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Forty years later, the first NCAA Final Four reverberates through the sport

Louisiana Tech’s Janice Lawrence shoots over a Cheyney State player in the 1982 national championship game. (George Tiedemann/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

The moment Boe Pearman stepped foot on the court in Norfolk Scope Arena before the start of the 1982 NCAA Women’s Final Four is cemented in her memory. Gleaming wooden bleachers lined the court. Fans filled the gymnasium. Reporters and television cameras jockeyed for space.

When Pearman paused to look around, she felt the electricity in the arena.

“It was a ‘wow’ moment,” says the former Maryland starter. “Wow, this is what coach was talking about.”

To this day, Pearman can still see the crowd and hear people cheering. She also remembers her coach, Chris Weller, emphasizing the significance of the first NCAA Final Four in women’s basketball history in the lead-up to the event.

“There were Final Fours before, and there’ll be Final Fours after, but we were gonna be the very first NCAA Final Four,” Pearman recalls Weller saying. “And what a great opportunity that would be for our team, and program, individually, et cetera, to be in that historical moment for the growth of women’s basketball.”

Before 1982, Division I women’s national basketball tournaments were organized and held by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). Starting in 1971, and accelerating in conjunction with Title IX in 1972, the AIAW endeavored to establish a foundation for growth, evolution and a pathway to equality for women’s collegiate sports — functioning similarly as the NCAA did for men’s sports.

The AIAW successfully raised the platform and created opportunities for women athletes, but it lagged behind the NCAA in funding and television contracts. That would play a crucial role in 1982 when the NCAA opted to hold its first women’s basketball tournament. Not every school was on board, but when 17 of the top 20 programs — including Louisiana Tech, Tennessee, Old Dominion and Maryland — decided to participate, it signaled the beginning of the end for the AIAW and the start of something bigger.

“It was a huge step,” says Tanya Haave, a sophomore for Tennessee at the time. “You’re there with the men, and all that. The biggest thing was it provided that credibility.”

Haave, now the head coach of the Metropolitan State University at Denver women’s basketball team, didn’t grasp the significance of it back then. She was a young college athlete under the tutelage of legendary coach Pat Summit and was focused on playing basketball.

“We had actually been in a Final Four the year before, and it was with the AIAW,” Haave says. “At the time, I guess I didn’t really know what I didn’t know. So we’d been in a Final Four, but I think you could definitely feel a difference now that the NCAA had taken over, in terms of the resources committed to it and the marketing with it. And it seemed to be a level above.”

In 1981, C. Vivian Stringer attended an event for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as the head coach of Cheyney State. The topic of participating with the NCAA was brought to the table. Other sports had already combined AIAW and NCAA tournaments and events, including gymnastics, softball and golf.

“We had a meeting, and they were discussing the fact that they believed that the NCAA only wanted to take over women’s sports because of the Title IX issue,” Stringer recalls. “And they were saying that as soon as Title IX came up, that we would not get an opportunity to have our voices heard, and that basically the guys would go ahead and take over and there would be nothing left.”

She spoke up about the lack of bigger venues and advertising at AIAW tournament games. The room went silent. Afterwards, other coaches confided in Stringer that she had made a great point and they were glad she had said something.

“My father taught me a long time ago to speak my mind and don’t be afraid ever to say what I think,” Stringer says.

The upside of joining the NCAA was too enticing to ignore. It offered more funding, transportation coverage, a wider audience, larger venues, better marketing and promotion, and television contracts. The AIAW couldn’t compete, and many women’s basketball programs decided to make the leap.

Thirty-two teams participated in the inaugural NCAA women’s basketball tournament the following year. Louisiana Tech, Tennessee, Cheyney State and Maryland made it to the Final Four, hosted at Old Dominion University. The Lady Techsters were the favorites.

“Because it was the very first NCAA Final Four, everything they did, they tried to make it special for us,” says Pearman. “I remember talking to some of my teammates about it. Like, this is bigger than just going to a Final Four.”

Maryland had never been to any Final Four before, so Pearman and her teammates didn’t know what to expect. All they knew was that they were going up against a very quick and athletic Cheyney State squad.

