1990 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

American college basketball tournament August 2023 March 2026 Women's 1990 1990WomensFinalFourLogo.jpg 150px 48 Thompson–Boling Arena Knoxville, Tennessee Stanford Cardinal 1st 1st 1st Auburn Tigers 3rd 3rd Virginia Cavaliers 1st Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters 7th Tara VanDerveer 1st Jennifer Azzi Stanford The 1990 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament began on March 11 and ended on April 1. The tournament featured 48 teams. The Final Four consisted of Virginia, Stanford, Auburn, and Louisiana Tech, with Stanford defeating Auburn 88–81 to win its first NCAA title.http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1990-bracket.html 1990 NCAA National Championship Tournament 2007-04-16 Gregory Cooper https://web.archive.org/web/20091020050331/http://geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1990-bracket.html 2009-10-20 dead Stanford's Jennifer Azzi was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/history/tournament/womensmop.htm CHN Basketball History: Most Outstanding Player 2007-04-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20080125012447/http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/history/tournament/womensmop.htm 2008-01-25 dead Notable events thumb|450 px|Stanford Cardinal team with National Championship Trophy Forty-eight teams started the tournament on the eleventh of March. Thirteen days later, there were four team left, Virginia, Auburn, Louisiana Tech and Stanford, headed to Knoxville, Tennessee for the Final Four. Stanford, after playing in the initial 1982 tournament, did not qualify between 1983 and 1987, but had reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1988, and the Elite Eight in 1989. Virginia was competing in their seventh consecutive NCAA tournament, finishing as high as the Elite Eight in 1988. However, they had been knocked out of the tournament by Tennessee in each of the last three tournaments. Auburn, coached by Joe Ciampi, had been to all but one of the NCAA tournaments, and reached the last two Final Fours, but finished in the Runner-up position in each year. Louisiana Tech had not just played in every NCAA tournament, but had reached at least the Elite Eight every year, and had two national championships. For the fourth consecutive year, Virginia faced Tennessee in the tournament. The previous three match ups were all won by Tennessee, including an 80–37 win in the 1989 tournament. This time, led by Dawn Staley who would win the MVP for her performance in the East Regional, the Cavaliers took the Volunteers to overtime, and won 79–75. Virginia next faced Stanford, who had only lost one game all season, and reached the final four by beating Arkansas 114–87 in the West Regional. Stanford wouldn't lose this game, and prevailed over Virginia 75–66. In the other semi-final game, Auburn faced Louisiana Tech. Auburn came into the tournament as the prior year's runner-up, but was a two seed in the bracket with Washington, the only team to beat Stanford during the regular season. Auburn won easily, beating the Huskies 76–50. The Tech team, only two years removed from their last national championship, were a 1 seed and beat Texas to advance to the Final Four. Auburn was too strong for the Lady Techsters, and advanced to the championship game with an 81–69 victory. Over twenty thousand people bought tickets for the championship game in Knoxville, the largest crowd ever (at the time) to watch a women's basketball game. In 1985, Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer had traveled to Knoxville to meet with the family of Jennifer Azzi, to try to persuade Azzi to come to Stanford. Despite finishing 9–19 the year before, VanDerveer talked about competing for a national championship, Azzi came to Stanford, and four years later, was twenty miles from her Oak Ridge hometown, playing for the national championship. Auburn, led by Caroline Jones, pulled out to a nine-point lead in the first half. Then Azzi, who had not been able to even take a shot in the first eleven minutes, took over. She brought the team to a tie at halftime, and helped lead a 9–2 run early in the second half to take over the game. Azzi would win the tournament award for the most outstanding player, and