2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

The 2009 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament commenced 21 March 2009 and concluded 7 April 2009 when the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the Louisville Cardinals 76–54.

2009 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
Teams64
Finals siteScottrade Center
St. Louis, Missouri
ChampionsConnecticut Huskies (6th title, 6th title game,
10th Final Four)
Runner-upLouisville Cardinals (1st title game,
1st Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachGeno Auriemma (6th title)
MOPTina Charles (Connecticut)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
«20082010»

Michigan State's upset over Duke in the second round would be the last time until 2023 that all four 1 seeds did not progress to at least the Sweet Sixteen.

Subregionals

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Albuquerque
Baton Rouge
Columbus
College Park
Duluth
Lubbock
Los Angeles
Piscataway
Bowling Green
East Lansing
Iowa City
South Bend
Seattle
San Diego
Storrs
Chattanooga
2009 NCAA subregionals

Once again, the system is the same as the Division I men's basketball tournament, with the exception that only 64 teams went and there was no play-in game. Automatic bids were secured by 31 conference champions and 33 at-large bids.

The subregionals, which used the "pod system", keeping most teams either at or close to the home cities, was held from 21 March to 24 at sixteen sites. The following were chosen in July 2006, prior to the re-expansion of the subregional sites from eight to sixteen:

As per the return to the 16-site subregional format, the following sites were added in 2008:

Regionals

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Oklahoma City
Berkeley
Raleigh
Trenton
St. Louis
2009 NCAA Regionals and Final Four

The regionals, held in the city rather than the geographic area as a practice that has been used since 2005, were held there from 28 March to 31 at these sites:

The regional winners advanced to the Final Four, held 5 and 7 April 2009 at the Scottrade Center, in St. Louis, Missouri, hosted by the Missouri Valley Conference.

Tournament records

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  • Three-pointers—Iowa State hit 16 three-point field goals in a first-round game against East Tennessee State, tied for the most number of three-point shots completed in an NCAA Tournament game.
  • Three-pointers—South Dakota State hit 16 three-point field goals in a first-round game against TCU, tied for the most number of three-point shots completed in an NCAA Tournament game.
  • Three-pointers—Connecticut hit 47 three-point field goals, tied for the most number of three-point shots completed in an NCAA Tournament.[1]

Qualifying teams – automatic

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Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-one conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA tournament.[1]

Automatic Bids
  Record 
Qualifying SchoolConferenceRegular
Season
ConferenceSeed
Austin Peay State UniversityOhio Valley Conference17–1510–816
Ball State UniversityMAC25–814–212
Baylor UniversityBig 12 Conference27–512–42
University of North Carolina at CharlotteAtlantic 1023–813–111
University of ConnecticutBig East33–016–01
Dartmouth CollegeIvy League18–1013–116
Drexel UniversityColonial24–816–212
East Tennessee State UniversityAtlantic Sun Conference20–1016–413
University of EvansvilleMissouri Valley Conference15–184–1415
California State University, FresnoWAC24–812–413
Gonzaga UniversityWest Coast Conference26–612–212
University of Wisconsin–Green BayHorizon League29–318–011
Lehigh UniversityPatriot League26–612–215
Liberty UniversityBig South Conference24–815–114
Marist CollegeMAAC29–316–212
University of Maryland, College ParkACC28–412–21
Middle Tennessee State UniversitySun Belt Conference28–517–18
University of MontanaBig Sky Conference28–415–113
North Carolina A&TMEAC26–615–114
Ohio State UniversityBig Ten27–515–33
Prairie View A&M UniversitySWAC23–1017–116
Sacred Heart UniversityNortheast Conference25–718–014
South Dakota State UniversityThe Summit League31–217–17
Stanford UniversityPac-1029–417–12
University of California, Santa BarbaraBig West Conference22–915–115
University of Central FloridaConference USA17–1611–514
University of UtahMountain West22–913–39
University of Texas at San AntonioSouthland24–814–215
Vanderbilt UniversitySEC24–810–44
University of VermontAmerica East21–1112–416
Western Carolina UniversitySouthern Conference21–1114–613

Qualifying teams – at-large

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Thirty-three additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations.[1]

