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1998 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

American college basketball tournament

Field	Value
Gender	Women's
Year	1998
Image	1998WomensFinalFourLogo.jpg
ImageSize	150px
Teams	64
FinalFourArena	Kemper Arena
FinalFourCity	Kansas City, Missouri
Champions	[Tennessee Volunteers](1997-98-tennessee-lady-vols-basketball-team)
TitleCount	6th
ChampGameCount	8th
ChampFFCount	11th
RunnerUp	[Louisiana Tech Techsters](1997-98-louisiana-tech-lady-techsters-basketball-team)
GameCount	6th
RunnerFFCount	9th
Semifinal1	[NC State Wolfpack](1997-98-nc-state-wolfpack-women-s-basketball-team)
FinalFourCount	1st
Semifinal2	[Arkansas Razorbacks](1997-98-arkansas-razorbacks-women-s-basketball-team)
FinalFourCount2	1st
Coach	Pat Summitt
CoachCount	6th
MOP	Chamique Holdsclaw
MOPTeam	Tennessee

The 1998 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament began on March 13, 1998, and concluded on March 29, 1998, when Tennessee won the national title. The Final Four was held at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 27–29, 1998. Tennessee, Louisiana Tech, NC State, and Arkansas qualified for the Final Four. Tennessee and Louisiana Tech won their semi-final Final Four matchups and continued on to the championship. Tennessee defeated Louisiana Tech 93–75 to take their sixth title, and complete an undefeated season (39–0).

For the first time in the men's or women's tournament, two teams, Tennessee and Liberty, entered the tournament unbeaten (this feat was replicated in 2014 by the women's teams from Connecticut and Notre Dame). In the Mideast Regional, the Lady Vols blew out Liberty 102–58. However, in the West Regional, the expected 1–16 blowout did not happen. In that matchup, Harvard defeated an injury-plagued #1 seed Stanford on its home court 71–67. This was the first time in the men's or women's tournament that a #16 seed had beaten a #1 seed, a feat that would not be repeated until 2018 in the men's tournament. In addition, 9th-seeded Arkansas made the Final Four, the highest seed ever to do so in the women's tournament. The ninth-seeded Razorbacks remain the lowest seeded team to ever reach the Final Four in the women's tournament. Only 10th-seeded Oregon in 2017, 10th-seeded Creighton in 2022 and 11th-seeded Gonzaga in 2011 have even reached an Elite Eight to be in position to break this record. In addition, Arkansas remains the only 9 seed to even reach the Elite Eight in the women's tournament. This is the last time that two number 1 seeds failed to make the Sweet 16, a feat not repeated until 2023 tournament. This is the last time an Ivy League team upset a Pac-12 team in the top 4 seed, a feat not repeated until 2023 in the men's tournament.

Tournament records

Free throws – Chasity Melvin, North Carolina State, attempted 15 free throws in the semi-final game against Louisiana Tech, setting the record for most free throw attempts in a Final Four game.
Winning margin – Tennessee defeated Arkansas 86–58 in the semi-final game. The winning margin of 28 points set the record for winning margin in a Final Four game.
Three-point field goals – Julie Krommenhoek completed eight three-point field goals in a first round game in the West region, setting the record for most three-point field goals scored in an NCAA tournament game.
Three-point field goal percentage – Kellie Jolly, Tennessee, hit four of five three-point field goal attempts(80%) in the championship game against Louisiana Tech, tying a record for three-point field goal percentage in a Final Four game, held by four other players.
Steals – Ticha Penicheiro, Old Dominion, recorded fourteen steals, setting the record for most steals in an NCAA tournament game, since the statistic was first recorded in 1988.
Free throws – Purdue made 39 free throws in a Midwest region first round game against Washington, setting the record for most free throws scored in an NCAA tournament game.
Field goals made – Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee, scored 64 field goals in the tournament, setting the record for most field goals made in a tournament.
Field goals attempted – Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee, attempted 131 field goals in the tournament, setting the record for most field goals attempted in a tournament.
Steals – Ticha Penicheiro, Old Dominion, recorded 23 steals, setting the record for most steals in an NCAA tournament, since the statistic was first recorded in 1988. Louisville's Emily Engstler tied this record in 2022.
Furthest advance – Harvard, as a 16 seed, advanced to the second round, representing the only time a 16 seed has advanced.

Qualifying teams – automatic

Sixty-four teams were selected to participate in the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Thirty conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 1998 NCAA tournament.

