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Hoops Dynasty

A comprehensive analysis of the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, detailing the path to Baylor's championship, key matchups, notable upsets, and team statistics.

Tournament Overview 👇 View Brackets 🏆

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Tournament Overview

Key Details

The 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament featured 64 teams competing for the national championship. The tournament commenced on March 19, 2005, and culminated on April 5, 2005. For the first time, the Final Four was hosted at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, with Butler University and the Horizon League serving as hosts.

Championship Outcome

The Baylor Bears, under the guidance of Coach Kim Mulkey, secured their first national championship, defeating the Michigan State Spartans in the final. The championship game score was 84-62. Baylor's standout player, Sophia Young, was named the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) of the tournament.

Final Four Participants

The Final Four comprised four formidable teams:

  • Baylor Bears: Champions, making their first Final Four appearance.
  • Michigan State Spartans: Runner-up, also in their inaugural Final Four.
  • LSU Tigers: Their second Final Four appearance.
  • Tennessee Volunteers: Their sixteenth Final Four appearance, marking a significant coaching milestone for Pat Summitt.

Notable Events & Milestones

Cinderella Runs & Upsets

The tournament witnessed several remarkable upsets. In the Chattanooga Regional, the 13th-seeded Liberty Flames achieved significant victories, defeating Penn State and DePaul before falling to LSU in the regional semifinal. This demonstrated the competitive parity and potential for surprise performances within the bracket.

Coaching Records

A significant coaching milestone occurred when Tennessee's legendary coach Pat Summitt recorded her 880th career victory in a second-round game against Purdue. This win surpassed Dean Smith's record, placing Summitt at the top of the all-time NCAA career victories list for college basketball coaches.

Historic Comebacks

The Final Four was marked by extraordinary comebacks. In the first semifinal, Baylor rallied from a 15-point deficit against LSU to secure a 68-57 victory. In the second semifinal, Michigan State staged a remarkable comeback against Tennessee, overcoming a 16-point deficit in the second half to win 68-64, tying the record for the largest deficit overcome in an NCAA Tournament semifinal game.

Tournament Venues

First and Second Rounds

The tournament began with subregionals held at eight locations across the United States, a strategic move to minimize games played on teams' home courts and utilize the "pod system" for greater team proximity to their home cities:

  • March 19 & 21: Seattle, WA (Host: Washington); Dallas, TX (Hosts: Texas, Texas Tech); Fresno, CA (Host: Fresno State); Minneapolis, MN (Host: Minnesota).
  • March 20 & 22: College Park, MD (Host: Maryland); Chapel Hill, NC (Host: North Carolina); Storrs, CT (Host: UConn); Knoxville, TN (Host: Tennessee).

Regional Championships

The regional tournaments, named after their host cities for the first time, determined the Final Four participants:

  • Chattanooga Regional: McKenzie Arena, Chattanooga, TN (Host: UT Chattanooga)
  • Tempe Regional: Wells Fargo Arena, Tempe, AZ (Host: Arizona State)
  • Philadelphia Regional: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, PA (Host: Temple)
  • Kansas City Regional: Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, MO (Host: UMKC)

The Final Four convened at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Conference Representation

Automatic Bids

Thirty-one conferences earned automatic bids. The distribution highlights the breadth of conference champions participating in the national tournament.

View Automatic Bids ⬇️
Automatic Bids
Qualifying School Conference Record Seed
Alcorn State SWAC 21–8 16
Baylor Big 12 Conference 27–3 2
Bowling Green MAC 23–7 13
Canisius MAAC 21–9 15
Connecticut Big East 23–7 3
Coppin State MEAC 23–7 16
Dartmouth Ivy League 17–10 14
Eastern Kentucky Ohio Valley Conference 23–8 12
Green Bay Horizon League 27–3 10
Hartford America East 22–8 14
Holy Cross Patriot League 20–10 15
Illinois State Missouri Valley Conference 13–17 15
Liberty Big South Conference 24–6 13
Michigan State Big Ten 28–3 1
Middle Tennessee State Sun Belt Conference 23–7 12
Montana Big Sky Conference 22–7 12
New Mexico Mountain West 26–4 8
North Carolina ACC 28–4 1
Old Dominion Colonial 22–8 11
Oral Roberts Mid-Continent 22–8 14
Rice WAC 24–8 11
Santa Clara West Coast Conference 17–13 15
St. Francis (PA) Northeast Conference 21–9 14
Stanford Pac-10 29–2 2
Stetson Atlantic Sun Conference 17–13 16
TCU Conference USA 23–9 7
Temple Atlantic 10 27–3 6
Tennessee SEC 26–4 1
UT-Arlington Southland 21–9 13
UC-Santa Barbara Big West Conference 21–8 13
Western Carolina Southern Conference 18–13 16

At-Large Selections

Thirty-three additional teams were selected as at-large bids, representing the nation's top programs that did not win their conference tournaments but earned a place based on their season performance.