At-large Bids
  Record 
Qualifying SchoolConferenceRegular
Season
ConferenceSeed
Arizona State UniversityPacific-1023–815–36
Auburn UniversitySoutheastern29–312–22
University of California, BerkeleyPacific-1025–615–34
DePaul UniversityBig East23–910–67
Duke UniversityAtlantic Coast26–511–31
University of FloridaSoutheastern23–79–58
Florida State UniversityAtlantic Coast25–712–23
University of GeorgiaSoutheastern18–137–711
Georgia TechAtlantic Coast21–98–69
University of IowaBig Ten21–1013–58
Iowa StateBig 1224–811–54
Kansas StateBig 1224–710–65
LouisvilleBig East29–414–23
LSUSoutheastern18–1010–46
Michigan State UniversityBig Ten20–1013–59
MinnesotaBig Ten19–1111–710
Mississippi State UniversitySoutheastern22–98–611
University of North CarolinaAtlantic Coast27–610–43
University of Notre DameBig East22–810–67
University of OklahomaBig 1228–415–11
University of PittsburghBig East23–712–44
Purdue UniversityBig Ten22–1013–56
Rutgers UniversityBig East19–129–77
San Diego State UniversityMountain West23–713–310
TCUMountain West20–1012–410
Temple UniversityAtlantic 1021–911–39
University of TennesseeSoutheastern22–109–55
University of Texas at AustinBig 1221–118–86
Texas A&M UniversityBig 1225–711–52
VCUColonial26–615–310
Villanova UniversityBig East19–1310–68
University of VirginiaAtlantic Coast23–98–65
Xavier UniversityAtlantic 1025–613–15

Tournament seeds

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Trenton RegionalSovereign Bank Arena, Trenton, New Jersey
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type
1ConnecticutBig East33–0Automatic
2Texas A&MBig 1225–7At-large
3Florida StateACC25–7At-large
4CaliforniaPac-1025–6At-large
5VirginiaACC23–9At-large
6Arizona StatePac-1023–8At-large
7Notre DameBig East22–8At-large
8FloridaSEC23–7At-large
9TempleAtlantic 1021–9At-large
10MinnesotaBig 1019–11At-large
11GeorgiaSEC18–13At-large
12MaristMAAC29–3Automatic
13Fresno StateWAC24–8Automatic
14North Carolina A&TMEAC26–6Automatic
15EvansvilleMissouri Valley15–18Automatic
16VermontAmerica East21–11Automatic
Berkeley RegionalHaas Pavilion, Berkeley, California
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type
1DukeACC26–5At-large
2StanfordPac-1029–4Automatic
3Ohio StateBig 1027–5Automatic
4Iowa StateBig 1224–8At-large
5TennesseeSEC22–10At-large
6TexasBig 1221–11At-large
7DePaulBig East23–9At-large
8Middle Tennessee StateSun Belt28–5Automatic
9Michigan StateBig Ten20–10At-large
10San Diego StateMountain West23–7At-large
11Mississippi StateSEC22–9At-large
12Ball StateMAC25–8Automatic
13East Tennessee StateAtlantic Sun20–10Automatic
14Sacred HeartNortheast25–7Automatic
15UCSBBig West22–9Automatic
16Austin PeayOhio Valley17–15Automatic
Raleigh RegionalRBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type
1MarylandACC28–4Automatic
2BaylorBig 1227–5Automatic
3LouisvilleBig East29–4At-large
4VanderbiltSEC24–8Automatic
5Kansas StateBig 1224–7At-large
6LSUSEC18–10At-large
7South Dakota StateSummit31–2Automatic
8VillanovaBig East19–13At-large
9UtahMountain West22–9Automatic
10TCUMountain West20–10At-large
11Green BayHorizon29–3Automatic
12DrexelCAA24–8Automatic
13Western CarolinaSouthern21–11Automatic
14LibertyBig South24–8Automatic
15UTSASouthland24–8Automatic
16DartmouthIvy18–10Automatic
Oklahoma City RegionalFord Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
SeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth type
1OklahomaBig 1228–4At-large
2AuburnSEC29–3At-large
3North CarolinaACC27–6At-large
4PittsburghBig East23–7At-large
5XavierAtlantic 1025–6At-large
6PurdueBig 1022–10At-large
7RutgersBig East19–12At-large
8IowaBig 1021–10At-large
9Georgia TechACC21–9At-large
10VCUCAA26–6At-large
11CharlotteAtlantic 1023–8Automatic
12GonzagaWest Coast26–6Automatic
13MontanaBig Sky28–4Automatic
14UCFConference USA17–16Automatic
15LehighPatriot26–6Automatic
16Prairie View A&MSWAC23–10Automatic

