1992 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

The 1992 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament began on March 18 and ended on April 5. The tournament featured 48 teams. The Final Four consisted of Virginia Cavaliers, Stanford Cardinal, Southwest Missouri State Lady Bears (now known as Missouri State), and Western Kentucky Lady Toppers, with Stanford defeating Western Kentucky 78–62 to win its second NCAA title.[1] Stanford's Molly Goodenbour was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.[2]

1992 NCAA Division I
women's basketball tournament
Teams48
Finals siteLos Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles, California
ChampionsStanford Cardinal (2nd title, 2nd title game,
3rd Final Four)
Runner-upWestern Kentucky Lady Toppers (1st title game,
3rd Final Four)
Semifinalists
Winning coachTara VanDerveer (2nd title)
MOPMolly Goodenbour (Stanford Cardinal)
NCAA Division I women's tournaments
«1991 1993»

Notable events

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Stanford Cardinal team with National Championship Trophy

Missouri State (then Southwest Missouri State), was not a regular participant in the Tournament. They had not earned a bid until 1991, when they won their first game and lost their second game. In 1992, they were assigned an eight seed. Their first game was against Kansas, which they won 75–59. That win matched them up against the number one seed in the Midwest region, Iowa. The Hawkeyes were 25–3, winner of the Big Ten conference in their ninth year under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer. Despite the odds, the Southwest Missouri State team took Iowa to overtime, and won 61–60 in the overtime period. That matched up the Lady Bears against fifth-seeded UCLA, but Southwest Missouri State won easily, 83–57. Their next game was against SEC regular season champion Ole Miss, one of a small number of teams who had played in every NCAA tournament since the first one in 1982. Ole Miss was the number two seed in the region, but Southwest Missouri State again achieved an upset, winning the game 94–71. That win placed the Lady Bears in the Final Four. Prior to this win, the lowest seed to make it to the Final Four was a four seed.[3] Only one team, Arkansas in 1998, with a nine seed, has made it to the Final four with a weaker seed.[4]

Southwest Missouri State's opponent in the semi-final game was Western Kentucky, who has also achieved some upsets. After beating Alabama, the Lady Toppers faced Tennessee, the number one seed in the Mideast region, and the defending national champions. Western Kentucky won the game 75–70, and went on to beat the number 2 seed in the region, Maryland, by the identical score.[4]

The other semi-final included two of the powerhouses of the sport at the time. Both Virginia and Stanford were number one seeds. Stanford had won the National championship two years before, while Virginia was competing in their third consecutive final four, and were the runner-up in the prior year's tournament.[4]

In the game between Western Kentucky and Southwest Missouri State, the Lady Toppers dashed the upset hopes of the Lady Bears, and won the game 84–72. The game between Stanford and Virginia was much closer, with Virginia leading late but Stanford pulled to a small lead. Virginia's Dawn Staley scored to cut the lead to one with eleven seconds left. Stanford now controlled the ball, and in bounded it, but with time running out, the ball was loose on the floor. Staley dived after the loose ball, recovered it and flung it to teammate Melanee Wagener while Staley called for a timeout. The referee did not hear her call for the timeout, then heard the horn announcing the end of the game, so the refs and the teams headed off the court. Staley chased after Doug Cloud, the referee, insisting she had called a time out. A different referee, Bob Trammell, had heard her call for the timeout, so the teams were called back, and a fraction of a second were placed back on the clock. Virginia in bounded the ball and got it to Staley, but she was unable to get a final shot off. Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer would call it, "the longest seven-tenths of a second in my life". The Cardinal won a one-point game 66–65. Van Derveer would later recount the story when preparing to train the USA National team, including Staley, for the 1996 Olympics.[4][5][6]

After losing three starters from the prior year's team, including All-American Sonia Henning, some observers, including assistant coach Amy Tucker, were not expecting a stellar season. Their point guard, Molly Goodenbour, had not seen a lot of playing time in prior years playing behind Henning and Jennifer Azzi, but she would go on to hit 18 three-pointers in the tournament, at the time an NCAA record, and win the MVP award for the tournament. Teammates Rachel Hemmer and Val Whiting also earned spots on the All-Tournament team as the team won a 78–62 victory over Western Kentucky to claim their second national championship in three years.[5][7]

