and conference tournament games, with a perfect 1390 record and 7 conference tournaments. The first NCAA women's basketball tournament was held in 1982. With their eleventh championship win in 2016, the UConn Huskies have tied the UCLA Bruins men's team for most college basketball championships, and became the first Division I women's basketball team to win four straight national championships. UConn was a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament, but eventually lost to LSU in the regional final to end the season with a 324 record. [41], After three down years by UConn standards, the team emerged as a heavy contender for the championship in the 2008 season. 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. Which coach has won the most NCAA womens basketball tournament championships? Coach Auriemma is one of the most successful coaches in college basketball: his 1149150 (.885) record as of April2022[update] represents the highest winning percentage among NCAA basketball coaches (minimum 10 seasons), any level, men's or women's,[9] while ranking him second in all-time women's wins behind current Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. Due to venue availability, in some cases, the lower seed hosted, or the game was played at a neutral site. Maya Moore gave UConn the lead (2322) in the second half with a three-pointer and led the team on a scoring run of 306 that eventually secured the national championship with a final score of 5347. Division regular season champion Led by upperclassmen Shea Ralph, Kelly Schumacher, Svetlana Abrosimova and the TASS Force (the K was dropped when Keirsten Walters had to give up basketball due to knee problems), UConn went through the regular season with a 271 record, their only loss being a single-point defeat to Tennessee at homeUConn had beaten Tennessee earlier in the season in Knoxville, and this was the first year the teams met twice.
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