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 women's basketball players list includes guards Sue Bird, Bria Hartley, Moriah Jefferson, Renee Montgomery, Shea Ralph, Jennifer Rizzotti, Nykesha Sales, and Diana Taurasi; forwards Svetlana Abrosimova, Swin Cash, Napheesa Collier, Maya Moore, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Katie Lou Samuelson, Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck, and Gabby Williams; centers Kerry Bascom, Tina Charles, Stefanie Dolson, Rebecca Lobo, and Kara Wolters. This was during the AIAW era for women's basketball. 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. The Huskies also became the first unbeaten team in NCAA history (all divisions, men or women) to win 35 games in a season. 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. In the Final Four UConn was finally challenged by Baylor and the 6-foot-8 freshman Brittney Griner;[47] Baylor trailed 3926 at halftime, cut the deficit to 4138 with 15 minutes remaining in the game, but UConn finally pulled away for a final score of 7050. 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 #6 seed is 7533 against the #11 seed (.694). 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 Huskies advanced to their first Final Four since 1996 and beat Penn State in the semifinals, reaching the Lady Vols for the championship game in Auriemma's hometown of Philadelphia. In the final game UConn found itself in early trouble when Lobo was called for three personal fouls in 94 seconds in the first half, but in the second half the team was able to rally from a 9-point deficit and a key Rizzotti layup gave UConn the lead with less than 2 minutes to go, a lead that the team kept until the final score of 7064 and their first national title. In the Championship Game UConn defeated Louisville 7654 behind Charles' 25 points and 19 boards, ending the season with a perfect 390 record (with every victory by at least 10 points, a record of its own) and sixth national title.[46]. 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). [69], 2021-2022 First National Title Game in Six Years. [73], Sandra Hamm, a Terryville native, was employed part-time as the interim women's coach in the 19741975 season, when the team was 28. UConn also signed a landmark deal during the season with Connecticut Public Television to broadcast their games.[18]. 11 Connecticut. With Faris and Doty graduated, sophomore Breanna Stewart was the undisputed leader of the 201314 UConn team, starting in all 40 games and leading the team with 19.4 points and 2.8 blocks per game; her 291 field goals made was the third-highest single-season total in UConn annals. The teams met again on April 7, 2015 in the national championship game. In 1993, all teams except for the top four were explicitly unseeded. ESPN announced the 2023 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball national championship averaged 9.9 million viewers, becoming the most-watched women's 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. The format for the 2024 NCAA tournament will stay the same for the first time in three years. [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. [21], In the 199596 season UConn ended Tennessee's home court winning streak at ThompsonBoling Arena in Knoxville. UConn started the game with its worst first half in school history by scoring only 12 points; only 11 teams in tournament history have been held to 12 points or less in the first half: three of them were against UConn teams, and two of them (Southern and Temple) just days earlier in the 2010 Tournament. 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. 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. 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 201112 season would inevitably be a new era after Maya Moore's graduation. [64], After easy wins in both conference regular season and conference tournament, UConn entered the NCAA tournament unbeaten, #1 overall and once again a heavy favorite to win it all; the season came to an unexpected end when Mississippi State's Morgan William hit a buzzer-beater to give its team a 6664 overtime victory in the NCAA Final Four. 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. After beating Minnesota in the semifinals, UConn again defeated Tennessee for the national championship. 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. Sales then held the school scoring record. The Huskies won 18 tournaments in 31 years. The Lady Vols havent been back to the Final Four since. In 1990, Louisiana Tech entered the tournament 290, but lost in the Final Four to Auburn. Under coach Geno Auriemma, Connecticut has been seeded #1 a record 22 times. Since 2017 the Ivy League conducts its own post-season tournament. 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. They then beat long-time rival and defending national champions Stanford to reach the National Championship game for the first time since 2016. They marched through the Big East tournament, including their 3rd victory of the year over Notre Dame in the Big East tournament Championship Game. [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. 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. Rallying from a 14-point deficit in the NCAA regional final they beat conference rival Rutgers and advanced to their first Final Four since Taurasi graduated. The class renewed hope of bringing more championships to Storrs after watching archrival Tennessee win three in a row. Notre Dame went on to win its first national championship. The sports under consideration were the four major professional sports (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL) along with the three most prominent college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. In 1980 the university hired Jean Balthaser, who had coached at the University of Pittsburgh. Here is the complete history of the DI women's basketball championship Taken together during the three years 20052007, UConn never made a Final Four, something that had become almost routine (17 final fours in 22 years from 1995 to 2016). [48] It was the only game in the Huskies' 78-game winning streak that was won by fewer than 10 points. 