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2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

American women's collegiate basketball tournament From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The 2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 40th edition of the tournament began on March 16, 2022, and concluded with the championship game on April 3 at Target Center in Minneapolis, where the South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the UConn Huskies 64–49 to win their second NCAA title, and handing UConn its first loss in the championship game. This tournament marked the introduction of the "First Four" round and an expansion of the field of participants from 64 teams to 68, mirroring the men's tournament since 2011.

Season2021–22
Teams68
ChampionsSouth Carolina Gamecocks (2nd title, 2nd title game,
4th Final Four)
Quick facts Season, Teams ...
2022 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
Season2021–22
Teams68
Finals siteTarget Center,
Minneapolis, Minnesota
ChampionsSouth Carolina Gamecocks (2nd title, 2nd title game,
4th Final Four)
Runner-upUConn Huskies (12th title game,
22nd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachDawn Staley (2nd title)
MOPAliyah Boston (South Carolina)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
«2021 2023»
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Big South champion Longwood, Horizon champion IUPUI and Southland champion Incarnate Word made their tournament debuts. Tennessee continued its record streak of making every edition of the tournament, while UConn extended its record streak of 14 consecutive Final Four appearances.

Tournament procedure

For the first time, the women's tournament was expanded from 64 to 68 teams, adopting the format that has been used by the men's tournament since 2011; these teams consisted of the 32 conference champions, and 36 "at-large" bids that were extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. The last four at-large teams and the teams seeded 65 through 68 overall competed in First Four games, whose winners advanced to the 64-team first round.[1]

The top four teams outside of the ranking (commonly known as the "first four out") were designated as standbys in the event a school was forced to withdraw before the start of the tournament due to COVID-19 protocols. Once the tournament began, teams that withdrew would not be replaced, and the affected team's opponent would automatically advance to the next round by walkover.

More information NET, School ...
First four out[2]
NET School Conference Record
48 Boston College ACC 19–11
50 Missouri SEC 18–12
36 South Dakota State Summit 22–9
41 UCLA Pac-12 14–12
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Schedule and venues

2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Columbia
Columbia
Tucson
Tucson
Ames
Ames
Iowa City
Iowa City
Louisville
Louisville
Waco
Waco
Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor
Knoxville
Knoxville
Stanford
Stanford
College Park
College Park
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge
Austin
Austin
Raleigh
Raleigh
Storrs
Storrs
Bloomington
Bloomington
Norman
Norman
2022 Subregionals – Fri/Sun (pink) and Sat/Mon (green)
2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament is located in the United States
Bridgeport
Bridgeport
Greensboro
Greensboro
Wichita
Wichita
Spokane
Spokane
Minneapolis
Minneapolis
2022 NCAA Regionals (blue) and Final Four (red)

After the 2020 tournament was cancelled and the 2021 tournament was held in a single location due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was reverted to the standard format for the first time since 2019.

The first two rounds, also referred to as the subregionals, were played at the sites of the top 16 seeds, as was done from 2016 to 2019.

First Four

  • March 16 and 17
    • 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)

In the wake of criticism raised in 2021 over inequities between the men's and women's NCAA basketball tournaments, the NCAA announced that the 2022 women's tournament will be promoted with the "March Madness" branding for the first time.[9]

Qualification and selection teams

Automatic qualifiers

The following teams automatically qualified for the 2022 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's tournament.