Bids by conference

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Thirty-one conferences earned an automatic bid. In twenty-two cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-three additional at-large teams were selected from nine of the conferences.[1]

BidsConferenceTeams
7Big EastConnecticut, DePaul, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Villanova
7SoutheasternVanderbilt, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi St., Tennessee
6Atlantic CoastMaryland, Duke, Florida St., Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Virginia
6Big 12Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M
5Big TenOhio State, Iowa, Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue
3Atlantic 10Charlotte, Temple, Xavier
3Mountain WestUtah, San Diego State, TCU
3Pacific-10Stanford, Arizona State, California
2ColonialDrexel, VCU
1America EastVermont
1Atlantic SunEast Tennessee State
1Big SkyMontana
1Big SouthLiberty
1Big WestUC Santa Barbara
1Conference USAUCF
1HorizonGreen Bay
1IvyDartmouth
1Metro AtlanticMarist
1Mid-AmericanBall State
1Mid-EasternNorth Carolina A&T
1Missouri ValleyEvansville
1NortheastSacred Heart
1Ohio ValleyAustin Peay
1PatriotLehigh
1SouthernWestern Carolina
1SouthlandUTSA
1SouthwesternPrairie View
1SummitSouth Dakota State
1Sun BeltMiddle Tennessee State
1West CoastGonzaga
1Western AthleticFresno State

Bids by state

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The sixty-four teams came from thirty-two states. Texas had the most teams with six bids. Eighteen states did not have any teams receiving bids.[1]

NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 2009
BidsStateTeams
6TexasBaylor, Prairie View, UTSA, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M
5CaliforniaFresno State, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, California, San Diego State
5North CarolinaCharlotte, North Carolina A&T, Western Carolina, Duke, North Carolina
5PennsylvaniaDrexel, Lehigh, Pittsburgh, Temple, Villanova
5TennesseeAustin Peay, East Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
4IndianaBall State, Evansville, Notre Dame, Purdue
3FloridaUCF, Florida, Florida State
3VirginiaLiberty, VCU, Virginia
2ConnecticutConnecticut, Sacred Heart
2GeorgiaGeorgia, Georgia Tech
2IowaIowa, Iowa State
2OhioOhio State, Xavier
1AlabamaAuburn
1ArizonaArizona State
1IllinoisDePaul
1KansasKansas State
1KentuckyLouisville
1LouisianaLSU
1MarylandMaryland
1MichiganMichigan State
1MinnesotaMinnesota
1MississippiMississippi State
1MontanaMontana
1New HampshireDartmouth
1New JerseyRutgers
1New YorkMarist
1OklahomaOklahoma
1South DakotaSouth Dakota State
1UtahUtah
1VermontVermont
1WashingtonGonzaga
1WisconsinGreen Bay

Game summaries

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Berkeley Region

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First round

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Second seeded Stanford easily beat the 15th seeded Gauchos of UC Santa Barbara behind a double-double by Jayne Appel.[2] Third seeded Ohio State beat Sacred Heart by 14 points, but led by only two well into the second half. Freshman guard Samantha Prahalis scored 23 to help lead the Buckeyes to victory.[3] Tenth seeded San Diego State upset seventh seeded DePaul behind Jene Morris's career tying 35 points.[4] Eleventh seed Mississippi State used 21 of 22 free throw shooting to upset the sixth seeded Texas Longhorns.[5] Middle Tennessee's Alysha Clark, the nations D1 scoring leader, scored 34 points, but it wasn't enough to defeat ninth seeded Michigan State, who broke a late tie and held on to win by one point.[6] One seeded Duke easily disposed of sixteen seeded Austin Peay.[7] Fourth seeded Iowa State tied an NCAA tournament record with 16 three-point goals in an easy win over thirteen seed East Tennessee State.[8]

Twelfth seeded Ball State upset defending national champion Tennessee, which had never lost an opening game in the tournament before. Tennessee has been in every one of the 29 NCAA Tournaments, and prior to this year, had never failed to make the Sweet Sixteen.[9]

Second round

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Third seeded Ohio State narrowly defeated eleventh seeded Mississippi State 64–58. OSU held MSU scoreless for the last 6:43 of the game.[10] Second seeded Stanford beat San Diego State by 28, but the game was tied 8 minutes into the game. Stanford's Nneka Ogwumike had career highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds.[11]

