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2008 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

American college basketball tournament From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2008 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
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The 2008 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament involved 64 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the 2007–08 national champion of women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It commenced on March 22, 2008, and concluded when the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers defeated the Stanford University Cardinal 64–48 on April 8, 2008, at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.[1]

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Notable events

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The preliminary rounds largely followed the seeding, with every number one and number two seed advancing to the regional finals. In the Greensboro and Oklahoma City Regionals, the top seeds Connecticut and Tennessee won respectively to head to the Final Four. Connecticut had to beat Big East rival Rutgers to make the advance. Tennessee' Candace Parker was injured in the game against Texas A&M and had to leave twice, and be fitted with a sleeve to stabilize her shoulder. She still scored 26 points in a game which was won by only eight.[2]

In the other two regionals, the two seeds prevailed. In the New Orleans Regional, LSU beat North Carolina to reach the Final Four for the fifth consecutive time, tying a record set by Connecticut between 2000 and 2004. In the Spokane Regional, Stanford beat the top seed Maryland to go to their first Final Four since 1997, but one that would be the first of a five-year string of consecutive Final Four appearances.

Connecticut and Stanford met in one semifinal. They had played each other earlier in the season at the Paradise Jam held in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands in November. The Huskies had won that game 66–54, but the team had been at full strength. Subsequent to that game Mel Thomas and Kalana Greene both starters, had season ending injuries. Connecticut cut a Stanford lead to a single point, 47–46 when Candice Wiggins hit two three-pointers to start a 10–0 run. Wiggins would go on to score 25 points in the game and would be named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association national player of the year. The Cardinal went on to win the game, and advance to the national championship.[3]

The game between SEC foes Tennessee and LSU didn't win style points, and was described by the New York Times as "one of the ugliest games played this or any season". Tennessee led early opening up a ten-point lead at 37–27, but LSU responded with a 10–0 run to tie the game. With seconds left in the game LSU hit two free throws to take a one-point lead. Tennessee inbounded the ball to Candace Parker who passed it inside to Nicky Anosike, but her shot was deflected to Alexis Hornbuckle, who had missed seven of her field goal attempts. With under one second remaining, Hornhuckle caught the deflection and hit the winning basket. The Lady Vols won 47–46, as the two teams combined scores set an NCAA record for the fewest points scored in a semifinal game.[4]

LSU fell to 0–5 in the Women's Final Four. Combined with the 0–6 mark of the men's team, LSU's 0–11 all-time combined Final Four mark was the worst for schools which have made multiple appearances in both the men's and women's Final Fours. LSU's women ended this drought by defeating Virginia Tech in the 2023 national semifinals.

After the drama of a one-point game in the semifinal, the final game was anticlimactic. The Lady Vols pulled out to a 30–19 lead, and the Stanford Cardinal were unable to close the gap. The win gave Tennessee their second consecutive national championship and a career total of 982 wins, the most of any coach in basketball, men's or women's, along with eight national championships for coach Pat Summitt.[5]

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Subregionals

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Albuquerque
Albuquerque
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge
Bridgeport
Bridgeport
College Park
College Park
Des Moines
Des Moines
Norfolk
Norfolk
Stanford
Stanford
West Lafayette
West Lafayette
2008 NCAA subregionals

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

The subregionals, which once again used the "pod system", keeping most teams at or close to the home cities, were held from March 22 to March 25 at these locations:[1]

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The University of Connecticut Huskies play the University of Texas Longhorns in the second round at Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
  • March 22 and 24:
The Pit, Albuquerque, New Mexico (Host: University of New Mexico)
Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Host: Louisiana State University)
Wells Fargo Arena at the Iowa Events Center, Des Moines, Iowa (Host: Iowa State University)
Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California (Host: Stanford University)
  • March 23 and 25:
Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, Connecticut (Host: Fairfield University)
Comcast Center, College Park, Maryland (Host: University of Maryland, College Park)
Ted Constant Convocation Center, Norfolk, Virginia (Host: Old Dominion University)
Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Indiana (Host: Purdue University)

This was the fourth and final year that eight sites hosted subregional games. The committee, in September 2007, voted to return to the 16-site format for the early rounds starting with the 2009 tournament.