More information Conference, Team ...
Conference Team Record Appearance Last bid
America East Albany 23–9 7th 2017
American UCF 25–3 7th 2021
ASUN Florida Gulf Coast 29–2 8th 2021
Atlantic 10 UMass 26–6 3rd 1998
ACC NC State 29–3 27th 2021
Big 12 Texas 26–6 34th 2021
Big East Connecticut 25–5 33rd 2021
Big Sky Montana State 22–12 3rd 2017
Big South Longwood 21–11 1st Never
Big Ten Iowa 23–7 28th 2021
Big West Hawaiʻi 20–9 7th 2016
Colonial Delaware 24–7 5th 2013
C-USA Charlotte 22–9 3rd 2009
Horizon IUPUI 24–4 1st Never
Ivy League Princeton 24–4 9th 2019
MAAC Fairfield 25–6 5th 2001
MAC Buffalo 25–8 4th 2019
MEAC Howard 20–9 6th 2001
Missouri Valley Illinois State 19–13 6th 2008
Mountain West UNLV 26–6 9th 2002
Northeast Mount St. Mary's 16–12 4th 2021
Ohio Valley Belmont 22–7 7th 2021
Pac-12 Stanford 28–3 35th 2021
Patriot American 23–8 3rd 2018
SEC Kentucky 19–11 17th 2021
Southern Mercer 23–6 4th 2021
Southland Incarnate Word 13–16 1st Never
SWAC Jackson State 23–6 6th 2021
Summit South Dakota 27–5 4th 2021
Sun Belt UT Arlington 20–7 3rd 2007
West Coast Gonzaga 26–6 13th 2021
WAC Stephen F. Austin 28–4 20th 2021
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Bids by state

More information Bids, State(s) ...
Bids State(s) Schools
1 Arizona Arizona
1 Arkansas Arkansas
1 California Stanford
1 Colorado Colorado
2 Connecticut Connecticut, Fairfield
1 Delaware Delaware
6 Florida Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida State, Miami, UCF, USF
3 Georgia Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mercer
1 Hawaii Hawaiʻi
2 Illinois DePaul, Illinois State
3 Indiana Indiana, IUPUI, Notre Dame
2 Iowa Iowa, Iowa State
2 Kansas Kansas, Kansas State
2 Kentucky Kentucky, Louisville
1 Louisiana LSU
1 Massachusetts UMass
2 Maryland Maryland, Mount St. Mary's
1 Michigan Michigan
2 Mississippi Jackson State, Ole Miss
1 Missouri Missouri State
1 Montana Montana State
2 Nebraska Creighton, Nebraska
1 Nevada UNLV
1 New Jersey Princeton
2 New York Albany, Buffalo
3 North Carolina Charlotte, North Carolina, NC State
2 Ohio Dayton, Ohio State
1 Oklahoma Oklahoma
1 Oregon Oregon
1 Pennsylvania Villanova
1 South Carolina South Carolina
1 South Dakota South Dakota
2 Tennessee Belmont, Tennessee
5 Texas Baylor, Incarnate Word, Stephen F. Austin, Texas, UT Arlington
2 Utah BYU, Utah
2 Virginia Longwood, Virginia Tech
2 Washington Gonzaga, Washington State
2 Washington, D.C. American, Howard
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Tournament seeds (list by region)

