1994 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

American college basketball tournament August 2023 March 2026 Women's 1994 1994WomensFinalFourLogo.jpg 150px 64 Richmond Coliseum Richmond, Virginia North Carolina Tar Heels 1st 1st 1st Louisiana Tech Techsters 5th 8th Purdue Boilermakers 1st Alabama Crimson Tide 1st Sylvia Hatchell 1st Charlotte Smith North Carolina The 1994 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament featured 64 teams for the first time ever. The Final Four consisted of North Carolina, Purdue, Louisiana Tech, and Alabama, with North Carolina defeating Louisiana Tech 60–59 to win its first NCAA title on a 3-point shot by Charlotte Smith as time expired. The ball was inbounded with only 00:00.7 left on the clock, making it one of the most exciting finishes in tournament history.http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1994-bracket.html 1994 NCAA National Championship Tournament 2008-03-29 Gregory Cooper https://web.archive.org/web/20091020063603/http://geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1994-bracket.html 2009-10-20 dead Notable events The Alabama team was a six seed in the Midwest region. After beating the 11 seed Oregon State, they faced a higher seed, Iowa, who were seeded third in the region. Alabama won that game, and went on to face another higher seed in Texas Tech, the defending national champions. Alabama won again, and went on to face Penn State, the top seed in the region. Alabama won yet again, this time by 14 points, to advance to their first final Four. In the semi-final game of the Final Four, they faced Louisiana Tech, a team they had played earlier in the year. In their December match-up, Alabama had beaten the Lady Techsters by 22 points, 99–77. In this game La tech opened up a six-point lead at the half. Alabama's All-American guard Niesa Johnson cut her hand on a locker room sink, which required seven stitches. Because it was such an important game, Johnson was bandaged and medicated and returned to the game. The Alabama team fought back from an eleven-point deficit and cut the margin to two points with seconds to play. The plan was to get the ball to Betsy Harris to attempt a three-point play, but Harris stepped out of bounds. After a made free throw, they had one more chance with a three-point attempt but it failed, and La Tech moved on to the championship game. In the other semifinal game, the North Carolina team faced Purdue. North Carolina's Charlotte Smith was expected to be an important key to the game, and the Purdue coach, Lin Dunn, tried to prepare the team to handle Smith. That planning was ineffective, as Smith scored 23 points, and set a personal career records for assists with eight. The Purdue team was down 13 points in the first half, but fought back and managed to take a two-point lead in the second half. However, the Tar Heels switched to a zone defense after made baskets, and retook the lead, ending up with an 89–74 victory, and the first North Carolina team to make it to the Championship game. In addition to Charlotte Smith, North Carolina had a freshman guard Marion Jones who would later be known for world class performances in track and field. Jones picked up her third foul only six minutes in the game and had to sit. This "rattled" the North Carolina team but they kept the game close. When the game drew to a close, the La Tech team had a two-point advantage with less than a second on the clock, but North Carolina had the ball. With 0.7 seconds left, there was just enough time to catch and shoot. The ball was inbounded to Charlotte Smith who had made only eight three-pointers on 31 attempts during the season. Smith launched the ball, but never