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Regionals

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Greensboro
Greensboro
New Orleans
New Orleans
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City
Spokane
Spokane
Tampa
Tampa
2008 NCAA Regionals and Final Four

The regions (once again named after the host cities, a practice begun in 2005) were held from March 29 to April 1 in the following regions:[1]

  • March 29 and 31:
New Orleans Regional, New Orleans Arena, New Orleans (Host: University of New Orleans)
Spokane Regional, Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, Washington (Host: Washington State University)
  • March 30 and April 1:
Greensboro Regional, Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina (Host: Atlantic Coast Conference)
Oklahoma City Regional, Ford Center, Oklahoma City (Host: University of Oklahoma)

The regional winners advanced to the Final Four, held April 6 and 8, 2008, at the St. Pete Times Forum, in Tampa, Florida, hosted by the University of South Florida.[1] USF and the St. Pete Times Forum also hosted a first and second round Men's Tournament subregional on March 21 and 23. Also, akin to the men's tournament, at the regional sites, the NCAA installed floors that were custom made for the first time.

Tournament records

  • Rebounds—Sylvia Fowles, LSU, recorded 20 rebounds in the semifinal game against Tennessee, most ever recorded in an NCAA semifinal game.
  • Points—Tennessee and LSU combined for 93 points (47–46) setting the record for fewest points scored by both teams combined in a semifinal game.
  • Free throws—Tennessee hit two of seven free throw attempts in the national semifinal game against LSU, the lowest free throw percentage (28.6%) recorded in an NCAA Tournament game.
  • Final Four appearances—LSU appeared in their fifth consecutive Final Four, tied for the longest such streak, with Connecticut (2000–04)
  • Free throws—Kansas State made 21 of 21 free throw attempts, tied with several others for 100% free throw shooting percentage in an NCAA Tournament game, while the 21 completions is the largest number of completions.[6]
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Qualifying teams – automatic

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Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-one conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA tournament.[6] Of these thirty-one automatic bids, a total of 30 teams receive automatic bids for winning their conference tournament championship. The Ivy League does not hold a tournament, so its regular season champion receives the automatic bid. Because Cornell, Dartmouth, and Harvard finished in a tie for first place, Ivy League rules called for a two-game stepladder playoff. Dartmouth defeated Harvard in the first game and went on to face Cornell for the automatic bid, which Cornell won 64–47.

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Qualifying teams – at-large

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Thirty-three additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations.[6]

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Tournament seeds

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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.[6]

Bids Conference Teams
8 Big 12 Texas A&M, Baylor, Iowa St., Kansas St., Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Texas
8 Big East Connecticut, DePaul, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse, West Virginia
6 Atlantic Coast North Carolina, Duke, Florida St., Georgia Tech, Maryland., Virginia
5 Southeastern Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Vanderbilt
4 Big Ten Purdue, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio St.
3 Atlantic 10 Xavier, George Washington, Temple
3 Mountain West New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
3 Pacific-10 Stanford, Arizona St., California
2 Conference USA SMU, UTEP
1 America East Hartford
1 Atlantic Sun East Tenn. St.
1 Big Sky Montana
1 Big South Liberty
1 Big West UC Santa Barb.
1 Colonial Old Dominion
1 Horizon Cleveland St.
1 Ivy Cornell
1 Metro Atlantic Marist
1 Mid-American Miami Ohio
1 Mid-Eastern Coppin St.
1 Missouri Valley Illinois St.
1 Northeast Robert Morris
1 Ohio Valley Murray St.
1 Patriot Bucknell
1 Southern Chattanooga
1 Southland UTSA
1 Southwestern Jackson St.
1 Summit Oral Roberts
1 Sun Belt Western Kỳ.
1 West Coast San Diego
1 Western Athletic Fresno St.
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Bids by state

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The sixty-four teams came from thirty states, plus Washington, D.C. Texas had the most teams with six bids. Twenty states did not have any teams receiving bids.[6]

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NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 2008
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Bracket

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Data source[22]
NOTE: All initials used are the same in the official NCAA Bracket in External Links listed below.

Greensboro Regional

First round
March 22–23
Second round
March 24–25
Regional semifinals
March 30
Regional finals
April 1
            
1 Connecticut 89
16 Cornell 47
1 Connecticut 89
Bridgeport, Connecticut – Sun/Tue
8 Texas 55
8 Texas 72
9 Minnesota 55
1 Connecticut 78
5 Old Dominion 63
5 Old Dominion 82
12 Liberty 62
5 Old Dominion 88*
Norfolk, Virginia – Sun/Tue
4 Virginia 85
4 Virginia 86
13 UC Santa Barbara 52
1 Connecticut 66
2 Rutgers 56
6 George Washington 66
11 Auburn 56
6 George Washington 55
Stanford, California – Sat/Mon
3 California 53
3 California 77
14 San Diego 60
6 George Washington 42
2 Rutgers 53
7 Iowa State 58
10 Georgia Tech 55
7 Iowa State 58
Des Moines, Iowa – Sat/Mon
2 Rutgers 69
2 Rutgers 85
15 Robert Morris 42