“We knew going in it was going to be a tough game. We always tried to play Cheyney in the regular season, and we knew how athletic they were gonna be,” Pearman says. “But we thought we could go in and at least give it our best shot and see what could happen.”

The Wolves may have had the edge on the Terrapins from a basketball standpoint, but Maryland was a much bigger school with significantly more funding. Cheyney State, the first historically Black college or university (HBCU), at the time was a small school with few resources. People didn’t even know where the university was located and often asked how to pronounce it, Stringer says.

“We found our way because we were a hard-nosed team. We believed in ourselves very much. I was so proud of them, I can’t even tell you,” she says. “We didn’t have the same equipment, we didn’t even have a trainer. Our trainers were students that were studying to be trainers. We did not have anything. But we believed in ourselves.”

Stringer successfully guided Cheyney State past Maryland, 76-66. In the other semifinal, Tennessee took on Louisiana Tech. Haave, Tennessee’s forward, remembers the game all too well.

“I remember getting our rear ends kicked,” she says with a laugh. “From the post position, I think they were bigger, a little more athletic than we were. And it just seemed like we struggled with that part of the game, struggled scoring. I remember getting beat pretty handedly.”

The Lady Techsters defeated the Lady Vols, 69-46, to advance to the first NCAA women’s championship game. And on March 28, 1982, Cheyney State and Louisiana Tech tipped off in front of 7,000 fans, and even more watching on CBS.

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Louisiana Tech took down Tennessee in one of two NCAA Final Four games in 1982. (George Tiedemann /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

It was exciting for everyone involved, but Stringer had more than basketball on her mind. As she looked out over the crowd, she kept thinking about her infant daughter, Janine, who was in the Philadelphia children’s hospital after contracting spinal meningitis.

“I had some ambivalence going in,” Stringer recalls. “Anytime that I practiced, I would immediately leave and go to the hospital.”

Janine’s health was “touch and go” for a while, Stringer explained, and the emotions of the situation weighed on her as she assumed her spot on Cheyney State’s sideline that day.

“My daughter was left without the ability to walk or talk or do anything. I’m grateful that she’s able to continue to live. They didn’t think she’d be able to live beyond 14 years old,” Stringer says. “As a parent, you can imagine that I’m sitting there in the midst of all this hoopla and thinking, I don’t know what to do. I was there, but I wasn’t there.”

Somehow, Stringer held it together. And even though she knew her team was smaller in size than Lousisana Tech’s, she had them believing in themselves to the fullest extent. They could shoot and they were quick. Those were the qualities that got them to the championship game, and they were the ones the team trusted in now.

The Wolves jumped out to a 22-18 lead early in the first half, keeping pace with the Lady Techsters basket for basket. Then the shots stopped falling, and Cheyney State fell behind. With Kim Mulkey running the point and Janice Lawrence leading the way with 20 points, Louisiana Tech never looked back, winning the first NCAA championship 76-62.

Despite the loss, Stringer felt pride in being part of such a historic moment.

“It’s always the first, and it’s just like anything — the first love that you have,” she says. “[I’m thinking during the game], I can’t believe that I’m here. I’m at the Scope. Wow, we are at the Scope.”

Pearman returned to the Final Four in 1989 as an assistant coach for Maryland and saw how much the event had grown in just six years. Then she watched as Oregon forward Sedona Prince’s video of the weight room at the 2021 NCAA Tournament drew attention to the disparities between the women’s resources and the men’s, and momentum behind the women’s game accelerated in a way that she’d never seen before.

“I think the greatest growth came from COVID to now, because the women finally had the strength to speak up and say, ‘This isn’t OK anymore,’” Pearman says. “We’re tired of being treated less than. I think that has allowed the moment now to be magnified, and people are now doing so much more for this Final Four than has ever been done before.”

Haave sees it, too. That’s why she makes it a point to have regular conversations with her Metropolitan State players about the history of the game. She doesn’t want them to forget the trailblazers like Kay Yow, Jody Conradt, Summit and Stringer, who propelled women’s basketball to where it is today.