Ninth seeded Michigan State upsets top-seeded Duke on the home floor of Michigan State, in a match up between Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie and her former team. Michigan State shot under 40% from the floor, but held Duke to under 27%.[12] Twelfth seeded Ball State stayed with Iowa State for 30 minutes, but couldn't maintain the pace. Iowa State extended a four-point lead to win 71–57.[13]

Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

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Fourth seeded Iowa State beat ninth seeded Michigan State by a single point. MSU had a seven-point lead with 1:26 to go, but the Cyclones scored the final eight points of the game. They took the lead on a three-point shot by Alison Lacey for three of her 29 points. The Spartans had a chance to retake the lead, but missed their last three shots.[14]

Two seed Stanford beat Ohio State behind Jayne Appel's double-double. OSU freshman Samantha Prahalis scored 19, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Cardinal shooting.[15]

Regional final (Elite Eight)

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Two seed Stanford easily beat four seed Iowa State behind Jayne Appel's 46 points. Jayne's 46 points sets a new school record and places her in the NCAA Tournament record book with the third highest point total in NCAA tournament history. Appel's 27 first half points exceeded the first half total for Iowa State.[16]

Oklahoma City Region

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First round

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Third seeded North Carolina beat Fourteenth seeded Central Florida. UNC had a 14-point lead with 30 seconds left in the game, but UCF scored the final nine points of the game to make the final margin five points.[17] Second seeded Auburn easily beat fifteen seed Lehigh, behind DeWanna Bonner's 26 points.[18] Sixth seeded Purdue beat eleventh seeded Charlotte to win their twelfth consecutive first-round game.[19] Fourth seeded Pittsburgh beat thirteenth seeded Montana behind Shavonte Zellous's 31 points.[20] Twelfth seeded Gonzaga upset fifth seed Xavier, giving the Bulldogs their first ever NCAA Tournament win.[21] Seventh seeded Rutgers beat Virginia Commonwealth to spoil VCU's NCAA Tournament debut.[22] Top seeded Oklahoma struggled early, but ended up winning easily over Prairie View A&M.[23] Ninth seeded Georgia Tech, playing without leading scorer Alex Montgomery, beat eighth seeded Iowa.[24]

Second round

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Seventh seeded Rutgers upsets second seeded Auburn. Playing on their home court, the Scarlet Knights scored the first nine points and lead 13–2 at the first media timeout. Rutgers held Auburn to 29% shooting and ended the game with a 28-point margin.[25]

Fourth seeded Pittsburgh and twelfth seeded Gonzaga were tied at halftime, and with three and a half minutes to go in the game, but the Panthers outscored the Bulldogs in the final minutes to win by five.[26]

Sixth seeded Purdue upsets third seeded North Carolina. Purdue had lost its last three games to UNC, but hit 57% of the field goals to win by fifteen.[27]

Top seeded Oklahoma held Georgia Tech to 27% shooting in a win that advanced the Sooners to a Sweet Sixteen game in Oklahoma City.[28]

Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

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Sixth seeded Purdue holds off a determined Rutgers team. The Scarlet Knights fell behind early but came back to within two with less than two minutes remaining. Purdue shot 55% in the first half, ending with over 52% shooting.[29]

Top seeded Oklahoma beat fourth seed Pittsburgh. Whitney Hand had a career-high 22 points, which helped overcome foul trouble for Courtney Paris. All five Sooner starters scored in double digits.[30]

Regional final (Elite Eight)

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Oklahoma beat Purdue to advance to their second ever Final Four. Courtney Paris had 19 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks, while Danielle Robinson scored 23 points to lead the team over the Boilermakers. Purdue had three players in double-figures, led by Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton with 20, but it wasn't enough.[31]

Raleigh Region

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First round

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Fourth seeded Vanderbilt beat Western Carolina.[32] Fifth seeded Kansas State beat Drexel. Shalee Lehning tied a career high with 13 assists.[33] Seventh seeded South Dakota State tied an NCAA record with 16 three-point goals to help beat the Horned Frogs of TCU.[34] Ninth seed Utah overwhelmed Villanova, winning by 30.[35] Top seeded Maryland easily beat Dartmouth. Kristi Toliver had as many points at halftime (23) as Dartmouth.[36] Sixth-seeded LSU beats Wisconsin-Green Bay behind Allison Hightower's career-best 26 points.[37]