saw what happened as her vision was blocked. Her teammates mobbed her, and she realized she had hit the shot to complete one of the most dramatic finishes in NCAA Championship history. North Carolina won the Championship 60–59. Tournament records Rebounds - Charlotte Smith recorded 23 rebounds in the championship game between North Carolina and Louisiana Tech, the most number of rebounds recorded in a Final Four game. The result is also a tie for the most number of rebounds in an NCAA tournament game. Winning Margin - Tennessee beat North Carolina A&T by a score of 111–37. The 74 point margin is the largest ever record in an NCAA tournament game. Three-point field goals - Betsy Harris scored 20 three-point attempts in the tournament, tied for the most ever scored in a complete tournament. Harris scored the baskets in five games, while the two other record holders, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore, accomplished the feat in six games. Qualifying teams – automatic Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 1994 NCAA Tournament. Thirty-two conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 1994 NCAA tournament. Automatic bids     Record   Qualifying school Conference Regular season Conference Seed Bowling Green State University MAC 0.897 26–3 0.944 17–1 7 Brown University Ivy League 0.667 18–9 0.786 11–3 16 University of Connecticut Big East 0.931 27–2 0.944 17–1 1 Florida International University Trans America 0.893 25–3 0.917 11–1 8 Fordham University Patriot League 0.724 21–8 0.786 11–3 16 Georgia Southern University Southern Conference 0.724 21–8 0.846 11–2 14 Grambling State University SWAC 0.793 23–6 0.786 11–3 15 University of Wisconsin–Green Bay Mid-Continent 0.643 18–10 0.722 13–5 15 Louisiana Tech University Sun Belt Conference 0.897 26–3 1.014 14–0 4 Loyola University Maryland MAAC 0.643 18–10 0.857 12–2 14 University of Missouri Big Eight 0.414 12–17 0.214 3–11 15 Missouri State University Missouri Valley Conference 0.821 23–5 0.938 15–1 6 University of Montana Big Sky Conference 0.857 24–4 0.857 12–2 7 Mount St. Mary's University Northeast Conference 0.893 25–3 1.018 18–0 14 NC A&T MEAC 0.655 19–10 0.688 11–5 16 University of North Carolina ACC 0.931 27–2 0.875 14–2 3 University of Notre Dame Midwestern Collegiate 0.786 22–6 0.833 10–2 7 Old Dominion University Colonial 0.828 24–5 1.014 14–0 6 Pennsylvania State University Big Ten 0.926 25–2 0.889 16–2 1 University of Portland West Coast Conference 0.607 17–11 0.5 7–7 15 Radford University Big South Conference 0.621 18–11 0.667 12–6 16 Rutgers University Atlantic 10 0.759 22–7 0.813 13–3 5 San Diego State University WAC 0.862 25–4 0.929 13–1 5 University of Southern California Pac-10 0.885 23–3 0.889 16–2 2 Stephen F. Austin State University Southland 0.793 23–6 0.889 16–2 8 University of Tennessee SEC 0.967 29–1 1.011 11–0 1 Tennessee State University Ohio Valley Conference 0.714 20–8 0.813 13–3 13 University of Texas at Austin Southwest 0.724 21–8 0.714 10–4 5 University of Alabama at Birmingham Great Midwest 0.821 23–5 1.012 12–0 10 University of Nevada, Las Vegas Big West Conference 0.793 23–6 0.778 14–4 10 University of Vermont North Atlantic Conference 0.655 19–10 0.643 9–5 13 Virginia Tech Metro 0.828 24–5 0.75 9–3 8 Qualifying teams – at-large Thirty-two additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations. At-large bids     Record   Qualifying school Conference Regular season Conference Seed University of Alabama Southeastern 0.786 22–6 0.636 7–4 6 Auburn University Southeastern 0.679 19–9 0.545 6–5 9 Boise State University Big Sky 0.821 23–5 0.857 12–2 9 Clemson University Atlantic Coast 0.679 19–9 0.688 11–5 9 University of Colorado at Boulder