The NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament has taken place 41 times before this year’s event that starts this week and ends April 7 in Cleveland.
Nearly half of those championships have been claimed by one of two teams. Connecticut has won it all 11 times, all under current coach Geno Auriemma but none since 2016. Tennessee has eight titles, all under late coach Pat Summitt and none since 2008.
Both teams have a shot at adding to their totals this year. Auriemma’s Huskies are seeded third in the Portland 3 Region. The Volunteers, led by fifth-year coach Kellie Harper, are seeded sixth in the Portland 4 Region.
Read more: Which team has won the most NCAA men’s basketball tournament titles?
Three of the four top-seeded teams are former champions looking to inch closer to Connecticut and Tennessee on the all-time tournament championship list. USC and South Carolina each have two titles and Texas has one. Iowa, the top seed in the Albany 2 Region, is looking for its first March Madness title.
Here’s a look at the eight women’s basketball teams with the most NCAA Division I tournament wins:
Number of NCAA titles: 11
Years won: 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
NCAA tournament seed this year: No. 3 in Portland 3 Region (vs. No. 14 Jackson State, Saturday)
Number of NCAA titles: 8
Years won: 1987, 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008
NCAA tournament seed this year: No. 6 in Portland 4 Region (vs. No. 11 Green Bay, Saturday)
3T. Baylor Bears
Read more: Plaschke: With USC and UCLA leading the way, women’s tourney slam dunks on the men
Number of NCAA titles: 3
NCAA tournament seed this year: No. 5 in Portland 3 Region (vs. Vanderbilt-Columbia winner, Friday)
Number of NCAA titles: 3
NCAA tournament seed this year: No. 2 in Portland 4 Region (vs. No. 15 Norfolk State, Friday)
5T. USC
Number of NCAA titles: 2
NCAA tournament seed this year: No. 1 Portland 3 Region (vs. No. 16 Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Saturday)
Read more: USC secures No. 1 seed and begins NCAA women’s tournament journey at home
Number of NCAA titles: 2
Years won: 1982, 1988
NCAA tournament seed this year: NA
5T. Notre Dame
Number of NCAA titles: 2
Years won: 2001, 2018
NCAA tournament seed this year: No. 2 in Albany 1 Region (vs. No. 15 Kent State, Friday)
5T. South Carolina
Number of NCAA titles: 2
NCAA tournament seed this year: No. 1 in Albany 1 Region (vs. Sacred Heart-Presbyterian winner, Friday)
Read more: UCLA lands highest women’s NCAA tourney seed in its history, but falls short of No. 1
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