More information Seed, School ...
Greensboro regional – Greensboro Coliseum,
Greensboro, North Carolina
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Last bid
1 South Carolina SEC 29–2 At-Large 2021
2 Iowa Big Ten 23–7 Automatic 2021
3 Iowa State Big 12 26–6 At-Large 2021
4 Arizona Pac–12 20–7 At-Large 2021
5 North Carolina ACC 23–6 At-Large 2021
6 Georgia SEC 20–9 At-Large 2021
7 Colorado Pac–12 22–8 At-Large 2013
8 Miami (FL) ACC 20–12 At-Large 2019
9 South Florida American 24–8 At-Large 2021
10 Creighton Big East 20–9 At-Large 2018
11* Dayton A10 25–5 At-Large 2018
DePaul Big East 22–10 At-Large 2019
12 Stephen F. Austin WAC 28–4 Automatic 2021
13 UNLV MWC 26–6 Automatic 2002
14 UT Arlington Sun Belt 20–7 Automatic 2007
15 Illinois State MVC 19–13 Automatic 2008
16* Howard MEAC 20–9 Automatic 2001
Incarnate Word Southland 13–16 Automatic Never
Wichita regional – Intrust Bank Arena,
Wichita, Kansas
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Last bid
1 Louisville ACC 25–4 At-Large 2021
2 Baylor Big 12 27–6 At-Large 2021
3 Michigan Big Ten 22–6 At-Large 2021
4 Tennessee SEC 23–8 At-Large 2021
5 Oregon Pac–12 20–11 At-Large 2021
6 BYU West Coast 26–3 At-Large 2021
7 Ole Miss SEC 23–8 At-Large 2007
8 Nebraska Big Ten 24–8 At-Large 2018
9 Gonzaga West Coast 26–6 Automatic 2021
10 South Dakota Summit 27–5 Automatic 2021
11 Villanova Big East 23–8 At-Large 2018
12 Belmont Ohio Valley 22–7 Automatic 2021
13 Buffalo MAC 25–8 Automatic 2019
14 American Patriot 23–8 Automatic 2018
15 Hawaiʻi Big West 20–9 Automatic 2016
16 Albany America East 23–9 Automatic 2017
Spokane regional – Spokane Arena,
Spokane, Washington
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Last bid
1 Stanford Pac–12 28–3 Automatic 2021
2 Texas Big 12 26–6 Automatic 2021
3 LSU SEC 25–5 At-Large 2018
4 Maryland Big Ten 21–8 At-Large 2021
5 Virginia Tech ACC 23–9 At-Large 2021
6 Ohio State Big Ten 23–6 At-Large 2018
7 Utah Pac–12 20–11 At-Large 2011
8 Kansas Big 12 20–9 At-Large 2013
9 Georgia Tech ACC 21–10 At-Large 2021
10 Arkansas SEC 18–13 At-Large 2021
11* Missouri State MVC 24–7 At-Large 2021
Florida State ACC 17–13 At-Large 2021
12 Florida Gulf Coast ASUN 29–2 Automatic 2021
13 Delaware CAA 24–7 Automatic 2013
14 Jackson State SWAC 23–6 Automatic 2021
15 Fairfield MAAC 25–6 Automatic 2001
16 Montana State Big Sky 22–12 Automatic 2017
Bridgeport regional – Total Mortgage Arena,
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Seed School Conference Record Berth type Last bid
1 NC State ACC 29–3 Automatic 2021
2 UConn Big East 25–5 Automatic 2021
3 Indiana Big Ten 22–8 At-Large 2021
4 Oklahoma Big 12 24–8 At-Large 2018
5 Notre Dame ACC 22–8 At-Large 2019
6 Kentucky SEC 19–11 Automatic 2021
7 UCF American 25–3 Automatic 2021
8 Washington State Pac–12 19–10 At-Large 2021
9 Kansas State Big 12 19–12 At-Large 2019
10 Florida SEC 21–10 At-Large 2016
11 Princeton Ivy 24–4 Automatic 2019
12 UMass Atlantic 10 26–6 Automatic 1998
13 IUPUI Horizon 24–4 Automatic Never
14 Charlotte C-USA 22–9 Automatic 2009
15 Mercer Southern 23–6 Automatic 2021
16* Mount St. Mary's Northeast 16–12 Automatic 2021
Longwood Big South 21–11 Automatic Never
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*See First Four

Tournament records

  • Rebounds—South Carolina recorded 294 rebounds, the most ever recorded by a single team in an NCAA Tournament.[10]

Tournament bracket

All times are listed as Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)
* – Denotes overtime period

First Four

March 16 – Greensboro Region
Columbia, South Carolina
   
16 Howard 55
16 Incarnate Word 51
March 16 – Greensboro Region
Ames, Iowa
   
11 Dayton 88
11 DePaul 57
March 17 – Bridgeport Region
Raleigh, North Carolina
   
16 Mount St. Mary's 70
16 Longwood 74
March 17 – Spokane Region
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
   
11 Florida State 50
11 Missouri State 61

Greensboro regional – Greensboro, North Carolina

First round
Round of 64
March 18–19
Second round
Round of 32
March 20–21
Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 25
Regional final
Elite 8
March 27
            