View At-Large Bids ⬇️
At-large Bids
Qualifying School Conference Record Seed
Arizona Pacific-10 19–11 9
Arizona State Pacific-10 21–9 5
Boston College Big East 19–9 7
DePaul Conference USA 25–4 5
Duke Atlantic Coast 28–4 2
Florida State Atlantic Coast 23–7 6
George Washington Atlantic 10 22–8 9
Georgia Southeastern 22–9 6
Houston Conference USA 21–8 10
Iowa State Big 12 23–6 7
Kansas State Big 12 23–7 4
Louisiana Tech Western Athletic 20–9 11
Louisville Conference USA 22–8 9
LSU Southeastern 29–2 1
Maryland Atlantic Coast 21–9 7
Minnesota Big Ten 24–7 3
Ole Miss Southeastern 19–10 8
N.C. State Atlantic Coast 21–7 5
Notre Dame Big East 26–5 4
Ohio State Big Ten 29–3 2
Oklahoma Big 12 17–12 8
Oregon Pacific-10 20–9 10
Penn State Big Ten 19–10 4
Purdue Big Ten 16–12 9
Richmond Atlantic 10 23–7 11
Rutgers Big East 25–6 3
USC Pacific-10 19–10 8
Texas Big 12 21–8 3
Texas Tech Big 12 22–7 4
Utah Mountain West 25–7 10
Vanderbilt Southeastern 22–7 5
Virginia Atlantic Coast 20–10 6
Virginia Tech Atlantic Coast 17–11 12

Conference Breakdown

The Atlantic Coast Conference led with seven bids, followed closely by the Big 12 and Big Ten conferences, each securing six bids. This distribution reflects the competitive landscape and strength of these major collegiate athletic conferences.

View Bids by Conference ⬇️
Bids Conference Teams
7 Atlantic Coast North Carolina, Duke, Florida State, Maryland, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech
6 Big 12 Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech
5 Big Ten Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue
5 Pacific-10 Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Southern California
5 Southeastern Tennessee, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
4 Big East Connecticut, Boston College, Notre Dame, Rutgers
4 Conference USA TCU, DePaul, Houston, Louisville
3 Atlantic 10 Temple, George Washington, Richmond
2 Mountain West New Mexico, Utah
2 Western Athletic Rice, Louisiana Tech
1 America East Hartford
1 Atlantic Sun Stetson
1 Big Sky Montana
1 Big South Liberty
1 Big West UC Santa Barbara
1 Colonial Old Dominion
1 Horizon Green Bay
1 Ivy Dartmouth
1 Metro Atlantic Canisius
1 Mid-American Bowling Green
1 Mid-Continent Oral Roberts
1 Mid-Eastern Coppin State
1 Missouri Valley Illinois State
1 Northeast St. Francis Pa.
1 Ohio Valley Eastern Ky.
1 Patriot Holy Cross
1 Southern Western Caro.
1 Southland Texas-Arlington
1 Southwestern Alcorn State
1 Sun Belt Middle Tenn.
1 West Coast Santa Clara

Geographic Distribution

State Representation

The 64 participating teams hailed from 31 states and the District of Columbia. Texas led the nation with seven teams in the tournament, followed by Virginia with five, and California, North Carolina, and Tennessee each with four representatives.

View Bids by State ⬇️
Bids State Teams
7 Texas Baylor, Rice, TCU, Texas-Arlington, Houston, Texas, Texas Tech
5 Virginia Liberty, Old Dominion, Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Tech
4 California Santa Clara, Stanford, UC Santa Barbara, Southern California
4 North Carolina North Carolina, Western Carolina, Duke, North Carolina State
3 Tennessee Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
2 Arizona Arizona, Arizona State
2 Connecticut Connecticut, Hartford
2 Florida Stetson, Florida State
2 Illinois Illinois State, DePaul
2 Indiana Notre Dame, Purdue
2 Kentucky Eastern Kentucky, Louisville
2 Louisiana Louisiana Tech, LSU
2 Maryland Coppin State, Maryland
2 Massachusetts Holy Cross, Boston College
2 Mississippi Alcorn State, Ole Miss
2 New York Canisius, St. Francis
2 Ohio Bowling Green, Ohio State
2 Oklahoma Oral Roberts, Oklahoma
2 Pennsylvania Temple, Penn State
1 District of Columbia George Washington
1 Georgia Georgia
1 Iowa Iowa State
1 Kansas Kansas State
1 Michigan Michigan State
1 Minnesota Minnesota
1 Montana Montana
1 New Hampshire Dartmouth
1 New Jersey Rutgers
1 New Mexico New Mexico
1 Oregon Oregon
1 Utah Utah
1 Wisconsin Green Bay

Tournament Brackets & Progression

Regional Showdowns

The tournament was structured into four regions: Chattanooga, Tempe, Philadelphia, and Kansas City. Each region featured a 16-team bracket, culminating in a regional final that determined the Final Four participant.

View Regional Winners ⬇️

Chattanooga Regional: The top-seeded LSU Tigers advanced to the Final Four.

