2012–13 NCAA Division I women's basketball season

Season headlines

• October 30 – The AP preseason All-American team was named. Three players received all 40 possible votes from the media panel—Baylor center Brittney Griner, Notre Dame point guard Skylar Diggins, and Delaware's multi-positional Elena Delle Donne. They were joined by Stanford power forward Chiney Ogwumike (23 votes), Baylor point guard Odyssey Sims (19), and Maryland power forward Alyssa Thomas (19). Sims and Thomas tied in the voting, creating a sixth spot on the team.
• December 15 – The seven Big East Conference schools that do not sponsor FBS football (DePaul, Georgetown, St. John's, Providence, Villanova, Seton Hall and Marquette, collectively called the "Catholic 7") announced that they would break from the Big East and pursue other conference affiliation. The move leaves Connecticut as the only original Big East member set to remain in the conference.
• February 28 – ESPN reports that the "Catholic 7" will launch their new conference in July 2013, two years ahead of schedule, and will purchase the rights to the "Big East" name from the remaining conference schools. Two Atlantic 10 Conference members, Butler (which had only joined the A10 in July 2012) and Xavier, will reportedly join the new Big East, with Missouri Valley Conference member Creighton also a possibility.
• March 8 – The Big East split is officially announced. As previously reported, the "Catholic 7" will leave on June 30 with the Big East name. As of the announcement, the "Catholic 7" were the only members of the new Big East, but Butler, Xavier, and Creighton were added March 20.

Milestones and records

• January 6, 2014 - Missouri's Morgan Eye hit 11 three-pointers in a game against Auburn, tied for third most three-pointers in a single game (in NCAA history).
• February 22, 2013 - Saint Peters' Bridget Whitfield hit eight of eight three-point attempts, tied for third most (in NCAA history) without a miss.
• Baylor's Brittney Griner scored 3,283 points in her career, the third highest career total in NCAA history.
• Baylor's Brittney Griner recorded more than 2,000 points and 500 rebounds, the only player in NCAA history to reach that milestone.

Coaching wins milestones

• 900 victories - Sylvia Hatchell - University of North Carolina. February 7 versus Boston College.
• 900 victories - Andy Landers - University of Georgia. February 24 versus Mississippi.
• 900 victories - C. Vivian Stringer - Rutgers University. February 26 versus South Florida.
• 700 victories - Muffet McGraw - University of Notre Dame. February 5 versus Villanova.
• 600 victories - Lisa Bluder - University of Iowa. January 20 versus Purdue.

Conference membership changes

Main article: 2010–13 NCAA conference realignment

The 2012–13 season saw the second wave of membership changes resulting from a major realignment of NCAA Division I conferences. The cycle began in 2010 with the Big Ten and the then-Pac-10 publicly announcing their intentions to expand. The fallout from these conferences' moves later affected a majority of D-I conferences.

In addition, two schools are moving from Division II starting this season. These schools will be ineligible for NCAA-sponsored postseason play until completing their D-I transitions in 2016. Finally, one school that had announced a transition to Division II, New Orleans, announced that it would halt its transition and remain in Division I.

New arenas

• Coastal Carolina left behind one of the smallest venues in Division I basketball, Kimbel Arena (seating little over 1,000). The Chanticleers remained on campus at the new HTC Center.
• Troy left its on-campus home, the original Trojan Arena, for a new on-campus venue also named Trojan Arena.

Major rule changes

• There is now unlimited contact, including text messaging, allowed between college coaches and a prospective player in high school and junior college recruiting.

Season outlook

Pre-season polls

The top 25 from the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls.

|

|}

Regular season

A number of early-season tournaments marked the beginning of the college basketball season.

Early-season tournaments

*****Although these tournaments include more teams, only the number listed play for the championship.

Conference winners and tournaments

Thirty athletic conferences each end their regular seasons with a single-elimination tournament. The teams in each conference that win their regular season title are given the number one seed in each tournament. The winners of these tournaments receive automatic invitations to the 2013 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The Ivy League does not have a conference tournament, instead giving their automatic invitation to their regular season champion. As of 2013, the Great West Conference does not have an automatic bid to the NCAA Men or Women's College Tournament.

