1995 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament

1995 NCAA Women's Division I
Basketball Tournament
Teams 64
Finals site Target Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Champions Connecticut (1st title)
Runner-up Tennessee (5th title game)
Semifinalists
NCAA Women's Division I Tournaments
«1994 1996»

The 1995 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament featured 64 teams. The Final Four consisted of Connecticut, Tennessee, Stanford, and Georgia. Connecticut defeated Tennessee, 70-64, to win its first NCAA title and complete a 35-0 undefeated season.

The first two rounds were held at the home court of the top four seeds in each region (except for San Diego State, which hosted three games in the West region). The regional semifinals and finals were held at the University of Connecticut for the East region, UCLA for the West region, the University of Tennessee for the Mideast region, and Drake University for the Midwest region. The Final Four was played in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1]

Notable events

In a second round game, 4 seed Alabama faced the 5 seed Duke. The game was close throughout the contest, with neither team leading the other by more than seven points. With time winding down in regulation, Alabama's Niesa Johnson hit a three-pointer to send the game to overtime. Not just one overtime, the game would eventually feature four overtimes. Johnson went on to hit two free throws at the end of the fourth overtime to give Alabama a 121–120 victory, setting records for the most overtimes, and the most points scored in an NCAA tournament game. At the time, it was called "the best women's basketball game in history".[2][3]

In the east regional semi-final involving Louisiana tech and Virginia, confusion reigned momentarily with both teams celebrating at the end of regulation. Louisiana Tech led early, with as much as a 13-point lead in the first half and a ten-point lead at halftime. The Cavaliers came back and had a 63–62 lead with seconds left in the game. With time running out, Louisiana Tech's Debra Williams went to the foul line for a one-and-one shot. She missed it, but the scorekeeper accidentally recorded it, so the scoreboard showed 63–63. Louisiana Tech tried and missed a last second shot, but thought they were headed to overtime based upon the score, while Virginia thought they had won, so both teams were celebrating. The referees met at the scores table to sort it out, then Dee Kantner emerged and pointed to the Virginia bench signaling victory.[4]

Georgia and Tennessee, both from the SEC, squared off in one of the Final Four match ups. Tennessee was a number 1 seed, while Georgia was a 3 seed, and upset top seed Colorado 82–79 in the Midwest Rational final. The two teams had faced each other in the final game of the regular season, when the Lady Vols beat the Lady Bulldogs by 22 points. Georgia coach Andy Landers complained about lack of effort in that game, but did not have the same complaints in the Final Four game, even though the final margin was identical. Tennessee's Pat Summitt emphasizes rebounds, and Tennessee out rebounded Georgia 51–33. While the Lady Bulldogs were able to get within seven points in the second half, they could get no closer and Tennessee prevailed 73–51, to send them into the champions ship game.[5]

Despite entering the game against Stanford with an undefeated record, some skeptics weren't convinced that Connecticut could win. Although UConn had beaten Tennessee earlier in the year, they then played in the Big East, which at the time wasn't a strong conference. The Big East earned just two invitations to the NCAA tournament, while eight other conferences had three or more teams in the tournament. Stanford was a representative of the Pacific-10 conference, which had five teams strong enough to earn bids. However, the Huskies jumped out to an early 16–4 lead, and ended the game with a 27-point margin, winning 87–60. Kara Wolters scored 31 points, a single point under her career high while Jamelle Elliott matched her career high with 21 points. Consensus national player of the year Rebecca Lobo added 17 points, prompting coach Auriemma to quip "The reason we're playing [in the final] is I've got these three players [and Tara VanDerveer doesn't.]"[6]

In the championship game, Tennessee had a small lead in the first half 28–25, but more importantly, two of UConn's All-Americans, Jennifer Rizzotti and Rebecca Lobo, had three fouls, while six foot seven inch Kara Wolters had two. Auriemma tried playing small, with six foot Jamelle Elliott the tallest Husky on the floor. The Tennessee lead extended, but only to six points at the half. In the second half, the lead was still four points in the Lady Vols favor when Wolters received her fourth foul. With twelve minutes left to go in the game, Lobo had but six points. Lobo then scored on four possessions, and a with a steal by Rizzotti turned into a layup, the Tennessee nine point lead was down to a single point, prompting coach Summitt to call for a time-out. Jamelle Elliott tied the game with just over two minutes left, then Rizzotti made a play which would be talked about for years afterward. She grabbed a rebound, then drove the length of the court against Michelle Marciniak. Just before reaching the basket, she executed a cross-over dribble and sank a left-handed layup to take a lead that would never be relinquished. UConn won the game 70–64, completing the first undefeated season in NCAA history since the 1986 Texas team, and winning the first national championship for the Connecticut Huskies team.[7]

