2000 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

The 2000 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament began on March 17 and ended on April 2. The tournament featured 64 teams. The Final Four consisted of Connecticut, Penn St., Tennessee, and Rutgers, with Connecticut defeating Tennessee 71-52 to win its second NCAA title.[1] Connecticut's Shea Ralph was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.[2]

2000 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
Teams64
Finals siteWells Fargo Center
Philadelphia
ChampionsConnecticut Huskies (2nd title, 2nd title game,
4th Final Four)
Runner-upTennessee Volunteers (9th title game,
12th Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachGeno Auriemma (2nd title)
MOPShea Ralph (Connecticut)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
«19992001»

Notable events

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Two of the number one seeds advanced to the Final four – Tennessee and Connecticut – while two failed to advance. Penn State upset Louisiana Tech in the Midwest Regional, while Rutgers upset Georgia in the West Regional. Tennessee faced Rutgers in one of the Final Four match ups. At the end of the half, the Lady Vols held only a two-point lead 28–26. Pat Summitt challenged her players at halftime, and advised Tamika Catchings to move around more. That advice helped, as Catchings, who had only scored two points in the first half, scored eleven in the second half. Michelle Snow blocked seven shots in the game setting a Final Four record. Kara Lawson ran the offense, and scored a total of 19 points, of which 14 were scored in the second half, and ended up earning the Player of the Game award, helping her team win 64–54 and advance to the national championship.[3]

The other semifinal match up was Connecticut against Penn State. The regional win by Penn State gave the team a chance to play in a Final Four in their home state. The Lady Lions were led by point guard Helen Darling, who would go on to win the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award that year. However, the defense by the Huskies held Darling scoreless on this day. UConn's point guard Sue Bird, had a better day, scoring 19 points, hitting five of her seven three point attempts. 20,060 fans were in the stands, the largest crowd ever to see a college basketball game in Pennsylvania. Connecticut had a nine-point lead at halftime, but Penn State had cut the lead to five points midway through the second half. However, the Huskies responded, and ended up winning the game by 22 points.[4]

The match up in the finals between Tennessee and Connecticut was highly anticipated. The teams have met ten times prior to this meeting, with each team winning five. In eight of the ten meetings, one of the teams has had a number one ranking in the country. Much has been at stake, not just rankings, but winning streaks, national championships and pride.[5]

Tennessee entered the final game on a 19-game winning streak; Connecticut on a 15-game winning streak, with their only loss of the season coming by a single point at the hands of Tennessee. UConn started the game with a 9–2 run. Kelly Schumacher set a record for blocks in a championship game, and had the record, with six, at halftime. She went on to record nine blocks, setting a new Final Four record, breaking the one established by Tennessee just two days before. The Huskies led 31–19 at the half, but the second half was yet to be played. Any chance of a comeback faded early, as UConn scored eight consecutive points to start the second half. Eight UConn players would get eleven or more minutes, giving Tennessee the impression that they were seeing fresh players every few minutes. Shea Ralph would score 15 points, on her way to winning the Most Outstanding Player award, and Svetlana Abrosimova scored 14. Connecticut ultimately defeated Tennessee by a score of 71–52 to win their second national championship.[6][7][8][9]

The 2000 Final Four, played at the then-First Union Center (now Wells Fargo Center) in Philadelphia, was notable for featuring three head coaches who had ties to the Philadelphia area: Penn State coach Rene Portland grew up in the Philadelphia area, played at Immaculata College (now Immaculata University) in suburban Philadelphia, and briefly coached at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia; Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer coached at then-Cheyney State College (now Cheyney University) in suburban Philadelphia earlier in her career, and national championship-winning Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma spent most of his childhood living in Norristown, Pennsylvania, located approximately 20 miles from Philadelphia, and served as a high school and college assistant coach in the Philadelphia area early in his coaching career.

Tournament records

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  • Blocks – Kelly Schumacher, Connecticut, recorded nine blocks in the championship game against Tennessee, setting the record for blocks in a Final Four game.
  • Blocks – Connecticut recorded eleven blocks in the championship game against Tennessee, setting the record for blocks in a Final Four game.
  • Points – Connecticut scored 547 points in the tournament, setting the record for most points scored in an NCAA tournament.
  • Field goal percentage – Connecticut hit 203 of 363 field goal attempts(56.1%), setting the record for the field goal percentage in an NCAA tournament.
  • Steals – Connecticut recorded 81 steals in the tournament, setting the record for most steals in an NCAA tournament.[10]
  • Turnovers – Tennessee turned the ball over 26 times, a record for a championship game.[6]

Qualifying teams – automatic

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Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Thirty conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 2000 NCAA tournament.[10]