Big Eight 0.862 25–4 0.857 12–2 3 Creighton University Missouri Valley 0.793 23–6 0.875 14–2 10 University of Florida Southeastern 0.786 22–6 0.727 8–3 4 The George Washington University Atlantic 10 0.759 22–7 0.813 13–3 7 University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Big West 0.862 25–4 0.889 16–2 12 Indiana University Big Ten 0.704 19–8 0.556 10–8 12 University of Iowa Big Ten 0.769 20–6 0.722 13–5 3 University of Kansas Big Eight 0.808 21–5 0.786 11–3 9 Marquette University Great Midwest 0.786 22–6 0.833 10–2 14 University of Minnesota Big Ten 0.63 17–10 0.556 10–8 10 University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Southeastern 0.742 23–8 0.636 7–4 5 Northern Illinois University Mid-Continent 0.828 24–5 1.018 18–0 11 Oklahoma State University–Stillwater Big Eight 0.714 20–8 0.643 9–5 12 University of Oregon Pacific-10 0.704 19–8 0.722 13–5 6 Oregon State University Pacific-10 0.63 17–10 0.5 9–9 11 Purdue University Big Ten 0.862 25–4 0.889 16–2 1 Santa Clara University West Coast 0.778 21–6 0.786 11–3 11 Seton Hall University Big East 0.862 25–4 0.889 16–2 4 Southern Methodist University Southwest 0.692 18–8 0.571 8–6 13 University of Southern Mississippi Metro 0.857 24–4 0.833 10–2 4 Saint Joseph's University Atlantic 10 0.704 19–8 0.688 11–5 11 Stanford University Pacific-10 0.815 22–5 0.833 15–3 2 Texas A&M University Southwest 0.75 21–7 0.786 11–3 13 Texas Tech University Southwest 0.867 26–4 0.857 12–2 2 Vanderbilt University Southeastern 0.767 23–7 0.818 9–2 2 University of Virginia Atlantic Coast 0.862 25–4 0.938 15–1 3 University of Washington Pacific-10 0.741 20–7 0.667 12–6 8 Western Kentucky University Sun Belt 0.719 23–9 0.786 11–3 12 Bids by conference Thirty-two conferences earned an automatic bid. In sixteen cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-two additional at-large teams were selected from sixteen of the conferences. Bids Conference Teams 6 Southeastern Tennessee, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt 5 Big Ten Penn St., Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Purdue 5 Pacific-10 Southern California, Oregon, Oregon St., Stanford, Washington 4 Big Eight Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma St. 4 Southwest Texas, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech 3 Atlantic 10 Rutgers, George Washington, St. Joseph's 3 Atlantic Coast North Carolina, Clemson, Virginia 2 Big East Connecticut, Seton Hall 2 Big Sky Montana, Boise St. 2 Big West UNLV, Hawaii 2 Great Midwest UAB, Marquette 2 Metro Virginia Tech, Southern Miss. 2 Mid-Continent Green Bay, Northern Ill. 2 Missouri Valley Missouri St., Creighton 2 Sun Belt Louisiana Tech, Western Ky. 2 West Coast Portland, Santa Clara 1 Big South Radford 1 Colonial Old Dominion 1 Ivy Brown 1 Metro Atlantic Loyola Md. 1 Mid-American Bowling Green 1 Mid-Eastern N.C. A&T 1 Midwestern Notre Dame 1 North Atlantic Vermont 1 Northeast Mt. St. Mary's 1 Ohio Valley Tennessee St. 1 Patriot Fordham 1 Southern Ga. Southern 1 Southland Stephen F. Austin 1 Southwestern Grambling 1 Trans America FIU 1 Western Athletic San Diego St. Bids by state The sixty-four teams came from thirty-six states, plus Washington, D.C. Texas had the most teams with five bids. Fourteen states did not have any teams receiving bids. thumb|right|500 px|NCAA women's basketball tournament invitations by state 1994 Bids State Teams 5 Texas Stephen F. Austin, Texas, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech 4 California San Diego State, Southern California, Santa Clara, Stanford 4 Virginia Old Dominion, Radford, Virginia, Virginia Tech 3 Alabama UAB, Alabama, Auburn 3 Indiana Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue 3 