SAN ANTONIO — In pursuit of the school’s third national championship, the Stanford Cardinal were named the top seed of the 64-team field for the 2021 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship that will be played March 21-April 4 in the San Antonio region.
The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee awarded No. 1 seeds to Stanford (25-2), UConn (24-1), NC State (20-2) and South Carolina (22-4). All four schools come into the tournament having won their respective conference tournament championships.
Six championship rounds featuring 63 games will be played using five venues and six courts in San Antonio, Austin and San Marcos, Texas, with the Alamodome hosting two of those courts. First-round play will take place March 21-22 at the Alamodome, Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary’s (Texas), Frank Erwin Center (Texas), University Events Center (Texas State) and the UTSA Convocation Center. Second-round play will shift entirely to venues in San Antonio, with the Alamodome, Bill Greehey Arena and the UTSA Convocation Center playing host March 23-24. The championship will shift to the Alamodome for all remaining rounds, with the Sweet 16 games played March 27-28, Elite Eight games held March 29-30 and the Women’s Final Four conducted April 2 and 4.
Stanford, which comes into the championship play having won 14 straight games, previously claimed national championships in 1990 and 1992. Winners of a record 11 national championships, UConn comes into the tournament also on a 14-game winning streak. NC State earned its first No. 1 seed in program history after claiming the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title, while South Carolina, which won the Southeastern Conference tournament championship, will be looking for its second national championship after claiming the 2017 title.
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Tennessee continues its appearance streak and is the only school to participate in all 39 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championships since its inception in 1982. On the other end of the spectrum, Bradley, High Point, Stony Brook and Utah Valley all are making their first NCAA tournament appearances.
Thirty-one conferences were granted automatic bids for the championship, and the remaining 33 teams were selected at-large.
In the 38-year history of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, 15 schools have captured the national title. UConn leads the way with 11 national championships, followed by Tennessee with eight. Baylor is the defending national champion, having won the title in 2019 in Tampa, Fla.
Conference Team Record App. Won Lost Last appearance
America East Stony Brook 15-5 FIRST APPEARANCE
American Athletic South Fla. 18-3 6 3 6 2018
Atlantic Coast NC State 20-2 25 24 25 2019
Atlantic Sun FGCU 26-2 6 2 6 2019
Atlantic 10 VCU 16-10 1 0 1 2009
Big East UConn 24-1 31 121 20 2019
Big Sky Idaho St. 22-3 3 0 3 2012
Big South High Point 22-6 FIRST APPEARANCE
Big Ten Maryland 24-2 27 46 26 2019
Big 12 Baylor 25-2 18 50 15 2019
Big West UC Davis 13-2 2 0 2 2019
Colonial Drexel 14-8 1 0 1 2009
Conference USA Middle Tenn. 17-7 18 5 18 2016
Horizon Wright St. 18-7 2 0 2 2019
Metro Atlantic Marist 18-3 10 4 10 2014
Mid-American Central Mich. 18-8 5 2 5 2019
Mid-Eastern NC A&T 14-2 4 0 4 2018
Missouri Valley Bradley 17-11 FIRST APPEARANCE
Mountain West Wyoming 14-9 1 0 1 2008
Northeast Mount St. Mary’s 17-6 2 0 2 1995
Ohio Valley Belmont 20-5 5 0 5 2019
Pac-12 Stanford 25-2 33 89 31 2019
Patriot Lehigh 10-5 3 0 3 2010
