# 1983 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament

The 1983 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament began on March 18 and concluded on April 3 with USC winning the title. The tournament consisted of 36 teams. The Final Four was held in Norfolk, Virginia and consisted of USC, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, and Georgia. USC's Cheryl Miller was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament.

## Notable events

Neither semifinal game in the final four turned out to be close. Defending national champion Louisiana Tech beat long time powerhouse Old Dominion by sixteen points, handing them their 30th consecutive victory. In the other semifinal, Southern California had an easier time, beating Georgia by 24 points. This set up the championship game between the only two top seeds to advance to the Final Four.
The two teams had met twice before in regular season, both coming away with a win, but in both cases, on the opponents home court. USC beat the Lady Techsters in Louisiana, 64–58, giving the La Tech team their only loss for the year. La Tech turned around and beat USC in Los Angeles by two points in January, one of only two losses suffered by the USC team all season.
The game came down to the final seconds. USC had a two-point lead with six seconds left in the game, and freshman star Cheryl Miller at the line for a one-and-one attempt. In the era before the three point shot, simply making the foul shot would virtually guarantee the win. But Miller missed the free throw, and the Techsters grabbed the rebound. The Lady Techsters ran up the court, where Kim Mulkey took the final shot, but it failed to go in, and USC won their first national championship.

## Records

In the National championship game, Jennifer White hit eight of nine free throw attempts to set a championship game record for free throw percentage.
In the same game, Cheryl Miller attempted 14 free throws, a national championship record.
The NCAA did not officially start keeping track of blocked shots in women's basketball until 1998 (it had begun doing so in the men's game in 1986). However, Anne Donovan of Old Dominion had twelve blocked shot in a regional game, two more than the official record of ten.

## Qualifying teams – automatic

Thirty-six teams were selected to participate in the 1983 NCAA Tournament. Fourteen conferences were eligible for an automatic bid to the 1983 NCAA tournament. (Not all conference records are available for 1983)
Automatic bids :
| | | Record | Record | |
| Qualifying school | Conference | Regular Season | Conference | Seed |
| Central Michigan | MAC | 20–8 | -– | 6 |
| Georgia | SEC | 24–6 | 4–4 | 2 |
| Illinois State | Gateway | 20–9 | -– | 6 |
| Indiana | Big Ten | 18–10 | -– | 6 |
| Louisville | Metro | 20–9 | -– | 7 |
| Maryland | ACC | 25–4 | 10–3 | 3 |
| Missouri | Big Eight | 23–5 | -– | 4 |
| Old Dominion | Sun Belt | 26–5 | -– | 2 |
| Oregon State | Northern Pacific | 23–5 | -– | 3 |
| Penn State | Atlantic 10 | 24–6 | -– | 5 |
| USC | Western Collegiate | 25–2 | -– | 1 |
| St. John's | Big East | 23–5 | -– | 7 |
| Texas | Southwest | 28–2 | -– | 2 |
| Utah | High Country | 22–6 | -– | 5 |
* ↑ In the NCAA record books, Illinois State is officially recognized as having been a member of both the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference (Gateway) and the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) in 1983, although the latter did not sponsor women's sports until the 1992–93 school year. The 1982–83 school year was the first for the Gateway, founded as a women's-only parallel to the MVC. In 1985, the Gateway added football as its only men's sport. After the women's side of the Gateway merged into the MVC in 1992, the football side remained in operation, and is now the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
* ↑ The NCAA recognized a Metro Conference champion, although that league would not sponsor women's sports until the 1983–84 school year.

## Qualifying teams – at-large

Twenty-two additional teams were selected to complete the thirty-six invitations. (Not all conference records are available for 1983) OR - Opening Round
At-large bids :
| | | Record | Record | |
| Qualifying school | Conference | Regular Season | Conference | Seed |
| Arizona State | Western Collegiate | 22–6 | 9–5 | 4 |
| Auburn | SEC | 23–7 | 6–2 | 5 |
| Cheyney State | Independent | 26–2 | -–- | 1 |
| Dartmouth | Ivy League | 18–7 | 11–1 | OR |
| Florida State | Metro | 24–5 | -– | 5 |
| Jackson State | SWAC | 21–7 | -– | OR |
| Kansas State | Big Eight | 24–5 | -– | 3 |
| Kentucky | SEC | 23–4 | 6–2 | 3 |
| La Salle | East Coast | 16–12 | -– | OR |
| Long Beach State | Independent | 22–6 | -– | 2 |
| Louisiana Tech | Independent | 27–1 | -–- | 1 |
| Middle Tennessee State | Ohio Valley | 25–4 | 10–0 | OR |
| Mississippi | SEC | 25–5 | 6–2 | 4 |
| Monmouth | Cosmopolitan | 14–14 | -– | OR |
| Montana | Mountain West Athletic | 26–3 | -– | OR |
| North Carolina | ACC | 22–7 | 10–3 | 7 |
| North Carolina State | ACC | 22–7 | 12–1 | 4 |
| Northeast Louisiana | Southland | 21–5 | -– | OR |
| South Carolina State | MEAC | 16–7 | -– | OR |
| Stephen F. Austin | Southland | 18–6 | -– | 7 |
| Tennessee | SEC | 23–7 | 7–1 | 1 |
| UCLA | Western Collegiate | 18–10 | -– | 6 |