Automatic Bids
  Record 
Qualifying SchoolConferenceRegular
Season
ConferenceSeed
Alcorn State UniversitySWAC22–815–316
Campbell UniversityTrans America22–814–415
University of ConnecticutBig East30–116–01
Dartmouth CollegeIvy League20–712–213
Drake UniversityMissouri Valley Conference23–615–38
Duke UniversityACC26–512–42
Furman UniversitySouthern Conference20–1013–516
University of Wisconsin–Green BayHorizon League21–812–213
Hampton UniversityMEAC16–1411–716
College of the Holy CrossPatriot League23–611–115
Iowa State UniversityBig 1225–513–33
Kent State UniversityMAC25–515–19
Liberty UniversityBig South Conference23–712–214
Louisiana Tech UniversitySun Belt Conference28–216–01
University of MontanaBig Sky Conference22–713–316
Old Dominion UniversityColonial21–816–04
University of OregonPac-1023–714–46
Purdue UniversityBig Ten22–711–54
Rice UniversityWAC21–910–413
University of San DiegoWest Coast Conference17–127–715
St. Francis (PA)Northeast Conference23–715–314
Saint Peter's CollegeMAAC23–714–414
Stephen F. Austin State UniversitySouthland27–317–111
University of TennesseeSEC28–313–11
Tennessee Technological UniversityOhio Valley Conference25–816–214
Tulane UniversityConference USA26–412–46
University of California, Santa BarbaraBig West Conference30–315–04
University of VermontAmerica East25–515–311
Xavier UniversityAtlantic 1026–413–36
Youngstown State UniversityMid-Continent22–812–415

Qualifying teams – at-large

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Thirty-four additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations.[10]

At-large Bids
  Record 
Qualifying SchoolConferenceRegular
Season
ConferenceSeed
University of ArizonaPacific-1024–613–58
Auburn UniversitySoutheastern21–79–57
Boston CollegeBig East25–812–45
Brigham Young UniversityMountain West22–810–412
Clemson UniversityAtlantic Coast18–119–79
The George Washington UniversityAtlantic 1025–514–27
University of GeorgiaSoutheastern29–313–11
University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignBig Ten22–1011–56
University of KansasBig 1220–911–58
Louisiana State UniversitySoutheastern22–611–33
University of MaineAmerica East20–1014–412
Marquette UniversityConference USA22–614–27
University of MichiganBig Ten22–713–38
Mississippi State UniversitySoutheastern23–78–63
Southwest Missouri State UniversityMissouri Valley23–814–410
University of Nebraska–LincolnBig 1218–1210–612
University of North Carolina at Chapel HillAtlantic Coast18–128–85
North Carolina State UniversityAtlantic Coast20–811–55
University of Notre DameBig East25–415–12
University of OklahomaBig 1223–713–35
Pennsylvania State UniversityBig Ten26–415–12
Pepperdine UniversityWest Coast21–912–213
Rutgers UniversityBig East22–712–42
Southern Methodist UniversityWestern Athletic21–812–212
Saint Joseph's UniversityAtlantic 1024–514–210
Stanford UniversityPacific-1020–813–59
University of Texas at AustinBig 1221–129–77
Texas Tech UniversityBig 1225–413–33
University of Alabama at BirminghamConference USA19–128–811
University of California, Los AngelesPacific-1018–1012–610
University of UtahMountain West23–711–311
Vanderbilt UniversitySoutheastern20–126–89
University of VirginiaAtlantic Coast23–813–34
Western Kentucky UniversitySun Belt21–913–310

Bids by conference

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Thirty conferences earned an automatic bid. In fifteen cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-four additional at-large teams were selected from fifteen of the conferences.[10]

BidsConferenceTeams
6Big 12Iowa St., Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech
6SoutheasternTennessee, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi St., Vanderbilt
5Atlantic CoastDuke, Clemson, North Carolina, North Carolina St., Virginia
4Big EastConnecticut, Boston College, Notre Dame, Rutgers
4Big TenPurdue, Illinois, Michigan, Penn St.
4Pacific-10Oregon, Arizona, Stanford, UCLA
3Atlantic 10Xavier, George Washington, St. Joseph's
3Conference USATulane, Marquette, UAB
2America EastVermont, Maine
2Missouri ValleyDrake, Missouri St.
2Mountain WestBYU, Utah
2NortheastSt. Francis Pa., St. Peter's
2Sun BeltLouisiana Tech, Western Kentucky
2West CoastSan Diego, Pepperdine
2Western AthleticRice, SMU
1Big SkyMontana
1Big SouthLiberty
1Big WestUC Santa Barb.
1ColonialOld Dominion
1HorizonGreen Bay
1IvyDartmouth
1Mid-AmericanKent St.
1Mid-ContinentYoungstown St.
1Mid-EasternHampton.
1Ohio ValleyTennessee Tech
1PatriotHoly Cross
1SouthernFurman
1SouthlandStephen F. Austin
1SouthwesternAlcorn St.
1Trans AmericaCampbell

