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2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

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2024 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
Season2023–24
Teams68
Finals siteRocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Cleveland, Ohio
ChampionsSouth Carolina Gamecocks (3rd title, 3rd title game,
6th Final Four)
Runner-upIowa Hawkeyes (2nd title game,
3rd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachDawn Staley (3rd title)
MOPKamilla Cardoso (South Carolina)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
«2023 2025»

The 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was a 68-team single-elimination tournament to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 42nd edition of the tournament began on March 20, 2024, and concluded with the championship game on April 7, 2024 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

Big South champion Presbyterian, Southland champion Texas A&M–Corpus Christi, WAC champion California Baptist and at-large bid Columbia all made their NCAA tournament debuts. Additionally, Big Sky champion Eastern Washington made its second-ever appearance and first since 1987, Big West champion UC Irvine made its first appearance since 1995 and Sun Belt champion Marshall made its first appearance since 1997. In the championship game, Iowa returned for their second straight appearance while South Carolina entered their third championship game in seven years and became the tenth team in Division I women's tournament history to finish an undefeated season at 38–0.

This was the first time where the top #1 seed won both the Men's & Women's NCAA Tournament since 2012.

Tournament procedure

[edit]
Further information: NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament § Current tournament format

A total of 68 teams participated in the 2024 tournament, consisting of the 32 conference champions, and 36 "at-large" bids that were determined by the NCAA Selection Committee. The last four at-large teams and teams seeded 65 through 68 overall competed in First Four games, whose winners advanced to the 64-team first round.[1]

2024 NCAA Tournament schedule and venues

[edit]

The first two rounds, also referred to as the subregionals, will be played at the sites of the top 16 seeds.

First Four

  • March 20–21
  • Four of the campuses seeded in the Top 16

Subregionals (First and Second Rounds)

Regional Semifinals and Finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight)

National Semifinals and Championship (Final Four and Championship)

Cleveland hosted the women's Final Four for the second time; the first was in 2007.[2]

Qualification and selection of teams

[edit]
Further information: 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament qualifying teams

Automatic qualifiers

[edit]

The following teams automatically qualified for the 2024 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's tournament.[a]

Automatic qualifiers
Conference Team Record Appearance Last bid
America East Maine 24–9 10th 2019
American Rice 19–14 4th 2019
Atlantic 10 Richmond 29–5 4th 2005
ACC Notre Dame 26–6 29th 2023
ASUN Florida Gulf Coast 29–4 10th 2023
Big 12 Texas 30–4 36th 2023
Big East UConn 29–5 35th 2023
Big Sky Eastern Washington 29–5 2nd 1987
Big South Presbyterian 20–14 1st Never
Big Ten Iowa 29–4 30th 2023
Big West UC Irvine 23–8 2nd 1995
CAA Drexel 19–14 3rd 2021
CUSA Middle Tennessee 29–4 21st 2023
Horizon Green Bay 27–6 19th 2018
Ivy League Princeton 25–4 11th 2023
MAAC Fairfield 31–1 6th 2022
MAC Kent State 21–10 6th 2002
MEAC Norfolk State 27–5 3rd 2023
Missouri Valley Drake 29–5 15th 2023
Mountain West UNLV 30–2 11th 2023
NEC Sacred Heart 24–9 5th 2023
Ohio Valley UT Martin[a] 16–16 5th 2014
Pac-12 USC 26–5 18th 2023
Patriot Holy Cross 20–12 14th 2023
SEC South Carolina 32–0 20th 2023
Southern Chattanooga 28–4 17th 2023
Southland Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 23–8 1st Never
SWAC Jackson State 26–6 7th 2022
Summit South Dakota State 27–5 12th 2023
Sun Belt Marshall 26–6 2nd 1997
WCC Portland 21–12 6th 2023
WAC California Baptist 28–3 1st Never
  1. ^ a b Southern Indiana defeated UT Martin in the OVC championship. However, due to Southern Indiana's transition from Division II, UT Martin received the OVC's automatic bid.