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]. Duke biggest winner in latest D1Baseball rankings, Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. UConn advanced to the Final Four and outscored rival Tennessee in the semifinals by 23 points. The 200405 season was marked with sloppy play and ragged offense; UConn lost 8 games and failed to win the Big East regular season crown for the first time since 1993. In 1993, Vermont entered the tournament 280, but lost in the first round to Rutgers. 3 Baylor 76 | Watch highlights No. 2 and No. In 2010 Sports Illustrated selected the top 25 sports franchises of the decade 20002009. 3 Stanford. Of these teams, 32 earn automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. "[27] The 199899 season ended in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Tournament, where UConn lost 6458 to Iowa State, falling short of reaching the Final Four for the third consecutive time. In her amazing college career Maya Moore won 150 games and only lost 4, amassing a total 3036 points (1st Husky ever and 4th all-time in NCAA division I women's basketball), 1276 rebounds (2nd Husky ever), 310 steals (3rd Husky ever), 544 assists (6th Husky ever) and 204 blocks (4th Husky ever); she is the only women's basketball player in Division I history to record 2500 points, 1000 rebounds, 500 assists, 250 steals and 150 blocked shots. Stanford itself only managed to score 20 points in the first half. During his tenure with Team USA, they won the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, plus Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. UConn finished the regular season undefeated and established a 70-game winning streak, shattering the previous mark of 54 set by Louisiana Tech; the streak ended in the Big East championship game loss to Villanova. UConn has featured a great number of star players, All-Americans, Hall of Famers and recipients of individual trophies. The #4 seed is 1017 against the #13 seed (.935). She was also named the 2000 Naismith and Parade Magazine National High School Player of the Year. UConn's season ended with a 6155 loss to top-seeded Virginia in the national semifinals at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. 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]. 1 overall pick, and where they went to college, LSU vs. Iowa - 2023 NCAA womens national championship | FULL REPLAY, Every HBCU player ever selected in the WNBA draft, The 13 highest-scoring individual performances in March Madness history, Best moments from 2023 March Madness, captured in photos, The record-breaking national championship between LSU and Iowa, by the numbers, Kim Mulkey has won at every stop in her career, but it meant the most at LSU, Women's Final Four Most Outstanding Players from 1982 to present, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [2], The Huskies have appeared in the NCAA tournament 34 times, every year since their first appearance in 1989. Auriemma felt guilty that he put Sales through the ordeal and was angry that some columnists chose to fault her and not him. [4] As of 2022, they have also appeared in a record 14 consecutive Final Fours. In front of a record-breaking crowd at the Alamodome in San Antonio, UConn defeated Oklahoma for the championship 8270 to complete a perfect 390 season. 7 championship games have featured two teams from the same conference (winner listed first and bolded): Broadcast rights to the NCAA women's basketball tournament are included in a larger package covering most NCAA Division I championships,[13][14] outside of men's basketball (which is held by CBS and Warner Bros. 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. Throughout the regular season and the Big East tournament, UConn's closest win was against Stanford, by 12 points. 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. The Huskies are trailed by Tennessee (eight), Baylor and Stanford (three) and Louisiana Tech, Notre Since the expansion to 64 teams in 1994, each seed-pairing has played 108 first-round games with these results: Since the expansion to 64 teams in 1994, the following results have occurred for each pairing: 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). After the 1995 Championship title, UConn rose to national prominence as one of the powerhouses in women's college basketball, giving coach Auriemma the chance to recruit star talents from high school like Shea Ralph in 1996 and Svetlana Abrosimova in 1997. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. She achieved legendary status among UConn fans, and is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time.[37]. UConn won the Big East tournament over Notre Dame in a game remembered for the Bird at the Buzzer shot, but lost key players Abrosimova and Ralph to season-ending injuries. [10], Auriemma pulled off one of his biggest and most important early recruiting successes in 1987 when he convinced an All American from New Hampshire, Kerry Bascom, to come to UConn. The starting five of Bird, Taurasi, Cash, Jones, and Williams is widely regarded as the best starting five in women's college basketball history. After graduating from college in California, Wanda Flora went to graduate school at Indiana University, where she was an assistant coach for the women's basketball team and coached the junior varsity team. 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. 1 in AP National poll, women's (250), Most consecutive NCAA Championships, any Division, women's (4, 20132016), Most consecutive NCAA Division I Final Fours, men's or women's (14, 20082023), Most consecutive NCAA Division I Elite Eights, men's or women's (16, 20062023), Most consecutive NCAA Division I Sweet Sixteen, men's or women's (29, 19942023), Most consecutive NCAA Division I tournament wins, women's (28, 20132017), Most consecutive NCAA wins, any Division, men's or women's (111, 20142017), Most consecutive NCAA Division I regular-season wins, men's or women's (126, 20142019), Most consecutive NCAA Division I home court wins, women's (99, 20072012), Most consecutive NCAA Division I road wins, men's or women's (62, 20142019), Most consecutive NCAA Division I 30-win seasons, men's or women's (14, 20062019), This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 16:18. 