Tag: Pat Summitt

March Madness: A look at the women’s NCAA championship history

A look back at the Women’s NCAA tournament history.

The first four games of the 2023 March Madness Women’s tournament start Wednesday and Thursday, March 15-16. This will be the 42nd women’s tournament in NCAA history.

The first Division 1 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship tournament took place in 1982. The matchup was between Louisiana Tech, who ended up being crowned champion, and Cheyney State. It was not the first championship game to be played in the sport, but it was the first to be held under the auspices of the NCAA.

Cheyney State also made history, although, they didn’t quite know it yet. They were the only HBCU to make it to the championship game and to the Final Four. They remain the only HBCU to make it to the championship to this day.

Howard University and Jackson State also appeared in the 1982 tournament, but only Cheyney State made it to the last dance. Since then, 19 HBCU women’s basketball programs have played in the March Madness bracket. Hampton has the most appearances in the tournament for an HBCU with 9 appearances, but have yet to win a game.

The University of Tennessee and the University of Connecticut have dominated the championships with eight and 11 national titles, respectively.

Year Champion Coach Record Runner-Up
2022 South Carolina Dawn Staley 35-2 UConn
2021 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 31-2 Arizona
2020 Canceled* – – –
2019 Baylor Kim Mulkey 37-1 Notre Dame
2018 Notre Dame Muffet McGraw 34-3 Mississippi State
2017 South Carolina Dawn Staley 33-4 Mississippi State
2016 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 38-0 Syracuse
2015 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 38-1 Notre Dame
2014 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 40-0 Notre Dame
2013 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 35-4 Louisville
2012 Baylor Kim Mulkey 40-0 Notre Dame
2011 Texas A&M Gary Blair 33-5 Notre Dame
2010 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Stanford
2009 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Louisville
2008 Tennessee Pat Summitt 36-2 Stanford
2007 Tennessee Pat Summitt 34-3 Rutgers
2006 Maryland Brenda Frese 34-4 Duke
2005 Baylor Kim Mulkey 33-3 Michigan State
2004 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 31-4 Tennessee
2003 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 37-1 Tennessee
2002 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Oklahoma
2001 Notre Dame Muffet McGraw 34-2 Purdue
2000 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 36-1 Tennessee
1999 Purdue Carolyn Peck 34-1 Duke
1998 Tennessee Pat Summitt 39-0 Louisiana Tech
1997 Tennessee Pat Summitt 29-10 Old Dominion
1996 Tennessee Pat Summitt 32-4 Georgia
1995 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 35-0 Tennessee
1994 North Carolina Sylvia Hatchell 33-2 Louisiana Tech
1993 Texas Tech Marsha Sharp 31-3 Ohio State
1992 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 30-3 Western Kentucky
1991 Tennessee Pat Summitt 30-5 Virginia
1990 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 32-1 Auburn
1989 Tennessee Pat Summitt 35-2 Auburn
1988 Louisiana Tech Leon Barmore 32-2 Auburn
1987 Tennessee Pat Summitt 28-6 Louisiana Tech
1986 Texas Jody Conradt 34-0 USC
1985 Old Dominion Marianne Stanley 31-3 Georgia
1984 Southern California Linda Sharp 29-4 Tennessee
1983 Southern California Linda Sharp 31-2 Louisiana Tech
1982 Louisiana Tech Sonja Hogg 35-1 Cheyney

*Canceled due to COVID-19 Pandemic

This coincides with the women’s college basketball coaches with the most wins in Division I, with legends Tara VanDerveer, Geno Auriemma, and Pat Summit, taking the top three spots.

* = Active coach

With the action shortly underway in this year’s tournament, we must take a moment to recognize and respect the history. This is only the second year the women’s tournament was given the rights to use the term March Madness in connection with their championship tournament, with much credit going to Oregon’ Sedona Prince and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley for bringing light to the inequity.

For years the NCAA only used the term March Madness, which is the intellectual property of the association, in relation to the men’s tournament. The influx of investment because of the use that the term March Madness brings to the women’s game cannot be understated.

On Tuesday, ESPN announced they had “sold out of in-game sponsorship opportunities for the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.” This continues to show more brands are flocking to the women’s game.

THE BRACKETS ARE BACK: The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket.

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PHOTOS: Tennessee-UConn women’s basketball series

PHOTOS: A look at the Tennessee-UConn women’s basketball series through the years

Tennessee and UConn first played in women’s basketball on Jan. 16, 1995.

UConn defeated the Lady Vols, 77-66, in Storrs, Connecticut.

Tennessee’s first victory in the series took place March 29, 1996 during the Final Four. The Lady Vols defeated UConn, 88-83, in overtime.

The two schools played annually from 1995-2007. The series resumed on Jan. 23, 2020 in Hartford, Connecticut. UConn defeated the Lady Vols, 60-45.

Former Lady Vols’ head coach Pat Summitt compiled a 9-13 record versus UConn from 1995-2007. Summitt won her final three contests versus the Huskies.