## Bids by conference

Twenty-two conferences earned an automatic bid. In sixteen cases, the automatic bid was the only representative from the conference. Thirteen at-large teams were selected from six of the conferences. In addition, three independent (not associated with an athletic conference) teams earned at-large bids.
| Bids | Conference | Teams |
| 5 | SEC | Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee |
| 3 | ACC | Maryland, North Carolina, North Carolina State |
| 3 | Independent | Cheyney, Long Beach State, Louisiana Tech |
| 3 | Western Collegiate | Arizona State, UCLA, USC |
| 2 | Big 8 | Kansas State, Missouri |
| 2 | Metro | Florida State, Louisville |
| 2 | Southland | Northeast Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin |
| 1 | Atlantic 10 | Penn State |
| 1 | Big East | St. John's |
| 1 | Big Ten | Indiana |
| 1 | Cosmopolitan | Monmouth |
| 1 | East Coast | La Salle |
| 1 | Gateway | Illinois State |
| 1 | High Country | Utah |
| 1 | Ivy League | Dartmouth |
| 1 | MAC | Central Michigan |
| 1 | MEAC | South Carolina State |
| 1 | Mountain West Athletic | Montana |
| 1 | Northern Pacific | Oregon State |
| 1 | OVC | Middle Tennessee State |
| 1 | Southwest | Texas |
| 1 | Sun Belt | Old Dominion |
| 1 | SWAC | Jackson State |

## Bids by state

The thirty-six teams represented twenty-four states, plus Washington, D.C. California and Pennsylvania had the most teams with three each. Twenty-six states did not have any teams receiving bids.
| Bids | State | Teams |
| 3 | California | Southern California, Long Beach St., UCLA |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | Penn St., Cheyney, La Salle |
| 2 | Kentucky | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 2 | Louisiana | Louisiana Tech, Northeast Louisiana |
| 2 | Mississippi | Jackson St., Mississippi |
| 2 | North Carolina | North Carolina, North Carolina St. |
| 2 | Tennessee | Middle Tenn., Tennessee |
| 2 | Texas | Texas, Stephen F. Austin |
| 1 | Alabama | Auburn |
| 1 | Arizona | Arizona St. |
| 1 | Florida | Florida State |
| 1 | Georgia | Georgia |
| 1 | Illinois | Illinois St.. |
| 1 | Indiana | Indiana |
| 1 | Kansas | Kansas St. |
| 1 | Maryland | Maryland |
| 1 | Michigan | Central Michigan |
| 1 | Missouri | Missouri |
| 1 | Montana | Montana |
| 1 | New Hampshire | Dartmouth |
| 1 | New Jersey | Monmouth |
| 1 | New York | St. John's NY |
| 1 | Oregon | Oregon St. |
| 1 | South Carolina | South Carolina St. |
| 1 | Utah | Utah |
| 1 | Virginia | Old Dominion |