Bids by state

[edit]

The sixty-eight teams came from thirty-four states.

class=notpageimage|
Participating teams in the 2024 tournament.
Bids State(s) Schools
5 California California Baptist, Stanford, UC Irvine, UCLA, USC
Tennessee Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, UT Martin, Vanderbilt
Texas Baylor, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
3 Connecticut Fairfield, Sacred Heart, UConn
Iowa Drake, Iowa, Iowa State
North Carolina Duke, NC State, North Carolina
Virginia Norfolk State, Richmond, Virginia Tech
2 Alabama Alabama, Auburn
Florida Florida Gulf Coast, Florida State
Indiana Indiana, Notre Dame
Kansas Kansas, Kansas State
Michigan Michigan, Michigan State
Mississippi Jackson State, Ole Miss
Nebraska Creighton, Nebraska
New York Columbia, Syracuse
Ohio Kent State, Ohio State
Oregon Oregon State, Portland
South Carolina Presbyterian, South Carolina
Washington Gonzaga, Eastern Washington
West Virginia Marshall, West Virginia
Wisconsin Green Bay, Marquette
1 Arizona Arizona
Colorado Colorado
Kentucky Louisville
Louisiana LSU
Maine Maine
Maryland Maryland
Massachusetts Holy Cross
Nevada UNLV
New Jersey Princeton
Oklahoma Oklahoma
Pennsylvania Drexel
South Dakota South Dakota State
Utah Utah

Bids by conference

[edit]

Thirty-two conferences earned an automatic bid. In nineteen cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-six additional at-large teams were selected from twelve of the conferences.

Bids Conference Teams
8 Atlantic Coast Duke, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia Tech
8 Southeastern Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt
7 Big 12 Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, West Virginia
7 Big Ten Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State
7 Pac-12 Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA, USC, Utah
3 Big East Creighton, Marquette, UConn
2 Ivy Columbia, Princeton
2 West Coast Gonzaga, Portland
1 America East Maine
1 American Rice
1 Atlantic 10 Richmond
1 Atlantic Sun Florida Gulf Coast
1 Big Sky Eastern Washington
1 Big South Presbyterian
1 Big West UC Irvine
1 Coastal Drexel
1 Conference USA Middle Tennessee
1 Horizon Green Bay
1 Metro Atlantic Fairfield
1 Mid-American Kent State
1 Mid-Eastern Norfolk State
1 Missouri Valley Drake
1 Mountain West UNLV
1 Northeast Sacred Heart
1 Ohio Valley UT Martin
1 Patriot Holy Cross
1 Southern Chattanooga
1 Southland Texas A&M–Corpus Christi
1 Southwestern Jackson State
1 Summit South Dakota State
1 Sun Belt Marshall
1 Western Athletic California Baptist

Seeds

[edit]

The tournament seeds and regions were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process and were published by the selection committee after the brackets were released on March 17.

