2002 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

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2002 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
2002 Final Four logo
Teams64
Finals siteAlamodome
San Antonio, Texas
ChampionsConnecticut Huskies (3rd title, 3rd title game,
6th Final Four)
Runner-upOklahoma Sooners (1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachGeno Auriemma (3rd title)
MOPSwin Cash (Connecticut)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
«2001 2003»

The 2002 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament concluded on March 31, 2002 when Connecticut (aka UConn) won the national title. The Final Four was held at the Alamodome in San Antonio on March 29–31, 2002. UConn, coached by Geno Auriemma, defeated Oklahoma 82-70 in the championship game.

Notable events

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After wins in the first three rounds, Connecticut faced Old Dominion in the Mideast regional finals. The opening 16 minutes were described as "near-perfect", as the Huskies hit over 90% of their shots (19 of 21) and too had a 49–28 lead. That 21 point margin would match the final margin, as the Huskies would move on to the Final Four. Sue Bird scored 26 points, a career high, and eleven assist. The team recorded 25 assists, which brought their season total to 811, a new NCAA season record.[1]

In the other three regions all the number one seeds, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Duke all advanced to the Final Four. A dozen years earlier, Oklahoma attempted to eliminate the women's basketball program, but now the program had advanced to its first Final Four, and faced Duke in one semifinal game. Duke opened the game with a 13–7 run, but the Sooners responded with 12 consecutive points. Oklahoma managed to get to a 17-point lead in the second half, but Duke cut the lead to only two points with just under eight minutes to go. Oklahoma responded with a 16–3 run to take a decisive lead, and won the game 86–71 to head to the national championship game.[2]

In the other semifinal, UConn faced Tennessee. Although Tennessee scored first, but that would be the last time they would lead. The Huskies responded, opened up an early lead, and extended it to 13 points at halftime. Connecticut extended the lead in the beginning of the second half, with a 24–11 run, and went on to hold the Lady Vols to 31% shooting. No Tennessee player scored in double digits; Kara Lawson led the team with nine points. The win extended the perfect season by Connecticut to 38 games, while marking the fourth time in the last five meetings that the Huskies had beaten the Lady Vols.[3][4]

In the championship game, the Sooners were out rebounded and outshot, but did not give up. Oklahoma did not give up a single three point shot, the first time that has occurred in an NCAA title game, and the last time that would happen to the Connecticut team in any game for over a decade. With a minute and a half to go, the Huskies held a lead, but only six points. UConn had the ball, and despite having four seniors on the floor who would go 1,2 4 and 6 in the 2002 WNBA Draft, gave the ball to sophomore Diana Taurasi, who backed down Oklahoma's Stacy Dales then took a turn around jumper then went in, while Dales fouled Taurasi to foul out of the game. Taurasi hit the foul shot to extend the lead to nine points, and the Huskies would go on to be the first team in history to record two undefeated seasons, winning their third national championship.[5]

The championship game attendance of 29,619 set the still-standing attendance record for an official game in women's basketball history. A 2023 exhibition between Iowa and DePaul held at Kinnick Stadium, home to Iowa football, had an attendance of 55,646.[6]

Tournament records

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  • Fewest turnovers – Louisiana Tech committed only three turnovers in the East regional first-round game against UC Santa Barbara, setting the record for fewest turnovers in an NCAA tournament game. Unfortunately for the Lady Techsters, the low number of turnovers could not prevent UCSB from winning.
  • Free throws – Sue Bird hit 20 free throws out of 20 attempts, one of several players to hit 100% of their free throws in an NCAA tournament; 20 is the largest such total.
  • Assists – Connecticut recorded 128 assists, setting the record for most assists in an NCAA tournament
  • Blocks – Connecticut recorded 53 blocks, setting the record for blocks in an NCAA tournament[7]

Qualifying teams – automatic

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Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-one conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA tournament.[7]