“I’m watching Iowa play Creighton and it is a packed house. I mean, it is awesome to see that,” Haave says of Creighton’s second-round upset win in front of a sellout crowd of 14,382 fans at Hawkeye-Carver Arena. “I think we’re at a point now, with the focus on equality and diversity and inclusion these last few years, that we’re at a tipping point.”

The Women’s Final Four has come a long way since 1982, but it’s still not valued as highly as the men’s tournament, culturally and financially. Just this year, driven by public pressure and a report detailing the undervalued business opportunities in women’s basketball, the NCAA finally allowed the use of March Madness for promotion and marketing of the women’s tournament. And based on a letter lawmakers sent NCAA President Mark Emmert earlier this month calling attention to the “inadequate progress” in addressing inequities, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

“I don’t know if I’ll see equal footing in my lifetime,” Pearman says bluntly. “We’re closing the gap, but it’s not just arenas or people in the stands. It’s game times, television opportunities throughout the entire year, and through the tournament and conference championships.”

Still, as South Carolina, Stanford, UConn and Louisville get set to compete in the Final Four in Minneapolis this weekend, Pearman know there’s a special reason to celebrate the 2022 tournament. Forty years ago, the trajectory of women’s basketball changed forever, becoming an integral part of women’s sports history and setting it up for the platform it stands on today.

“We all get together on occasion and we still brag about it,” Pearman says. “We’re proud of it.”

Lyndsey D’Arcangelo is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports, covering the WNBA and college basketball. She also contributes to The Athletic and is the co-author of “Hail Mary: The Rise and Fall of the National Women’s Football League.” Follow Lyndsey on Twitter @darcangel21.

UEFA Draw Sets Champions League Quarterfinals

The UEFA Champions League trophy sits on display before the 2024/25 quarterfinals draw.
Eight teams' paths to May's Champions League final in Lisbon were determined in Friday's draw. (Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The 2024/25 Champions League quarterfinals are officially set, with UEFA drawing the remaining eight teams into the field early Friday morning.

The annual season-long competition pits Europe's top leagues against each other. This season, 72 clubs across 50 different leagues qualified for the contest. From the UK to Ukraine, all teams have been vying for the continent's top-dog status amidst a cutthroat atmosphere and a growing sense of parity in the sport.

Two qualifying rounds narrowed the initial teams down to the 16 contending in the tournament's official group stage. Each played six group-stage matches from October through December to determine the eight clubs that advanced to Friday's final draw.

A screen shows the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League quarterfinal pairings at Friday's draw.
Four previous champions made the 2024/25 Champions League quarterfinals. (Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

The road to Champions League glory in Lisbon

All remaining clubs are now eyeing the May 24th final in Lisbon, Portugal, and Friday's draw mapped each team's path to that championship match. The 2024/25 quarterfinals will feature four former champions and four seeking a first-ever trophy, with both familiar fights and rarely tested toss-ups on deck.

Both the March quarterfinals and April semifinals employ a two-leg format, offering teams who suffer narrow first losses a shot at second-match redemption.

Friday's draw determined that WSL contenders Arsenal will kick off the tournament's quarterfinals against Real Madrid on March 18th, with Germany's Bayern Munich taking on France's 2024 UWCL runners-up Olympique Lyonnais shortly afterwards.

The following day, Bayern's Frauen-Bundesliga foes Wolfsburg will face Spain's 2024 UWCL champs FC Barcelona. Closing out the initial tilts is a WSL standoff between Manchester City and the UK league's undefeated titans Chelsea FC.

Lyon's Michele Kang, president of the winningest Champions League team in history, speaks to the media after Friday's UEFA draw.
Backed by club president Michele Kang, Lyon will seek its record ninth UWCL title this year. (Kristian Skeie - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Increased global parity to test UWCL dynasties

With eight of the tournament's 23 titles under their belts, Lyon is the winningest team in UWCL history. Meanwhile, current back-to-back champions Barcelona claimed three of the last four trophies.