Statistical leaders

--

Postseason tournaments

NCAA tournament

Main article: 2013 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament

Final Four – New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana

April 7 April 9 | score-width= | team-width= | RD1-seed1=OKC 5 | RD1-team1=Louisville | RD1-score1=64 | RD1-seed2=SPK 2 | RD1-team2=California | RD1-score2=57 | RD1-seed3=NRF 1 | RD1-team3=Notre Dame | RD1-score3=65 | RD1-seed4=BRP 1 | RD1-team4=Connecticut | RD1-score4=83

| RD2-seed1=OKC 5 | RD2-team1=Louisville | RD2-score1=60 | RD2-seed2=BRP 1 | RD2-team2=Connecticut | RD2-score2=93

Tournament upsets

For this list, a "major upset" is defined as a win by a team seeded 7 or more spots below its defeated opponent.

Women's National Invitation tournament

Main article: 2013 Women's National Invitation Tournament

After the NCAA Tournament field is announced, 64 teams were invited to participate in the Women's National Invitation Tournament. The tournament began on March 20, 2013, and ended with the final on April 6. Unlike the men's National Invitation Tournament, whose semifinals and finals are held at Madison Square Garden, the WNIT holds all of its games at campus sites.

WNIT Semifinals and Final

Played at campus sites April 3 April 6 | RD1-team1=Utah | RD1-team2=Kansas State | RD1-score1=54OT | RD1-score2= 46 | RD1-team3=Drexel | RD1-team4=Florida | RD1-score3=67 | RD1-score4=57

| RD2-team1=Utah | RD2-team2=Drexel | RD2-score1=43 | RD2-score2=46

Award winners

Consensus All-American teams

Main article: 2013 NCAA Women's Basketball All-Americans

Major player of the year awards

• **Wooden Award: **Brittney Griner, Baylor
• Naismith Award: Brittney Griner, Baylor
• Associated Press Player of the Year: Brittney Griner, Baylor
• Wade Trophy: Brittney Griner, Baylor

Major freshman of the year awards

• USBWA National Freshman of the Year (USBWA): Jewell Loyd

Major coach of the year awards

• Associated Press Coach of the Year: Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame
• Naismith College Coach of the Year: Muffet McGraw
• WBCA National Coach of the Year Award: Muffet McGraw

Other major awards

• Nancy Lieberman Award (best point guard): Skylar Diggins
• Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (best senior 5'8"/1.78 m or shorter): Alex Bentley, Penn State
• Senior CLASS Award (top senior): Elena Delle Donne
• Maggie Dixon Award (top first-year head coach): Holly Warlick
• Academic All-American of the Year (Top scholar-athlete): Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
• Elite 89 Award (Top GPA among upperclass players at Final Four): Jude Schimmel, Louisville

Coaching changes

A number of teams changed coaches during and after the season. !Team !Former coach !Interim coach !New coach !Reason |- |Connecticut |Jim Calhoun | |Kevin Ollie

|

|

|

|

|

| |O'Neill was fired on January 14, 2013. USC athletic director Pat Haden cited "new energy" was needed for their program. |}--