her teammate Katy Steding set three point shooting records to help Stanford win their first national championship 88–81, while Auburn would finish as runner-up for the third consecutive year. Records Katy Steding set the Final Four record for both three points field goal attempts (15) and three point field goals made (6), in the championship game against Auburn. Stanford set the NCAA Women's Tournament record for assist in a single games, with 37 assists in their regional final game against Arkansas. Qualifying teams – automatic Forty-eight teams were selected to participate in the 1990 NCAA Tournament. Twenty-one conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 1990 NCAA tournament. Automatic bids     Record   Qualifying School Conference Regular Season Conference Seed Appalachian State University SoCon 0.714 20–8 0.7 7–3 11 Auburn University SEC 0.8 24–6 0.778 7–2 2 Bowling Green State University MAC 0.733 22–8 0.75 12–4 12 Iowa University of Iowa Big Ten 0.821 23–5 0.833 15–3 3 Louisiana Tech University American South 1.029 29–0 1.01 10–0 1 Manhattan College MAAC 0.6 18–12 0.8 8–2 12 Montana University of Montana Big Sky 0.931 27–2 1.016 16–0 8 Oklahoma State University–Stillwater Big Eight 0.667 20–10 0.643 9–5 7 Old Dominion University Sun Belt 0.69 20–9 0.667 4–2 8 Pennsylvania State University Atlantic 10 0.8 24–6 0.833 15–3 7 Providence College Big East 0.867 26–4 0.875 14–2 3 richmond University of Richmond CAA 0.862 25–4 0.917 11–1 10 Southern Illinois University Carbondale Gateway 0.7 21–9 0.889 16–2 11 Southern Miss University of Southern Mississippi Metro 0.867 26–4 0.786 11–3 8 Stanford University Pac-10 0.964 27–1 0.944 17–1 1 Stephen F. Austin State University Southland 0.931 27–2 1.014 14–0 3 Tennessee Technological University Ohio Valley Conference 0.862 25–4 1.012 12–0 7 Texas University of Texas at Austin Southwest 0.862 25–4 0.938 15–1 3 Unlv University of Nevada, Las Vegas Big West 0.931 27–2 0.944 17–1 4 Utah University of Utah High Country 0.69 20–9 0.6 6–4 12 Virginia University of Virginia ACC 0.839 26–5 0.786 11–3 2 Qualifying teams – at-large Twenty-seven additional teams were selected to complete the forty-eight invitations. At-large Bids     Record   Qualifying School Conference Regular Season Conference Seed Arkansas University of Arkansas Southwest 0.846 22–4 0.938 15–1 7 California University of California, Berkeley Pacific-10 0.607 17–11 0.5 9–9 11 Clemson University ACC 0.69 20–9 0.714 10–4 5 Connecticut University of Connecticut Big East 0.833 25–5 0.875 14–2 4 DePaul University North Star 0.7 21–9 0.833 10–2 8 Florida State University Metro 0.724 21–8 0.786 11–3 10 Georgia University of Georgia SEC 0.862 25–4 0.667 6–3 2 Hawaii University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Big West 0.893 25–3 0.889 16–2 9 Long Beach State California State University, Long Beach Big West 0.774 24–7 0.778 14–4 6 Lsu Louisiana State University SEC 0.724 21–8 0.444 4–5 9 Maryland University of Maryland, College Park ACC 0.643 18–10 0.5 7–7 6 Michigan University of Michigan Big Ten 0.679 19–9 0.611 11–7 10 Mississippi University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) SEC 0.69 20–9 0.778 7–2 5 North Carolina State University ACC 0.828 24–5 0.857 12–2 2 Northern Illinois University North Star 0.862 25–4 1.012 12–0 5 Northwestern University Big Ten 0.857 24–4 0.833 15–3 4 Ohio State University Big Ten 0.607 17–11 0.611 11–7 6 Purdue University Big Ten 0.786 22–6 0.778 14–4 4 Rutgers University Big East 0.69 20–9 0.889 16–2 11South Carolina University of South Carolina Metro 0.733 22–8 0.929 13–1 5 Saint Joseph's University Atlantic 10 0.8 24–6 0.889 16–2 9 Tennessee University of Tennessee SEC 0.833 25–5 0.889 8–1 1 Texas Tech University Southwest 0.655 19–10 0.688 11–5 12 Ucla University of California, Los Angeles Pacific-10 0.607 17–11 0.667 12–6 10 Vanderbilt University SEC 0.677 21–10 0.556 5–4 6 Washington University of Washington Pacific-10 0.929 26–2 0.944 17–1 1 Western Kentucky University Sun Belt 0.607 17–11 0.667 4–2 9 Bids by conference Twenty-one conferences earned an automatic bid. In eleven cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Two conferences (North Star, Big West) sent two representatives as an at-large team. Twenty-four additional at-large teams were selected from