Automatic bids
Season	Conference	Seed
University of Connecticut	Big East		2
Drake University	Missouri Valley Conference		5
Fairfield University	MAAC		15
Florida International University	Trans America		7
Grambling State University	SWAC		16
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay	Horizon League		14
Harvard University	Ivy League		16
College of the Holy Cross	Patriot League		14
Howard University	MEAC		15
Kent State University	MAC		13
Liberty University	Big South Conference		16
Louisiana Tech University	Sun Belt Conference		3
University of Maine	America East		13
University of Memphis	Conference USA		5
Middle Tennessee State University	Ohio Valley Conference		15
University of Montana	Big Sky Conference		14
University of New Mexico	WAC		8
University of North Carolina	ACC		2
Old Dominion University	Colonial		1
Purdue University	Big Ten		4
Santa Clara University	West Coast Conference		14
St. Francis (PA)	Northeast Conference		16
Stanford University	Pac-10		1
Stephen F. Austin State University	Southland		9
University of Tennessee	SEC		1
Texas Tech University	Big 12 Conference		1
University of California, Santa Barbara	Big West Conference		11
University of North Carolina at Greensboro	Southern Conference		15
Virginia Tech	Atlantic 10		11
Youngstown State University	Mid-Continent		12

Qualifying teams – at-large

Thirty-four additional teams were selected to complete the sixty-four invitations.

At-large bids
Season	Conference	Seed
University of Alabama	Southeastern		2
University of Arizona	Pacific-10		3
University of Arkansas	Southeastern		9
Clemson University	Atlantic Coast		6
Colorado State University	Western Athletic		12
Duke University	Atlantic Coast		2
University of Florida	Southeastern		3
The George Washington University	Atlantic 10		10
University of Georgia	Southeastern		7
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa	Western Athletic		8
University of Illinois	Big Ten		3
University of Iowa	Big Ten		4
Iowa State University	Big 12		4
University of Kansas	Big 12		5
University of Louisville	Conference USA		10
Marquette University	Conference USA		10
University of Massachusetts	Atlantic 10		13
University of Miami	Big East		11
University of Michigan	Big Ten		10
Missouri State University	Missouri Valley		8
University of Nebraska–Lincoln	Big 12		9
North Carolina State University	Atlantic Coast		4
University of Notre Dame	Big East		9
University of Oregon	Pacific-10		12
Rutgers University	Big East		5
Southern Methodist University	Western Athletic		11
Tulane University	Conference USA		12
University of California, Los Angeles	Pacific-10		7
University of Utah	Western Athletic		7
Vanderbilt University	Southeastern		6
University of Virginia	Atlantic Coast		6
University of Washington	Pacific-10		13
Western Kentucky University	Sun Belt		8
University of Wisconsin–Madison	Big Ten		6

Bids by conference

Thirty conferences earned an automatic bid. In nineteen cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirty-four additional at-large teams were selected from eleven of the conferences.

1	West Coast	Santa Clara

First and second rounds

In 1998, the field remained at 64 teams. The teams were seeded, and assigned to four geographic regions, with seeds 1–16 in each region. In Round 1, seeds 1 and 16 faced each other, as well as seeds 2 and 15, seeds 3 and 14, seeds 4 and 13, seeds 5 and 12, seeds 6 and 11, seeds 7 and 10, and seeds 8 and 9. In the first two rounds, the top four seeds were given the opportunity to host the first round game. In all cases, the higher seed accepted the opportunity.

The following table lists the region, host school, venue and the sixteen first and second round locations:

Region	Rnd	Host	Venue	City	State
East	1&2	Old Dominion University	Old Dominion University Fieldhouse	Norfolk	Virginia
East	1&2	North Carolina State University	Reynolds Coliseum	Raleigh	North Carolina
East	1&2	University of Connecticut	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion	Storrs	Connecticut
East	1&2	University of Arizona	McKale Center	Tucson	Arizona
Mideast	1&2	University of North Carolina	Carmichael Auditorium	Chapel Hill	North Carolina
Mideast	1&2	University of Tennessee	Thompson-Boling Arena	Knoxville	Tennessee
Mideast	1&2	University of Illinois	Assembly Hall (Champaign)	Champaign	Illinois
Mideast	1&2	Iowa State University	Hilton Coliseum	Ames	Iowa
Midwest	1&2	Louisiana Tech University	Thomas Assembly Center	Ruston	Louisiana
Midwest	1&2	Purdue University	Mackey Arena	West Lafayette	Indiana
Midwest	1&2	University of Alabama	Coleman Coliseum	Tuscaloosa	Alabama
Midwest	1&2	Texas Tech University	Lubbock Municipal Coliseum	Lubbock	Texas
West	1&2	University of Iowa	Carver–Hawkeye Arena	Iowa City	Iowa
West	1&2	Stanford University	Maples Pavilion	Stanford	California
West	1&2	University of Florida	O'Connell Center	Gainesville	Florida
West	1&2	Duke University	Cameron Indoor Stadium	Durham	North Carolina