## First round

In 1983, the field expanded from 32 to 36 teams. The teams were seeded, and assigned to four geographic regions, with seeds 1-9 in each region. The 8 and 9 seeds in each region played a play-in game, called the opening round (OR). In the opening round and Round 1, the higher seed was given the opportunity to host the first-round game, and all but one of the higher seeds hosted. Missouri was a 4 seed, but unable to host, so the game was played at 5 seed Auburn.
The following table lists the region, host school, venue and location. The opening round games are denoted with "OR".
| Region | Host | Venue | City | State |
| OR West | Northeast Louisiana University | Ewing Coliseum | Monroe | Louisiana |
| OR East | Dartmouth College | Alumni Gymnasium | Hanover | New Hampshire |
| OR Mideast | La Salle University | Hayman Hall (Tom Gola Arena) | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania |
| OR Midwest | Jackson State University | Williams Assembly Center | Jackson | Mississippi |
| East | Old Dominion University | Old Dominion University Fieldhouse | Norfolk | Virginia |
| East | University of Maryland, College Park | Cole Field House | College Park | Maryland |
| East | Cheyney State University of Pennsylvania | Cope Hall | Cheyney | Pennsylvania |
| East | North Carolina State University | Reynolds Coliseum | Raleigh | North Carolina |
| Mideast | University of Tennessee | Stokely Athletic Center | Knoxville | Tennessee |
| Mideast | University of Kentucky | Memorial Coliseum | Lexington | Kentucky |
| Mideast | University of Mississippi | Tad Smith Coliseum | University | Mississippi |
| Mideast | University of Georgia | Georgia Coliseum (Stegeman Coliseum) | Athens | Georgia |
| Midwest | Kansas State University | Ahearn Field House | Manhattan | Kansas |
| Midwest | Louisiana Tech University | Thomas Assembly Center | Ruston | Louisiana |
| Midwest | Auburn University | Memorial Coliseum (Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum) | Auburn | Alabama |
| Midwest | University of Texas at Austin | Frank Erwin Center | Austin | Texas |
| West | California State University, Long Beach | University Gym (Gold Mine) | Long Beach | California |
| West | Arizona State University | University Activity Center (Wells Fargo Arena) | Tempe | Arizona |
| West | University of Southern California | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | Los Angeles | California |
| West | Oregon State University | Gill Coliseum | Corvallis | Oregon |

## Regionals and Final Four

The regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 24 to March 27 at these sites:
* East Regional Recreation Building (Rec Hall), University Park, Pennsylvania (Host: Pennsylvania State University )
* Midwest Regional Thomas Assembly Center, Ruston, Louisiana (Host: Louisiana Tech University)
* Mideast Regional Athletic & Convocation Center, Notre Dame, Indiana (Host: University of Notre Dame)
* West Regional Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California (Host: University of California, Los Angeles)
Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held April 1 and 3 in Norfolk, Virginia, at the Norfolk Scope. Old Dominion University served as the host institution.

## Brackets
### East regional – Penn State University - University Park, PA (Rec Hall)

| Opening round March 15 | Opening round March 15 |
| Dartmouth | 58 |
| Monmouth | 77 |
| First round March 18 and 19 | First round March 18 and 19 | First round March 18 and 19 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional finals March 26 | Regional finals March 26 | Regional finals March 26 |
| 1 | Cheyney | 107 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Monmouth | 35 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Monmouth | 35 | 1 | Cheyney | 72 | | | |
| | | | 5 | Penn St. | 73 | | | |
| 4 | N.C. State | 80 | 5 | Penn St. | 73 | | | |
| 5 | Penn State | 94 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Penn State | 94 | | | | 5 | Penn State | 60 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Old Dominion | 74 |
| 3 | Maryland | 94 | | | | | | | 2 | Old Dominion | 74 |
| 6 | Central Michigan | 71 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Central Michigan | 71 | 3 | Maryland | 57 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Old Dominion | 74 | | | |
| 2 | Old Dominion | 86 | 2 | Old Dominion | 74 | | | |
| 7 | St John's | 63 | | | | | | |

### Midwest regional – Louisiana Tech - Ruston, LA (Thomas Assembly Center)

| Opening Round March 15 | Opening Round March 15 |
| Jackson State | 61 |
| MTSU | 64 |
| First round March 18 and 19 | First round March 18 and 19 | First round March 18 and 19 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional finals March 27 | Regional finals March 27 | Regional finals March 27 |
| 1 | Louisiana Tech | 91 | | | | | | |
| 8 | MTSU | 59 | | | | | | |
| 8 | MTSU | 59 | 1 | Louisiana Tech | 81 | | | |
| | | | 5 | Auburn | 54 | | | |
| 4 | Missouri | 76 | 5 | Auburn | 54 | | | |
| 5 | Auburn | 94 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Auburn | 94 | | | | 1 | Louisiana Tech | 72 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Texas | 58 |
| 3 | Kansas State | 91 | | | | | | | 2 | Texas | 58 |
| 6 | Illinois State | 72 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Illinois State | 72 | 3 | Kansas State | 70 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Texas | 73$^{OT}$ | | | |
| 2 | Texas | 84 | 2 | Texas | 73$^{OT}$ | | | |
| 7 | Louisville | 55 | | | | | | |