1 South Carolina 79
16 Howard 21
1 South Carolina 49
Columbia, South Carolina – Fri/Sun
8 Miami (FL) 33
8 Miami (FL) 78
9 South Florida 66
1 South Carolina 69
5 North Carolina 61
5 North Carolina 79
12 Stephen F. Austin 66
5 North Carolina 63
Tucson, Arizona – Sat/Mon
4 Arizona 45
4 Arizona 72
13 UNLV 67
1 South Carolina 80
10 Creighton 50
6 Georgia 70
11 Dayton 54
6 Georgia 44
Ames, Iowa – Fri/Sun
3 Iowa State 67
3 Iowa State 78
14 UT Arlington 71
3 Iowa State 68
10 Creighton 76
7 Colorado 74
10 Creighton 84
10 Creighton 64
Iowa City, Iowa – Fri/Sun
2 Iowa 62
2 Iowa 98
15 Illinois State 58

Greensboro regional final

ESPN
March 27
7:00 p.m.
#10 Creighton Bluejays 50, #1 South Carolina Gamecocks 80
Scoring by quarter: 16-23, 9-23, 15-18, 10-16
Pts: Lauren Jenson (12)
Rebs: Rachael Saunders (4)
Asts: Tatum Rembao (6)
Pts: Aliyah Boston (19)
Rebs: Victaria Saxton (11)
Asts: Destanni Henderson (3)
Greensboro Coliseum Complex
Attendance: 6,579
Referees: Julie Krommenhoek, Angelica Suffren, Joseph Vaszily

Greensboro regional All Tournament team

Wichita regional – Wichita, Kansas

First round
Round of 64
March 18–19
Second round
Round of 32
March 20–21
Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 26
Regional final
Elite 8
March 28
            
1 Louisville 83
16 Albany 51
1 Louisville 68
Louisville, Kentucky – Fri/Sun
9 Gonzaga 59
8 Nebraska 55
9 Gonzaga 68
1 Louisville 76
4 Tennessee 64
5 Oregon 70
12 Belmont 73**
12 Belmont 67
Knoxville, Tennessee – Sat/Mon
4 Tennessee 70
4 Tennessee 80
13 Buffalo 67
1 Louisville 62
3 Michigan 50
6 BYU 57
11 Villanova 61
11 Villanova 49
Ann Arbor, Michigan – Sat/Mon
3 Michigan 64
3 Michigan 74
14 American 39
3 Michigan 52
10 South Dakota 49
7 Ole Miss 61
10 South Dakota 75
10 South Dakota 61
Waco, Texas – Fri/Sun
2 Baylor 47
2 Baylor 89
15 Hawaiʻi 49

Wichita regional final

ESPN
March 28
9:00 p.m.
#3 Michigan Wolverines 50, #1 Louisville Cardinals 62
Scoring by quarter: 13–17, 14–13, 16–15, 7–17
Pts: Naz Hillmon (18)
Rebs: Naz Hillmon (11)
Asts: Emily Kiser
Leigha Brown (3)
Pts: Hailey Van Lith (22)
Rebs: Emily Engstler (16)
Asts: Emily Engstler (4)
Intrust Bank Arena
Attendance: 4695

Wichita regional All Tournament team

Spokane regional – Spokane, Washington

First round
Round of 64
March 18–19
Second round
Round of 32
March 20–21
Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 25
Regional final
Elite 8
March 27
            
1 Stanford 78
16 Montana State 37
1 Stanford 91
Stanford, California – Fri/Sun
8 Kansas 65
8 Kansas 77
9 Georgia Tech 58
1 Stanford 72
4 Maryland 66
5 Virginia Tech 81
12 Florida Gulf Coast 84
12 Florida Gulf Coast 65
College Park, Maryland – Fri/Sun
4 Maryland 89
4 Maryland 102
13 Delaware 71
1 Stanford 59
2 Texas 50
6 Ohio State 63
11 Missouri State 56
6 Ohio State 79
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Sat/Mon
3 LSU 64
3 LSU 83
14 Jackson State 77
6 Ohio State 63
2 Texas 66
7 Utah 92
10 Arkansas 69
7 Utah 56
Austin, Texas – Fri/Sun
2 Texas 78
2 Texas 70
15 Fairfield 52

