2004 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES

April 6, 2004

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2004 NCAA FINAL FOUR NOTES

Tonight's officials were Lisa Mattingly, Dee Kantner and Brian Enterline. Mattingly worked her fourth championship game and fourth straight. Kantner appeared in her first title game since 1997 and fifth overall. Enterline worked his first championship game.
Connecticut becomes the first school t
claim NCAA men's and women's national championships in the same season. Duke had previously come the closest t
accomplishing the feat in 1999, falling t
Purdue in the women's title game and t
UConn in the men's title game.
UConn is the first No. 2 seed t
advance t
the championship game since Georgia in 1996 and the first t
win the national championship since Texas Tech in 1996. The other No. 2 seeds t
win titles were Tennessee (1987) and Louisiana Tech (1988).
ESPN's coverage of Minnesota vs. Connecticut -- the second of tw
NCAA Women's Final Four semifinal match-ups Sunday, April 4 -- averaged 3,083,000 household impressions and a 3.5 rating. It is the most-viewed and highest-rated women's national semifinal game in ESPN history. In addition, the telecast ranked as:
- ** the fourth most-viewed college basketball game, men's or women's, in ESPN history;
- ** the network's third most-viewed and seventh highest-rated women's basketball game.
The 2004 total tournament attendance is the fourth-largest figure in the history of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. The total attendance peaked in 2003 with a total of 326,767.
This year's sellout crowd is the 12th consecutive sellout in Women's Final Four history and the 13th overall. The New Orleans Arena crowd ranks No. 7 in total attendance at a Women's Final Four game.
The 2004 total tournament attendance (318,666) is the second highest of any Division I Women's Basketball Championship when the Women's Final Four was played in an arena. The Women's Final Four was the last played in an arena in 2001 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, and the total championship attendance was 320,062.
Tennessee's 113 points in the tw
Final Four games are the fewest scored in tw
Final Four games in NCAA Tournament history. The Lady Vols als
recorded the lowest two-game Final Four field goal percentage (40-118, .339) and the second-fewest field goals in the two-game set.
UConn's 50 percent shooting from 3-point range in the game (7-of-14) ties for the second-highest championship game percentage and the 7 treys ties for fourth most.
Tennessee and UConn met in the championship game for the second straight year, third time in the last five years and fourth time overall. UConn owns a 5-1 mark against Tennessee in the Final Four.
Tennessee's 17 assists in the tw
Final Four games matches the second-fewest total in tournament history.
UConn's 10 turnovers are the second-fewest in a title game with Tennessee's 11 tying as the fourth fewest.
Tennessee's Tasha Butts tied the championship game mark with her 1.000 free throw percentage (6-6) matched six other times (min. 5 made).
UConn's 105 field goal attempts in the tw
Final Four games tie for the fourth-fewest in a two-game set.
UConn's Diana Taurasi finished her career ranking second among NCAA Tournament career scoring leaders with 428 career points and third in career field goals made with 151. Her 23 tournament games played is the second most. UConn's Maria Conlon played in 22 tournament games, tying for third-most. Tennessee's Chamique Holdsclaw owns tournament career records for scoring (479 points), field goals made (195) and games played (24).
Connecticut recorded the fewest fouls in a championship game (10) and the fewest fouls in a Final Four (22).
Credentialed media for the tournament include 423 media and 204 ESPN personnel for a total of 627 which ranks third all-time behind Philadelphia (692) in 2000 and Cincinnati (637) in 1997.

CONNECTICUT

Gen
Auriemma is 53-11 in NCAA Tournament games, including 10-2 in the Final Four, which is second all-time. His .828 NCAA Tournament winning percentage is second all-time behind Pat Summitt.
Connecticut became the first team t
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five consecutive Women's Final Fours (2000-04). This is Connecticut's eighth Women's Final Four appearance and fifth appearance in the championship game; UConn's first Final Four appearance came in 1991 when, ironically, the Women's Final Four was last held in New Orleans.
UConn captured its third straight national championship and fourth in five years. Tennessee als
won three in a row from 1996 through 1998. The Huskies are 5-0 in national championship games.
UConn has won 18 straight NCAA Tournament games.

TENNESSEE

MIDWEST REGION CHAMPION (31-4) (Ranked No. 2 by AP and No. 3 by USA Today/ESPN/WBCA) Record: 31-4; 14-0 SEC (champions) at-large bid; No. 1 overall seed NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS: Beat Colgate 77-54; Beat DePaul 77-59; Beat Baylor 71-69; Beat Stanford 62-60; Beat LSU 52-50; Lost to Connecticut 61-70