Second seeded Baylor needed overtime to prevail against fifteen seed UTSA. Head coach Kim Mulkey was not at the game, having been hospitalized earlier in the day due to a reaction to medication.[38] Third seeded Louisville forced 27 turnovers in a win over Liberty.[39]

Second round

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Fourth seeded Vanderbilt beat fifth seeded Kansas State behind a career-high 27 points by Jennifer Risper, and 24 points by Christina Wirth. Kansas State held a one-point lead at halftime, but Vanderbilt scored eleven consecutive points in a second half run to take a lead they would not relinquish.[40]

Second seeded Baylor beats South Dakota State on a last second shot. Kelli Griffin scored with 0.5 seconds remaining in the game to break a 58–58 tie, and move the Bears into the regional semi-final.[41]

Marissa Coleman has 18 points and 18 rebounds to lead top seeded Maryland over Utah on their home floor. Over ten thousand fans watched Maryland win its 35th consecutive game at home.[42]

Third seeded Louisville beat LSU on LSU's home floor. LSU had won twelve consecutive victories on their home floor. LSU's will not advance to the Final Four, ending an NCAA record-tying streak of five consecutive appearances. The win was the 31st of the year for Louisville, a school record.[43]

Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

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Three seed Louisville holds two seed Baylor to 39 points, in a surprisingly easy upset. Both Angel McCoughtry and Candyce Bingham had double-doubles to help lead the Cardinals to the first regional championship game in school history.[44]

Top seed Maryland survived a challenge from fourth seeded Vanderbilt. The Commodores started strong with an opening 12–2, which they extended to a 33–15 margin with six minutes left in the first half. Vanderbilt's Christina Wirth had a career-high 28 points, but it wasn't enough as Maryland's Marissa Coleman scored 42. Coleman scored the basket to give Maryland the lead with just under 30 seconds left in the game, and the clinching free throws.[45]

Regional final (Elite Eight)

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Third seeded Louisville knocks off top-seeded Maryland to head to their first ever Final Four. Angel McCoughtry had a double-double to lead the Cardinals to the win. Maryland hurt themselves with 21 turnovers. Louisville head coach Jeff Walz was a former assistant coach of Maryland.[46]

Trenton Region

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First round

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Fifth seed Virginia trailed at halftime, but came back to beat Marist.[47] Sixth seeded Arizona State beat Georgia, despite playing without injured Dymond Simon.[48] Third seeded Florida State had five players in double figure, helping win over North Carolina A&T.[49] Fourth seeded California beats Fresno State.[50] Top seed Connecticut easily beat Vermont behind Tina Charles's 32 points on 13–14 from the field.[51]

Eighth seeded Florida beats Temple for its 24th win of the year, tying a school record.[52] Second seeded Texas A&M forces 30 turnovers in a win over Evansville.[53] Tenth seeded Minnesota upsets Notre Dame.[54]

Second round

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Sixth seeded Arizona State's Danielle Orsillo hit a three-pointer with 32 seconds left to break a 54–54 tie. ASU hung on to upset third seeded Florida State.[55]

Fourth seeded California won easily over fifth seeded Virginia. Ashley Walker tied a career high with 32 points, while Devanei Hampton and Alexis Gray-Lawson each added 22 points.[56]

Second seeded Texas A&M beat tenth seeded Minnesota behind a season-high 20 steals. The Aggies forced 32 turnovers to beat the Gophers by 31.[57]

Top seeded Connecticut beat eighth seeded Florida. Renee Montgomery, playing on her home court for the last time in her career, scored 25. The win moves Connecticut in the Sweet Sixteen for the 16th consecutive time, the longest active streak.[58]

Regional semifinals (Sweet Sixteen)

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Connecticut faced their largest deficit of the year (eight points) against California, and went into halftime with only a two-point margin. UConn outscored California by 40–12, starting at the time of the eight-point deficit, to take control of the game. UConn's Tiffany Hayes had a career-high 28 points, shooting 9–10 from the field, including 5–6 from beyond the three-point arc.[59]

Sixth seeded Arizona State upsets two seed Texas A&M. Briann January and Danielle Orsillo were both perfect from the floor, helping the Sun Devils to a season-high 62 percent shooting percentage. The Texas &M team was also shooting well, hitting 55% of their first 29 shots. They were within three as late as 7:12 left in the game, but ASU outscored them and ended with a fifteen-point margin.[60]