Despite the recent two-team domination, capturing this season's title will be a challenge. Hoping to spoil Lyon's and Barcelona's dynastic runs is four first-time title-hunters, plus two-time winners Wolfsburg and early champion Arsenal — who won the trophy in 2007, when the tournament was called the UEFA Women's Cup.

All in all, the European crown has never been tougher to claim, with leagues across the continent increasingly stocking up on standout — and potentially game-changing — players from beyond their borders.

Portland Announces Joint NWSL x WNBA Training Center

A rendering of the outside of the proposed NWSL x WNBA performance complex in Portland.
The Portland facility will be the first shared WNBA-NWSL performance complex under the same ownership. (RAJ Sports/Populous)

Portland is going all in on women's sports, with RAJ Sports — the ownership group behind both the NWSL's Thorns and Portland's incoming WNBA team — announcing the development of a new $150 million sports performance complex on Thursday.

The 12-acre dual-sport performance center will be the first-ever facility housing both a pro women's soccer squad and a pro women's basketball team.

Innovation and amenities lead Portland design

At 63,000 square feet, the incoming NWSL x WNBA training facility will feature two basketball courts, two soccer pitches, a 17,000-square-foot practice gym, a state-of-the-art strength training facility, and a laundry list of additional top-of-the-line amenities.

According to the Thorns' announcement, the center aims to "[elevate] the standard of athletic development by integrating cutting-edge training, advanced recovery, and holistic wellness with lifestyle elements specific to the needs of female athletes in a collaborative multi-team setting."

The wellness additions include recovery lounges and pools, hyperbaric therapy, red-light therapy, and a yoga and pilates room, plus access to a full-time chef and nutritionist via the center's kitchen and dining hall.

"This kind of high-performance training facility allows us to elevate every part of our game, becoming better and more well-rounded athletes," said Thorns forward Sophia Wilson (née Smith).

"Having a space designed specifically for female athletes gives us yet another leg up on the competition and will be vital to our future successes."

A rendering of the basketball court in the proposed Portland performance complex.
The WNBA and NWSL performance complex adds Portland to a growing list of women's sports facilities. (RAJ Sports/Populous)

Portland joins other WNBA and NWSL teams building own facilities

Portland is just the latest in a wave of women's teams across top-tier US leagues breaking ground on dedicated performance facilities.

Earlier this week, WNBA newcomer Golden State unveiled their own custom-built Valkyries Performance Center. Last month, NWSL side Angel City cut the ribbon on their dedicated training facility.

RAJ Sports’ effort to continue the investment trend comes barely a year after their January 2024 purchase of the Thorns. That move was finalized a little over eight months before the WNBA accepted their expansion bid, making the Bhathal family — who also have a stake in the NBA's Sacramento Kings — the first-ever ownership group to oversee pro women's teams in two different sports.

Las Vegas Aces Revamp Roster with Offseason Moves

Las Vegas Aces standouts Sydney Colson and Tiffany Hayes race downcourt during a 2024 game.
Both Sydney Colson and Tiffany Hayes are departing Las Vegas this season. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)

WNBA roster shakeups kept rolling this week, with a deluge of moves radically reshaping the 2022 and 2023 league champion Las Vegas Aces.

After three seasons in Las Vegas, backup guard and popular locker room presence Sydney Colson signed a one-year deal with Indiana on Thursday. The Fever, who've been aggressive about inking athletes they believe will bring a title back to Indianapolis, targeted Colson for her veteran experience.

"[Colson] brings a championship pedigree to the Fever, adding depth to our point guard position, said Fever COO and GM Amber Cox in the team's announcement. "We have the utmost confidence in her ability to step into any situation and deliver on both ends of the floor."

Joining Colson in leaving Las Vegas is forward Alysha Clark. A key factor in the Aces' 2023 title run — which ultimately earned her the WNBA's Sixth Woman of the Year award — Clark is returning to the Seattle Storm, where she played from 2012 to 2020.

The Aces are also losing their 2024 Sixth Woman of the Year, Tiffany Hayes. Despite the Aces protecting her in December's expansion draft, the free agent guard will take her talents to incoming franchise Golden State. There, she'll link up with former Las Vegas assistant coach-turned-Valkyries boss Natalie Nakase.