Tournament records

Qualifying teams - automatic

Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 1994 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-two conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 1994 NCAA tournament.[8]

Automatic Bids
    Record  
Qualifying School Conference Regular
Season		 Conference Seed
University of Colorado at Boulder Big Eight 27–2 14–0 1
University of Connecticut Big East 29–0 18–0 1
Dartmouth College Ivy League 16–10 12–2 14
Drake University Missouri Valley Conference 24–5 13–5 5
Florida International University Trans America 26–4 15–1 9
Florida A&M MEAC 24–5 14–2 16
Furman University Southern Conference 18–11 10–4 15
The George Washington University Atlantic 10 24–5 14–2 4
College of the Holy Cross Patriot League 21–8 12–2 16
Jackson State University SWAC 22–5 12–2 15
Loyola University Maryland MAAC 20–8 7–6 10
University of Maine North Atlantic Conference 24–5 14–2 16
Marquette University Great Midwest 19–11 9–3 10
University of Montana Big Sky Conference 25–6 12–2 12
Mount St. Mary's University Northeast Conference 24–5 17–1 13
University of North Carolina ACC 28–4 12–4 3
Northern Illinois University Midwestern Collegiate 17–13 10–6 16
Old Dominion University Colonial 27–5 13–1 8
Pennsylvania State University Big Ten 25–4 13–3 2
Radford University Big South Conference 15–14 10–6 11
University of San Francisco West Coast Conference 24–4 13–1 11
University of Southern Mississippi Metro 21–8 7–5 7
Stanford University Pac-10 26–2 17–1 2
Stephen F. Austin State University Southland 22–7 15–3 11
Tennessee State University Ohio Valley Conference 22–6 12–4 12
Texas Tech University Southwest 30–3 13–1 2
University of Toledo MAC 24–6 15–3 13
University of California, Irvine Big West Conference 19–10 12–6 15
University of Utah WAC 23–6 12–2 8
Vanderbilt University SEC 26–6 8–3 1
Western Carolina University Mid-Continent 17–11 14–4 14
Western Kentucky University Sun Belt Conference 26–3 12–2 4

Qualifying teams - at-large

Thirty-two additional teams were selected to complete the six-four invitations.[8]

At-large Bids
    Record  
Qualifying School Conference Regular
Season		 Conference Seed
University of Alabama Southeastern 20–8 7–4 4
University of Arkansas Southeastern 22–6 7–4 6
DePaul University Great Midwest 20–8 9–3 13
Duke University Atlantic Coast 21–8 10–6 5
University of Florida Southeastern 23–8 7–4 6
University of Georgia Southeastern 24–4 8–3 3
Indiana University Big Ten 19–9 8–8 14
University of Kansas Big Eight 20–10 8–6 7
Louisiana Tech University Sun Belt 26–4 13–1 2
University of Louisville Metro 24–7 7–5 11
University of Memphis Great Midwest 21–7 10–2 8
University of Mississippi Southeastern 21–7 6–5 12
Missouri State University Missouri Valley 20–11 14–4 9
North Carolina State University Atlantic Coast 19–9 11–5 7
Ohio University Mid-American 23–6 15–3 14
University of Oklahoma Big Eight 21–8 11–3 7
Oklahoma State University–Stillwater Big Eight 17–11 7–7 12
University of Oregon Pacific-10 18–9 11–7 6
Oregon State University Pacific-10 20–7 12–6 5
University of Portland West Coast 23–6 12–2 13
Purdue University Big Ten 21–7 13–3 4
San Diego State University Western Athletic 24–5 14–0 5
Seton Hall University Big East 23–8 12–6 6
Southern Methodist University Southwest 20–9 9–5 10
University of Southern California Pacific-10 18–9 10–8 9
Saint Joseph's University Atlantic 10 20–8 11–5 9
University of Tennessee Southeastern 29–2 11–0 1
Tulane University Metro 19–9 9–3 15
University of Virginia Atlantic Coast 24–4 16–0 3
Virginia Tech Metro 21–8 10–2 8
University of Washington Pacific-10 23–8 13–5 3
University of Wisconsin–Madison Big Ten 19–8 11–5 10