Southeastern South Carolina 22-4 16 30 15 2019
Southern Mercer 19-6 2 0 2 2019
Southland SFA 24-2 18 10 18 2006
Southwestern Jackson St. 18-5 4 0 4 2008
Summit South Dakota 19-5 2 0 2 2019
Sun Belt Troy 22-5 3 0 3 2017
West Coast Gonzaga 23-3 11 11 11 2019
Western Athletic Utah Valley 13-6 FIRST APPEARANCE
2020-21 Previous Last
Team Conference Record App. Won Lost Last appearance
Alabama Southeastern 16-9 10 16 10 1999
Arkansas Southeastern 19-8 11 14 11 2015
Arizona Pac-12 16-5 7 6 7 2005
BYU West Coast 18-5 13 6 13 2019
Florida St. Atlantic Coast 10-8 18 24 18 2019
Georgia Southeastern 20-6 33 56 33 2018
Georgia Tech Atlantic Coast 15-8 9 59 9 2014
Indiana Big Ten 18-5 6 3 6 2019
Iowa Big Ten 18-9 26 24 26 2019
Iowa St. Big 12 16-10 18 18 18 2019
Kentucky Southeastern 17-8 15 21 15 2019
Louisville Atlantic Coast 23-3 22 34 22 2019
Marquette Big East 19-6 12 6 12 2019
Michigan Big Ten 14-5 8 5 8 2019
Michigan St. Big Ten 15-8 17 19 17 2019
Missouri St. Missouri Valley 21-2 15 16 15 2019
Northwestern Big Ten 15-8 7 3 7 2015
North Carolina Atlantic Coast 13-10 27 47 26 2019
Oklahoma St. Big 12 18-8 15 11 15 2018
Oregon Pac-12 13-8 15 15 15 2019
Oregon St. Pac-12 11-7 11 15 11 2019
Rutgers Big Ten 14-4 25 36 25 2019
South Dakota St. Summit 21-3 9 4 9 2019
Syracuse Atlantic Coast 14-8 11 9 11 2019
Tennessee Southeastern 16-7 38 125 30 2019
Texas Big 12 18-9 32 42 31 2019
Texas A&M Southeastern 23-2 16 27 15 2019
UCF American Athletic 16-4 5 0 5 2011
UCLA Pac-12 16-5 16 20 16 2019
Virginia Tech Atlantic Coast 14-9 9 8 9 2006
Wake Forest Atlantic Coast 12-12 1 1 1 1988
Washington St. Pac-12 12-11 1 0 1 1991
West Virginia Big 12 21-6 12 10 12 2017
America East (1)
Stony Brook*
American Athletic (2)
South Florida*
UCF
Atlantic Coast (8)
Florida State
Georgia Tech
Louisville
North Carolina
NC State*
Syracuse
Virginia Tech
Wake Forest
Atlantic Sun (1)
FGCU*
Atlantic-10 (1)
VCU*
Big East (2)
Marquette
UConn*
Big Sky (1)
Idaho State*
Big South (1)
High Point*
Big Ten (7)
Indiana
Iowa
Maryland*
Michigan
Michigan State
Northwestern
Rutgers
Big 12 (5)
Baylor*
Iowa State
Oklahoma State
Texas
West Virginia
Big West (1)
UC Davis*
Colonial (1)
Drexel*
Conference USA (1)
Middle Tennessee
Horizon (1)
Wright State
Metro Atlantic (1)
Marist*
Mid-American (1)
Central Michigan
Mid-Eastern (1)
NC A&T*
Missouri Valley (2)
Bradley*
Missouri State
Mountain West (1)
Wyoming*
Northeast (1)
Mount St. Mary’s*
Ohio Valley (1)
Belmont*
Pac-12 (6)
Arizona
Oregon
Oregon State
Stanford*
UCLA
Washington State
Patriot (1)
Lehigh*
Southeastern (7)
Alabama
Arkansas
Georgia
Kentucky
South Carolina*
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Southern (1)
Mercer*
Southland (1)
SFA*
Southwestern (1)
Jackson State
Summit (2)
South Dakota*
South Dakota State
Sun Belt (1)
Troy*
West Coast (2)
BYU
Gonzaga*
Western Athletic (1)
Utah Valley*
39th APPEARANCE (1)
Tennessee (all years since 1982)
34th APPEARANCE (2)
Georgia (1982-83-84-85-86-87-88-89-90-91-93-95-96-97-98-99-2000-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-21)
Stanford (1982-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99, 2000-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
33rd APPEARANCE (1)
Texas (1983-84-85-86-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-96-97-99, 2000-01-02-03-04-05-08-09-10-11-12-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
32nd APPEARANCE (1)
UConn (1989-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99, 2000-01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
28th APPEARANCE (2)
Maryland (1982-83-84-86-88-89-90-91-92-93-97, 2001-04-05-06-07-08-09-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