### Mideast regional – Notre Dame - Notre Dame, IN Edmund P. Joyce Center

| Opening round March 16 | Opening round March 16 |
| La Salle | 67 |
| South Carolina State | 85 |
| First round March 18 and 19 | First round March 18 and 19 | First round March 18 and 19 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional semifinals March 24 and 25 | Regional finals March 26 | Regional finals March 26 | Regional finals March 26 |
| 1 | Tennessee | 86 | | | | | | |
| 8 | South Carolina State | 51 | | | | | | |
| 8 | South Carolina State | 51 | 1 | Tennessee | 90$^{3OT}$ | | | |
| | | | 4 | Mississippi | 83 | | | |
| 4 | Mississippi | 86 | 4 | Mississippi | 83 | | | |
| 5 | Florida State | 76 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Florida State | 76 | | | | 1 | Tennessee | 63 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Georgia | 67 |
| 3 | Kentucky | 76 | | | | | | | 2 | Georgia | 67 |
| 6 | Indiana | 87 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Indiana | 87 | 6 | Indiana | 70 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Georgia | 86 | | | |
| 2 | Georgia | 72 | 2 | Georgia | 86 | | | |
| 7 | North Carolina | 70 | | | | | | |

### West regional – UCLA - Los Angeles, CA (Pauley Pavilion)

| Opening round March 15 | Opening round March 15 |
| Northeast Louisiana | 72 |
| Montana | 53 |
| First round March 18–19 | First round March 18–19 | First round March 18–19 | Regional semifinals March 24–25 | Regional semifinals March 24–25 | Regional semifinals March 24–25 | Regional finals March 27 | Regional finals March 27 | Regional finals March 27 |
| 1 | Southern California | 99 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Northeast Louisiana | 85 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Northeast Louisiana | 85 | 1 | Southern California | 96 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Arizona State | 59 | | | |
| 4 | Arizona State | 78 | 4 | Arizona State | 59 | | | |
| 5 | Utah | 64 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Utah | 64 | | | | 1 | Southern California | 81 |
| | | | | | | 2 | Long Beach State | 74 |
| 3 | Oregon State | 75 | | | | | | | 2 | Long Beach State | 74 |
| 6 | UCLA | 62 | | | | | | |
| 6 | UCLA | 62 | 3 | Oregon State | 72 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Long Beach State | 92 | | | |
| 2 | Long Beach State | 88 | 2 | Long Beach State | 92 | | | |
| 7 | Stephen F. Austin | 61 | | | | | | |

### Final Four – Norfolk, Virginia

| National semifinals April 1 | National semifinals April 1 | National semifinals April 1 | National championship April 3 | National championship April 3 | National championship April 3 |
| 2E | Old Dominion | 55 | | | |
| 1MW | Louisiana Tech | 71 | | | |
| 1MW | Louisiana Tech | 71 | 1MW | Louisiana Tech | 67 |
| | | | 1W | Southern California | 69 |
| 2ME | Georgia | 57 | 1W | Southern California | 69 |
| 1W | Southern California | 81 | | | |

## Record by conference

Fifteen conferences had more than one bid, or at least one win in NCAA Tournament play:
| Conference | # of Bids | Record | Win % | Round of 32 | Sweet Sixteen | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship Game |
| Southeastern | 5 | 7–5 | .583 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | – |
| Independent | 3 | 7–3 | .700 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Western Collegiate | 3 | 6–2 | .750 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Atlantic Coast | 3 | 1–3 | .250 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Big Eight | 2 | 1–2 | .333 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Southland | 2 | 1–2 | .333 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Metro | 2 | 0–2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sun Belt | 1 | 3–1 | .750 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| Atlantic 10 | 1 | 2–1 | .667 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| Southwest | 1 | 2–1 | .667 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| Big Ten | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Cosmopolitan | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mid-Eastern | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Northern Pacific | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Ohio Valley | 1 | 1–1 | .500 | – | – | – | – | – |
Eight conferences went 0-1: Big East, East Coast, Gateway, High Country, Ivy League, MAC, Mountain West Athletic, and SWAC

## All-Tournament team

* Cheryl Miller, Southern California
* Paula McGee, Southern California
* Janice Lawrence, Louisiana Tech
* Jennifer White, Louisiana Tech
* Anne Donovan, Old Dominion

## Game officials

* Jan Donahue (semifinal)
* Skip Gill (semifinal)
* Kit Robinson (semifinal, final)
* Pete Stewart (semifinal, final)