Kristian Ferrell
The 2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I college basketball national champion for the 2022–23 season. The championship game was held on April 2, 2023, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, and it was broadcast on ABC, marking the first time since 1995 that the women's championship game was on broadcast television. Louisiana State University (LSU) defeated Iowa in the final, with a score of 102-85. LSU's Kim Mulkey became the first coach to win a Division I women's basketball national championship at two different schools.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Tournament Name | NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament |
| Other Names | Women's March Madness |
| Year | 2025 |
| Winner | UConn |
| Runner-up | South Carolina |
| Number of Teams | 68 |
| Previous Winners | Tennessee (8), Baylor (3), Stanford (3), South Carolina (3) |
| Most Wins | UConn (12) |
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What You'll Learn
- UConn Huskies: the most NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships
- women's championship: the first to receive higher viewership than the men's
- Women's March Madness: the single-elimination tournament played each spring in the US
- The AIAW women's basketball tournament: the predecessor to the NCAA Division I tournament
- Ivy League: one of the conferences that provide automatic bids to the tournament
UConn Huskies: the most NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships
The UConn Huskies are the most successful women's basketball programme in the nation, winning a record 12 NCAA Division I National Championships. They are also the first unbeaten team in NCAA history, all divisions, men or women, to win 35 games in a single season.
The Huskies have participated in every NCAA tournament since 1989, marking the third-longest active streak in Division I as of the 2018-19 season. From 2008 to 2022, they appeared in a record 14 consecutive Final Fours. UConn also holds the two longest winning streaks in college basketball history, with 111 straight wins from 2014 to 2017, and 90 consecutive wins from 2008 to 2010, including two undefeated seasons.
The UConn Huskies won their first national championship in 1995, widely credited with increasing interest in women's basketball. The team was honoured with a parade in Hartford, Connecticut, that drew over 100,000 spectators, and they were awarded the Team of the Year Award at the ESPN ESPY awards.
UConn has since added four more championships in a five-year span from 2000 to 2004, three-peating from 2002 to 2004 with star players such as Sue Bird, Swin Cash, and Diana Taurasi. They then won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 with Renee Montgomery, Maya Moore, and Tina Charles. From 2013 to 2016, Breanna Stewart led the Huskies to an unprecedented four consecutive championships.
In 2025, UConn won its record 12th national championship, defeating South Carolina in the championship game.
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2024 women's championship: the first to receive higher viewership than the men's
The 2024 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament was a huge success, with record-breaking viewership and attendance that even surpassed that of the men's tournament. This marked a significant milestone and highlighted the growing popularity and impact of women's college basketball on a national scale.
The tournament, which began on March 20, 2024, and concluded with the championship game on April 7, featured 68 teams in a single-elimination format. It was hosted in Cleveland, Ohio, marking the second time the city hosted the women's Final Four. The road to the championship game was filled with exciting matchups and standout performances that captivated fans across the country.
One notable aspect of the tournament was the strong performance of teams making their NCAA debuts. Big South champion Presbyterian, Southland champion Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, WAC champion California Baptist, and at-large bid Columbia all made their first appearances. Additionally, several teams made their returns to the tournament after lengthy absences, adding to the excitement.
As the tournament progressed, the viewership numbers continued to climb. The Albany Regional final between Iowa and LSU, a rematch of the previous year's national championship game, set a new record for the largest audience ever for a women's college basketball game. This record was short-lived, as Iowa's national semifinal match with Connecticut broke it once again, attracting the most viewers for a basketball game at any level on ESPN.
The championship game, aired on ABC and ESPN, became the most-watched women's basketball game since 2019 and the most-watched basketball game, including the NBA, outside of primetime since 1992. It drew a massive audience of 18.9 million viewers, solidifying the 2024 Women's Basketball Tournament as a historic and groundbreaking event in sports broadcasting.
The success of the 2024 tournament served as a testament to the talent and appeal of women's basketball and paved the way for even greater recognition and support for the sport in the future. It demonstrated that fans were eager to tune in and celebrate the achievements of these incredible athletes, marking a pivotal moment in the continued growth and evolution of women's sports.
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Women's March Madness: the single-elimination tournament played each spring in the US
The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, often referred to as Women's March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States. It currently features 68 women's college basketball teams from Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The tournament determines the national championship, with 32 teams earning automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments, and the remaining teams granted "at-large" bids by the NCAA Selection Committee.