Regionals and Final Four

The Regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 20 to March 23 at these sites:

**Mideast Regional ** Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt University), Nashville, Tennessee (Host: Vanderbilt University)
**Midwest Regional ** Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, Lubbock, Texas (Host: Texas Tech University)
**East Regional ** University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio (Host: University of Dayton)
**West Regional ** Oracle Arena, Oakland, California (Host: University of California, Santa Barbara)

Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four held March 27 and March 29 in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Kemper Arena

Bids by state

The sixty-four teams came from thirty-four states, plus Washington, D.C. Four states, California, Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina each had the most teams with four bids. Sixteen states did not have any teams receiving bids.

NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 1998

Bids	State	Teams
4	California	Santa Clara, Stanford, UC Santa Barb., UCLA
4	North Carolina	North Carolina, UNC Greensboro, Duke, North Carolina St.
4	Tennessee	Memphis, Middle Tenn., Tennessee, Vanderbilt
4	Virginia	Liberty, Old Dominion, Virginia Tech, Virginia
3	Florida	FIU, Florida, Miami
3	Iowa	Drake, Iowa, Iowa St.
3	Louisiana	Grambling, Louisiana Tech, Tulane
3	Massachusetts	Harvard, Holy Cross, Massachusetts
3	Texas	Stephen F. Austin, Texas Tech, SMU
3	Wisconsin	Green Bay, Marquette, Wisconsin
2	Connecticut	Connecticut, Fairfield
2	District of Columbia	Howard, George Washington
2	Indiana	Purdue, Notre Dame
2	Kentucky	Louisville, Western Ky.
2	Ohio	Kent St., Youngstown St.
1	Alabama	Alabama
1	Arizona	Arizona
1	Arkansas	Arkansas
1	Colorado	Colorado St.
1	Georgia	Georgia
1	Hawaii	Hawaii
1	Illinois	Illinois
1	Kansas	Kansas
1	Maine	Maine
1	Michigan	Michigan
1	Missouri	Missouri St.
1	Montana	Montana
1	Nebraska	Nebraska
1	New Jersey	Rutgers
1	New Mexico	New Mexico
1	Pennsylvania	St. Francis
1	Oregon	Oregon
1	South Carolina	Clemson
1	Utah	Utah
1	Washington	Washington

Brackets

Data source

East Region - Dayton, OH

Mideast Region - Nashville, TN

Midwest Region - Lubbock, TX

West Region - Oakland, CA

Final Four – Kansas City, Missouri

E-East; ME-Mideast; MW-Midwest; W-West.

Record by conference

Sixteen conferences had more than one bid, or at least one win in NCAA Tournament play:

Conference	# of Bids	Win %	Round
of 32	Sweet
Sixteen	Elite
Eight	Final
Four	Championship
Game
Southeastern	6	.737	4	4	2	2	1
Atlantic Coast	5	.706	5	3	3	1	–
Big Ten	5	.545	3	2	1	–	–
Pacific-10	5	.375	2	1	–	–	–
Western Athletic	5	.167	1	–	–	–	–
Big East	4	.636	3	3	1	–	–
Big 12	4	.556	4	1	–	–	–
Conference USA	4	.200	1	–	–	–	–
Atlantic 10	3	.400	2	–	–	–	–
Sun Belt	2	.750	2	1	1	1	1
Missouri Valley	2	–	–	–	–	–	–
Colonial	1	.667	1	1	–	–	–
Big West	1	.500	1	–	–	–	–
Ivy	1	.500	1	–	–	–	–
Mid-Continent	1	.500	1	–	–	–	–
Trans America	1	.500	1	–	–	–	–

Fourteen conferences went 0–1: America East, Big Sky Conference, Big South Conference, Horizon League, MAAC, MAC, MEAC, Northeast Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, Patriot League, Southern Conference, Southland, SWAC, and West Coast Conference

All-Tournament team

Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee
Tamika Catchings, Tennessee
Kellie Jolly, Tennessee
Tamicha Jackson, Louisiana Tech
Chasity Melvin, North Carolina St.

Game officials

Art Bomengen (semifinal)
Melissa Barlow (semifinal)
Karen Wilhite (semifinal)
Dennis Mayer (semifinal)
Scott Yarbrough (semifinal)
Teresa Dahlem (semifinal)
Sally Bell (final)
Bob Trammell (final)
Wesley Dean (final)

Notes

References

Nixon, Rick. "2023 Women's Final Four Championship Record Book".
"Attendance and Sites". NCAA.
Nixon, Rick. "Official 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book". NCAA.

Info: Wikipedia Source

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