Bids by conference

Thirty-two conferences earned an automatic bid. In seventeen cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-two additional at-large teams were selected from fifteen of the conferences.[8]

Bids Conference Teams
7 Southeastern Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee
5 Pacific-10 Stanford, Oregon, Oregon St., Southern California, Washington
4 Big Eight Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St.
4 Big Ten Penn St., Indiana, Purdue, Wisconsin
4 Metro Southern Miss., Louisville, Tulane, Virginia Tech
4 Atlantic Coast North Carolina, Duke, North Carolina St., Virginia
3 Great Midwest Marquette, DePaul, Memphis
3 Sun Belt FIU, Western Ky., Louisiana Tech
2 Atlantic 10 George Washington, St. Joseph’s
2 Big East Connecticut, Seton Hall
2 Mid-American Toledo, Ohio
2 Missouri Valley Drake, Missouri St.
2 Southwest Texas Tech, SMU
2 West Coast San Francisco, Portland
2 Western Athletic Utah, San Diego St.
1 Big Sky Montana
1 Big South Radford
1 Big West UC Irvine
1 Colonial Old Dominion
1 Ivy Dartmouth
1 Metro Atlantic Loyola Md
1 Mid-Continent Western Ill.
1 Mid-Eastern Florida A&M
1 Midwestern Collegiate Northern Ill.
1 North Atlantic Maine
1 Northeast Mt. St. Mary’s
1 Ohio Valley Tennessee St.
1 Patriot Holy Cross
1 Southern Furman
1 Southland Stephen F. Austin
1 Southwestern Jackson St.

First and second rounds

Charlottesville
Storrs
Tuscaloosa
Ruston
Bowling Green
Seattle
Knoxville
Lubbock
Athens
University Park
Boulder
Washington
Chapel Hill
Nashville
Stanford
San Diego
1995 NCAA first and second round venues

In 1995, 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 most cases, the higher seed accepted the opportunity. The exception:[9]

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

Region Rnd Host Venue City State
East 1&2 University of Virginia University Hall (University of Virginia) Charlottesville Virginia
East 1&2 University of Connecticut Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs Connecticut
East 1&2 University of Alabama Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa Alabama
East 1&2 Louisiana Tech University Thomas Assembly Center Ruston Louisiana
Mideast 1&2 Western Kentucky University E.A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green Kentucky
Mideast 1&2 University of Washington Hec Edmundson Pavilion Seattle Washington
Mideast 1&2 University of Tennessee Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville Tennessee
Mideast 1&2 Texas Tech University Lubbock Municipal Coliseum Lubbock Texas
Midwest 1&2 University of Georgia Georgia Coliseum (Stegeman Coliseum) Athens Georgia
Midwest 1&2 Pennsylvania State University Recreation Building (Rec Hall) University Park Pennsylvania
Midwest 1&2 University of Colorado CU Events Center (Coors Events Center) Boulder Colorado
Midwest 1&2 George Washington University Charles E. Smith Athletic Center Washington District of Columbia
West 1&2 University of North Carolina Carmichael Auditorium Chapel Hill North Carolina
West 1&2 Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt University) Nashville Tennessee
West 1&2 Stanford University Maples Pavilion Stanford California
West 1&2 San Diego State Peterson Gym San Diego California

Regionals and Final Four

Storrs
Knoxville
Los Angeles
Des Moines
Minneapolis
1995 NCAA Regionals and Final Four

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 April 1 and April 2 in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center,

Bids by state

The sixty-four teams came from thirty-three states, plus Washington, D.C. California had the most teams with five bids. Seventeen states did not have any teams receiving bids.[8]

NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 1995
Bids State Teams
5 California San Francisco, Stanford, UC Irvine, San Diego St., Southern California
4 North Carolina North Carolina, Western Ill., Duke, North Carolina St.
4 Tennessee Tennessee St., Vanderbilt, Memphis, Tennessee
4 Virginia Old Dominion, Radford, Virginia, Virginia Tech
3 Florida FIU, Florida A&M, Florida
3 Mississippi Jackson St., Southern Miss., Mississippi
3 Oregon Oregon, Oregon St., Portland
3 Texas Stephen F. Austin, Texas Tech, SMU
2 Illinois Northern Ill., DePaul
2 Indiana Indiana, Purdue
2 Kentucky Western Ky., Louisville
2 Louisiana Louisiana Tech, Tulane
2 Maryland Loyola Md, Mt. St. Mary’s
2 Ohio Toledo, Ohio
2 Oklahoma Oklahoma, Oklahoma St.
2 Pennsylvania Penn St., St. Joseph’s
2 Wisconsin Marquette, Wisconsin
1 Alabama Alabama
1 Arkansas Arkansas
1 Colorado Colorado
1 Connecticut Connecticut
1 District of Columbia George Washington
1 Georgia Georgia
1 Iowa Drake
1 Kansas Kansas
1 Maine Maine
1 Massachusetts Holy Cross
1 Missouri Missouri St.
1 Montana Montana
1 New Hampshire Dartmouth
1 New Jersey Seton Hall
1 South Carolina Furman
1 Utah Utah
1 Washington Washington

Bracket

East region - Storrs, Connecticut

First round
March 16 and 17 		Second round
March 18 and 19 		Regional semifinals
March 23 		Regional finals
March 25
            
1 Connecticut 105
16 Maine 75
1 Connecticut 91
Storrs, CT
8 Virginia Tech 45
8 Virginia Tech 62
9 St. Joseph's 52
1 Connecticut 87
4 Alabama 56
5 Duke 76
12 Oklahoma State 64
5 Duke 120
Tuscaloosa, AL
4 Alabama 121****
4 Alabama 82
13 Mt. St. Mary's 55
1 Connecticut 67
3 Virginia 63
6 Florida 89
11 Radford 49
6 Florida 67
Charlottesville, VA
3 Virginia 72
3 Virginia 71
14 Dartmouth 68
3 Virginia 63
2 Louisiana Tech 62
7 Oklahoma 90
10 Loyola-MD 55
7 Oklahoma 36
Ruston, LA
2 Louisiana Tech 48
2 Louisiana Tech 90
15 Furman 52

West region - Los Angeles, California

First round
March 16 and 17 		Second round
March 18 and 19 		Regional semifinals
March 23 		Regional finals
March 25
            
1 Vanderbilt 90
16 Northern Illinois 54
1 Vanderbilt 95
Nashville, TN
8 Memphis 68
8 Memphis 74
9 USC 72
1 Vanderbilt 66
4 Purdue 67
5 San Diego St. 46
12 Montana 57
12 Montana 51
San Diego, CA
4 Purdue 62
4 Purdue 74
13 Portland 59
4 Purdue 58
2 Stanford 69
6 Seton Hall 73
11 Stephen F. Austin 63
6 Seton Hall 45
Chapel Hill, NC
3 North Carolina 59
3 North Carolina 89
14 Western Illinois 48
3 North Carolina 71
2 Stanford 81
7 Southern Mississippi 95
10 Southern Methodist 96*
10 Southern Methodist 73
Stanford, CA
2 Stanford 95
2 Stanford 88
15 UC-Irvine 55

Mideast region - Knoxville, Tennessee

First round
March 16 and 17 		Second round
March 18 and 19 		Regional semifinals
March 23 		Regional finals
March 25
            
1 Tennessee 96
16 Florida A&M 59
1 Tennessee 70
Knoxville, TN
9 Florida International 44
8 Old Dominion 76
9 Florida International 81
1 Tennessee 87
4 Western Kentucky 65
5 Oregon State 88*
12 Tennessee State 75
5 Oregon State 78
Bowling Green, KY
4 Western Kentucky 85
4 Western Kentucky 77
13 Toledo 63
1 Tennessee 80
2 Texas Tech 59
6 Arkansas 67
11 San Francisco 58
6 Arkansas 50
Seattle, WA
3 Washington 54
3 Washington 73
14 Ohio 57
3 Washington 52
2 Texas Tech 67
7 Kansas 72
10 Wisconsin 73
10 Wisconsin 65
Lubbock, TX
2 Texas Tech 88
2 Texas Tech 87
15 Tulane 72