Oregon Portland, Oregon, Oregon State 3 Tennessee Tennessee, Tennessee State, Vanderbilt 2 Florida Florida, Florida International 2 Louisiana Grambling, Louisiana Tech 2 Maryland Loyola Md., Mount St. Mary's 2 Mississippi Ole Miss, Southern Mississippi 2 Missouri Missouri, Missouri State 2 New Jersey Rutgers, Seton Hall 2 North Carolina North Carolina A&T, North Carolina 2 Pennsylvania Penn State, St. Joseph's 2 Wisconsin Green Bay, Marquette 1 Colorado Colorado 1 Connecticut Connecticut 1 District of Columbia George Washington 1 Georgia Georgia Southern 1 Hawaii Hawaii 1 Idaho Boise State 1 Illinois Northern Illinois 1 Iowa Iowa 1 Kansas Kansas 1 Kentucky Western Kentucky 1 Minnesota Minnesota 1 Montana Montana 1 Nebraska Creighton 1 Nevada UNLV 1 New York Fordham 1 Ohio Bowling Green 1 Oklahoma Oklahoma State 1 Rhode Island Brown 1 South Carolina Clemson 1 Vermont Vermont 1 Washington Washington Brackets First- and second-round games played at higher seed except where noted. East Region First roundMarch 13 and 14 Higher seed's home court Second roundMarch 15 and 16 Higher seed's home court Regional semifinalsMarch 21 Piscataway, NJ Regional finalsMarch 23 Piscataway, NJ Connecticut Brown 79 60 1 16 Virginia Tech Auburn 51 60 8 9 Rutgers Western Kentucky 73 84 Southern Mississippi Tennessee State 86 72 North Carolina Georgia Southern 101 53 Old Dominion Saint Joseph's 56 55 Notre Dame Minnesota 76 81 Vanderbilt Grambling State 95 85 1 Connecticut 9 Auburn 81 59 12 Western Kentucky 4 Southern Mississippi 69 72 3 North Carolina 6 Old Dominion 63 52 10 Minnesota 2 Vanderbilt 72 98 1 Connecticut 4 Southern Mississippi 78 64 3 North Carolina 2 Vanderbilt 73 69 1 Connecticut 3 North Carolina 69 81 West Region First roundMarch 16 Higher seed's home court Second roundMarch 19 and 20 Higher seed's home court Regional semifinalsMarch 24 Stanford, CA Regional finalsMarch 26 Stanford, CA Purdue Radford 103 56 Washington Boise State 89 61 San Diego State Hawaii 81 75 Florida at Texas A&M 76 78 Oregon Santa Clara 74 59 Colorado Marquette 77 74 Montana UNLV 77 67 Stanford Green Bay 81 56 1 Purdue 8 Washington 86 59 5 San Diego State 13 Texas A&M 72 75 6 Oregon 3 Colorado 71 92 7 Montana 2 Stanford 62 66 1 Purdue 13 Texas A&M 82 56 3 Colorado 2 Stanford 62 78 1 Purdue 2 Stanford 82 65 Mideast Region First roundMarch 12 and 13 Higher seed's home court Second roundMarch 14 and 15 Higher seed's home court Regional semifinalsMarch 21 Fayetteville, AR Regional finalsMarch 23 Fayetteville, AR Tennessee North Carolina A&T 111 37 Florida International Clemson 64 65 Ole Miss Indiana 83 61 Louisiana Tech SMU 96 62 Virginia Loyola (Md) 72 47 SW Missouri State Northern Illinois 75 56 George Washington UAB 74 66 USC Portland 77 62 1 Tennessee 9 Clemson 78 66 5 Ole Miss 4 Louisiana Tech 67 82 3 Virginia 6 SW Missouri State 67 63 7 George Washington 2 USC 72 76 1 Tennessee 4 Louisiana Tech 68 71 3 Virginia 2 USC 66 85 4 Louisiana Tech 2 USC 75 66 Midwest Region First roundMarch 12 and 13 Higher seed's home court Second roundMarch 14 and 15 Higher seed's home court Regional semifinalsMarch 20 Austin, Texas Regional finalsMarch 22 Austin, Texas Penn State Fordham 94 41 Stephen F. Austin Kansas 62 72 Texas Oklahoma State 75 67 Seton Hall Vermont 70 60 Iowa Mount St. Mary's 70 47 Alabama Oregon State 96 86 Bowling Green Creighton 73 84 Texas Tech Missouri 75 61 1 Penn State 9 Kansas 85 68 5 Texas 4 Seton Hall 66 71 3 Iowa 6 Alabama 78 84 10 Creighton 2 Texas Tech 65 75 1 Penn State 4 Seton Hall 64 60 6 Alabama 2 Texas Tech 73 68 1 Penn State 6 Alabama 82 96 Final Four – Richmond, Virginia National semifinalsApril 2 National championshipApril 3 3E North Carolina 89 1W Purdue 74 4ME Louisiana Tech 