Automatic Bids
    Record  
Qualifying School Conference Regular
Season 		Conference Seed
Arizona State University Pac-10 24–8 12–6 9
Austin Peay State University Ohio Valley Conference 19–11 9–7 15
Bucknell University Patriot League 21–9 11–3 15
Brigham Young University Mountain West 22–8 10–4 11
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Southern Conference 23–7 14–4 13
University of Cincinnati Conference USA 26–4 11–3 6
University of Connecticut Big East 33–0 16–0 1
Creighton University Missouri Valley Conference 24–6 16–2 12
Duke University ACC 27–3 16–0 1
Florida International University Sun Belt Conference 26–5 13–1 5
Georgia State University Atlantic Sun Conference 21–9 14–6 15
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Horizon League 24–6 15–1 13
University of Hartford America East 16–14 9–7 16
Harvard University Ivy League 22–5 13–1 13
Indiana University Bloomington Big Ten 17–13 8–8 9
Kent State University MAC 20–10 13–3 14
Liberty University Big South Conference 23–7 13–1 14
Louisiana Tech University WAC 25–4 17–1 5
Norfolk State University MEAC 22–8 13–5 16
Oakland University Mid-Continent 17–13 8–6 16
University of Oklahoma Big 12 27–3 14–2 1
Old Dominion University Colonial 25–5 18–0 7
Pepperdine University West Coast Conference 23–7 11–3 8
Southern University SWAC 26–4 17–1 14
Saint Francis University Northeast Conference 19–11 14–4 16
Saint Peter's College MAAC 25–5 15–3 11
Stephen F. Austin State University Southland 24–5 19–1 13
Temple University Atlantic 10 20–10 12–4 14
University of California, Santa Barbara Big West Conference 25–5 16–0 12
Vanderbilt University SEC 27–6 10–4 1
Weber State University Big Sky Conference 22–8 11–3 15

Qualifying teams – at-large

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Thirty-three additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations.[7]

At-large Bids
    Record  
Qualifying School Conference Regular
Season 		Conference Seed
University of Arkansas Southeastern 19–11 7–7 6
Baylor University Big 12 26–5 12–4 2
Boston College Big East 23–7 12–4 5
Clemson University Atlantic Coast 17–11 9–7 11
University of Colorado Boulder Big 12 21–9 11–5 3
Colorado State University Mountain West 24–6 12–2 7
Drake University Missouri Valley 23–7 15–3 7
University of Florida Southeastern 18–10 8–6 6
University of Georgia Southeastern 19–10 6–8 10
University of Iowa Big Ten 17–10 10–6 9
Iowa State University Big 12 23–8 9–7 3
Kansas State University Big 12 24–7 11–5 3
Louisiana State University Southeastern 17–11 8–6 6
University of Minnesota Big Ten 21–7 11–5 5
Mississippi State University Southeastern 18–11 8–6 12
University of New Mexico Mountain West 22–8 10–4 10
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Atlantic Coast 24–8 11–5 4
University of Notre Dame Big East 19–9 13–3 7
Pennsylvania State University Big Ten 21–11 11–5 4
Purdue University Big Ten 23–5 13–3 2
Santa Clara University West Coast 21–9 9–5 11
University of South Carolina Southeastern 22–6 10–4 3
Stanford University Pacific-10 30–2 18–0 2
Syracuse University Big East 18–12 9–7 10
Texas Christian University Conference USA 23–6 12–2 8
University of Tennessee Southeastern 25–4 13–1 2
University of Texas at Austin Big 12 20–9 10–6 4
Texas Tech University Big 12 18–11 8–8 4
Tulane University Conference USA 23–10 8–6 10
University of Nevada, Las Vegas Mountain West 23–7 9–5 12
Villanova University Big East 19–10 12–4 9
University of Virginia Atlantic Coast 17–12 9–7 8
University of Wisconsin–Madison Big Ten 19–11 8–8 8

Bids by conference

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Thirty-one conferences earned an automatic bid. In twenty-one cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-three additional at-large teams were selected from ten of the conferences.[7]

Bids Conference Teams
8 Southeastern Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee
7 Big 12 Oklahoma, Baylor, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas, Texas Tech
6 Big Ten Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
5 Big East Connecticut, Boston College, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Villanova
4 Atlantic Coast Duke, Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia
4 Mountain West BYU, Colorado State, New Mexico, UNLV
3 Conference USA Cincinnati, TCU, Tulane
2 Missouri Valley Creighton, Drake
2 Pacific-10 Arizona State, Stanford
2 West Coast Pepperdine, Santa Clara
1 America East Hartford
1 Atlantic 10 Temple
1 Atlantic Sun Georgia State
1 Big Sky Weber State
1 Big South Liberty
1 Big West UC Santa Barbara
1 Colonial Old Dominion
1 Horizon Green Bay
1 Ivy Harvard
1 Metro Atlantic Saint Peter’s
1 Mid-American Kent State
1 Mid-Continent Oakland
1 Mid-Eastern Norfolk State
1 Northeast Saint Francis (PA)
1 Ohio Valley Austin Peay
1 Patriot Bucknell
1 Southern Chattanooga
1 Southland Stephen F. Austin
1 Southwestern Southern U.
1 Sun Belt FIU
1 Western Athletic Louisiana Tech

2002 NCAA tournament schedule and venues

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2002 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Austin
Austin
Durham
Durham
Waco
Waco
Columbia
Columbia
West Lafayette
West Lafayette
Storrs
Storrs
State College
State College
Manhattan
Manhattan
Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
Knoxville
Knoxville
Nashville
Nashville
Ames
Ames
Norman
Norman
Boulder
Boulder
Stanford
Stanford
Lubbock
Lubbock
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2002 NCAA NCAA first and second round venues
2002 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Ames
Ames
Raleigh
Raleigh
Milwaukee
Milwaukee
Boise
Boise
San Antonio
San Antonio
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2002 NCAA regionals and Final Four