References

References

1. (October 30, 2012). "Preseason Women's All-America List". [[Fox News Channel.
2. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/sports/ncaabasketball/seven-basketball-schools-vote-to-leave-big-east.html?ref=sports It’s Official: An Exodus Will Redraw the Big East], accessed December 16, 2012
3. (February 28, 2013). "Sources: Xavier, Butler also joining". ESPN.com.
4. (March 8, 2013). "Catholic 7 departing June 30". ESPN.com.
5. "Division I Women's Basketball Records".
6. "Division I Women's Basketball Records".
7. "Division I Women's Basketball Records".
8. "Division I Women's Basketball Records".
9. "Voepel: UNC's Hatchell joins 900-win club". ESPN.com.
10. "Landers notches 900th coaching win; Georgia women beat Ole Miss". savannahnow.com.
11. "Stringer wins 900th game; Rutgers defeats South Florida, 68-56". NJ.com.
12. Batterson, Steve. "Bluder wins No. 600 as Iowa routs Purdue". The Quad-City Times.
13. [http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/recruiting/blog/eye-on-college-basketball-recruiting/19541206/with-changes-in-recruiting-rules-july-live-period-looks-different NCAA changes July recruiting period], accessed October 12, 2012
14. (November 5, 2012). "2013 NCAA Women's Basketball Rankings – AP Top 25 Preseason". ESPN.
15. "2013-2014 Women's Basketball Outlook – Looking for a Three-Peat". UAlbanySports.com.
16. "WNBA.com: Prospect: Chantell Alford".
17. "UAlbany extends coach's contract". Times Union.
18. (March 7, 2013). "Hailey, Jabir Headline Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Awards". Atlantic 10 Conference.
19. (March 7, 2013). "ACC Honors Women's Basketball Players of the Year". Atlantic Coast Conference.
20. (March 7, 2013). "Duke's McCallie, Maryland's Frese Receive ACC Honors". Atlantic Coast Conference.
21. (March 5, 2013). "2012-13 Women's Basketball Honors and Awards". Atlantic Sun Conference.
22. (March 7, 2013). "2012-13 Phillips 66 All-Big 12 Women's Basketball Awards". Big 12 Conference.
23. (March 8, 2013). "Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins Named BIG EAST Player of the Year for the Second Straight Year". Big East Conference.
24. (March 11, 2013). "Big Sky Announces Women's Basketball All-Conference Team and Award Winners". Big Sky Conference.
25. (March 19, 2013). "Selvig Named Big Sky Coach of the Year". Big Sky Conference.
26. "Coastal's Jordan earns spot on BSC All-Academic Team". Grand Strand Sports Report.
27. (4 March 2013). "Maggie Lucas Named Big Ten Player of the Year, Washington Named Coach of the Year - Onward State".
28. "Yori named Big Ten coach of the year {{!}} Women's Basketball {{!}} journalstar.com".
29. (2013-03-11). "Molly Schlemer Named Big West Conference Player of the Year". Cal Poly.
30. (2013-03-11). "Roberts Named Coach Of The Year As All Five Tiger Starters Earned All-Conference Honors For Women's Basketball". Pacific.
31. (March 13, 2013). "Delaware's Delle Donne Earns Third CAA Player of the Year Honor in 2013". [[Colonial Athletic Association]].
32. (March 11, 2013). "Macy Named C-USA Coach of the Year, Mial Claims Sixth Player Award". Conference-USA.
33. (March 12, 2013). "MAC Announces Individual Award Winners In Women's Basketball". Mid-American Conference.
34. (March 10, 2013). "MEAC Announces Women's Basketball All-Conference Honors". Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
35. (March 5, 2013). "Army Sweeps Patriot League Major Awards In Unprecedented Fashion". Patriot League.
36. (March 3, 2013). "2012–13 SEC Women's Basketball: Week 18". Southeastern Conference.
37. Texas Southern had the league's best record, but was not recognized as regular-season champion because of major NCAA sanctions.
38. (March 5, 2013). "West Coast Conference Announces 2013 Women's Basketball All-Conference Team". West Coast Conference.
39. (April 13, 2013). "Griner, Burke win Wooden Award". [[The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus]].
40. Parchman, Will. (April 14, 2013). "Goodbye to Griner". [[Waco Tribune-Herald]].
41. (April 7, 2013). "Brittney Griner earns AP honor". ESPN.com.
42. (April 8, 2013). "Griner Wins Wade Trophy and WBCA Defensive POY".
43. (April 6, 2013). "Muffet McGraw named top coach". ESPN.com.
44. (2013-02-21). "Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, Ohio State's Aaron Craft top Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Basketball Teams". [[College Sports Information Directors of America]].
45. Katz, Andy. "UConn's Jim Calhoun retires". [[ESPN]].
46. "ODU fires coach Blaine Taylor". [[ESPN]].
47. "Tim Carter steps down as coach". ESPN.com.
48. (September 21, 2012). "Billy Gillispie resigns as Texas Tech coach". usatoday.com.
49. "Randy Monroe Resigns as Head Men's Basketball Coach at UMBC; Aki Thomas Named Acting Head Coach". Americaneagle.com.
50. [https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/8843050/kevin-oneill-usc-trojans-coach Kevin O'Neill out as USC coach]. ESPN.com. January 13, 2013. Retrieved on January 14, 2013.