2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

The 2023 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 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 41st edition of the tournament began on March 15, 2023, and concluded on April 2 with the championship game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Atlantic 10 champion Saint Louis, Big Sky champion Sacramento State, Southland champion Southeastern Louisiana, and WAC champion Southern Utah made their NCAA debuts.

Tournament procedure

A total of 68 teams participated in the 2023 tournament, consisting of the 32 conference champions, and 36 "at-large" bids to be extended by the NCAA Selection Committee. The last four at-large teams and teams seeded 65 through 68 overall played in First Four games, whose winners advanced to the 64 team first round.

+First four outNETSchoolConferenceRecord47ColumbiaIvy League23–537KansasBig 1219–1159MassachusettsA1026–619OregonPac-1217–14

Schedule and venues

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.

A dramatic change from past tournaments is that the regional rounds (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) were held at two sites, instead of the four used in past tournaments. Two regionals were held in Greenville, South Carolina and the other two were held in Seattle. Specific regional names were to be announced by the NCAA committee on or before selections were announced on March 12, 2023.

First Four March 15—16 Four of the campuses seeded in the Top 16

Subregionals (first and second rounds) March 17 and 19 (Fri/Sun) Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina (Host: University of South Carolina) Edmund P. Joyce Center, Notre Dame, Indiana (Host: University of Notre Dame) XFINITY Center, College Park, Maryland (Host: University of Maryland) Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Host: Louisiana State University) Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Host: University of Utah) Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia (Host: Virginia Tech) Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California (Host: Stanford University) Carver–Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa (Host: University of Iowa) March 18 and 20 (Sat/Mon) Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California (Host: University of California, Los Angeles) Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana (Host: Indiana University) Finneran Pavilion, Villanova, Pennsylvania (Host: Villanova University) Thompson–Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee (Host: University of Tennessee) Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio (Host: Ohio State University) Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, Storrs, Connecticut (Host: University of Connecticut) Moody Center, Austin, Texas (Host: University of Texas at Austin) Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina (Host: Duke University)

Regional semifinals and finals (Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight) March 24—27 Greenville regional Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, South Carolina (Hosts: Furman University and the Southern Conference) Seattle regional Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, Washington (Hosts: Seattle University and the Western Athletic Conference)

National semifinals and championship (Final Four and championship) March 31 and April 2 American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas (Hosts: Southern Methodist University and the Big 12 Conference/Conference USA)

This is the second time the women's Final Four will be played in Dallas (2017).

Qualification and selection

Automatic qualifiers The following teams automatically qualified for the 2023 NCAA field by virtue of winning their conference's tournament. ConferenceTeamRecordAppearanceLast bidAmerica EastVermont25–67th2010AmericanEast Carolina23–93rd2007ASUNFlorida Gulf Coast32–39th2022Atlantic 10Saint Louis17–171stNeverACCVirginia Tech27–412th2022Big 12Iowa State 22–921st2022Big EastUConn29–534th2022Big SkySacramento State25–71stNeverBig SouthGardner–Webb29–42nd2011Big TenIowa26–629th2022Big WestHawaiʻi18–148th2022ColonialMonmouth18–152nd1983C-USAMiddle Tennessee28–420th2021Horizon Cleveland State30–43rd2010Ivy LeaguePrinceton23–510th2022MAACIona26–62nd2016MACToledo28−49th2017MEACNorfolk State26–62nd2002Missouri ValleyDrake22–914th2019UNLV 31–210th2022NortheastSacred Heart18–134th2012Ohio ValleyTennessee Tech22–911th2000Pac-12Washington State23–104th2022PatriotHoly Cross24–813th2007SECSouth Carolina32–019th2022SouthernChattanooga20–1216th2017Southland21–91stNeverSWAC18–145th2019Summit28–511th2021Sun BeltJames Madison26–713th2016West CoastPortland 23–85th1997WACSouthern Utah23–91stNever

Bids by state

BidsState(s)Schools 5North CarolinaDuke, East Carolina, Gardner-Webb, NC State, North Carolina4CaliforniaSacramento State, Southern California, Stanford, UCLAFloridaFGCU, Florida State, Miami, South FloridaTennesseeChattanooga, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech3IndianaIndiana, Notre Dame, PurdueIowaDrake, Iowa, Iowa StateLouisianaLSU, SE Louisiana, SouthernOhioCleveland State, Ohio State, ToledoVirginiaJames Madison, Norfolk State, Virginia Tech2ConnecticutSacred Heart, UConnMississippi Mississippi State, Ole MissNew JerseyMonmouth, PrincetonNew YorkIona, St. John'sOklahoma Oklahoma, Oklahoma StateTexasBaylor, TexasUtahSouthern Utah, UtahWashingtonGonzaga, Washington State1AlabamaAlabamaArizonaArizonaColorado Colorado Georgia Georgia HawaiiHawaiiIllinois Illinois Kentucky LouisvilleMaryland MarylandMassachusettsHoly CrossMichigan Michigan MissouriSaint LouisNebraskaCreightonNevadaUNLVOregonPortlandPennsylvaniaVillanovaSouth Carolina South CarolinaSouth Dakota South Dakota StateVermontVermontWest Virginia West Virginia WisconsinMarquette

Tournament seeds (list by region)