Tempe Regional: The second-seeded Baylor Bears emerged victorious.

Philadelphia Regional: The top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers secured their spot in the Final Four.

Kansas City Regional: The top-seeded Michigan State Spartans claimed the regional title.

Chattanooga Regional Bracket

The Chattanooga Regional saw top-seeded LSU advance, overcoming challenges including an upset bid by 13th-seeded Liberty.

Full Bracket Details ⬇️
Chattanooga Regional
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 LSU SEC 29–2 At-large
2 Duke ACC 28–4 At-large
3 Texas Big 12 21–8 At-large
4 Penn State Big Ten 19–10 At-large
5 DePaul Conference USA 25–4 At-large
6 Georgia SEC 22–9 At-large
7 Boston College Big East 19–9 At-large
8 Oklahoma Big 12 17–12 At-large
9 Arizona Pac-10 19–11 At-large
10 Houston Conference USA 21–8 At-large
11 Rice WAC 24–8 Automatic
12 Virginia Tech ACC 17–11 At-large
13 Liberty Big South 24–6 Automatic
14 Oral Roberts Mid-Continent 22–8 Automatic
15 Canisius MAAC 21–9 Automatic
16 Stetson Atlantic Sun 17–13 Automatic

Tempe Regional Bracket

The Tempe Regional saw the emergence of Baylor, who defeated North Carolina in a highly anticipated matchup.

Full Bracket Details ⬇️
Tempe Regional
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 North Carolina ACC 28–4 Automatic
2 Baylor Big 12 27–3 Automatic
3 Minnesota Big Ten 24–7 At-large
4 Notre Dame Big East 26–5 At-large
5 Arizona State Pac-10 21–9 At-large
6 Virginia ACC 20–10 At-large
7 TCU Conference USA 23–9 Automatic
8 Ole Miss SEC 19–10 At-large
9 George Washington Atlantic 10 22–8 At-large
10 Oregon Pac-10 20–9 At-large
11 Old Dominion Colonial 22–8 Automatic
12 Eastern Kentucky Ohio Valley 23–8 Automatic
13 UC Santa Barbara Big West 21–8 Automatic
14 Saint Francis Northeast 21–9 Automatic
15 Illinois State Missouri Valley 13–17 Automatic
16 Coppin State MEAC 23–7 Automatic

Philadelphia Regional Bracket

The Philadelphia Regional was dominated by top-seeded Tennessee, though Rutgers provided a notable upset against Ohio State.

Full Bracket Details ⬇️
Philadelphia Regional
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Tennessee SEC 26–4 Automatic
2 Ohio State Big Ten 29–3 At-large
3 Rutgers Big East 25–6 At-large
4 Texas Tech Big 12 22–7 At-large
5 N.C. State ACC 21–7 At-large
6 Temple Atlantic 10 27–3 Automatic
7 Maryland ACC 21–9 At-large
8 New Mexico Mountain West 26–4 Automatic
9 Purdue Big Ten 16–12 At-large
10 Green Bay Horizon League 27–3 Automatic
11 Louisiana Tech WAC 20–9 At-large
12 Middle Tennessee Sun Belt 23–7 Automatic
13 UT Arlington Southland 21–9 Automatic
14 Hartford America East 22–8 Automatic
15 Holy Cross Patriot League 20–10 Automatic
16 Western Carolina Southern 18–13 Automatic

Kansas City Regional Bracket

The Kansas City Regional was won by top-seeded Michigan State, who famously overcame a significant deficit in the Final Four.

Full Bracket Details ⬇️
Kansas City Regional
Seed School Conference Record Berth type
1 Michigan State Big Ten 28–3 Automatic
2 Stanford Pac-10 29–2 Automatic
3 Connecticut Big East 23–7 Automatic
4 Kansas State Big 12 23–7 At-large
5 Vanderbilt SEC 22–7 At-large
6 Florida State ACC 23–7 At-large
7 Iowa State Big 12 23–6 At-large
8 USC Pac-10 19–10 At-large
9 Louisville Conference USA 22–8 At-large
10 Utah Mountain West 25–7 At-large
11 Richmond Atlantic 10 23–7 At-large
12 Montana Big Sky 22–7 Automatic
13 Bowling Green MAC 23–7 Automatic
14 Dartmouth Ivy League 17–10 Automatic
15 Santa Clara West Coast 17–13 Automatic
16 Alcorn State SWAC 21–8 Automatic

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References

References

A full list of references for this article are available at the 2005 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Wikipedia page

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Important Notice

This page was generated by an Artificial Intelligence and is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The content is derived from publicly available data and may not be entirely exhaustive or reflect the most current information. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, the data is presented as-is.

This is not sports analysis or betting advice. The information provided on this website is not a substitute for professional sports analysis, statistical evaluation, or strategic consultation. Always refer to official NCAA resources and consult with qualified sports analysts or statisticians for specific insights or predictions.

The creators of this page are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any actions taken based on the information provided herein.