2000 NCAA tournament schedule and venues

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Baton Rouge
West Lafayette
Storrs
Durham
Notre Dame
Knoxville
Lubbock
Charlottesville
Norfolk
Ruston
Ames
State College
Athens
Piscataway
Eugene
Santa Barbara
2000 NCAA NCAA first and second round venues
Richmond
Memphis
Kansas City
Portland
Philadelphia
2000 NCAA regionals and Final Four

In 2000, 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:

  • Third seeded Mississippi State was unable to host, so sixth-seeded Oregon hosted three first- and second-round games

First and Second rounds

The following lists the region, host school, venue and the sixteen first- and second-round locations:[11]

Regional semifinals and finals

The Regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 25 to March 27 at these sites:

Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four held March 31 and April 2 in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center (Co-hosts: St. Joseph's University and University of Pennsylvania)

Bids by state

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The sixty-four teams came from thirty-three states, plus Washington, D.C. Two states, California and Texas, had the most teams with five bids. Seventeen states did not have any teams receiving bids.[10]

NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 2000
BidsStateTeams
5CaliforniaSan Diego, UC Santa Barb., Pepperdine, Stanford, UCLA
5TexasRice, Stephen F. Austin, SMU, Texas, Texas Tech
4North CarolinaCampbell, Duke, North Carolina, North Carolina St.
4VirginiaHampton., Liberty, Old Dominion, Virginia
3LouisianaLouisiana Tech, Tulane, LSU
3OhioKent St., Xavier, Youngstown St.
3TennesseeTennessee, Tennessee Tech, Vanderbilt
2AlabamaAuburn, UAB
2IndianaPurdue, Notre Dame
2IowaDrake, Iowa St.
2MassachusettsHoly Cross, Boston College
2MississippiAlcorn St., Mississippi St.
2New JerseySt. Peter's, Rutgers
3PennsylvaniaPenn St., St. Joseph's, St Francis
2South CarolinaFurman, Clemson
2UtahBYU, Utah
2WisconsinGreen Bay, Marquette
1ArizonaArizona
1ConnecticutConnecticut
1District of ColumbiaGeorge Washington
1GeorgiaGeorgia
1IllinoisIllinois
1KansasKansas
1KentuckyWestern Kỳ.
1MaineMaine
1MichiganMichigan
1MissouriMissouri St.
1MontanaMontana
1NebraskaNebraska
1New HampshireDartmouth
1OklahomaOklahoma
1OregonOregon
1VermontVermont

Brackets

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Data source[12]

* – Denotes overtime period

East regional – Richmond, Virginia

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First round
March 17–18
Second round
March 19–20
Regional semifinals
March 25
Regional finals
March 27
            
1Connecticut116
16Hampton45
1Connecticut83
Storrs, Connecticut – Fri/Sun
9Clemson45
8Drake50
9Clemson64
1Connecticut102
5Oklahoma80
5Oklahoma86
12BYU81
5Oklahoma76
West Lafayette, Indiana – Sat/Mon
4Purdue74
4Purdue70
13Dartmouth66
1Connecticut86
3LSU71
6Xavier72
11Stephen F. Austin73
11Stephen F. Austin45
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Fri/Sun
3LSU57
3LSU77
14Liberty54
3LSU79
2Duke66
7Marquette65
10Western Kentucky68
10Western Kentucky70
Durham, North Carolina – Sat/Mon
2Duke90
2Duke71
15Campbell42

Midwest regional – Kansas City, Missouri

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First round
March 17–18
Second round
March 19–20
Regional semifinals
March 25
Regional finals
March 27
            
1Louisiana Tech95
16Alcorn State53
1Louisiana Tech66
Ruston, Louisiana – Sat/Mon
9Vanderbilt65
8Kansas69
9Vanderbilt71**
1Louisiana Tech86
4Old Dominion74
5NC State63
12SMU64
12SMU76
Norfolk, Virginia – Sat/Mon
4Old Dominion96
4Old Dominion94
13Green Bay85
1Louisiana Tech65
2Penn State86
6Illinois73
11Utah58
6Illinois68
Ames, Iowa – Fri/Sun
3Iowa State79
3Iowa State92
14St. Francis (PA)63
3Iowa State65
2Penn State66
7Auburn78
10Southwest Missouri State74
7Auburn69
State College, Pennsylvania – Fri/Sun
2Penn State75
2Penn State83
15Youngstown State63