ten of the conferences. Bids Conference Teams 6 SEC Auburn, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Vanderbilt 5 Big Ten Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue 4 ACC Virginia, Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina State 4 Pacific-10 Stanford, California, UCLA, Washington 3 Big East Providence, Connecticut, Rutgers 3 Metro Southern Miss, Florida State, South Carolina 3 Southwest Texas, Arkansas, Texas Tech 2 Atlantic 10 Penn State, Saint Joseph's 3 Big West UNLV, Hawaii, Long Beach State 2 North Star DePaul, Northern Illinois 2 Sun Belt Old Dominion, Western Kentucky 1 American South Louisiana Tech 1 Big Eight Oklahoma State 1 Big Sky Montana 1 CAA Richmond 1 Gateway Southern Illinois 1 High Country Utah 1 MAAC Manhattan 1 Mid-American Bowling Green 1 Ohio Valley Tennessee Tech 1 Southern Appalachian State 1 Southland Stephen F. Austin First and second rounds USA 500 right 1990 NCAA first round USA green pog.svg 34.680278 -82.846389 right Clemson USA green pog.svg 30.442538 -84.302053 right Tallahassee USA green pog.svg 36.885959 -76.311494 top Norfolk USA green pog.svg 38.987944 -76.946694 top College Park USA green pog.svg 41.923 -87.654 top Chicago USA green pog.svg 33.993611 -81.0325 bottom Columbia USA green pog.svg 36.17848 -85.50989 right Cookeville USA green pog.svg 36.144611 -86.80742 left Nashville USA green pog.svg 41.935539 -88.77231 bottom DeKalb USA green pog.svg 40.005278 -83.018889 bottom Columbus USA green pog.svg 31.330833 -89.337778 left Hattiesburg USA green pog.svg 36.125833 -97.065 left Stillwater USA green pog.svg 33.783022 -118.112858 top Long Beach USA green pog.svg 34.362197 -89.539303 bottom Oxford USA green pog.svg 46.863819 -113.983403 right Missoula USA green pog.svg 36.066559 -94.178077 bottom Fayetteville USA 500 right 1990 NCAA second round USA purple pog.svg 41.84575 -71.437029 top Providence USA purple pog.svg 41.805292 -72.254194 left Storrs USA purple pog.svg 35.951167 -83.925028 left Knoxville USA purple pog.svg 38.044611 -78.508961 bottom Charlottesville USA purple pog.svg 32.600161 -85.492333 bottom Auburn USA purple pog.svg 42.066944 -87.692778 left Evanston USA purple pog.svg 41.663611 -91.554444 bottom Iowa City USA purple pog.svg 47.65212 -122.30223 right Seattle USA purple pog.svg 32.5321 -92.6584 right Ruston USA purple pog.svg 35.783333 -78.669722 right Raleigh USA purple pog.svg 30.276958 -97.732216 bottom Austin USA purple pog.svg 40.433322 -86.916144 right West Lafayette USA purple pog.svg 33.9428 -83.378 right Athens USA purple pog.svg 37.429646 -122.160528 right Stanford USA purple pog.svg 36.10779 -115.14376 right Las Vegas USA purple pog.svg 31.622222 -94.640833 left Nacogdoches In 1990, the field remained at 48 teams. The teams were seeded, and assigned to four geographic regions, with seeds 1–12 in each region. In Round 1, seeds 8 and 9 faced each other for the opportunity to face the 1 seed in the second round, seeds 7 and 10 played for the opportunity to face the 2 seed, seeds 5 and 12 played for the opportunity to face the 4 seed, and seeds 6 and 11 played for the opportunity to face the 3 seed. In the first two rounds, the higher seed was given the opportunity to host the first-round game. In most cases, the higher seed accepted the opportunity. The exception: Seventh seeded Penn State played tenth seeded Florida State at Florida State The following table lists the region, host school, venue and the thirty-two first and second round locations: Region RndHostVenue City State East 1 Clemson University Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson South Carolina East 1 Florida State University Tully Gymnasium Tallahassee Florida East 1 Old Dominion University Old Dominion University Fieldhouse Norfolk Virginia East 1 University of Maryland Cole Field House College Park Maryland East 2 Providence College Alumni Hall (Providence) Providence Rhode Island East 2 University of Connecticut Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs Connecticut East 2 University of Tennessee Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville Tennessee East 2 University of Virginia University Hall (University of Virginia) Charlottesville Virginia Mideast 1 DePaul University Alumni Hall (DePaul University) Chicago Illinois Mideast 1 University of South