Records

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  • Free throws – Tonya Baucom (Southwest Missouri State) hit nine of nine free throws attempts, tied with several others for free throw accuracy at 100%, and second only behind Sheryl Swoopes for free throws made in a Final Four without a miss. This occurred in the National Semi-final against Western Kentucky.[4]

Qualifying teams – automatic

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Forty-eight teams were selected to participate in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Twenty-two conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 1992 NCAA tournament.[4]

Automatic Bids
    Record  
Qualifying School Conference Regular
Season
Conference Seed
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga SoCon 18–11 8–2 12
University of Colorado at Boulder Big Eight 22–8 11–3 7
Creighton University WAC 27–3 13–1 7
George Washington University Atlantic 10 24–6 11–5 8
University of Iowa Big Ten 25–3 16–2 1
University of Miami Big East 29–1 18–0 2
University of Montana Big Sky 22–6 13–3 11
Northern Illinois University North Star 17–13 8–4 11
Old Dominion University CAA 20–10 9–5 10
Saint Peter's College MAAC 24–6 13–3 11
Santa Clara University West Coast 20–9 10–4 12
University of Southern Mississippi Metro 21–9 9–3 9
Southwest Missouri State University Gateway 27–2 17–1 8
Stanford University Pac-10 25–3 15–3 1
Stephen F. Austin State University Southland 27–2 17–1 2
University of Tennessee SEC 27–2 10–1 1
Tennessee Technological University OVC 21–8 13–1 12
Texas Tech University Southwest 26–4 13–1 4
University of Toledo MAC 25–5 15–1 10
University of California, Santa Barbara Big West 26–4 16–2 9
University of Virginia ACC 29–1 15–1 1
Western Kentucky University Sun Belt 23–7 13–3 4
University of Notre Dame Midwestern Collegiate 14–16 8–4 12

Qualifying teams – at-large

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Twenty-six additional teams were selected to complete the forty-eight invitations.[4]

At-large Bids
    Record  
Qualifying School Conference Regular
Season
Conference Seed
University of Alabama SEC 22–6 7–4 5
Arizona State University Pacific-10 20–8 11–7 6
University of California, Berkeley Pacific-10 20–8 12–6 5
Clemson University ACC 20–9 9–7 5
University of Connecticut Big East 22–10 13–5 6
DePaul University Great Midwest 20–9 8–2 11
University of Houston Southwest 22–7 10–4 8
University of Kansas Big Eight 25–5 12–2 9
California State University, Long Beach Big West 21–9 13–5 10
Louisiana Tech University Sun Belt 20–9 12–4 6
University of Maryland, College Park ACC 23–5 13–3 2
University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) SEC 27–2 11–0 2
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ACC 21–8 9–7 7
Pennsylvania State University Independent 23–6 –- 3
Providence College Big East 21–8 13–5 7
Purdue University Big Ten 22–6 14–4 3
Rutgers University Atlantic 10 20–10 11–5 8
University of Southern California Pacific-10 21–7 14–4 3
Southern Illinois University Carbondale Gateway 22–7 15–3 10
University of Texas at Austin Southwest 21–9 11–3 4
University of California, Los Angeles Pacific-10 19–9 12–6 5
Vanderbilt University SEC 20–8 6–5 3
University of Vermont North Atlantic 29–0 14–0 9
West Virginia University Atlantic 10 25–3 16–0 4
University of Wisconsin–Madison Big Ten 20–8 13–5 6

Bids by conference

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Twenty-two conferences earned an automatic bid. In eleven cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Three conferences, the Great Midwest, the Midwestern Collegiate, and the North Atlantic conferences sent a single representative as an at-large team. One independent school was selected. Twenty-five additional at-large teams were selected from ten of the conferences.[4]