In 2002, the field remained at 64 teams. The teams were seeded, and assigned to four geographic regions, with seeds 1-16 in each region. In Round 1, seeds 1 and 16 faced each other, as well as seeds 2 and 15, seeds 3 and 14, seeds 4 and 13, seeds 5 and 12, seeds 6 and 11, seeds 7 and 10, and seeds 8 and 9. In the first two rounds, the top four seeds were given the opportunity to host the first-round game. In all cases, the higher seed accepted the opportunity.[8]

First and Second rounds

The following table lists the region, host school, venue and the sixteen first and second round locations:

Regional semifinals and finals

The Regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 23 to March 25 at these sites:

Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four held March 29 and March 31 in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome, (Host: University of Texas at San Antonio)

Bids by state

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The sixty-four teams came from thirty states. Texas had the most teams with five bids. Twenty states did not have any teams receiving bids.[7]

NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 2002
Bids State Teams
5 Pennsylvania Bucknell, Temple, Penn State, Saint Francis, Villanova
5 Texas Stephen F. Austin, Baylor, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech
4 California Pepperdine, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Stanford
4 Louisiana Louisiana Tech, Southern U., LSU, Tulane
4 Tennessee Austin Peay, Chattanooga, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
4 Virginia Liberty, Norfolk State, Old Dominion, Virginia
3 Indiana Indiana, Notre Dame, Purdue
3 Iowa Drake, Iowa, Iowa State
2 Colorado Colorado, Colorado State
2 Connecticut Connecticut, Hartford
2 Florida FIU, Florida
2 Georgia Georgia State, Georgia
2 Massachusetts Harvard, Boston College
2 North Carolina Duke, North Carolina
2 Ohio Cincinnati, Kent State
2 South Carolina Clemson, South Carolina
2 Utah BYU, Weber State
2 Wisconsin Green Bay, Wisconsin
1 Arizona Arizona State
1 Arkansas Arkansas
1 Kansas Kansas State
1 Michigan Oakland
1 Minnesota Minnesota
1 Mississippi Mississippi State
1 Nebraska Creighton
1 Nevada UNLV
1 New Jersey Saint Peter’s
1 New Mexico New Mexico
1 New York Syracuse
1 Oklahoma Oklahoma

Brackets

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Data Source[9]

* – Denotes overtime period

Mideast Region - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

[edit]
First round
March 15–16 		Second round
March 17–18 		Regional semifinals
March 23 		Regional finals
March 25
            
1 Connecticut 86
16 Saint Francis (PA) 37
1 Connecticut 86
Storrs, Connecticut – Sat/Mon
9 Iowa 48
8 Virginia 62
9 Iowa 69
1 Connecticut 82
4 Penn State 64
5 Florida International 73
12 Creighton 58
5 Florida International 79
State College, Pennsylvania – Fri/Sun
4 Penn State 96
4 Penn State 82
13 Chattanooga 67
1 Connecticut 85
7 Old Dominion 64
6 Arkansas 78
11 Clemson 68
6 Arkansas 68
Manhattan, Kansas – Fri/Sun
3 Kansas State 82
3 Kansas State 93
14 Kent State 65
3 Kansas State 62
7 Old Dominion 82
7 Old Dominion 68
10 Georgia 54
7 Old Dominion 74*
West Lafayette, Indiana – Sat/Mon
2 Purdue 70
2 Purdue 80
15 Austin Peay 49

Midwest Region - Ames, Iowa

[edit]
First round
March 15–16 		Second round
March 17–18 		Regional semifinals
March 23 		Regional finals
March 25
            
1 Vanderbilt 63
16 Oakland 38
1 Vanderbilt 61
Nashville, Tennessee – Sat/Mon
9 Arizona State 35
8 Wisconsin 70
9 Arizona State 73
1 Vanderbilt 70
4 North Carolina 61
5 Minnesota 71
12 UNLV 54
5 Minnesota 69
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Sat/Mon
4 North Carolina 72
4 North Carolina 85
13 Harvard 58
1 Vanderbilt 63
2 Tennessee 68
6 Florida 52
11 BYU 90
11 BYU 75
Ames, Iowa – Sat/Mon
3 Iowa State 69
3 Iowa State 72
14 Temple 57
11 BYU 57
2 Tennessee 68
7 Notre Dame 71
10 New Mexico 61
7 Notre Dame 50
Knoxville, Tennessee – Fri/Sun
2 Tennessee 89
2 Tennessee 98
15 Georgia State 68

