Tournament: NCAA Women's Final Four
Association: National Collegiate Athletic Association
Division: Division I
Location: The locations vary each year
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women hosted a national championship for women's basketball from 1972 through 1982. When the National Collegiate Athletic Association began hosting their national championship tournament in 1982, the AIAW held a competing tournament that same year but discontinued their tournaments afterward. The first NCAA Women's Basketball Championship game was between Cheyney University and the top-ranked
Louisiana Tech
. It was a sellout game, and the Lady Techsters won with a final score of 76 - 62. In the years since, collegiate women's basketball has continued to grow in popularity, which, in turn, feeds into itself with better talent available from better youth programs and exposure. The semifinals and final games are always packed with fans, who are rarely disappointed with the action on the court. People today also feel more connected with the players because of social media. As the excitement builds toward the Women's Final Four, lucky Final Four ticket holders are the happiest of sports fans. Become one of those lucky fans by buying your tickets at StubHub!
There are 64 teams that are chosen to compete in a single-elimination tournament. These teams are made up of 32 teams that receive an automatic qualification and 32 teams that are chosen at large by the Division I Women's Basketball Championship Sport Committee. Before the tournament begins, there are two top-16 reveals that take place. Each of these reveals will list the 16 teams in seed order and state the potential regional assignment for the teams. These reveals have no bearing on the 64 teams chosen for the Women's Basketball Championship, which are usually announced during a televised Selection Special media event.
The first- and second-round games will be played at 16 campus locations that are not predetermined. Four teams will compete in single-elimination first-round competitions. The two winners then play each other in single-elimination second-round matches at the same location. The winner from each of these 16 second-round games will move on to the regionals. The regionals will be played at four different locations with four teams that compete in these semifinals. The two winners play each other, and the winning team advances to the Women's Final Four.
The locations for the Final Four are different depending on the year. The 2020 venue was the
Smoothie King Center
in New Orleans. The Final Four will be at the
Alamodome
in San Antonio for 2021, at the
Target Center
in Minneapolis for 2022, at the
American Airlines Center
in Dallas for 2023 and at the
Quicken Loans Arena
(renamed as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse) in Cleveland for 2024.
As of 2019, 351 NCAA programs sponsor Division I Women's Basketball teams, and of these, 349 teams are eligible to compete for the Division I national championship. There are approximately 5,000 student-athletes who participate in these programs.
Baylor
won the 2019 Women's Final Four against
Notre Dame
at the
Amalie Arena
in Tampa. The Bears won the Division I Women's Basketball national title, defeating Notre Dame 82-81. It was an exciting match, as the Bear's starting forward Lauren Cox was sent out with an injury in the third quarter. Nalyssa Smith came in and scored a total of 14 points. With seconds on the clock, Moon Ursin with the Bears fouled Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale, who made the second of two free throws. The Baylor Bears won with a one-point lead.NCAA Division I Women's Basketball always delivers intense competition and is definitely entertaining to watch at all times. The Final Four elevates that experience, and there are also many fan-favorite events to hype up everyone's spirits. To make sure you're a part of the fun, be sure to get your NCAA Women's Final Four Basketball tickets at StubHub today.