Carolina Carolina Coliseum Columbia South Carolina Mideast 1 Tennessee Tech Eblen Center Cookeville Tennessee Mideast 1 Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt University) Nashville Tennessee Mideast 2 Auburn University Memorial Coliseum (Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum) Auburn Alabama Mideast 2 Northwestern University Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston Illinois Mideast 2 University of Iowa Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City Iowa Mideast 2 University of Washington Hec Edmundson Pavilion Seattle Washington Midwest 1 Northern Illinois University Chick Evans Field House DeKalb Illinois Midwest 1 Ohio State University St. John Arena Columbus Ohio Midwest 1 University of Southern Mississippi Reed Green Coliseum Hattiesburg Mississippi Midwest 1 Oklahoma State University Gallagher-Iba Arena Stillwater Oklahoma Midwest 2 Louisiana Tech University Thomas Assembly Center Ruston Louisiana Midwest 2 North Carolina State University Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh North Carolina Midwest 2 University of Texas Frank Erwin Center Austin Texas Midwest 2 Purdue University Mackey Arena West Lafayette Indiana West 1 Long Beach State University Gym (Gold Mine) Long Beach California West 1 University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford Mississippi West 1 University of Montana Dahlberg Arena Missoula Montana West 1 University of Arkansas Barnhill Arena Fayetteville Arkansas West 2 University of Georgia Georgia Coliseum (Stegeman Coliseum) Athens Georgia West 2 Stanford University Maples Pavilion Stanford California West 2 University of Nevada, Las Vegas South Gym Paradise Nevada West 2 Stephen F. Austin University William R. Johnson Coliseum Nacogdoches Texas Regionals and Final Four USA 500 right 1990 NCAA regionals and Final Four USA blue pog.svg 36.885959 -76.311494 left Norfolk USA blue pog.svg 41.663611 -91.554444 left Iowa City USA blue pog.svg 30.276958 -97.732216 left Austin USA blue pog.svg 37.429646 -122.160528 right Stanford USA red pog.svg 35.951167 -83.925028 left Knoxville The regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 22 to March 24 at these sites: East Regional E.A. Diddle Arena, Bowling Green, Kentucky (Host: Western Kentucky University) Mideast Regional Memorial Coliseum (Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum), Auburn, Alabama (Host: Auburn University) Midwest Regional Thomas Assembly Center, Ruston, Louisiana (Host: Louisiana Tech University) West Regional Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California (Host: Stanford University) Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held March 30 and April 1 in Knoxville, Tennessee at the Thompson-Boling Arena (Host: University of Tennessee) Bids by state The forty-eight teams came from thirty states. California and Illinois had the most teams with four each. Twenty states did not have any teams receiving bids. thumb|right|500 px|NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 1990 Bids State Teams 4 California Stanford, California, Long Beach St., UCLA 4 Illinois Southern Ill., DePaul, Northern Ill., Northwestern 3 Tennessee Tennessee Tech, Tennessee, Vanderbilt 3 Texas Stephen F. Austin, Texas, Texas Tech 3 Virginia Old Dominion, Richmond, Virginia 2 Louisiana Louisiana Tech, LSU 2 Mississippi Ole Miss, Southern Miss. 2 North Carolina Appalachian St., North Carolina St. 2 Ohio Bowling Green, Ohio St. 2 Pennsylvania Penn St., St. Joseph's 2 South Carolina Clemson, South Carolina 1 Alabama Auburn 1 Arkansas Arkansas 1 Connecticut Connecticut 1 Florida Florida St. 1 Georgia Georgia 1 Hawaii Hawaii 1 Indiana Purdue 1 Iowa Iowa 1 Kentucky Western Ky. 1 Maryland Maryland 1 Michigan Michigan 1 Montana Montana 1 Nevada UNLV 1 New Jersey Rutgers 1 New York Manhattan 1 Oklahoma Oklahoma St. 1 Rhode Island Providence 1 Utah Utah 1 Washington Washington Brackets First- and second-round games played at higher seed except where noted. East regional – Norfolk, VA First roundMarch 14 Second roundMarch 17–18 Regional semifinalsMarch 22 Regional finalsMarch 24 8 Old Dominion 91 9 St. Joseph's 69 5 Clemson 79 12 Manhattan 55 7 Penn St. 83 10 at Florida St. 73 6 Maryland 100 11 Appalachian St. 71 1 Tennessee 87 8 Old Dominion 68 4 Connecticut 59 5 