Albany Regional 1 – MVP Arena, Albany, NY
Seed School Conference Record Overall seed Berth type Last bid
1 South Carolina SEC 32–0 Automatic 2023
2 Notre Dame ACC 26–6 Automatic 2023
3 Oregon State Pac-12 24–7 At-large 2021
4 Indiana Big Ten 24–5 At-large 2023
5 Oklahoma Big 12 22–9 At-large 2023
6 Nebraska Big Ten 22–11 At-large 2022
7 Ole Miss SEC 23–8 At-large 2023
8 North Carolina ACC 19–12 At-large 2023
9 Michigan State Big Ten 22–8 At-large 2021
10 Marquette Big East 23–8 At-large 2023
11 Texas A&M SEC 19–12 At-large 2021
12 Florida Gulf Coast ASUN 29–4 Automatic 2023
13 Fairfield MAAC 31–1 Automatic 2022
14 Eastern Washington Big Sky 29–5 Automatic 1987
15 Kent State MAC 21–10 Automatic 2002
16* Sacred Heart Northeast 24–9 Automatic 2023
Presbyterian Big South 20–14 Automatic Never
Portland Regional 4 – Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Seed School Conference Record Overall seed Berth type Last bid
1 Texas Big 12 30–4 Automatic 2023
2 Stanford Pac-12 28–5 At-large 2023
3 NC State ACC 27–6 At-large 2023
4 Gonzaga WCC 30–3 At-large 2023
5 Utah Pac-12 22–10 At-large 2023
6 Tennessee SEC 19–12 At-large 2023
7 Iowa State Big 12 20–11 At-large 2022
8 Alabama SEC 23–9 At-large 2023
9 Florida State ACC 23–10 At-large 2023
10 Maryland Big Ten 19–13 At-large 2023
11 Green Bay Horizon 27–6 Automatic 2018
12 South Dakota State Summit 27–5 Automatic 2023
13 UC Irvine Big West 23–8 Automatic 1995
14 Chattanooga Southern 28–4 Automatic 2023
15 Norfolk State MEAC 27–5 Automatic 2023
16 Drexel Coastal 19–14 Automatic 2021
Albany Regional 2 – MVP Arena, Albany, NY
Seed School Conference Record Overall seed Berth type Last bid
1 Iowa Big Ten 29–4 Automatic 2023
2 UCLA Pac-12 25–6 At-large 2023
3 LSU SEC 28–5 At-large 2023
4 Kansas State Big 12 25–7 At-large 2022
5 Colorado Pac-12 22–9 At-large 2023
6 Louisville ACC 24–9 At-large 2023
7 Creighton Big East 25–5 At-large 2023
8 West Virginia Big 12 24–7 At-large 2023
9 Princeton Ivy League 25–4 Automatic 2023
10 UNLV Mountain West 30–2 Automatic 2023
11 Middle Tennessee C-USA 29–4 Automatic 2023
12 Drake Missouri Valley 29–5 Automatic 2023
13 Portland WCC 21–12 Automatic 2023
14 Rice American 19–14 Automatic 2019
15 California Baptist WAC 28–3 Automatic Never
16* Holy Cross Patriot 20–12 Automatic 2023
UT Martin Ohio Valley 16–16 Automatic 2014
Portland Regional 3 – Moda Center, Portland, Oregon
Seed School Conference Record Overall seed Berth type Last bid
1 USC Pac-12 26–5 Automatic 2023
2 Ohio State Big Ten 25–5 At-large 2023
3 UConn Big East 29–5 Automatic 2023
4 Virginia Tech ACC 24–7 At-large 2023
5 Baylor Big 12 24–7 At-large 2023
6 Syracuse ACC 23–7 At-large 2021
7 Duke ACC 20–11 At-large 2023
8 Kansas Big 12 19–12 At-large 2022
9 Michigan Big Ten 20–13 At-large 2023
10 Richmond Atlantic 10 29–5 Automatic 2005
11* Auburn SEC 20–11 At-large 2019
Arizona Pac-12 17–15 At-large 2023
12* Vanderbilt SEC 22–9 At-large 2014
Columbia Ivy League 23–6 At-large Never
13 Marshall Sun Belt 26–6 Automatic 1997
14 Jackson State SWAC 26–6 Automatic 2022
15 Maine America East 24–9 Automatic 2019
16 Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Southland 23–8 Automatic Never

*See First Four
Source:


Tournament bracket

[edit]

All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

First Four

[edit]

The First Four games involve eight teams: the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams.

March 20 – Albany Regional 1
Columbia, South Carolina
   
16 Sacred Heart 42
16 Presbyterian 49
March 21 – Portland Regional 3
Storrs, Connecticut
   
11 Auburn 59
11 Arizona 69
March 21 – Albany Regional 2
Iowa City, Iowa
   
16 Holy Cross 72
16 UT Martin 45
March 20 – Portland Regional 3
Blacksburg, Virginia
   
12 Vanderbilt 72
12 Columbia 68

Albany regional 1 – Albany, NY

[edit]
First round
Round of 64
March 22–23 		Second round
Round of 32
March 24–25 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 29 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 31
            