Bids Conference Teams
5 Pacific-10 Stanford, Arizona State, California, USC, UCLA
4 ACC Virginia, Clemson, Maryland, North Carolina
4 SEC Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
3 Atlantic 10 George Washington, Rutgers, West Virginia
3 Big East Miami (FL), Connecticut, Providence
3 Big Ten Iowa, Purdue, Wisconsin
3 Southwest Texas Tech, Houston, Texas
2 Big Eight Colorado, Kansas
2 Big West UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State
2 Gateway SW Missouri State, Southern Illinois
2 Sun Belt Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech
1 Big Sky Montana
1 CAA Old Dominion
1 Great Midwest DePaul
1 Independent Penn State
1 Metro Southern Miss
1 Metro Atlantic St. Peter's
1 Mid-American Toledo
1 Midwestern Collegiate Notre Dame
1 North Atlantic Vermont
1 North Star Northern Illinois
1 OVC Tennessee Tech
1 Southern Chattanooga
1 Southland Stephen F. Austin
1 West Coast Santa Clara
1 WAC Creighton

First and second rounds

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Clemson
 
Storrs
 
Washington
 
Chapel Hill
 
Providence
 
Tuscaloosa
 
Piscataway
 
Ruston
 
Boulder
 
DeKalb
 
Springfield
 
Los Angeles
 
Santa Barbara
 
Berkeley
 
Omaha
 
Madison
1992 NCAA first round
 
 
Nashville
 
Charlottesville
 
Morgantown
 
Coral Gables
 
West Lafayette
 
College Park
 
Bowling Green
 
Knoxville
 
Iowa City
 
Austin
 
University
 
University Park
 
Los Angeles
 
Stanford
 
Nacogdoches
 
Lubbock
1992 NCAA second round

In 1992, 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 exceptions:[8]

  • Sixth seeded Arizona State played eleventh seeded DePaul at DePaul
  • Ninth seeded UC Santa Barbara played eighth seeded Houston at UC Santa Barbara

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

Region Rnd Host Venue City State
East 1 Clemson University Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson South Carolina
East 1 University of Connecticut Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs Connecticut
East 1 George Washington University Charles E. Smith Athletic Center Washington District of Columbia
East 1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Carmichael Auditorium Chapel Hill North Carolina
East 2 Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium Nashville Tennessee
East 2 University of Virginia University Hall Charlottesville Virginia
East 2 West Virginia University WVU Coliseum Morgantown West Virginia
East 2 University of Miami Knight Sports Complex Coral Gables Florida
Mideast 1 Providence College Alumni Hall Providence Rhode Island
Mideast 1 University of Alabama Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa Alabama
Mideast 1 Rutgers University Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway New Jersey
Mideast 1 Louisiana Tech University Thomas Assembly Center Ruston Louisiana
Mideast 2 Purdue University Mackey Arena West Lafayette Indiana
Mideast 2 University of Maryland, College Park Cole Field House College Park Maryland
Mideast 2 Western Kentucky University E.A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green Kentucky
Mideast 2 University of Tennessee Thompson–Boling Arena Knoxville Tennessee
Midwest 1 University of Colorado at Boulder CU Events Center (Coors Events Center) Boulder Colorado
Midwest 1 DePaul University Chick Evans Field House DeKalb Illinois
Midwest 1 Southwest Missouri State University Hammons Student Center Springfield Missouri
Midwest 1 University of California, Los Angeles Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles California
Midwest 2 University of Iowa Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City Indiana
Midwest 2 University of Texas at Austin Frank Erwin Center Austin Texas
Midwest 2 University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Tad Smith Coliseum Oxford Mississippi
Midwest 2 Pennsylvania State University Recreation Building (Rec Hall) University Park Pennsylvania
West 1 University of California, Santa Barbara UC Santa Barbara Events Center Santa Barbara California
West 1 University of California, Berkeley Harmon Gym Berkeley California
West 1 Creighton University Omaha Civic Auditorium Omaha Nebraska
West 1 University of Wisconsin–Madison Wisconsin Field House Madison Wisconsin
West 2 University of Southern California Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena Los Angeles California
West 2 Stanford University Maples Pavilion Stanford California
West 2 Stephen F. Austin State University William R. Johnson Coliseum Nacogdoches Texas
West 2 Texas Tech University Lubbock Municipal Coliseum Lubbock Texas

