University of Tennessee Athletics
2003 NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET ANNOUNCED
March 16, 2003 | Women's Basketball
March 16, 2003
INDIANAPOLIS
The 64-team field competing for the 2003 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship was announced today by the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee.
Connecticut (31-1) tops the bracket as the overall No. 1 seed after winning its 10th straight regular-season Big East Conference title and reaching its conference tournament championship game. Duke (31-1), Tennessee (28-4) and LSU (27-3) round out the remaining No. 1 seeds.
Thirty-one conferences were granted automatic bids for the 2003 championship, and the remaining 33 teams were selected at-large. The Big East Conference and the Southeastern Conference tied for placing the most teams in the championship bracket with seven, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 Conference and Conference USA each with five.
First- and second- round games will be played at 16 sites March 22 and 24 and March 23 and 25. The 16 second-round winners will advance to the four regional sites. The Mideast Regional (Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tennessee) and the Midwest Regional (University Arena, Albuquerque, New Mexico) will be March 29 and 31, while the East Regional (University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio) and the West Regional (Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California) will be March 30 and April 1. The four regional winners will meet in the NCAA Women's Final Four, April 6 and 8, at the Georgia Dome (28,210) in Atlanta.
Louisiana Tech and Tennessee continued their appearance streak as both have participated in all 22 Division I Women's Basketball Championships. Conversely, four teams are making their first trip to the tournament: Alabama State, Boston U., Charlotte and Valparaiso.
In the 21-year history of the Division I Women's Basketball Championship, 11 schools have captured the national title, with Tennessee leading the way with six. Last year, in front of a record-setting crowd of 29, 619, Connecticut won its second NCAA title in three years and third overall with an 82-70 win over Oklahoma at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