Mideast regional – Memphis, Tennessee

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First round
March 17–18
Second round
March 19–20
Regional semifinals
March 25
Regional finals
March 27
            
1Tennessee90
16Furman38
1Tennessee75
Knoxville, Tennessee – Sat/Mon
8Arizona60
8Arizona73
9Kent State61
1Tennessee77
4Virginia56
5Boston College93
12Nebraska76
5Boston College70
Charlottesville, Virginia – Fri/Sun
4Virginia74
4Virginia74
13Pepperdine62
1Tennessee57
3Texas Tech44
6Tulane65
11Vermont60
6Tulane59
Lubbock, Texas – Sat/Mon
3Texas Tech76
3Texas Tech83
14Tennessee Tech54
3Texas Tech69
2Notre Dame65
7George Washington79
10UCLA72
7George Washington60
Notre Dame, Indiana – Fri/Sun
2Notre Dame95
2Notre Dame87
15San Diego61

West regional – Portland, Oregon

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First round
March 17–18
Second round
March 19–20
Regional semifinals
March 25
Regional finals
March 27
            
1Georgia74
16Montana46
1Georgia83
Athens, Georgia – Sat/Mon
9Stanford64
8Michigan74
9Stanford81*
1Georgia83
5North Carolina57
5North Carolina62
12Maine57
5North Carolina83
Santa Barbara, California – Sat/Mon
13Rice50
4UC Santa Barbara64
13Rice67
1Georgia51
2Rutgers59
6Oregon79
11UAB80*
11UAB78
Eugene, Oregon – Fri/Sun
3Mississippi St.72
3Mississippi State94
14St. Peter's60
11UAB45
2Rutgers60
7Texas48
10St. Joseph's69
10St. Joseph's39
Piscataway, New Jersey – Fri/Sun
2Rutgers59
2Rutgers91
15Holy Cross70

Final Four – Philadelphia

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National semifinals
March 31
National championship
April 2
      
E1Connecticut89
MW2Penn St.67
E1Connecticut71
ME1Tennessee52
ME1Tennessee64
W2Rutgers54

Record by conference

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

Conference# of BidsRecordWin %Round
of 32
Sweet
Sixteen
Elite
Eight
Final
Four
Championship
Game
Southeastern614–6.70063311
Big 1267–6.538331
Atlantic Coast57–5.58343
Big East413–3.81343221
Big Ten46–4.6003111
Pacific-1042–4.3332
Conference USA33–3.50021
Atlantic 1032–3.4002
Sun Belt24–2.667211
Western Athletic22–2.5002
America East20–2
Missouri Valley20–2
Mountain West20–2
Northeast20–2
West Coast20–2
Colonial12–1.66711
Southland11–1.5001

Thirteen conferences went 0-1: Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Big West Conference, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAC, Mid-Continent, MEAC, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, SWAC, and Trans America

All-Tournament team

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Game officials

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  • Scott Yarbrough (semifinal)
  • Ron Dressander (semifinal)
  • Carla Fujimoto (semifinal)
  • Bob Trammel (semifinal)
  • Wesley Dean (semifinal)
  • Bob Trammel (semifinal)
  • Sally Bell (final)
  • Dennis DeMayo (final)
  • Art Bomengen (final) [10]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Gregory Cooper. "2000 NCAA National Championship Tournament". Archived from the original on October 20, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  2. ^ "CHN Basketball History: Most Outstanding Player". Archived from the original on January 25, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
  3. ^ Hirsley, Michael (April 1, 2000). "Catchings Rebounds In Every Way For Tennessee Women". Chicage Tribune. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  4. ^ GUSTKEY, EARL (April 1, 2000). "Connecticut Bullies Past Penn State, 89-67". LA Times. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  5. ^ ROBBINS, LIZ (April 2, 2000). "N.C.A.A. BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT; UConn-Tennessee: Game 3 Today Is What Counts". New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  6. ^ a b GUSTKEY, EARL (April 3, 2000). "Connecticut Women Rule". LA Times. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  7. ^ "Best ever?". CNN SI. April 3, 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  8. ^ "Connecticut 71, Tennessee 52". CNN SI. April 3, 2000. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  9. ^ Shipley, Amy (April 3, 2000). "In Title Roll, Connecticut Routs Tennessee, 71-52". Washington Post. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Nixon, Rick. "Official 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  11. ^ "Attendance and Sites" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  12. ^ "Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book". NCAA. February 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2012.