1999 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

1999 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
source
Year	1999
Gender	Women's
Division	Division I
Teams	64
Final Four Arena	San Jose Arena
Final Four City	San Jose, California
Champions	Purdue
Title Count	1st
Runner-Up	Duke
Final Four	Duke, Georgia, Louisiana Tech, Purdue
MOP	Ukari Figgs (Purdue)

1999 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was the 18th edition of the NCAA's premier championship for women's college basketball. The tournament culminated with the Final Four at the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California, where the Purdue Boilermakers captured their first national title. Coached by Carolyn Peck, Purdue defeated the Duke Blue Devils in the championship game, with senior guard Ukari Figgs earning Most Outstanding Player honors.

Tournament structure

The tournament field consisted of 64 teams, maintaining the format established in 1994. The selection committee awarded 30 automatic bids to conference tournament champions and 34 at-large selections based on team performance. The Connecticut Huskies entered as the tournament's overall number one seed, having dominated the regular season. The first and second rounds were played at 16 predetermined campus sites, with the Mideast, Midwest, East, and West regionals determining the Final Four participants.

Participating teams

Automatic qualifiers included major conference champions like the ACC's Duke, the Big Ten's Purdue, and the Big East's Rutgers. Other notable automatic bids went to the SEC champion Georgia, the C-USA champion Tulane, and perennial power Louisiana Tech from the Sun Belt Conference. Prominent at-large selections featured top seeds Connecticut, Tennessee, and Louisiana Tech, alongside strong teams like the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs, Colorado, and the Iowa State Cyclones.

Tournament results

The tournament was marked by significant upsets, most notably in the East Regional where third-seeded Louisiana Tech defeated top-seeded and undefeated Connecticut in the Elite Eight. In the Mideast Regional, second-seeded Georgia advanced past North Carolina to reach the Final Four. The Midwest Regional saw top-seeded Purdue survive challenges from Rutgers and Tennessee to earn their trip to San Jose. In the West Regional, second-seeded Duke powered through, defeating Stephen F. Austin and Colorado to secure their first Final Four berth.

Bracket

In the national semifinals at the San Jose Arena, the Midwest champion Purdue faced the East champion Louisiana Tech. Purdue emerged victorious, led by Ukari Figgs and Stephanie White-McCarty. The other semifinal pitted Mideast winner Georgia against West winner Duke; the Blue Devils, coached by Gail Goestenkors, defeated the Lady Bulldogs to advance to the championship game.

Championship game

The championship game was held on March 28, 1999, at the San Jose Arena. The Purdue Boilermakers, coached by Carolyn Peck, faced the Duke Blue Devils. In a tightly contested game, Purdue secured a 62-45 victory to claim the national championship. Senior guard Ukari Figgs scored 18 points and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, while teammate Stephanie White-McCarty added 17 points. The title was the first for Purdue and made Carolyn Peck the first African-American woman to coach an NCAA Division I basketball champion. Category:NCAA Division I women's basketball tournaments Category:1999 in women's sports