West Region - Boise, Idaho

[edit]
First round
March 15–16 		Second round
March 17–18 		Regional semifinals
March 23 		Regional finals
March 25
            
1 Oklahoma 84
16 Hartford 52
1 Oklahoma 66
Norman, Oklahoma – Sat/Mon
9 Villanova 53
8 Pepperdine 46
9 Villanova 67
1 Oklahoma 72
4 Texas Tech 62
5 Boston College 59
12 Mississippi State 65
12 Mississippi State 55
Lubbock, Texas – Fri/Sun
4 Texas Tech 77
4 Texas Tech 84
13 Stephen F. Austin 63
1 Oklahoma 94
3 Colorado 60
6 LSU 84
11 Santa Clara 78
6 LSU 58
Boulder, Colorado – Fri/Sun
3 Colorado 69
3 Colorado 88
14 Southern 61
3 Colorado 62
2 Stanford 59
7 Colorado State 69
10 Tulane 73
10 Tulane 55
Stanford, California – Sat/Mon
2 Stanford 77
2 Stanford 76
15 Weber State 51

East Region - Raleigh, North Carolina

[edit]
First round
March 15–16 		Second round
March 17–18 		Regional semifinals
March 23 		Regional finals
March 25
            
1 Duke 95
16 Norfolk State 48
1 Duke 76
Durham, North Carolina – Fri/Sun
8 TCU 66
8 TCU 55
9 Indiana 45
1 Duke 62
4 Texas 46
5 Louisiana Tech 56
12 UC Santa Barbara 57
12 UC Santa Barbara 60
Austin, Texas – Fri/Sun
4 Texas 76
4 Texas 60
13 Green Bay 55
1 Duke 77
3 South Carolina 68
6 Cincinnati 76*
11 Saint Peter's 63
6 Cincinnati 56
Columbia, South Carolina – Sat/Mon
3 South Carolina 75
3 South Carolina 69
14 Liberty 61
3 South Carolina 79
7 Drake 65
7 Drake 87
10 Syracuse 69
7 Drake 76
Waco, Texas – Fri/Sun
2 Baylor 72
2 Baylor 80
15 Bucknell 56

Final Four – San Antonio, Texas

[edit]
National semifinals
March 29 		National championship
March 31
      
ME1 Connecticut 79
MW2 Tennessee 56
ME1 Connecticut 82
W1 Oklahoma 70
W1 Oklahoma 86
E1 Duke 71

E-East; ME-Mideast; MW-Midwest; W-West

Record by conference

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Conference # of Bids Record Win % Round
of 32 		Sweet
Sixteen 		Elite
Eight 		Final
Four 		Championship
Game
Southeastern 8 13–8 .619 6 3 3 1 0
Big 12 7 16–7 .696 7 5 2 1 1
Big Ten 6 5–6 .455 4 1 0 0 0
Big East 5 8–4 .667 3 1 1 1 1
Atlantic Coast 4 6–4 .600 2 2 1 1 0
Mountain West 4 2–4 .333 1 1 0 0 0
Conference USA 3 3–3 .500 3 0 0 0 0
Pacific-10 2 3–2 .600 2 1 0 0 0
Missouri Valley 2 2–2 .500 1 1 0 0 0
West Coast 2 0–2 .000 0 0 0 0 0
Colonial 1 3–1 .750 1 1 1 0 0
Big West 1 1–1 .500 1 0 0 0 0
Sun Belt 1 1–1 .500 1 0 0 0 0

Eighteen conferences went 0–1: America East, Atlantic 10, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAAC, MAC, Mid-Continent, MEAC, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot League, Southern, Southland, SWAC, and WAC

All-Tournament team

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Game officials

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  • Dennis DeMayo (semifinal)
  • Barb Smith (semifinal)
  • Bryan Enterline (semifinal)
  • Sally Bell (semifinal)
  • Lawson Newton (semifinal)
  • Angie Lewis (semifinal)
  • Scott Yarbrough (final)
  • Melissa Barlow (final)
  • Lisa Mattingly (final) [7]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Jauss, Bill (March 26, 2002). "Huskies flying behind Bird - Connecticut nears perfection". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  2. ^ Kent, Milton (March 30, 2002). "Okla. rockets by Duke, 86-71". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  3. ^ Kent, Milton (March 30, 2002). "No. 1 UConn stays perfect, thumps Tenn". The Baltimore Sun. Tribune Company. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  4. ^ TERRY, MIKE (March 30, 2002). "Huskies Remove Suspense". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  5. ^ TERRY, MIKE (April 1, 2002). "Huskies Remove Suspense". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
  6. ^ "Iowa draws 55,646 to set record for women's basketball game". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 15, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Nixon, Rick. "Official 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  8. ^ "Attendance and Sites" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  9. ^ "Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book". NCAA. February 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
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