Regional final (Elite Eight)

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Top-seeded Connecticut beat Arizona State to advance to their tenth Final Four. The game was close early – UConn led at one point 20–19, but UConn went on a 9–2 run to open up the margin. After a score by ASU, Maya Moore scored the next five points, which broke the single-season scoring record held by Kara Wolters. Kara was sitting courtside, doing commentary for a Connecticut radio station. The Sun Devils got to within eight at one point in the second half, but Moore and Montgomery combined for eight consecutive points to stretch the lead to 16. ASU would not get within double digits again.[61]

Final Four

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Two very different games in terms of Final Four experience. In the first game, Oklahoma is in only its second Final Four (the first in 2002) and Louisville is making its first ever Final Four.

Only four coaches in NCAA history have multiple NCAA championships, and two of them, Tara VanDerveer and Geno Auriemma, coach the second game.

Louisville versus Oklahoma

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Louisville plays the role of newcomer to the Final Four by missing its first 13 shots. Over seven minutes into the game, Louisville has taken their second full timeout, has yet to hit a basket, and is losing 16–2. Louisville shook off the opening jitters and began scoring. Just after the final media timeout of the first half, two Angel McCoughtry free throws would cut the lead to six, but Oklahoma would outscore Louisville 10–4 to take a twelve-point lead into the half.

The second half would open up almost a mirror image of the first half. Louisville outscored Oklahoma 15–1 to take their first lead. Oklahoma did not get a basket until more than seven minutes had elapsed. The game would stay close from then on, with never more than a six-point margin by either team. With 18 seconds left in the game Courtney Paris would hit a basket to bring the margin to one. After Candyce Bingham hit one of two free throws, Nyeshia Stevenson took a three-point shot with two seconds left in the game. Her shot rimmed out, and Louisville hung on to win 61–59.[62]

Stanford versus Connecticut

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Connecticut entered the game having won its last 37 games, but their opponent Stanford was the last team to have beaten them. Just over nine minutes into the game, Stanford led 14–13. Jayne Appel scored ten of Stanford's 14 points, and assisted on one of the other two baskets. Then Renee Montgomery scored nine of UConn's next eleven points and assisted on the other basket in the stretch. Maya Moore added five points, part of an 18–4 run to bring the score to 31–18. Connecticut entered the halftime break with a 13-point lead, one more than they had had the last time they had played a Final Four game in St. Louis: a 2001 game in which, despite the large halftime lead, Notre Dame went to win the game and the Championship.

This time was different however. Connecticut scored the first eleven points of the second half, to double up Stanford 48–24. Connecticut led by at least 20 until the last five minutes and won 81–64. Jayne Appel matched Renee Montgomery for high scoring honors with 26, but Connecticut also got 24 from Maya Moore.[63]

Championship game – Louisville versus Connecticut

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The players, coaches, and other staff of the 2008–2009 UConn Huskies, winners of the 2009 national championship, are honored at the White House by President Barack Obama on 27 April 2009.

Louisville would meet Connecticut for the third time in the season, but it would be the first ever all Big East Championship game. UConn prevailed in the first meeting by 28 points, and won by 39 in the Big East Tournament Championship game.[64]

Angel McCoughtry tried to change the outcome this time, scoring eleven of Louisville's first 15 points, and assisting on two others, to take a 15–13 lead just over eight minutes into the game. UConn began feeding Tina Charles, who helped pull them to a 14-point lead 39–24, at halftime.

Tina would end the game with 25 points, 19 rebounds, and a trophy for the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. Connecticut hit 50% of their field goal tries, holding Louisville to just under 31%.

Connecticut won 76–54, winning its sixth National Championship, and completing its third perfect season. They would win every game by double digits for the first time in NCAA history.[65]

Brackets

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Results to date[66]

* – Denotes overtime period

Trenton Regional – Trenton, New Jersey

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First round
21–22 March 2009
Second round
23–24 March 2009
Regional semifinals
29 March 2009
Regional finals
31 March 2009
            
1Connecticut104
16Vermont65
1Connecticut87
Storrs, Connecticut
8Florida59
8Florida70
9Temple57
1Connecticut77
4California53
5Virginia 68
12Marist61
5Virginia73
Los Angeles, California
4California99
4California70
13Fresno St.47
1Connecticut83
6Arizona St.64
6Arizona St.58
11Georgia47
6Arizona St.63
Duluth, Georgia
3Florida St.58
3Florida St.83
14North Carolina A&T71
6Arizona St.84
2Texas A&M69
7Notre Dame71
10Minnesota79
10Minnesota42
South Bend, Indiana
2Texas A&M73
2Texas A&M80
15Evansville45