Clemson 61 2 Virginia 85 7 Penn St. 64 3 Providence 77 6 Maryland 75 1 Tennessee 80 5 Clemson 62 2 Virginia 77 3 Providence 71 1 Tennessee 75 2 Virginia 79 (OT) West regional – Stanford, CA First roundMarch 14 Second roundMarch 17–18 Regional semifinalsMarch 22 Regional finalsMarch 24 8 Montana 78 9 Hawaii 83 5 Ole Miss 74 12 Utah 51 7 Arkansas 90 10 UCLA 80 (OT) 6 Long Beach St. 87 11 California 84 1 Stanford 106 9 Hawaii 76 4 UNLV 62 5 Ole Miss 66 2 Georgia 70 7 Arkansas 81 3 Stephen F. Austin 78 6 Long Beach St. 62 1 Stanford 78 5 Ole Miss 65 7 Arkansas 87 3 Stephen F. Austin 82 1 Stanford 114 7 Arkansas 87 Mideast regional – Iowa City, IA First roundMarch 14 Second roundMarch 17–18 Regional semifinalsMarch 22 Regional finalsMarch 24 8 DePaul 73 9 Western Kentucky 63 5 South Carolina 93 12 Bowling Green 50 7 Tennessee Tech 77 10 Richmond 59 6 Vanderbilt 78 11 Rutgers 75 1 Washington 77 8 DePaul 68 4 Northwestern 67 5 South Carolina 76 2 Auburn 73 7 Tennessee Tech 54 3 Iowa 56 6 Vanderbilt 61 1 Washington 73 5 South Carolina 61 2 Auburn 89 6 Vanderbilt 67 1 Washington 50 2 Auburn 76 Midwest regional – Austin, Texas First roundMarch 14 Second roundMarch 17–18 Regional semifinalsMarch 22 Regional finalsMarch 24 8 Southern Miss 75 9 LSU 65 5 Northern Illinois 84 12 Texas Tech 63 7 Oklahoma St. 68 10 Michigan 77 6 Ohio St. 73 11 Southern Illinois 61 1 Louisiana Tech 89 8 Southern Miss 70 4 Purdue 86 5 Northern Illinois 81 2 North Carolina St. 81 10 Michigan 64 3 Texas 95 6 Ohio St. 66 1 Louisiana Tech 91 4 Purdue 47 2 North Carolina St. 63 3 Texas 72 1 Louisiana Tech 71 3 Texas 57 Final Four – Knoxville, TN National semifinalsMarch 30 National championshipApril 1 2E Virginia 66 1W Stanford 75 2ME Auburn 81 1MW Louisiana Tech 69 1W Stanford 88 2ME Auburn 81 Record by conference Fifteen 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 4 2 1 1 Big Ten 5 0.375 3–5 .375 5 1 – – – Atlantic Coast 4 0.636 7–4 .636 4 3 1 1 – Pacific-10 4 0.7 7–3 .700 2 2 2 1 1 Southwest 3 0.625 5–3 .625 2 2 2 – – Metro 3 0.5 3–3 .500 2 1 – – – Big East 3 0.25 1–3 .250 2 1 – – – North Star 2 0.5 2–2 .500 2 – – – – Atlantic 10 2 0.333 1–2 .333 1 – – – – Big West 3 0.400 2–3 .400 3 – – – – Sun Belt 2 0.333 1–2 .333 1 – – – – American South 1 0.75 3–1 .750 1 1 1 1 – Ohio Valley 1 0.5 1–1 .500 1 – – – – Pacific Coast 1 0.5 1–1 .500 1 – – – – Southland 1 0.5 1–1 .500 1 1 – – – Eight conferences went 0-1: Big Eight, Big Sky Conference, Colonial, Gateway, MAAC, MAC, Southern Conference, and WAC All-Tournament team Jennifer Azzi, Stanford Katy Steding, Stanford Carolyn Jones, Auburn Chantel Tremitiere, Auburn Venus Lacy, Louisiana Tech Game officials Patty Broderick (semifinal) June Courteau (semifinal) Sue Kennedy (semifinal) Bob Trammel (semifinal) Sally Bell (final) Art Bomengen (final) See also 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament 1990 NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament 1990 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament 1990 NAIA women's basketball tournament References Virginia Women's Basketball: Final Four Team Capsules http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/080510aad.html 1 September 2012 December 27, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141227182014/http://www.virginiasports.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/080510aad.html dead Stanford Tradition http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stan/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/08-wbaskbl-mediaguide-section6.pdf 1 September 2012 27 December 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141227180348/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/stan/sports/w-baskbl/auto_pdf/08-wbaskbl-mediaguide-section6.pdf dead The Cardinal Rules Hersch Hank April 9, 1990 Sports Illustrated http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137009/index.htm https://archive.today/20130119115457/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137009/index.htm dead January 19, 2013 1 September 2012 Attendance and Sites http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/w_final4/2012/Attend.pdf NCAA 19 March 2012 Nixon Rick Official 2022 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 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:Women's sports in Tennessee