69 6MW Alabama 66 3E North Carolina 60 4ME Louisiana Tech 59 E-East; ME-Mideast; MW-Midwest; W-West. Record by conference Eighteen conferences had more than one bid, or at least one win in NCAA Tournament play: Conference# of BidsRecordWin %Round of 32Sweet SixteenElite EightFinal FourChampionship Game Southeastern 6 0.625 10–6 .625 5 3 1 1 – Big Ten 5 0.643 9–5 .643 4 2 2 1 – Pacific-10 5 0.615 8–5 .615 4 2 2 – – Southwest 4 0.556 5–4 .556 3 2 – – – Big Eight 4 0.429 3–4 .429 2 1 – – – Atlantic Coast 3 0.818 9–2 .818 3 2 1 1 1 Atlantic 10 3 0.25 1–3 .250 1 – – – – Sun Belt 2 0.75 6–2 .750 2 1 1 1 1 Big East 2 0.714 5–2 .714 2 2 1 – – Metro 2 0.5 2–2 .500 1 1 – – – Missouri Valley 2 0.5 2–2 .500 2 – – – – Big Sky 2 0.333 1–2 .333 1 – – – – Big West 2 0 0–2 – – – – – – Great Midwest 2 0 0–2 – – – – – – Mid-Continent 2 0 0–2 – – – – – – West Coast 2 0 0–2 – – – – – – Colonial 1 0.5 1–1 .500 1 – – – – Western Athletic 1 0.5 1–1 .500 1 – – – – Fourteen conferences went 0-1: Big South Conference, Ivy League, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, Midwestern Collegiate, North Atlantic Conference, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland, SWAC, and Trans America. All-Tournament team Charlotte Smith, North Carolina Tonya Sampson, North Carolina Vickie Johnson, Louisiana Tech Pam Thomas, Louisiana Tech Betsy Harris, Alabama Game officials Dee Kantner (semifinal) Violet Palmer (semifinal) Sally Bell (semifinal) Sidney Bunch (semifinal) June Courteau (final) John Morningstar (final) See also 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 1994 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament 1994 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament 1994 NAIA Division I women's basketball tournament 1994 NAIA Division II women's basketball tournament References Deardorff Julie La. Tech Has Overcome A Cold, Gloomy December https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/04/03/la-tech-has-overcome-a-cold-gloomy-december/ 16 May 2012 Chicago Tribune April 3, 1994 Kent Milton North Carolina races past Purdue to final https://www.baltimoresun.com/1994/04/03/north-carolina-races-past-purdue-to-final/ 16 May 2012 Baltimore Sun April 3, 1994 Anderson Kelli Beat The Clock http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005065/1/index.htm https://archive.today/20130119120155/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1005065/1/index.htm dead January 19, 2013 Sports Illustrated 16 May 2012 April 11, 1994 Anderson Kelli A Key Performer http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006009/1/index.htm https://archive.today/20130121041035/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006009/1/index.htm dead January 21, 2013 Sports Illustrated 16 May 2012 November 28, 1994 Nixon Rick Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/WFF12.pdf NCAA 22 April 2012 November 7, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20151107014710/http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/WFF12.pdf dead Championship records remembered https://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2012-04-01/championship-records-remembered NCAA 22 Sep 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042953/http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2012-04-01/championship-records-remembered 1 December 2017 dead Tournament NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Category:NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Category:Basketball in Austin, Texas Category:Basketball in Lubbock, Texas Category:1994 in sports in Texas Category:Basketball competitions in Lubbock, Texas Category:Sports competitions in Texas Category:Women's sports in Virginia