PHOTOS: A look at Pat Summitt through the years

Below are photos of the Tennessee-UConn women’s basketball series through the years.

ESPN ‘College GameDay’ headed to Tennessee for UConn game

ESPN “College GameDay” is headed to Tennessee for the Lady Vols’ game versus UConn.

Tennessee will host UConn in women’s basketball at Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 26.

Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. EST. ESPN will televise the matchup.

ESPN “College GameDay” Covered by State Farm will visit Tennessee for the Lady Vols’ contest against UConn.

The one-hour “College GameDay” program will air at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN, preceding the Tennessee-UConn contest. The game is part of ESPN’s annual We Back Pat initiative honoring late women’s basketball coaching legend and Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt.

Elle Duncan will host “College GameDay” from inside Thompson-Boling Arena. Duncan will be alongside women’s college basketball commentators Andraya Carter, Rebecca Lobo, Carolyn Peck and Holly Rowe. Lobo and Rowe will join play-by-play voice Ryan Ruocco on the call for the game.

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Josh Heupel: ‘Great opportunity to celebrate Title IX, Pat Summitt’s legacy’ versus UT Martin

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel discusses the “great opportunity to celebrate Title IX, Pat Summitt’s legacy” versus UT Martin.

No. 4 Tennessee (7-0, 3-0 SEC) defeated UT Martin (4-3, 3-0 OVC), 65-24, Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Week 8.

Tennessee debuted Summitt Blue accessories against UT Martin, former Lady Vols’ women’s basketball head coach Pat Summitt’s alma mater.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX, University of Tennessee athletics updated its brand standards and renamed the blue accent color historically associated with the Lady Vols to Summitt Blue.

Four teams (soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, softball) will debut Summitt Blue uniforms during the 2022-23 academic year, part of the Summitt Legacy series.

“Great football game, great opportunity to celebrate homecoming,” second-year Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel said after the game. “We welcomed back so many former students and a ton of VFLs for us, as well.

“At the same time, we had a great opportunity to celebrate the history of Title IX, and as much as anything, Coach Pat Summitt’s legacy here at the University of Tennessee and everything she did for Tennessee and women’s athletics in general.”

PHOTOS: Tennessee football debuts Summitt Blue

Heupel’s additional recap of the Vols’ win versus UT Martin is listed below from a transcript provided by the University of Tennessee.

Tennessee should wear Summitt Blue versus UConn in 2023

Tennessee football should wear Summitt Blue versus UConn in 2023.

No. 4 Tennessee (7-0, 3-0 SEC) defeated UT Martin (4-3, 3-0 OVC), 65-24, Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Week 8.

Tennessee debuted Summitt Blue accessories against UT Martin, former Lady Vols’ women’s basketball head coach Pat Summitt’s alma mater.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX, University of Tennessee athletics updated its brand standards and renamed the blue accent color historically associated with the Lady Vols to Summitt Blue.

Four teams (soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, softball) will debut Summitt Blue uniforms during the 2022-23 academic year, part of the Summitt Legacy series.

Tennessee is scheduled to play UConn in football on Nov. 4, 2023.

Summitt and Tennessee women’s basketball had a storied rivalry with UConn. It would be ideal for the Vols to wear Summitt Blue again against UConn during the 2023 football season.

Below are photos of Tennessee football wearing Summitt Blue versus UT Martin.

To honor Pat Summitt, Tennessee football is wearing blue vs. UT Martin

Why are the Vols wearing blue?

A lot of folks are paying attention to Tennessee football this week, and for good reason. Last weekend, the Vols annoyed Nick Saban on their way to an upset win over Alabama, a celebration 16 years in the making that involved smoking cigars, scaring away referees and tearing down goalposts.

On Saturday, the Vols – newly ranked No. 3 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll – are hosting UT Martin for their homecoming game. And when the Vols take the field, there will be something a little different about Tennessee’s uniforms.

So, some of y’all might be wondering: Why are the Vols wearing blue?

The short answer is that the blue is for both Pat Summitt, the longtime legendary women’s basketball coach for Tennessee, and Title IX.

We’ll go a little more in-depth in our explanation than Heupel:

This year is the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the groundbreaking legislation signed into law in 1972 by President Nixon that barred educational institutions from discriminating based on gender. It aimed to level the playing field for women and to equalize opportunities. Simply put: It sparked an athletic revolution and opened doors for women in sports.

A few years before Title IX, Joan Cronan was the women’s basketball coach at Tennessee. Before the start of the 1968-69 season, she went shopping for new uniforms. But no company was making women’s basketball uniforms in Tennessee’s signature orange. So, Cronan opted for “Columbia Blue” kits with orange lettering on them. Orange uniforms became available later on, but that blue stuck with the women’s basketball team.

Pat Head (Summitt) was hired as the Vols’ women’s hoops coach in 1974 and transformed the program into a national powerhouse brand, winning 16 SEC titles and eight national championships. The basketball hall of famer died in 2016 at the age of 64 after a fight with Alzheimer’s disease.