"Having coached Tiffany last season in Las Vegas, I know firsthand the impact she brings both on and off the court," Nakase noted. "Her versatility, intensity, and ability to score will be invaluable as we build our team's identity."

Atlanta's Cheyenne Parker-Tyus guards Las Vegas's A'ja Wilson during a 2024 WNBA game.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus will join A'ja Wilson in the Aces' front court this season. (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Las Vegas Aces take aim at refreshed dynasty

After falling short of a three-peat championship last season — despite three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's outstanding 2024 performance — a significant Aces roster reshuffling was all but guaranteed ahead of the 2025 season.

Las Vegas kicked things off by shipping All-Star guard Kelsey Plum off to the LA Sparks last month. The blockbuster three-team trade sent Seattle's two-time champ Jewell Loyd to the Aces in return.

To shore up their front-court, Las Vegas inked 6-foot-4 power forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus on Thursday. The 2023 All-Star averaged 15 points and 6.7 rebounds for Atlanta that season, and was on her way to matching that production last year when an ankle injury curbed her 2024 run.

Ultimately, Las Vegas's roller coaster offseason reflects both the WNBA's shifting landscape and the Aces' quest to revive their former dynasty, hoping a fresh start can fuel them all the way to another league title in 2025.

Tennessee Upsets NCAA Rival UConn in Vols’ First Top 10 Win

Tennessee basketball players Jewel Spear and Zee Spearman celebrate their 80-76 upset win over UConn.
Tennessee scored their first win over UConn since 2007. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

No. 19 Tennessee notched the first major win of their Kim Caldwell era on Thursday night, stifling No. 5 UConn 80-76 to capture their first Top 10 basketball victory of the season — and first win over the Huskies since 2007.

Bolstered by a 13-0 run in the third quarter, Tennessee out-rebounded UConn 46-34 to hold the Huskies at bay.

On defense, the Vols managed to limit UConn star and projected 2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers to just 5-of-16 from the field and 2-of-6 from beyond the arc.

"We had poise down the stretch. I think we played with confidence. I think we played to win, as opposed to afraid to lose," commented first-year Tennessee head coach Caldwell after the game.

Tennessee flips the historic rivalry script against UConn

Once one of the most heated historic rivalries in NCAA basketball, Tennessee and UConn met 22 times from 1995 to 2007. The Huskies took 13 victories over that stretch.

Since the teams rebooted their non-conference series in 2020, UConn has taken the win in all four meetings — until Tennessee halted the Huskies on Thursday.

A big upset win from the Vols has felt increasingly inevitable this season, as Tennessee has come wildly close to claiming multiple top-tier upsets. They fell to No. 4 Texas by just four points, No. 6 LSU by two points, and logged one-point losses against both No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 24 Vanderbilt.

Last week, the Vols lost to No. 2 South Carolina 70-63. Subsequently, Tennessee became just the second team to limit the reigning NCAA champs to a single-digit win this season.

Despite Tennessee’s recent rise, Thursday's result was a blow to UConn. The Huskies are now 21-3 in 2024/25 play, with all three losses coming against Top 10 teams. UConn likely has just one regular-season Top 10 matchup left by way of a February 16th clash with South Carolina.

"The bottom line is we have some players on our team that are supposed to be our best players and they've got to play better. That's all there is to it," said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma in response.

South Carolina's Bree Hall defends Texas guard Madison Booker during a 2024 NCAA basketball game.
Texas and South Carolina will meet in a Top-4 matchup on Sunday. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

How to watch top-ranked NCAA basketball this weekend

As tough as the SEC has been, there's little rest for the weary, with No. 19 Tennessee gearing up for a rematch with No. 6 LSU at 4 PM ET on Sunday. Live coverage will air on ESPN.

In Top 10 weekend action, No. 8 Ohio State will cap their West Coast trip against No. 7 USC at 9 PM ET on Saturday, live on Fox Sports.

Then on Sunday, No. 4 Texas will host No. 2 South Carolina at 2 PM ET, with ESPN broadcasting live.

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