1 South Carolina 91
16 Presbyterian 39
1 South Carolina 88
Columbia, South Carolina – Fri/Sun
8 North Carolina 41
8 North Carolina 59
9 Michigan State 56
1 South Carolina 79
4 Indiana 75
5 Oklahoma 73
12 Florida Gulf Coast 70
5 Oklahoma 68
Bloomington, Indiana – Sat/Mon
4 Indiana 75
4 Indiana 89
13 Fairfield 56
1 South Carolina 70
3 Oregon State 58
6 Nebraska 61
11 Texas A&M 59
6 Nebraska 51
Corvallis, Oregon – Fri/Sun
3 Oregon State 61
3 Oregon State 73
14 Eastern Washington 51
3 Oregon State 70
2 Notre Dame 65
7 Ole Miss 67
10 Marquette 55
7 Ole Miss 56
Notre Dame, Indiana – Sat/Mon
2 Notre Dame 71
2 Notre Dame 81
15 Kent State 67

Albany regional 1 final

[edit]
ABC
March 31
1:00 p.m. EDT
No. 1 South Carolina 70, No. 3 Oregon State 58
Scoring by quarter: 18—14, 19–19, 21—13, 12–12
Pts: Tessa Johnson (15)
Rebs: Ashlyn Watkins (14)
Asts: Raven Johnson (6)		 Pts: Raegan Beers (16)
Rebs: Timea Gardiner (12)
Asts: Tied (5)
MVP Arena – Albany, NY
Attendance: 13,568
Referees: Felicia Grinter, Talisa Green, Tyler Trimble

Albany regional 1 all-tournament team

[edit]

Portland regional 4 – Portland, OR

[edit]
First round
Round of 64
March 22–23 		Second round
Round of 32
March 24–25 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 29 		Regional Final
Elite 8
March 31
            
1 Texas 82
16 Drexel 42
1 Texas 65
Austin, Texas – Fri/Sun
8 Alabama 54
8 Alabama 82
9 Florida State 74
1 Texas 69
4 Gonzaga 47
5 Utah 68
12 South Dakota State 54
5 Utah 66
Spokane, Washington – Sat/Mon
4 Gonzaga 77
4 Gonzaga 75
13 UC Irvine 56
1 Texas 66
3 NC State 76
6 Tennessee 92
11 Green Bay 63
6 Tennessee 72
Raleigh, North Carolina – Sat/Mon
3 NC State 79
3 NC State 64
14 Chattanooga 45
3 NC State 77
2 Stanford 67
7 Iowa State 93
10 Maryland 86
7 Iowa State 81
Stanford, California – Fri/Sun
2 Stanford 87OT
2 Stanford 79
15 Norfolk State 50

Portland 4 regional final

[edit]
ABC
March 31
3:00 p.m. EDT
No. 1 Texas 66, No. 3 NC State 76
Scoring by quarter: 14–19, 17–24, 17–14, 18–19
Pts: Booker (17)
Rebs: Moore (9)
Asts: Booker (5)		 Pts: James (27)
Rebs: James (6)
Asts: Rivers (5)
Moda Center – Portland, OR
Referees: In'Fini Robinson, Katie Lukanich, Gina Cross

Portland 4 regional all-tournament team

[edit]

Albany regional 2 – Albany, New York

[edit]
First round
Round of 64
March 22–23 		Second round
Round of 32
March 24–25 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 30 		Regional Final
Elite 8
April 1
            
1 Iowa 91
16 Holy Cross 65
1 Iowa 64
Iowa City, Iowa – Sat/Mon
8 West Virginia 54
8 West Virginia 63
9 Princeton 53
1 Iowa 89
5 Colorado 68
5 Colorado 86
12 Drake 72
5 Colorado 63
Manhattan, Kansas – Fri/Sun
4 Kansas State 50
4 Kansas State 78
13 Portland 65
1 Iowa 94
3 LSU 87
6 Louisville 69
11 Middle Tennessee 71
11 Middle Tennessee 56
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Fri/Sun
3 LSU 83
3 LSU 70
14 Rice 60
3 LSU 78
2 UCLA 69
7 Creighton 87
10 UNLV 73
7 Creighton 63
Los Angeles, California – Sat/Mon
2 UCLA 67
2 UCLA 84
15 California Baptist 55