Midwest region - Des Moines, Iowa

First round
March 16 and 17 		Second round
March 18 and 19 		Regional semifinals
March 23 		Regional finals
March 25
            
1 Colorado 83
16 Holy Cross 49
1 Colorado 78
Boulder, CO
9 Southwest Missouri State 34
8 Utah 47
9 Southwest Missouri State 49
1 Colorado 77
4 George Washington 61
5 Drake 87*
12 Mississippi 81
5 Drake 93
Washington, DC
4 George Washington 96*
4 George Washington 87
13 DePaul 79
1 Colorado 79
3 Georgia 82
6 Oregon 65
11 Louisville 67
11 Louisville 68
Athens, GA
3 Georgia 81
3 Georgia 81
14 Indiana 64
3 Georgia 98
7 North Carolina State 71
7 North Carolina State 77
10 Marquette 62
7 North Carolina State 76
University Park, PA
2 Penn State 74
2 Penn State 75
15 Jackson State 62

Final Four - Minneapolis, Minnesota

National Semifinals
April 1 		National Finals
April 2
      
1E Connecticut 87
2W Stanford 60
1E Connecticut 70
1ME Tennessee 64
1ME Tennessee 73
3MW Georgia 51

* denotes number of overtime periods

Record by conference

Seventeen conferences had more than one bid, or at least one win in NCAA Tournament play:[8]

Conference # of Bids Record Win % Round
of 32		 Sweet
Sixteen		 Elite
Eight		 Final
Four		 Championship
Game
Southeastern 7 15–7 .682 6 4 2 2 1
Pacific-10 5 7–5 .583 3 2 1 1 –
Atlantic Coast 4 8–4 .667 4 3 1 – –
Big Ten 4 5–4 .556 3 1 1 – –
Big Eight 4 4–4 .500 2 1 1 – –
Metro 4 2–4 .333 2 – – – –
Great Midwest 3 1–3 .250 1 – – – –
Big East 2 7–1 .875 2 1 1 1 1
Southwest 2 4–2 .667 2 1 1 – –
Sun Belt 2 4–2 .667 2 2 – – –
Atlantic 10 2 2–2 .500 1 1 – – –
Missouri Valley 2 2–2 .500 2 – – – –
Mid-American 2 0–2 – – – – – –
West Coast 2 0–2 – – – – – –
Western Athletic 2 0–2 – – – – – –
Big Sky 1 1–1 .500 1 – – – –
Trans America 1 1–1 .500 1 – – – –

Fifteen conferences went 0-1: Big South Conference, Big West Conference, Colonial, Ivy League, MAAC, Mid-Continent, MEAC, Midwestern Collegiate, North Atlantic Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland, and SWAC [8]

All-Tournament Team

Game Officials

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gregory Cooper. "1995 NCAA National Championship Tournament". Archived from the original on 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  2. ↑ Wichman, Dan (March 20, 1995). "Game goes down as one of the best in basketball history". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved 16 Feb 2013.
  3. ↑ "Alabama escapes Duke, 121-120, in longest playoff game". Lakeland Ledger. March 20, 1995. Retrieved 16 Feb 2013.
  4. ↑ VOEPEL, MECHELLE (March 24, 1995). "Confusion, Cavs Reign Over La. Tech". Daily Press. Retrieved 16 Feb 2013.
  5. ↑ Kent, Milton (April 2, 1995). "Tennessee overpowers Georgia, 73-51 NCAA TOURNAMENT WOMEN'S FINAL FOUR". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 16 Feb 2013.
  6. ↑ Greenberg, Mel (April 2, 1995). "Uconn Shows Skeptics 87-60 Blowout Of Stanford". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 16 Feb 2013.
  7. ↑ Murphy, Austin (April 10, 1995). "Storybook Ending". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 16 Feb 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Nixon, Rick. "Official 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  9. ↑ "Attendance and Sites" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
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