South Carolina, Indiana, Virginia Tech and Stanford highlight 2023 NCAA Division I tournament as top seeds
To no one’s surprise, the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks (32-0) garnered the overall top seed of the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship. The reigning champs begin their quest for another title Friday, March 17, at home, facing No. 16-seeded Norfolk State.
The 68-team tournament field also features Indiana (27-3), Virginia Tech (27-4), and Stanford (28-5) as No. 1 seeds. This season, the tournament has just two regions: Greenville and Seattle instead of four. The four sections of the bracket have the labels: Greenville 1, Greenville 2, Seattle 3, and Seattle 4. South Carolina is in the Greenville 1 region. According to the NCAA, the number next to the regional location “reflects the true seed number of the number one seed within that respective regional pod.”
The Final Four takes place March 31 and April 2 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Tournament Tidbits
- Tennessee is the only school to participate in all 41 tournaments since the competition began in 1982.
- Iowa State earned an auto-bid by winning the Big 12 Tournament title for the first time in 22 years.
- Holy Cross won the Patriot League tournament for the first time since 2007 to earn its auto-bid.
- Hawai’i enters the tournament with back-to-back Big West tournament titles in tow.
- After entering the season tied for tenth place in the CAA preseason poll, Monmouth knocked off top-seed Towson in the conference tournament title game to earn an auto qualification.
- Four schools are making their first-ever appearance in the tournament: Saint Louis, Sacramento State, Southeastern Louisiana, and Southern Utah.
Previous NCAA Tournament Champions
| YEAR | CHAMPION (RECORD) | COACH | SCORE | RUNNER-UP | SITE |
| 2022 | South Carolina | Dawn Staley | UConn | Minneapolis, MN | |
| 2021 | Stanford (31-2) | Tara VanDerveer | 54-53 | Arizona | San Antonio, Texas |
| 2020 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | ||||
| 2019 | Baylor (37-1) | Kim Mulkey | 82-81 | Notre Dame | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2018 | Notre Dame (34-3) | Muffet McGraw | 61-58 | Mississippi State | Columbus, Ohio |
| 2017 | South Carolina (33-4) | Dawn Staley | 67-55 | Mississippi State | Dallas, Texas |
| 2016 | Connecticut (38-0) | Geno Auriemma | 82-51 | Syracuse | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 2015 | Connecticut (38-1) | Geno Auriemma | 63-53 | Notre Dame | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2014 | Connecticut (40-0) | Geno Auriemma | 79-58 | Notre Dame | Nashville, Tenn. |
| 2013 | Connecticut (35-4) | Geno Auriemma | 93-60 | Louisville | New Orleans, La. |
| 2012 | Baylor (40-0) | Kim Mulkey | 80-61 | Notre Dame | Denver, Colo. |
| 2011 | Texas A&M (33-5) | Gary Blair | 76-70 | Notre Dame | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 2010 | Connecticut (39-0) | Geno Auriemma | 53-47 | Stanford | San Antonio, Texas |
| 2009 | Connecticut (39-0) | Geno Auriemma | 76-54 | Louisville | St. Louis, Mo. |
| 2008 | Tennessee (36-2) | Pat Summitt | 64-48 | Stanford | Tampa, Fla. |
| 2007 | Tennessee (34-3) | Pat Summitt | 59-46 | Rutgers | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 2006 | Maryland (34-4) | Brenda Frese | 78-75 (OT) | Duke | Boston, Mass. |
| 2005 | Baylor (33-3) | Kim Mulkey | 84-62 | Michigan State | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 2004 | Connecticut (31-4) | Geno Auriemma | 70-61 | Tennessee | New Orleans, La. |
| 2003 | Connecticut (37-1) | Geno Auriemma | 73-68 | Tennessee | Atlanta, Ga. |
| 2002 | Connecticut (39-0) | Geno Auriemma | 82-70 | Oklahoma | San Antonio, Texas |
| 2001 | Notre Dame (34-2) | Muffet McGraw | 68-66 | Purdue | St. Louis, Mo. |
| 2000 | Connecticut (36-1) | Geno Auriemma | 71-52 | Tennessee | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| 1999 | Purdue (34-1) | Carolyn Peck | 62-45 | Duke | San Jose, Calif. |
| 1998 | Tennessee (39-0) | Pat Summitt | 93-75 | Louisiana Tech | Kansas City, Mo. |
| 1997 | Tennessee (29-10) | Pat Summitt | 68-59 | Old Dominion | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| 1996 | Tennessee (32-4) | Pat Summitt | 83-65 | Georgia | Charlotte, N.C. |
| 1995 | Connecticut (35-0) | Geno Auriemma | 70-64 | Tennessee | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| 1994 | North Carolina (33-2) | Sylvia Hatchell | 60-59 | Louisiana Tech | Richmond, Va. |
| 1993 | Texas Tech (31-3) | Marsha Sharp | 84-82 | Ohio State | Atlanta, Ga. |
| 1992 | Stanford (30-3) | Tara VanDerveer | 78-62 | Western Kentucky | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| 1991 | Tennessee (30-5) | Pat Summitt | 70-67 (OT) | Virginia | New Orleans, La. |
| 1990 | Stanford (32-1) | Tara VanDerveer | 88-81 | Auburn | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| 1989 | Tennessee (35-2) | Pat Summitt | 76-60 | Auburn | Tacoma, Wash. |
| 1988 | Louisiana Tech (32-2) | Leon Barmore | 56-54 | Auburn | Tacoma, Wash. |
| 1987 | Tennessee (28-6) | Pat Summitt | 67-44 | Louisiana Tech | Austin, Texas |
| 1986 | Texas (34-0) | Jody Conradt | 97-81 | Southern California | Lexington, Ky. |
| 1985 | Old Dominion (31-3) | Marianne Stanley | 70-65 | Georgia | Austin, Texas |
| 1984 | Southern California (29-4) | Linda Sharp | 72-61 | Tennessee | Los Angeles, Calif. |
| 1983 | Southern California (31-2) | Linda Sharp | 69-67 | Louisiana Tech | Norfolk, Va. |
| 1982 | Louisiana Tech (35-1) | Sonja Hogg | 76-62 | Cheyney | Norfolk, Va. |
