UNC Final Four Pre-Game Notes

April 2, 2006

2006 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four All-Tournament Pre-Semifinals Notes

This is the first time in women's NCAA tournament history that three schools from the same conference have been in the Final Four. The only time the men had three teams from the same conference was in 1985 when Big East teams St. Johns, Georgetown and Villanova were in the Final Four.

This is the seventh time in the 25 year history of the NCAA tournament that three No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four. It is the fourth time in five years three No. 1 seeds have advanced (02, 03, 05, 06). In addition, the fourth team in six of the seven years was a No. 2 seed (exception was 1989 when all four seeds were No. 1s).

The last tw

national champions (2004 UConn, 2005 Baylor) were No. 2 seeds.

ESPN's four-game regional finals coverage was the most viewed (1.3 million households) and averaged the second-highest rating ever (1.48) in the network's history. The UConn vs. Duke regional final was the most viewed regional final in ESPN's 11 year history with a 1.95 rating or 1.7 million households.

The 620 media credentials issued for this year's Final Four is the third most behind the record 2000 Philadelphia with 692, and 1997 Cincinnati with 637.

The tournament features the top three highest scoring teams in the nation led by Duke with 87.0 points per game. Maryland is second at 83.5, and UNC is third averaging 82.6 points per game.

The school that is most closely located to Boston (College Park, MD at 435 miles) als

went the longest distance to get to the Final Four in Boston. Maryland traveled 4,645 miles to appear in Bean Town. LSU, located 1,591 from Boston, traveled 3,699 miles, and UNC located 720 miles in Chapel Hill, NC, traveled 2,834 miles. Duke University located 708 miles away in Durham, NC, traveled 2,178. (includes flights home between rounds).

This is the 14th consecutive sellout and 15th all-time sellout in NCA history. This weekend's attendance of 18,642 ranks eighth most for a Final Four dating back to 1982.

For the first time in history at all four regional final games, no lead was more than double figures with less than a minute remaining in regulation play.

The NCAA's 100th birthday was yesterday, March 31, 2006. This is the 25th anniversary of NCAA women's championships.

This is the fifth consecutive year a men's or women's team from the same school has participated in a Final Four. Oklahoma 2002, Texas 2003, UConn 2004 (only time both teams won), Michigan State 2005.

Candice Parker of Tennessee recorded the first dunks in NCAA tournament history vs. Army in the first round on March 19, 2006. She also had a never before seen baseline backdoor dunk as a second dunk in the same game.

Only two schools have appeared in every NCAA Women's Tournament since 1982. Tennessee and Louisiana Tech are the only two schools to make 25-straight appearances.

The 27 points by Southern vs. Duke in the first round on March 19, 2006, was the fewest points ever scored in an NCAA tournament game.

The loss by No. 1 seed Ohio State to Boston College in the second round was the first time a top seed lost since 1998 when No. 1 Stanford lost to Harvard in the first round, and Texas Tech lost to Notre Dame in the second round. It was only the sixth time in 25 years a top seed has not made it to the round of 16.

BC's win over OSU in the second round ended the Buckeyes longest winning streak in the nation at 20. Stanford's win over Oklahoma ended the second longest winning streak at 19.

There were just 2 overtimes in the 2006 tournament (Utah vs. Maryland and Duke v Uconn in the regional finals). In 1996 a record five overtimes took place during the tournament including the national semifinal UConn vs. Tennessee won Tennessee, 88-83.

UConn had won 29 straight NCAA games in the State of Connecticut prior to regional loss to Duke. (it was the first ever meeting between Duke and UConn in the tournament).

UNC

UNC is making its second Final Four appearance, having won the championship in 1994.

North Carolina is looking to become the sixth school t

win more than one NCAA Division I women's basketball championship. The five schools with multiple national titles are: Tennessee (6), Connecticut (5), Louisiana Tech (2), Southern California (2) and Stanford (2).

UNC is one of 17 teams that have entered the tournament with one loss or fewer.

This season marks the second consecutive 30-win campaign for North Carolina and the fourth in the program's 32-year history. The Tarheels went 33-2 in 1993-94, 30-5 in 1994-95 and 30-4 in 2004-05.

North Carolina set a new ACC and school record this season by opening the campaign with a 22-0 record. The previous ACC record was a 20-0 mark set by Duke in 2002-03 (and matched by the Blue Devils this year), while UNC's prior best debut was an 18-0 start in 1994-95 - that had been the school record for the longest winning streak in a single season before this year's run. The Tarheels' record for the longest winning streak at any time is 32 games (Feb. 12, 1994-Jan. 22, 1995).

UNC won its third ACC regular-season title (second outright) in 2006, having also earned the crown in 1997 and 2005 (shared with Duke). North Carolina's 13-3 record matched its third-best league mark ever, topped only by a 15-1 record in 1996-97 and a 14-2 ledger in 1993-94 (UNC also went 13-3 in 2002-03).

North Carolina won its seventh ACC Tournament championship, and second in a row, in 2006. The Tarheels have hoisted the ACC postseason hardware in 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2005 and 2006.

Sylvia Hatchell is one of only five D-1 coaches with 700 wins.

MARYLAND

First Final Four appearance since 1989 and third in school history.

Maryland was in the first NCAA tournament in 1982 losing to Cheyney State in the semifinals 89-78.

This is Maryland's first 30-win season in school history.

UNC's only loss this season was to Maryland, 98-95 in overtime during the regular season.

This is Coach Brenda Frese' first Final Four appearance. Should Maryland win the championship, she would be one of only 10 coaches to win in her first Final Four event. The others are Sylvia Hatchell, Kim Mulkey Robertson, Carolyn Peck, Marsha Sharp, Tara Van Derveer, Marianne Stanley, Jodi Conradt and Leon Barmore/Sonja Hogg.

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