Spokane Regional

First round
March 22–23
Second round
March 24–25
Regional semifinals
March 29
Regional finals
March 31
            
1 Maryland 80
16 Coppin State 66
1 Maryland 76
College Park, Maryland – Sun/Tue
8 Nebraska 64
8 Nebraska 61
9 Xavier 58
1 Maryland 80
4 Vanderbilt 66
5 West Virginia 61
12 New Mexico 60
5 West Virginia 46
Albuquerque, New Mexico – Sat/Mon
4 Vanderbilt 64
4 Vanderbilt 75
13 Montana 62
1 Maryland 87
2 Stanford 98
6 Pittsburgh 63
11 Wyoming 58
6 Pittsburgh 67
Albuquerque, New Mexico – Sat/Mon
3 Baylor 59
3 Baylor 88
14 Fresno State 67
6 Pittsburgh 53
2 Stanford 72
7 UTEP 92
10 Western Kentucky 60
7 UTEP 54
Stanford, California – Sat/Mon
2 Stanford 88
2 Stanford 85
15 Cleveland State 47

New Orleans Regional

First round
March 22–23
Second round
March 24–25
Regional semifinals
March 29
Regional finals
March 31
            
1 North Carolina 85
16 Bucknell 50
1 North Carolina 80
Norfolk, Virginia – Sun/Tue
8 Georgia 66
8 Georgia 67
9 Iowa 61
1 North Carolina 78
4 Louisville 74
5 Kansas State 69
12 Chattanooga 59
5 Kansas State 63
Bridgeport, Connecticut – Sun/Tue
4 Louisville 80
4 Louisville 81
13 Miami (OH) 67
1 North Carolina 50
2 LSU 56
6 Ohio State 49
11 Florida State 60
11 Florida State 72
Des Moines, Iowa – Sat/Mon
3 Oklahoma State 73*
3 Oklahoma State 85
14 East Tennessee State 73
3 Oklahoma State 52
2 LSU 67
7 Marist 76
10 DePaul 57
7 Marist 49
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Sat/Mon
2 LSU 68
2 LSU 66
15 Jackson State 32

Oklahoma City Regional

First round
March 22–23
Second round
March 24–25
Regional semifinals
March 30
Regional finals
April 1
            
1 Tennessee 94
16 Oral Roberts 55
1 Tennessee 78
West Lafayette, Indiana – Sun/Tue
9 Purdue 52
8 Utah 59
9 Purdue 66
1 Tennessee 74
5 Notre Dame 64
5 Notre Dame 75
12 SMU 62
5 Notre Dame 79*
West Lafayette, Indiana – Sun/Tue
4 Oklahoma 75
4 Oklahoma 69
13 Illinois State 61
1 Tennessee 53
2 Texas A&M 45
6 Arizona State 61
11 Temple 54
6 Arizona State 59
College Park, Maryland – Sun/Tue
3 Duke 67
3 Duke 78
14 Murray State 57
3 Duke 63
2 Texas A&M 77
7 Syracuse 55
10 Hartford 59
10 Hartford 39
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – Sat/Mon
2 Texas A&M 63
2 Texas A&M 91
15 UTSA 52

Final Four – Tampa, Florida

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Tournament Most Outstanding Player Tennessee forward Candace Parker shoots over LSU center Sylvia Fowles in the national semifinals.
National Semifinals
April 6
National Championship
April 8
      
GRE1 Connecticut 73
SPO2 Stanford 82
SPO2 Stanford 48
OKC1 Tennessee 64
NOR2 LSU 46
OKC1 Tennessee 47

Initials: GRE-Greensboro; SPO-Spokane; NOR-New Orleans; OKC-Oklahoma City.

* – Denotes overtime period

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Record by conference

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The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers, winners of the national championship and one of two Southeastern Conference teams to reach the Final Four, are honored at the White House by President of the United States George W. Bush.
More information Conference, # of Bids ...

Nineteen conferences — Atlantic Sun Conference, Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Big West Conference, Horizon League, Ivy League, MAC, MEAC, Missouri Valley Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland, SWAC, Sun Belt Conference, Summit League, WAC and West Coast Conference — went 0–1.

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All-Tournament Team

Game Officials

  • Tina Napier(semifinal)
  • Clarke Stevens (semifinal)
  • Lisa Jones (semifinal)
  • June Courteau (semifinal)
  • Beverly Roberts (semifinal)
  • Mary Day (semifinal)
  • Dee Kantner (final)
  • Eric Brewton (final)
  • Denise Brooks (final) [6]

See also

Notes

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