Albany regional 2 final

[edit]
ESPN
April 1
7:15 p.m. EDT
No. 1 Iowa 94, No. 3 LSU 87
Scoring by quarter: 26–31, 19–14, 24–13, 25–29
Pts: Clark (41)
Rebs: Clark (7)
Asts: Clark (12)		 Pts: Johnson (23)
Rebs: Reese (20)
Asts: Reese (4)
MVP Arena – Albany, New York

Albany regional 2 all-tournament team

[edit]

Portland regional 3 – Portland, Oregon

[edit]
First round
Round of 64
March 22–23 		Second round
Round of 32
March 24–25 		Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 30 		Regional Final
Elite 8
April 1
            
1 USC 87
16 Texas A&M–Corpus Christi 55
1 USC 73
Los Angeles, California – Sat/Mon
8 Kansas 55
8 Kansas 81OT
9 Michigan 72
1 USC 74
5 Baylor 70
5 Baylor 80
12 Vanderbilt 63
5 Baylor 75
Blacksburg, Virginia – Fri/Sun
4 Virginia Tech 72
4 Virginia Tech 92
13 Marshall 49
1 USC 73
3 UConn 80
6 Syracuse 74
11 Arizona 69
6 Syracuse 64
Storrs, Connecticut – Sat/Mon
3 UConn 72
3 UConn 86
14 Jackson State 64
3 UConn 53
7 Duke 45
7 Duke 72
10 Richmond 61
7 Duke 75
Columbus, Ohio – Fri/Sun
2 Ohio State 63
2 Ohio State 80
15 Maine 57

Portland regional 3 final

[edit]
ESPN
April 1
9:15 p.m. EDT
No. 1 USC Trojans 73, No. 3 UConn Huskies 80
Scoring by quarter: 17–15, 16–18, 18–22, 22–25
Pts: JuJu Watkins (29)
Rebs: Rayah Marshall (11)
Asts: McKenzie Forbes (3)		 Pts: Paige Bueckers (28)
Rebs: Paige Bueckers (10)
Asts: Nika Mühl (8)
Moda Center – Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 10,869
Referees: Maj Forsberg, Kyle Bacon, Brian Hall

Portland regional 3 all-tournament team

[edit]

Final Four – Cleveland, Ohio

[edit]
National Semifinals
Final Four
Friday, April 5 		National Championship Game
Sunday, April 7
      
A1(1) South Carolina 78
P4(3) NC State 59
A1(1) South Carolina 87
A2(1) Iowa 75
A2(1) Iowa 71
P3(3) UConn 69

National semifinals

[edit]
ESPN
April 5
7:00 p.m. EDT
A1 South Carolina Gamecocks 78, P4 NC State Wolfpack 59
Scoring by quarter: 16–16, 16–15, 29–6, 17–22
Pts: Kamilla Cardoso (22)
Rebs: Ashlyn Watkins (20)
Asts: Te-Hina Paopao (6)		 Pts: Aziaha James (20)
Rebs: River Baldwin (9)
Asts: Tied (2)
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, Ohio
Referees: Eric Brewton, Melissa Barlow, Tiffany Bird
ESPN
April 5
9:30 p.m. EDT
A2 Iowa Hawkeyes 71, P3 UConn Huskies 69
Scoring by quarter: 14–19, 12–13, 25–19, 20–18
Pts: Hannah Stuelke (23)
Rebs: Caitlin Clark (9)
Asts: Caitlin Clark (7)		 Pts: Tied (17)
Rebs: Aaliyah Edwards (8)
Asts: Nika Mühl (7)
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, Ohio
Attendance: 18,284
Referees: Roy Gulbeyan, Gina Cross, Katie Lukanich