Spokane regional final

ESPN
March 27
9:00 p.m.
#2 Texas Longhorns 50, #1 Stanford Cardinal 59
Scoring by quarter: 14–14, 13–16, 13–15, 10–14
Pts: Joanne Allen-Taylor (15)
Rebs: Rori Harmon (7)
Asts: Rori Harmon (6)
Pts: Lexie Hull (20)
Rebs: Haley Jones (12)
Asts: Lacie Hull
Haley Jones (4)
Spokane Arena
Attendance: 7,739
Referees: Dee Kantner, Michol Murray, Kenneth Nash

Spokane regional All Tournament team

Bridgeport regional – Bridgeport, Connecticut

First round
Round of 64
March 19
Second round
Round of 32
March 20–21
Regional semifinals
Sweet 16
March 26
Regional final
Elite 8
March 28
            
1 NC State 96
16 Longwood 68
1 NC State 89
Raleigh, North Carolina – Sat/Mon
9 Kansas State 57
8 Washington State 40
9 Kansas State 50
1 NC State 66
5 Notre Dame 63
5 Notre Dame 89
12 UMass 78
5 Notre Dame 108
Norman, Oklahoma – Sat/Mon
4 Oklahoma 64
4 Oklahoma 78
13 IUPUI 72
1 NC State 87
2 Connecticut 91**
6 Kentucky 62
11 Princeton 69
11 Princeton 55
Bloomington, Indiana – Sat/Mon
3 Indiana 56
3 Indiana 85
14 Charlotte 51
3 Indiana 58
2 Connecticut 75
7 UCF 69
10 Florida 52
7 UCF 47
Storrs, Connecticut – Sat/Mon
2 Connecticut 52
2 Connecticut 83
15 Mercer 38

Bridgeport regional final

ESPN
March 28
7:00 p.m.
#2 Connecticut Huskies 91, #1 NC State Wolfpack 87 (2OT)
Scoring by quarter: 16-14, 18-14, 10-15, 17-18, Overtime: 16-16, 14-10
Pts: Paige Bueckers (27)
Rebs: Olivia Nelson-Ododa (7)
Asts: Olivia Nelson-Ododa (4)
Pts: Jakia Brown-Turner (20)
Rebs: Elissa Cunane
Kayla Jones (9)
Asts: Raina Perez (10)
Total Mortgage Arena
Attendance: 10,119
Referees: Tiara Cruse, Benny Luna, Pualani Spurlock

Bridgeport regional All Tournament team

Final Four – Minneapolis, Minnesota

National semifinals
Final Four
April 1
National championship game
April 3
      
G1 South Carolina 72
W1 Louisville 59
G1 South Carolina 64
B2 Connecticut 49
S1 Stanford 58
B2 Connecticut 63

National semifinals

ESPN
Friday, April 1
6:00 pm CDT
G1 South Carolina Gamecocks 72, W1 Louisville Cardinals 59
Scoring by quarter: 17–10, 17–18, 23–20, 15–11
Pts: Aliyah Boston (23)
Rebs: Aliyah Boston (18)
Asts: Aliyah Boston
Destanni Henderson
Saniya Rivers (4)
Pts: Emily Engstler (18)
Rebs: Emily Engstler
Hailey Van Lith (9)
Asts: Hailey Van Lith (3)
Target Center
Minneapolis, MN
Referees: Dee Kantner, Kevin Pethtel, Pualani Spurlock-Welsh
ESPN
Friday, April 1
8:30 pm CDT
S1 Stanford Cardinal 58, B2 Connecticut Huskies 63
Scoring by quarter: 9–12, 17–15, 11–12, 21–24
Pts: Haley Jones (20)
Rebs: Haley Jones (11)
Asts: Haley Jones (3)
Pts: Paige Bueckers (14)
Rebs: Olivia Nelson-Ododa (10)
Asts: Paige Bueckers (5)
Target Center
Minneapolis, MN
Attendance: 18,268
Referees: Melissa Barlow, Joseph Vaszily, Gina Cross