The first women's tournament was held in 1982, five years after the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), which organised women's basketball tournaments from 1972 to 1982, disbanded. The NCAA tournament began as a 32-team event and has since expanded several times, reaching 64 teams in 1994 and 68 in 2022, to match the size of the Division I men's tournament.
Women's March Madness has often been overshadowed by the men's tournament, receiving less funding from broadcast rights and sponsorship. However, after a gender equality review following the 2021 tournament, the NCAA extended the "March Madness" branding to the women's tournament and expanded it to the current 68-team format. The 2024 Women's March Madness championship was the first to receive higher viewership than the men's championship in the same year.
UConn holds the record for the most NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships, with 12 titles, including four straight championships from 2013 to 2016. They claimed their 12th title in 2025, defeating South Carolina in the championship game.
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The AIAW women's basketball tournament: the predecessor to the NCAA Division I tournament
The AIAW women's basketball tournament was a national tournament for women's collegiate basketball teams in the United States. It was held annually from 1972 to 1982 and preceded the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognised as the national champions for those years.
The AIAW tournament was organised by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). It was preceded by a tournament sponsored by the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW), which was held from 1969 to 1971. Sixteen teams were invited to the tournament following qualifying rounds played on college campuses. Ten of the sixteen teams were the winners of regional tournaments. The AIAW tournament was discontinued after the NCAA began sponsoring a women's collegiate basketball tournament in 1982.
In 1982, both the AIAW and NCAA sponsored competing tournaments. The AIAW final four featured a pair of regional rivalries. Grentz's Philly-heavy Lady Knights took on Villanova in the semis, while the Longhorns played Wayland Baptist, a small school in the Texas Panhandle that had the most storied programme in the sport's history.
The AIAW and NCAA were in a battle for sole governance of women's collegiate sports. The AIAW continued to conduct its established championship program in the same 12 sports; however, after a year of dual women's championships, the NCAA prevailed, and the AIAW disbanded.
The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, sometimes referred to as Women's March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States. It currently features 68 women's college basketball teams from the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), to determine the national championship.
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Ivy League: one of the conferences that provide automatic bids to the tournament
The NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, also known as Women's March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States. The tournament features 68 women's college basketball teams from Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Of these teams, 32 earn automatic bids by winning their respective conference tournaments. The Ivy League is one of the conferences that provide automatic bids to the tournament.
The Ivy League has a reputation as a "one-bid league", as it has never sent two teams to play in March Madness. However, in recent years, some Ivy League teams have played at historically high levels, challenging this precedent. For example, in the 2023-2024 season, Yale, Princeton, and Cornell had a combined win-loss record of 66-18 (78.6 percent), the best since the 1969-1970 season. All three teams were ranked within the top 100 ratings on kenpom.com for the first time since the site's launch in 1999. Despite this, the Ivy League has yet to receive multiple bids to the tournament.
There are a few factors that may contribute to the Ivy League's challenge in securing multiple bids. One factor is the difficulty Ivy League teams face in scheduling games against top programs during the early season portion of their schedule. Additionally, the criteria for determining at-large bids, which are reliant on evaluating the quality of a team's wins and losses, can work against the Ivy League. Teams in the Ivy League have limited opportunities to play against high-major talent in the regular season, which can affect their win percentages compared to teams from high-major conferences such as the Big 12, SEC, or Big East.
Despite these challenges, Ivy League teams have proven their capability to beat top-tier opponents when given the opportunity. For instance, Princeton, also known as the Tigers, had a 12-1 record in their non-conference schedule during the 2023-2024 season. While they did not face any top 50 ranked opponents, they demonstrated their competitiveness by beating every team they played during that stretch.
In summary, while the Ivy League has a reputation as a one-bid league, the strong performance of certain teams in recent years has sparked discussions about the possibility of the Ivy League receiving multiple bids to the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. However, the challenges in scheduling games against top programs and the criteria for determining at-large bids remain obstacles for the Ivy League to overcome.
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Frequently asked questions
UConn won a record 12th title in the 2025 women's NCAA basketball tournament.
South Carolina was the runner-up in the 2025 women's NCAA basketball tournament.
UConn holds the record for the most NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championships with 12 wins.