National championship

[edit]
Main article: 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball championship game
ABC, ESPN
April 7, 2024
3:00 p.m. EDT
A1 South Carolina Gamecocks 87, A2 Iowa Hawkeyes 75
Scoring by quarter: 20–27, 29–19, 19–13, 19–16
Pts: Tessa Johnson (19)
Rebs: Kamilla Cardoso (17)
Asts: MiLaysia Fulwiley (4)		 Pts: Caitlin Clark (30)
Rebs: Caitlin Clark (8)
Asts: Caitlin Clark (5)
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, Ohio

Final Four all-tournament team

[edit]

Record by conference

[edit]
Conference Bids Record Win % FF R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 CG NC
Southeastern 8 13–7 .650 2 7 5 2 2 1 1 1
Big Ten 7 9–7 .563 – 7 4 2 1 1 1 –
Big East 3 5–3 .625 – 3 2 1 1 1 – –
Atlantic Coast 8 11–8 .579 – 8 6 3 1 1 – –
Pac-12 7 14–7 .667 1 7 6 5 2 – – –
Big 12 7 10–7 .588 – 7 7 2 1 – – –
West Coast 2 2–2 .500 – 2 1 1 – – – –
CUSA 1 1–1 .500 – 1 1 – – – – –
Big South 1 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – – – –
Patriot 1 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – – – –
America East 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
American 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Atlantic 10 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
ASUN 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Big Sky 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Big West 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
CAA 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Horizon 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Ivy League 2 0–2 .000 1 1 – – – – – –
MAAC 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
MAC 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
MEAC 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Missouri Valley 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Mountain West 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Southern 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Southland 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
SWAC 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Summit 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Sun Belt 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
WAC 1 0–1 .000 – 1 – – – – – –
Northeast 1 0–1 .000 1 – – – – – – –
Ohio Valley 1 0–1 .000 1 – – – – – – –
  • The FF, R64, R32, S16, E8, F4, CG, and NC columns indicate how many teams from each conference were in the first four, round of 64 (first round), round of 32 (second round), Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four, championship game, and national champion, respectively.

Game summaries and tournament notes

[edit]

Tournament upsets

[edit]

Per the NCAA, an upset occurs "when the losing team in an NCAA tournament game was seeded at least five seed lines better than the winning team."[3]

Round Albany Portland Albany Portland
First round None None No. 11 Middle Tennessee defeated No. 6 Louisville, 71–69 None
Second round None None None No. 7 Duke defeated No. 2 Ohio State, 75–63
Sweet 16 None None None None
Elite 8 None None None None
Final 4 None
National championship None

Tournament records

[edit]

Game officials

[edit]

Media coverage

[edit]

Most watched tournament games

[edit]

(#) Tournament seedings and region in parentheses.

The Albany 2 regional final between Iowa and LSU, a rematch of the previous year's national championship game drew the largest audience ever for a women's college basketball game as well as the most watched college basketball game in the 45-year history of ESPN.[4] The record would last only a few days, as Iowa's national semifinal match with Connecticut averaged the most viewers for a basketball game at any level on ESPN.[5][failed verification] The Championship game again broke this record, with it becoming the most watched basketball game (including the NBA) since 2019 and the most watched basketball game to air outside of prime-time since the Fab Five played in the men's Final Four in 1992.[6]

Rank Round Date and Time (ET) Matchup Network Viewers (millions) TV rating
1 Championship Game April 7
3:00 p.m. 		(A2-1)Iowa vs.
(A1-1)South Carolina 		ABC 18.89[6] 9.3
1 Final Four April 5
9:30 p.m. 		(A2-1)Iowa vs.
(P3-3)UConn 		ESPN 14.2[5]
2 Elite 8 April 1
7:12 p.m. 		(1)Iowa vs. (3)LSU
(Albany 2) 		12.3[7]
3 Final Four April 5
7 p.m. 		(A1-1)South Carolina vs.
(P4-3)NC State 		7.1[8]
4 Sweet 16 March 30
3:50 p.m. 		(1)Iowa vs. (5)Colorado
(Albany 2) 		ABC 6.9[9] 3.6