Regionals and Final Four

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Charlottesville
 
West Lafayette
 
Boulder
 
Seattle
 
Los Angeles
1992 NCAA regionals and Final Four

The regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 26 to March 28 at these sites:

Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held April 4 and April 5 in Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (co-hosts: University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles)[9]

Bids by state

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The forty-eight teams came from twenty-nine states, plus Washington, D.C. California had the most teams with seven bids, the first time in tournament history a state had more than four bids. Twenty-one states did not have any teams receiving bids.[4]

 
NCAA Women's basketball Tournament invitations by state 1992
Bids State Teams
7 California Santa Clara, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, California, Long Beach State, USC, UCLA
4 Tennessee Chattanooga, Tennessee, Tennessee Tech, Vanderbilt
4 Texas Stephen F. Austin, Texas Tech, Houston, Texas
3 Illinois Northern Illinois, DePaul, Southern Illinois
2 Indiana Notre Dame, Purdue
2 Mississippi Ole Miss, Southern Miss
2 New Jersey St. Peter's, Rutgers
2 Virginia Old Dominion, Virginia
1 Alabama Alabama
1 Arizona Arizona State
1 Colorado Colorado
1 Connecticut Connecticut
1 District of Columbia George Washington
1 Florida Miami
1 Iowa Iowa
1 Kansas Kansas
1 Kentucky Western Kentucky
1 Louisiana Louisiana Tech
1 Maryland Maryland
1 Missouri SW Missouri State
1 Montana Montana
1 Nebraska Creighton
1 North Carolina North Carolina
1 Ohio Toledo
1 Pennsylvania Penn State
1 Rhode Island Providence
1 South Carolina Clemson
1 Vermont Vermont
1 West Virginia West Virginia
1 Wisconsin Wisconsin

Brackets

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First and second-round games played at higher seed except where noted.

East regional – Charlottesville, VA

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First round
March 18
Second round
March 21–22
Regional semifinals
March 26
Regional finals
March 28
            
1 Virginia 97
8 George Washington 58
8 George Washington 70
9 Vermont 69
1 Virginia 103
4 West Virginia 83
4 West Virginia 73
5 Clemson 72
5 Clemson 76
12 Chattanooga 72
1 Virginia 70
3 Vanderbilt 58
2 Miami (FL) 86
7 North Carolina 72
7 North Carolina 60
10 Old Dominion 54
2 Miami (FL) 67
3 Vanderbilt 77
3 Vanderbilt 75
6 Connecticut 47
6 Connecticut 83
11 St. Peter's 66

West regional – Seattle, WA

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First round
March 18
Second round
March 21–22
Regional semifinals
March 26
Regional finals
March 28
            
1 Stanford 82
9 UC Santa Barbara 73
8 Houston 69
9 UC Santa Barbara 80
1 Stanford 75
4 Texas Tech 63
4 Texas Tech 64
12 Santa Clara 58
5 California 71
12 at Santa Clara 73
1 Stanford 82
3 USC 62
2 Stephen F. Austin 75
7 Creighton 74
7 Creighton 79
10 Long Beach State 66
2 Stephen F. Austin 57
3 USC 61
3 USC 71
11 Montana 59
6 Wisconsin 74
11 Montana 85

Midwest regional – Boulder, CO

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First round
March 18
Second round
March 21–22
Regional semifinals
March 26
Regional finals
March 28
            