Pat Summitt has guided Tennessee to all 15 of its Final Four appearances, the most appearances by any coach in the game, men's or women's.
Summitt's overall coaching record stands at 852-167 in 30 seasons, all at Tennessee. She is the winningest coach in women's basketball history.
Tennessee's Final Four record is now 17-9 for a 65.4 winning percentage, third all-time. Tonight's NCAA championship game was Summitt's 102nd NCAA Tournament game. She is now 85-17 (.833) in NCAA Tournament action.
UT is 6-5 (.545) in NCAA championship games.
The Lady Vols led for just 5:38 in their two Final Four games.
UT's two-game field goal pct. of 33.9 (40-118) is a Women's Final Four two-game low.
Tennessee's two-game total of 17 assists ties for second-fewest in a Women's Final Four.
Shanna Zolman represented Tennessee on the All-Tournament Team.
Tennessee is 0-4 vs. Connecticut in NCAA championship games and 1-5 vs. Connecticut in the Final Four. UT's five losses to Connecticut in Final Fours have been by an average of 12.4 points. The win was an 88-83 overtime contest in 1996.
Tennessee's 113 points in the two games are a Women's Final Four low.
Tennessee's past four Final Four appearances (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004) have resulted in losses to Connecticut.
Prior to tonight, UT had not allowed an opponent to reach the 70-point mark during the 2004 NCAA Tournament. UT only gave up 70 points eight times during the season, including a regular season 81-67 loss to Connecticut on Feb. 5 in Knoxville and tonight's 70-61 loss to the Huskies.
In previous title games, Tennessee has averaged 70.4 ppg, but was held below its average tonight with 61.
In title game losses, UT has lost by an average of 10 points. Tennessee's worst title game loss was by 19 to Connecticut in 2000.
Connecticut's Diana Taurasi (eight games), Ann Strother (four games) and Barbara Turner (four games) have all averaged career double figure scoring vs. Tennessee.
The Huskies have never scored fewer than 70 points vs. UT in seven NCAA Tournament contests en route to a 5-2 postseason advantage over Tennessee.
Tennessee went on 10-0 run to close the half and held UConn scoreless for over seven minutes -- 6:29 to close the first half and nearly a minute to begin the second half.
UT's bench has produced an average of 18.6 points and 11.8 rebounds during the previous five NCAA Tournament games. The bench was scoreless during the first half and contributed five points and six rebounds for the game.
Shanna Zolman reached double digit scoring for the 22nd time this season and 35th career.
Zolman extended her free throws made streak to 36 and is 88 of 92 on the year.
Shyra Ely registered double figure scoring for the 27th time this season and 64th career.
LaToya Davis is third in 2004 NCAA Tournament stats in free throw pct. at 92.9 (13-14).
UT was 25-1 entering tonight's game when outrebounding opponents and finishes the year 25-2. Tennessee outrebounded Connecticut 39-31.
With the loss tonight, Tennessee drops to 6-13 all-time vs. Connecticut and 2-6 in neutral site games. Connecticut has won six straight vs. UT.
Summitt's teams have played 202 times in the months of March and April with a 160-42 record (.792). Her teams are 93-39 at neutral sites in March and April.
Summitt's all-time record in the Final Four stands at 17-9, which includes six NCAA titles (1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998). She is the winningest coach in Final Four history. Next is Geno Auriemma (Connecticut) with a 10-2 record.
In Final Four records, Summitt is first in NCAA titles (6), Final Four appearances (15), and Final Four wins (17).
In NCAA Tournament Records, Summitt is first in tournament appearances (23), tournament games (102), tournament wins (85), and tournament winning percentage (83.3).
Including 2004, Tennessee has had a nation-high 79 players compete in the Final Four on 15 teams. Every Lady Vol since 1976 (includes NCAA Tournament and AIAW Tournaments) has competed in at least one Final Four.
Senior Ashley Robinson and junior Shyra Ely started all 35 games this season.
The starting lineup of Ely, Davis, Robinson, Zolman and Butts started the last 15 games and went 13-2 in that span.
Tennessee was 17-3 in televised games this year.
Tennessee was 10-3 in 2004 when trailing at halftime.
Tennessee won three consecutive games (Regional semi and finals, and Final Four semi) by two points on last-second buckets, only the second time a team has been involved in three consecutive two-point games in NCAA Tournament history (Ohio State, 1993).
UT's 52 points in the semifinals tie for the second-fewest points by Tennessee in an NCAA Tournament game (46 in 1982; 52 two other times).
UT's 52 points, 31.6 field goal percentage and four assists in the semis were season-lows.
Tennessee's 19 first-half points vs. LSU in the semifinal were the second-lowest this season. The team had 18 in a 70-66 OT win over Stanford on Dec. 14, 2003.
UT advanced to its third straight Final Four and eighth in the last 10 years. Tennessee has advanced to every Sweet 16 and to the Elite Eight in 19 of 23 years.
The Lady Vols are 1-1 in NCAA Championship games in New Orleans. They won their 1991 NCAA Championship in New Orleans, the only other time prior to this year that New Orleans hosted the Final Four. UT's 70-67 overtime win over Virginia in the 1991 title game is the only overtime national championship game.
UT advanced to the Final Four a record-setting 15th time and has played in 11 national championship games.
Tennessee Final Four Appearances: 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
Tennessee National Titles Won: 1987, 1989 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998
With its 30th win over Stanford in the Elite Eight, Tennessee now has 14 30-win seasons in Pat Summitt's 30 years.
UT's No. 1 seed in 2004 was its nation-leading 16th top seed. The Lady Vols were in the Midwest bracket for only the third time in 23 NCAA Tournaments and have advanced to the Final Four all three times from the Midwest Region (1997: won the NCAA title in Cincinnati, Ohio; 2002: lost to UConn in the Final Four semis; and in 2004: lost to Connecticut in the final).

University of Tennessee Athletics

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