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. The first season for the highly ranked class in 199899 was up and down and featured many injuries: Sue Bird tore her ACL and was lost for the season after only 10 games. On February 28 she was enshrined in the Huskies of Honor (3rd time ever for an active player). In 199394, UConn had its most successful season to that point;[13] led by Lobo and teammates Jamelle Elliott, Jennifer Rizzotti, Pam Webber, Kara Wolters and Carla Berube, UConn won 30 games for the first time in program history, winning the Big East tournament and regular-season titles. In 2023, South Carolina entered the tournament 32-0, but lost in the Final Four to. Taurasi was the third basketball player to receive this final honor, after former UConn star Rebecca Lobo and Tennessee star Chamique Holdsclaw. Division regular season champion Relative to their high standards, UConn struggled during the first two years following Taurasi's graduation in 2004. "[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 Scope has never been the Lady Monarchs' regular home court. The stage appeared set for a rematch with Mississippi State in the championship game, but historic rival Notre Dame beat UConn in the semifinal with another overtime last second shot by Arike Ogunbowale. With a perfect 350 record, UConn became only the fifth Division I women's basketball team to go undefeated en route to a national championship, and only the second in the NCAA era (since 1982). 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. 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. 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 2016, UConn entered the tournament 320, beat Syracuse for the national title, ending the season 380. With 11 national titles, the UConn Huskies hold the record for the most NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships, which included four straight championships from 2013 through 2016. 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. The tournament bracket is made up of champions from each Division I conference, which rre somatic bid]]s. The remaining slots are at-large bids, with teams chosen by an NCAA selection committee. They powered their way through 8 more consecutive wins for their 88th straight victory, beating #10 Ohio State at Madison Square Garden. From 2022, the tournament will involve 68 teams, matching the size of the D-I men's tournament. In 202021, UConn rejoined several of its former conference mates in the current Big East Conference. In 1986, Texas entered the tournament 300, beat USC for the national title, and ended the season 340. UConn followed up its surprise run to the Final Four in 1991 by landing All-American Rebecca Lobo from Southwick, Massachusetts. No longer a member of NCAA Division I (as of 201920). 3 Baylor. UConn finished the regular season undefeated for the 5th time in school history with a 300 record. 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. UConn has won 11 NCAA womens basketball championships. [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. Taurasi finished her high school career ranked second to Cheryl Miller in state history with 3,047 points.[29]. From 2003 to 2014, sixteen predetermined sites were selected for first and second-round games. [33], In the NCAA Tournament UConn easily advanced to the Final Four at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Tennessee is second with 21 #1 seeds. Women's NCAA Division I basketball champions. 4 are shown with .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}dotted underline. 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. The national championship game against Stanford was a completely different story. The 201011 season began with high hopes but much uncertainty for the Huskies. Connecticut's final season record was 361 and Shea Ralph was named the Final Four's MVP. 9 Florida Atlantic 78, No. The 6661 loss was UConn's first of the season, but not its last. Auriemma signed his best recruiting class to date in 1998 when he signed five top-15 nationally ranked players. In 1997, UConn entered the tournament 300, but lost in the Midwest Regional Final to Tennessee. Notably, Louisiana Tech's differential is prior to the expansion of 64 teams and the addition of one more round of play. 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 201112 academic year. Even if the Huskies were still a strong national contender, they were no longer viewed as a favorite to win it all. WebThis is a list of top Women's Division I college basketball teams ranked by the number of wins through the end of the 202122 season (minimum of 10 years as a Division I Two of the seasons (200102 and 200809) resulted in perfect 390 records. Still, the tournament receives a smaller amount of funding from broadcast rights (which are held by ESPN, and are pooled with those of other NCAA Division I championships besides golf and men's basketball) and sponsorship (which are sold by CBS and Turner Sports) than the men's tournament. 2023 college baseball conference tournaments: Schedules - For each season, the 4 teams seeded No. She led UConn to the Final Four, but in the national semifinals against Notre Dame in St. Louis, Taurasi had a poor shooting game, and despite UConn having attained a 16-point lead at one point, the team lost. UConn defeated Tennessee 7766 in front of a sold-out crowd in a game televised on ESPN and soon afterwards was ranked No. The Women's Final Four and championship remained exclusive to ESPN. [20] In 2023, the national championship game aired on ABC for the first time. [16], The 199495 UConn team was widely credited with increasing interest in women's basketball. 2022-23 Women's Basketball records For questions or updates to the Womens Basketball Records, please email Phil Pierce ([emailprotected]ncaa.org).