National championship

April 3, 2022
7:00 p.m. CDT
No. 2 UConn Huskies 49, No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks 64
Scoring by quarter: 8–22, 19–13, 10–11, 12–18
Pts: P. Bueckers – 14
Rebs: P. Bueckers – 6
Asts: C. Williams, N. Mühl – 3
Pts: D. Henderson – 26
Rebs: A. Boston – 16
Asts: D. Henderson – 4
Target Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Attendance: 18,304
Referees: Maj Forsberg, Michol Murray, Michael McConnell

Final Four all-tournament team

Record by conference

More information Conference, Bids ...
Conference Bids Record Win % FF R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 CG NC
SEC 810–7.588–8421111
Big East 49–4.6921332211–
ACC 812–8[a].600175421––
Pac-12 66–6.500–63111––
Big Ten 610–6.625–6541–––
Big 12 69–6.600–6621–––
Summit 12–1.667–111––––
American 21–2.333–21–––––
WCC 21–2.333–21–––––
Atlantic Sun 11–1.500–11–––––
Ivy League 11–1.500–11–––––
Ohio Valley 11–1.500–11–––––
Atlantic 10 21–2.33312––––––
Missouri Valley 21–2.33312––––––
Big South 11–1.50011––––––
MEAC 11–1.50011––––––
America East 10–1.000–1––––––
Big Sky 10–1.000–1––––––
Big West 10–1.000–1––––––
C-USA 10–1.000–1––––––
Colonial 10–1.000–1––––––
Horizon 10–1.000–1––––––
MAAC 10–1.000–1––––––
MAC 10–1.000–1––––––
Mountain West 10–1.000–1––––––
Patriot 10–1.000–1––––––
SWAC 10–1.000–1––––––
Southern 10–1.000–1––––––
Sun Belt 10–1.000–1––––––
WAC 10–1.000–1––––––
Northeast 10–1.0001–––––––
Southland 10–1.0001–––––––
Close
  1. The ACC record includes one game played between members of the conference (NC State–Notre Dame). Excluding this game, the conference has a record of 11–6 and a winning percentage of .647.
  • 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

Upsets

Greensboro

Wichita

Spokane

Bridgeport

Media coverage

Television

ESPN served as the exclusive broadcaster of the tournament, with all games airing on either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews, or ABC.[11] ESPN offered Megacast coverage for the Women's Final Four and championship game, including The Bird & Taurasi Show on ESPN2 (hosted by Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, with similarities to ESPN's Monday Night Football with Payton and Eli), along with a feed featuring enhanced statistics and augmented reality graphics using player and ball tracking, and "Beyond the Rim" and "On the Rail" camera options on ESPN+.[12][13]

Studio host and analysts

  • Elle Duncan (Host) (First Four, First, Second rounds, Regionals, Final Four, and National championship game)
  • Kelsey Riggs (Host) (First Four, First, and Second rounds)
  • Rebecca Lobo (Analyst) (First Four, First, Second rounds, Final Four, and National championship game)
  • Andraya Carter (Analyst) (First Four, First, and Second rounds)
  • Nikki Fargas (Analyst) (First Four, First, Second rounds, Regionals, Final Four, and National championship game)
  • Monica McNutt (Analyst) (First Four, First, Second rounds, and Regionals)
  • Carolyn Peck (Analyst) (Final Four and National championship game)

Broadcast assignments

Radio

Westwood One had exclusive radio rights to the entire tournament.

Regionals

  • Matt Chazanow and Krista Blunk – Spokane, Washington
  • Sam Neidermann and Ali Jaques – Greensboro, North Carolina
  • Lance Medow and Kim Adams – Bridgeport, Connecticut
  • Phil Constantino and Kristen Kozlowski – Wichita, Kansas

Final Four and Championship

See also

References

Related Articles

Timelines

Top Qs

Fact Checks