Television

[edit]

ESPN broadcast each game of the tournament across either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, or ABC. For the second consecutive season, the national championship game aired on ABC.[10][11]

ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show broadcast live from Iowa City for the Iowa Hawkeyes' first-round game.[12] ESPN provided Megacast coverage during the Final Four and national championship games, with the Bird & Taurasi Show alternate broadcast with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi returning on ESPN2 and ESPN during the Final Four and national championship respectively, and the "Beyond the Rim" (additional statistics) and rail cam feeds available on ESPN+.[13]

Studio host and analysts

[edit]
  • Elle Duncan (host) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four, and national championship)
  • Kelsey Riggs (host) (first/second rounds)
  • Rebecca Lobo (analyst) (first four, and first/second rounds)
  • Andraya Carter (analyst) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship)
  • Chiney Ogwumike (analyst) (first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four and national championship)
  • Carolyn Peck (analyst) (Final Four and national championship)
  • Nikki Fargas (analyst) (first/second rounds)
  • Aliyah Boston (analyst) (Final Four and national championship)
  • Lisa Mattingly (rules analyst) (first four, first/second rounds, regionals, Final Four, and national championship)
  • Denny Meyer (rules analyst) (Final Four and national championship)

Commentary teams

[edit]

Radio

[edit]

Westwood One will serve as radio broadcaster of the tournament.

Regionals (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight)

  • Sam Neidermann and Isis Young – Albany, New York 1
  • Troy Clardy and Debbie Antonelli – Portland, Oregon 4
  • Lance Medow and Kim Adams – Albany, New York 2
  • Matt Chazanow and Krista Blunk – Portland, Oregon 3

Final Four and National Championship

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Expansion of 2022 DI women's basketball tournament to 68 teams approved". ncaa.com. 2018-11-17. Retrieved 2021-11-17.
  2. ^ "Women's Final Four: Future dates & sites". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  3. ^ Wittry, Andy (March 15, 2023). "Here's how to pick March Madness men's upsets, according to the data". NCAA. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  4. ^ ESPN News Services (April 3, 2024). "Iowa-LSU sets women's NCAA hoops ratings record with 12.3M viewers". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Nearly 19 million for South Carolina-Iowa women's title game". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Jon (2024-04-08). "South Carolina-Iowa women's final is top hoops game in five years". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  7. ^ Lewis, Jon (3 April 2024). "Monday (4/1) sports viewership: Record Iowa-LSU rematch dominates". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Ratings - NCAA Semifinals on ESPN Shatter Viewership Records - UConn-Iowa Delivers 14.2 Million Viewers, Friday's NCAA Women's Final Four Scores Average Audience of 10.8 Million | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  9. ^ Lewis, Jon (2 April 2024). "Saturday (3/30) sports ratings: March Madness, MLB, UFL and more". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  10. ^ "ESPN acquires NCAA rights for US$500 million". SportsPro Media. April 2, 2012. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  11. ^ "Calling on Cleveland: ESPN Is the Exclusive Home of NCAA March Madness Women's Basketball for the 29th Year". ESPN Press Room U.S. 2024-03-17. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  12. ^ "The Pat McAfee Show and WWE champion Roman Reigns are heading to Iowa City on March 22". Iowa City Press-Citizen. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
  13. ^ Lucia, Joe (2024-04-04). "'The Bird & Taurasi Show' highlights ESPN's MegaCast Final Four broadcasts". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-04-08.
  14. ^ a b c "ESPN Announces Commentator Pairings for Exclusive Coverage of NCAA March Madness Women's Basketball". ESPN Press Room U.S. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  15. ^ "NCAA Women's March Madness Marches On Across ESPN Platforms". ESPN Press Room U.S. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  16. ^ "Calling on Cleveland! ESPN's MegaCast Presentation of the 2024 NCAA Women's Final Four Tips Off Friday, April 5". ESPN Press Room U.S. 2024-04-03. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
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