North Carolina (1983-84-85-86-87-92-93-94-95-97-98-99, 2000-02-03-04-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-13-14-15-19-21)
27th APPEARANCE (1)
Iowa (1986-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-96-97-98, 2001-02-04-06-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-18-19-21)
26th APPEARANCE (2)
NC State (1982-83-84-85-86-87-89-90-91-95-96-97-98-99, 2000-01-04-05-06-07-10-14-17-18-19-21)
Rutgers (1986-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-98-99, 2000-01-03-04-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-15-19-21)
23rd APPEARANCE (1)
Louisville (1983-84-93-95-97-98-99, 2001-05-06-07-08-09-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
19th APPEARANCE (5)
Baylor (2001-02-04-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
Florida St. (1983-90-91, 2001-05-06-07-08-09-10-11-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
Iowa St. (1997-98-99, 2000-01-02-05-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-17-19-21)
Middle Tenn. (1983-84-85-86-88-96-98-2004-05-06-07-09-10-11-12-13-14-16-21)
SFA (1982-83-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99-2000-01-02-06-21)
18th APPEARANCE (1)
Michigan State (1991-96-97, 2003-04-05-06-07-09-10-11-12-13-14-16-17-19)
17th APPEARANCE (3)
South Carolina (1982-86-88-89-90-91, 2002-03-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
Texas A&M (1994-96, 2006-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
UCLA (1983-85-90-92-98-99, 2000-04-06-10-11-13-16-17-18-19-21)
16th APPEARANCE (4)
Kentucky (1982-83-86-91-99, 2006-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21)
Missouri State (1991-92-93-94-95-96-98-99, 2000-01-03-04-06-16-19-21)
Oklahoma State (1989-90-91-93-94-95-96-2007-08-10-13-14-15-16-18-21)
Oregon (1982-84-87-94-95-96-97-98-99, 2000-01-05-17-18-19-21)
14th APPEARANCE (1)
BYU (1984-85-93, 2000-02-03-06-07-12-14-15-16-19-21)
13th APPEARANCE (2)
Marquette (1994-95-97-98-99, 2000-04-07-11-17-18-19-21)
West Virginia (1989-92-2004-07-08-10-11-12-13-14-16-17)
12th APPEARANCE (4)
Arkansas (1986-89-90-91-95-98-2001-02-03-12-15)
Gonzaga (2007-09-10-11-12-13-14-15-17-18-19-21)
Oregon St. (1983-84-94-95-96, 2014-15-16-17-18-19-21)
Syracuse (1985-88, 2002-08-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21)
11th APPEARANCE (2)
Alabama (1984-88-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99-2021)
Marist (2004-06-07-08-09-10-11-12-13-14-21)
10th APPEARANCE (3)
Georgia Tech (1993-2003-07-08-09-10-11-12-14-21)
South Dakota State (2009-10-11-12-13-15-16-18-19-21)
Virginia Tech (1994-95-98-99-2001-03-04-05-06-21)
NINTH APPEARANCE (1)
Michigan (1990-98, 2000-01-12-13-18-19-21)
EIGHTH APPEARANCE (2)
Arizona (1997-98-99-2000-03-04-05-21)
Northwestern (1982-87-90-91-93-97-2015-21)
SEVENTH APPEARANCE (3)
FGCU (2012-14-15-17-18-19-21)
Indiana (1983-94-95, 2002-16-19-21)
South Florida (2006-13-15-16-17-18-21)
SIXTH APPEARANCE (3)
Belmont (2007-16-17-18-19-21)
Central Michigan (1983-84, 2013-18-19-21)
UCF (1996-99, 2009-11-19-21)
FIFTH APPEARANCE (2)
Jackson State (1982-83-95-2008-21)
NC A&T (1994-2009-16-18-21)
FOURTH APPEARANCE (3)
Idaho State (2001-07-12-21)
Lehigh (1997-2009-10-21)
Troy (1997-2016-17-21)
THIRD APPEARANCE (5)
Mount St. Mary’s (1994-95-2021)
Mercer (2018-19-21)
South Dakota (2014-19-21)
UC Davis (2011-19-21)
Wright St. (2014-19-21)
SECOND APPEARANCE (5)
Drexel (2009)
VCU (2009)
Wake Forest (1988-2021)
Washington St. (1991-2021)
Wyoming (2008)
FIRST APPEARANCE (4)
Bradley (2021)
High Point (2021)
Stony Brook (2021)
Utah Valley (2021)