To honor Title IX and Summitt – the most important woman in the history of Tennessee athletics – the Vols renamed that iconic color as “Summitt Blue” and incorporated it into uniforms for several of its teams this season, including football.

Summitt Blue even has its own color codes:

  • Pantone: 2171 C
  • CMYK: 75/24/0/0
  • RGB: 72/159/223
  • HEX: #489FDF

The volleyball, soccer and softball teams at Tennessee are incorporating Summitt Blue into their uniforms this year too.

It’s a pretty good time to be a fan of Tennessee right now. Not only are the Vols undefeated in football, but Kellie Harper – who played for Summitt – has the Vols’ women’s basketball team back in the national conversation and garnering a lot of preseason hype. Tennessee is fifth in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll for women’s basketball that was released last week. Last season, Harper’s squad won 25 games and made the Sweet 16.

Harper narrated the Tennessee hype video for this week. The Vols are favored by 37.5 points over UT Martin, which is Summitt’s alma mater.

 

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Social media reaction for Tennessee football to wear Summitt Blue, honoring Pat Summitt

A look at social media reaction following Tennessee football’s announcement to wear Summitt Blue against UT Martin, honoring Pat Summitt.

No. 4 Tennessee (6-0, 3-0 SEC) will host UT Martin (4-2, 3-0 OVC) Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Week 8.

Kickoff is slated for noon EDT and SEC Network will televise the in-state homecoming matchup.

Tennessee enters its Week 8 homecoming contest following a 52-49 win against Alabama.

PHOTOS: Lady Vols soccer debuts Summitt Blue uniforms

Tennessee announced Thursday the Vols will wear white helmets, orange jerseys, orange pants against UT Martin.

The Vols will also celebrate the 50-year anniversary of Title IX on campus during Saturday’s contest. Tennessee players will wear Summitt Blue arm bands and other accessories during the game. UT Martin is the alma mater of legendary Lady Vols’ basketball head coach Pat Summitt.

In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Title IX, University of Tennessee athletics’ updated its brand standards and renamed the blue accent color historically associated with the Lady Vols to Summitt Blue.

Four teams (soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, softball) will debut Summitt Blue uniforms during the 2022-23 academic year, part of the Summitt Legacy series.

Below is social media reaction following Tennessee’s announcement that the Vols will wear Summitt Blue accessories against UT Martin.

Vols to wear Summitt Blue accessories against UT Martin

Tennessee football to wear Summitt Blue accessories against UT Martin.

No. 4 Tennessee (6-0, 3-0 SEC) will host UT Martin (4-2, 3-0 OVC) Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Week 8.

Kickoff is slated for noon EDT and SEC Network will televise the in-state homecoming matchup.

Tennessee enters its Week 8 homecoming contest following a 52-49 win against Alabama.

Tennessee’s 2022 regular-season schedule features home games against Ball State, Akron, Florida, Alabama, UT Martin, Kentucky and Missouri.

The Vols’ 2022 schedule features road contests at Pittsburgh in the second edition of the Johnny Majors Classic, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.

2022 Tennessee football schedule: Vols Wire’s downloadable schedule wallpaper

Tennessee announced Thursday the Vols will wear white helmets, orange jerseys, orange pants and Summitt Blue accessories against UT Martin.

Below are photos of Tennessee displaying Summitt Blue accessories on its uniform combination for Saturday, along with photos of Lady Vols soccer debuting Summitt Blue uniforms, and the origin of Tennessee’s Summitt Blue.

PHOTOS: Pat Summitt through the years

PHOTOS: Pat Summitt through the years

Pat Summitt served as the Lady Vols’ head coach from 1974-2012, compiling a 1,098–208 record.

Summitt won eight national championships (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996–1998, 2007, 2008), 16 Southeastern Conference regular season titles (1980, 1985, 1990, 1993–1995, 1998, 1999–2004, 2007, 2010, 2011) and 16 SEC Tournament championships (1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010–2012).

The former Tennessee head coach also advanced to the Final Four 18 times (1982, 1984, 1986–1989, 1991, 1995–1998, 2000, 2002–2008).

Below are photos of Summitt through the years.

Oregon Ducks vs. Belmont Bruins: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for NCAA first round matchup

It’s tournament time, and the Oregon Ducks get things started on Saturday against Belmont. Here’s how to watch the matchup.

Kelly Graves has once again led his Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team into the NCAA tournament and this time, they’ll be going to a historical site.

The No. 5 Ducks will travel to Knoxville, Tenn. to play No. 12 seed Belmont in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. Should Oregon win, it will play either No. 4 seed and host Tennessee or No. 13 seed Buffalo.

Both games will be played on Pat Summitt Court, a building that saw countless SEC titles and numerous national championships when the legendary coach led the Lady Vols.

Oregon (22-11) will be appearing in its fifth straight NCAA tournament. Belmont is also a regular of March Madness, making its sixth appearance in seven seasons. The Bruins (22-7) are an automatic qualifier after defeating Tennessee Tech for the Ohio Valley Conference championship.