The tournament seeds and regions were determined through the NCAA basketball tournament selection process. +Greenville Regional 1 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SCSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth typeLast bid1South CarolinaSEC32–0Automatic20222MarylandBig Ten25-6At-Large20223Notre DameACC25–5At-Large20224UCLAPac-1225–9At-Large20215OklahomaBig 1225–6At-Large20226CreightonBig East22–8At-Large20227ArizonaPac-1221–9At-Large20228South FloridaAmerican26–6At-Large20229MarquetteBig East21–10At-Large202110West VirginiaBig 1219–11At-Large202111*IllinoisBig Ten22–9At-Large2003Mississippi StateSEC20–10At-Large201912PortlandWCC23–8Automatic199713Sacramento StateBig Sky25–7AutomaticNever14Southern UtahWAC23–9AutomaticNever15Holy CrossPatriot23–8Automatic200716Norfolk StateMEAC26–6Automatic2002+Seattle Regional 3 – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WASeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth typeLast bid1Virginia TechACC27–4Automatic20222UConnBig East29–5Automatic20223Ohio StateBig Ten25–7At-Large20224TennesseeSEC23–11At-Large20225Iowa StateBig 12 22–9Automatic20226North CarolinaACC21–11At-Large20227BaylorBig 1219–12At-Large20228USCPac-1221–10At-Large20149South Dakota StateSummit28–5Automatic 202110AlabamaSEC20–10At-Large202111*PurdueBig Ten19–11At-Large2017St. John'sBig East22–9At-Large201612ToledoMAC28–4Automatic201713Saint LouisAtlantic 1017–17AutomaticNever14James MadisonSun Belt26–7Automatic201615VermontAmerica East25–6Automatic201016ChattanoogaSouthern20–12Automatic2017+Greenville Regional 2 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SCSeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth typeLast bid1IndianaBig Ten27–4At-Large20222UtahPac-1225–4At-Large20223LSUSEC28–2At-Large20224VillanovaBig East28–6At-Large20225Washington StatePac-1223–10Automatic20226MichiganBig Ten22–10At-Large20227NC StateACC20–11At-Large20228Oklahoma StateBig 1221–11At-Large20219Miami (FL)ACC19–12At-Large202210PrincetonIvy League23–5Automatic202211UNLVMountain West31–2Automatic202212Florida Gulf CoastASUN32–3Automatic202213Cleveland StateHorizon30–4Automatic201014HawaiʻiBig West18–14Automatic202215Gardner–WebbBig South29–4Automatic201116*Tennessee TechOhio Valley22–9Automatic2000MonmouthColonial18–15Automatic1983+Seattle Regional 4 – Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WASeedSchoolConferenceRecordBerth typeLast bid1StanfordPac-1228–6At-Large20222IowaBig Ten26–6Automatic20223DukeACC25–6At-Large20184TexasBig 1225–9At-Large20225LouisvilleACC23–11At-Large20226ColoradoPac-1223–8At-Large20227Florida StateACC23–9At-Large20228Ole MissSEC23–8At-Large20229GonzagaWCC28–4At-Large202210GeorgiaSEC21–11At-Large202211Middle TennesseeC-USA28–4Automatic202112DrakeMissouri Valley22–9Automatic201913East CarolinaAmerican23–9Automatic200714IonaMAAC26–6Automatic201615Southeastern LouisianaSouthland21–9AutomaticNever16*SWAC18–14Automatic2019Sacred HeartNortheast18–13Automatic2012 *See First Four

Tournament records

Virginia Tech's Georgia Amoore hit 24 3-pointers in the tournament, setting the record for most three pointers in a single tournament, surpassing the record of 22 set by UConn's Kia Nurse in 2017, and tied by Arizona's Aari Mcdonald in 2021. Iowa's Caitlin Clark set numerous NCAA tournament records, including most points scored (191), most assists (60), and most 3-point field goals in a national championship game (8). Clark also became the first player in tournament history to post back-to-back 40-point games, with 41 in the regional final, followed by 41 in the Final Four.

Tournament bracket Source: All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4) * denotes overtime period</onlyinclude>

First Four The First Four games involve eight teams: the four overall lowest-ranked teams and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams.

Greenville Regional 1 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC

Greenville Regional 1 final

Greenville Regional 1 all-tournament team Aliyah Boston (MOP) – South Carolina Brea Beal – South Carolina Zia Cooke – South Carolina Abby Meyers – Maryland Diamond Miller – Maryland

Greenville Regional 2 – Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC

Greenville Regional 2 final

Greenville Regional 2 all-tournament team Angel Reese (MOP) – LSU Alexis Morris – LSU Jasmyne Roberts – Miami (FL) Gianna Kneepkens – Utah Maddy Siegrist – Villanova

Seattle Regional 3 – Climate Pledge Arena – Seattle, WA

Seattle Regional 3 final

Seattle Regional 3 all-tournament team Georgia Amoore (MOP) – Virginia Tech Elizabeth Kitley – Virginia Tech Cotie McMahon – Ohio State Jacy Sheldon – Ohio State Lou Lopez Sénéchal – UConn

Seattle Regional 4 – Climate Pledge Arena – Seattle, WA

Seattle Regional 4 final

Caitlin Clark, Iowa's star player, made NCAA tournament history by becoming the first player to score a 40-point triple-double, with 41 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. The junior either scored or assisted on every field goal in the Hawkeyes' 25-point first quarter, which helped the Hawkeyes advance to their first Final Four since 1993.

Seattle Regional 4 all-tournament team Caitlin Clark (MOP) – Iowa Monika Czinano – Iowa McKenna Warnock – Iowa Hailey Van Lith – Louisville Frida Formann – Colorado

Final Four - American Airlines Center – Dallas, TX

National semifinals

National championship

Final Four all-tournament team Angel Reese, LSU (MOP) Alexis Morris, LSU Jasmine Carson, LSU Caitlin Clark, Iowa Zia Cooke, South Carolina

Game summaries and tournament notes Upsets