Berkeley Regional – Berkeley, California

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First round
21–22 March 2009
Second round
23–24 March 2009
Regional semifinals
28 March 2009
Regional finals
30 March 2009
            
1Duke83
16Austin Peay42
1Duke49
East Lansing, Michigan
9Michigan St.63
8Middle Tenn.59
9Michigan St.60
9Michigan St.68
4Iowa St.69
5Tennessee55
12Ball St.71
12Ball St.57
Bowling Green, Kentucky
4Iowa St.71
4Iowa St.85
13East Tenn. St.53
4Iowa St.53
2Stanford74
6Texas63
11Mississippi St.71
11Mississippi St.58
Columbus, Ohio
3Ohio St.64
3Ohio St.77
14Sacred Heart63
3Ohio St.66
2Stanford 84
7DePaul70
10San Diego St.76
10San Diego St.49
San Diego, California
2Stanford77
2Stanford74
15UCSB39

Raleigh Regional – Raleigh, North Carolina

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First round
21–22 March 2009
Second round
23–24 March 2009
Regional semifinals
28 March 2009
Regional finals
30 March 2009
            
1Maryland82
16Dartmouth53
1Maryland71
College Park, Maryland
9Utah56
8Villanova30
9Utah60
1Maryland78
4Vanderbilt74
5Kansas St.68
12Drexel44
5Kansas St.61
Albuquerque, New Mexico
4Vanderbilt74
4Vanderbilt73
13Western Carolina44
1Maryland60
3Louisville77
6LSU69
11Green Bay59
6LSU52
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
3Louisville62
3Louisville62
14Liberty42
3Louisville56
2Baylor39
7South Dakota St.90
10TCU55
7South Dakota St.58
Lubbock, Texas
2Baylor60
2Baylor87*
15UTSA82

Oklahoma City Regional – Oklahoma City

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First round
21–22 March 2009
Second round
23–24 March 2009
Regional semifinals
29 March 2009
Regional finals
31 March 2009
            
1Oklahoma76
16Prairie View A&M47
1Oklahoma69
Iowa City, Iowa
9Georgia Tech50
8Iowa62
9Georgia Tech76
1Oklahoma70
4Pittsburgh59
5Xavier59
12Gonzaga74
12Gonzaga60
Seattle, WA
4Pittsburgh65
4Pittsburgh64
13Montana35
1Oklahoma74
6Purdue68
6Purdue65
11Charlotte52
6Purdue 85
Chattanooga, Tennessee
3North Carolina70
3North Carolina85
14UCF80
6Purdue67
7Rutgers61
7Rutgers57
10VCU51
7Rutgers80
Piscataway, New Jersey
2Auburn52
2Auburn85
15Lehigh49

Final Four – St. Louis, Missouri

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National Semifinals
5 April
National Championship
7 April
      
T1Connecticut83
B2Stanford64
T1Connecticut76
R3Louisville54
R3Louisville61
O1Oklahoma59

Record by conference

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Conference# of BidsRecordWin %Sweet
Sixteen
Elite
Eight
Final
Four
Championship
Game
Pac-1039–3.7503210
Big East715–6.7144222
Big 12612–6.6674210
Big Ten58–5.6153100
ACC68–6.5711100
MAC11–1.5000000
Summit League11–1.5000000
West Coast11–1.5000000
SEC76–7.4621000
Mountain West32–3.4000000
Atlantic 1030–3.0000000
Colonial20–2.0000000

Nineteen conferences went 0-1: America East, Atlantic Sun Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Big West Conference, Conference USA, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAAC, MEAC, Missouri Valley Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland, Sun Belt Conference, SWAC, and WAC

All-Tournament Team

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Game officials

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  • Tina Napier(semifinal)
  • Cameron Inouye (semifinal)
  • Lisa Jones (semifinal)
  • Eric Brewton (semifinal)
  • Melissa Barlows (semifinal)
  • Felicia Grinter (semifinal)
  • Dee Kantner (final)
  • Lisa Mattingly (final)
  • Clarke Stevens (final)[1]

See also

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References

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