1 Iowa 60
8 SW Missouri State 61 (OT)
8 SW Missouri State 75
9 Kansas 59
8 SW Missouri State 83
5 UCLA 57
4 Texas 81
5 UCLA 82
5 UCLA 93
12 Notre Dame 72
8 SW Missouri State 94
2 Ole Miss 71
2 Ole Miss 72
10 Southern Illinois 56
7 Colorado 80
10 Southern Illinois 84 (OT)
2 Ole Miss 75
3 Penn State 72
3 Penn State 77
11 DePaul 54
6 Arizona State 65
11 at DePaul 67

Mideast regional – West Lafayette, IN

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First round
March 18
Second round
March 21–22
Regional semifinals
March 26
Regional finals
March 28
            
1 Tennessee 97
8 Rutgers 56
8 Rutgers 93
9 Southern Miss 63
1 Tennessee 70
4 Western Kentucky 75
4 Western Kentucky 98
5 Alabama 68
5 Alabama 100
12 Tennessee Tech 87
4 Western Kentucky 75
2 Maryland 70
2 Maryland 73
10 Toledo 60
7 Providence 64
10 Toledo 74
2 Maryland 64
3 Purdue 58
3 Purdue 98
11 Northern Illinois 62
6 Louisiana Tech 71
11 Northern Illinois 77 (OT)

Final Four – Los Angeles, CA

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National semifinals
April 4
National championship
April 5
      
1E Virginia 65
1W Stanford 66
1W Stanford 78
4ME Western Kentucky 62
8MW SW Missouri State 72
4ME Western Kentucky 84

Record by conference

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Fifteen conferences had more than one bid, or at least one win in NCAA Tournament play:[4]

Conference # of Bids Record Win % Round
of 32
Sweet
Sixteen
Elite
Eight
Final
Four
Championship
Game
Pacific-10 5 9–4 .692 3 3 2 1 1
Atlantic Coast 4 7–4 .636 4 2 2 1
Southeastern 4 6–4 .600 4 3 2
Atlantic 10 3 3–3 .500 3 1
Big East 3 2–3 .400 2 1
Big Ten 3 1–3 .250 2 1
Southwest 3 1–3 .250 2 1
Gateway 2 5–2 .714 2 1 1 1
Sun Belt 2 4–2 .667 1 1 1 1 1
Big West 2 1–2 .333 1
Big Eight 2 0–2
Big Sky 1 1–1 .500 1
Great Midwest 1 1–1 .500 1
Independent 1 1–1 .500 1 1
Mid-American 1 1–1 .500 1
North Star 1 1–1 .500 1
Southland 1 1–1 .500 1 1
West Coast 1 1–1 .500 1
Western Athletic 1 1–1 .500 1

Seven conferences went 0-1: Colonial, Metro, MAAC, Midwestern Collegiate, North Atlantic Conference, Ohio Valley Conference, and Southern Conference.[4]

All-Tournament team

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Game officials

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  • Art Bomengen (semifinal)
  • Douglas Cloud (semifinal)
  • Dee Kantner (semifinal)
  • Bob Trammell (semifinal)
  • Patty Broderick (final)
  • Bill Stokes (final) [4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Gregory Cooper. "1992 NCAA National Championship Tournament". Archived from the original on October 20, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2007.
  2. ^ "1992 Women's College Basketball NCAA Tournament". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "Cheryl Burnett". Missouri State Bears. January 29, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Nixon, Rick. "Official 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four Records Book" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Smith, Shelly. "Molly Rules In L.a." NCAA. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  6. ^ VanDerveer, Tara (1997). Shooting from the outside : how a coach and her Olympic team transformed women's basketball. with Joan Ryan. New York: Avon Books. p. 16. ISBN 9780380975884.
  7. ^ Dillman, Lisa (April 6, 1992). "NCAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL FINAL : Stanford Stands Tall : Championship: The Cardinal makes coach forget October's misery with 78-62 victory over Western Kentucky". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 2, 2012.
  8. ^ "Attendance and Sites" (PDF). NCAA. Retrieved March 19, 2012.
  9. ^ GUSTKEY, EARL (March 31, 1995). "WOMEN'S BASKETBALL / NCAA FINAL FOUR NOTES". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 15, 2012.