2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
The 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season will begin on November 6, 2023. The regular season will end on March 17, 2024, with the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament beginning on March 20 and ending with the championship game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 7.[1]
| 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Preseason AP No. 1 | LSU |
| Regular season | November 6, 2023 – March 17, 2024 |
| NCAA Tournament | 2024 |
| Tournament dates | March 20 – April 7 |
| National Championship | Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse Cleveland, Ohio |
| NCAA Champions | TBD |
This season will be the first for the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament, a secondary national tournament operated by the NCAA as a direct parallel to the men's National Invitation Tournament.
Rule changes
On May 5, 2023, the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee proposed a suite of rule changes for the 2023–24 season. These changes were approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel during its June 8 conference call:[2][3]
- Players judged to have flopped will be warned on the first offense, with a technical foul to be issued for subsequent offenses. All flop calls after the first will be added to the team foul count, but not to the individual players' foul counts.
- Flopping and delay of game were established as a new class of technical fouls assessed to the team and not to individuals.
- The restricted-area arc within the free-throw lane was reduced from an arc 4 feet (1.22 m) from the center of the basket to the area directly under the basket. Defenders can now draw charges at any location other than directly under the basket.
- Prerecorded or live video can be transmitted to the bench area during the game, on an optional basis. This had been an experimental rule since 2021–22, but is now permanent.
- The shot clock will reset to 20 seconds for all offensive rebounds when the original shot has touched the rim.
- Red and amber lights can now be placed on the backboard.
- Schools will no longer have to apply for a waiver to allow players to use religious headwear that is safe for competition.
- All numbers from 0–99 will be allowed. Previously, player numbers could only include digits from 0 to 5.
Season headlines
- July 17, 2023
- The NCAA announced the creation of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), a secondary 32-team national tournament that will be a direct parallel to the men's National Invitation Tournament.[4]
- Triple Crown Sports, which owns and operates the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), responded to the WBIT announcement by reducing the WNIT field from 64 to 48 teams, effective immediately.[5]
- October 4 – The Division I Council announced changes to the transfer window for all sports. In men's and women's basketball, the transfer portal now opens on the day after Selection Sunday and remains open for 45 days, down from the previous 60.[6]
- October 15 – Iowa held Crossover at Kinnick, an exhibition game at the school's football home of Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes defeated DePaul 94–72 in front of a crowd of 55,646, the largest documented attendance in history for a women's basketball game.[7]
- October 23 – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced that Merrimack and Sacred Heart would join from the Northeast Conference in July 2024.[8]
Conference membership changes
Nineteen schools joined new conferences, became independents, or dropped athletics.[9]
| School | Former Conference | New conference |
|---|---|---|
| BYU | WCC | Big 12 |
| Campbell | Big South | CAA |
| Charlotte | C-USA | American |
| Cincinnati | American | Big 12 |
| Florida Atlantic | C-USA | American |
| Hartford | Independent | CCC (D-III) |
| Houston | American | Big 12 |
| Jacksonville State | ASUN | C-USA |
| Le Moyne | NE-10 (D-II) | NEC |
| Liberty | ASUN | C-USA |
| New Mexico State | WAC | C-USA |
| North Texas | C-USA | American |
| Rice | C-USA | American |
| St. Francis Brooklyn | NEC | None (dropped athletics) |
| Sam Houston | WAC | C-USA |
| UAB | C-USA | American |
| UCF | American | Big 12 |
| UTSA | C-USA | American |
| Western Illinois | Summit | OVC |
The 2023−24 season is the last for at least 16 Division I schools in their current conferences and at least one Division II school in its current conference before reclassification to Division I.[10][11]
| School | 2023−24 conference | Future conference |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Pac-12 | Big 12 |
| Arizona State | Pac-12 | Big 12 |
| California | Pac-12 | ACC |
| Colorado | Pac-12 | Big 12 |
| Kennesaw State | ASUN | C-USA |
| Merrimack | NEC | MAAC |
| Oklahoma | Big 12 | SEC |
| Oregon | Pac-12 | Big Ten |
| Sacred Heart | NEC | MAAC |
| SMU | American | ACC |
| Stanford | Pac-12 | ACC |
| Texas | Big 12 | SEC |
| UCLA | Pac-12 | Big Ten |
| USC | Pac-12 | Big Ten |
| Utah | Pac-12 | Big 12 |
| Washington | Pac-12 | Big Ten |
| West Georgia | Gulf South (D-II) | ASUN |
Seasonal outlook
The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaching Polls.[12][13]
Pre-season polls
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Coaching changes
Many teams will change coaches during the season and after it ends. Three teams so far have had a coaching change between June 1 and the start of the season.
| Team | Former coach |
Interim coach |
New coach |
Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown | Tasha Butts | Darnell Haney | Butts died on October 24, 2023, at the age of 41 following a two-year battle with breast cancer. She had been hired by the university back in April from Georgia Tech and had stepped away from the program last month to focus on her health. Hoyas associate head coach Haney was named interim head coach for the season, continuing the role he was in during Butts' initial leave.[14] | |
| North Carolina Central | Trisha Stafford-Odom | Terrence Baxter | North Carolina Central released Stafford-Odom from her contract on September 13, 2023, after 6 seasons. Eagles assistant coach Baxter was named interim head coach of the team for the season.[15] | |
| Pepperdine | Tim Hays | Kelsey Keizer | Hays, who was hired by Pepperdine back in April, announced his resignation on August 14, 2023, citing a desire to be closer to his family. Waves assistant coach Keizer will serve as the team's interim head coach for the season.[16] |
References
- "2024 March Madness: Women's NCAA tournament schedule, dates, times". NCAA.com. August 3, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- "Women's Basketball Rules Committee recommends flopping penalty" (Press release). NCAA. May 5, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- "Panel approves flopping rule in women's basketball" (Press release). NCAA. June 8, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- "NCAA announces creation of Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament" (Press release). NCAA. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- "WNIT Statement" (Press release). Triple Crown Sports. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
- "DI Council approves changes to notification-of-transfer windows" (Press release). NCAA. October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- Ellison, Maya (October 16, 2023). "History from Kinnick! Iowa's sets women's basketball attendance record at 55,646". NCAA.com. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
- "MAAC Welcomes Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University as Newest Full Members" (Press release). Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- Dixon, Matthew (July 2, 2022). "College Sports Realignment for 2023 and Beyond". Sports Enthusiasts.
- Dixon, Matthew (July 2, 2022). "College Sports Realignment for 2023 and Beyond". sportsenthusiasts.com. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- "2023-24 women's basketball offseason recap: News, transfers". ESPN.com. October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
- "AP Top 25 Women's Basketball Poll". apnews.com. The Associated Press. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- "Women's Basketball Coaches Poll". USA Today. October 17, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
- "Georgetown Athletics Announce Passing of Head Women's Basketball Coach Tasha Butts" (Press release). Georgetown Hoyas. October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- "NCCU Women's Basketball Update" (Press release). North Carolina Central Eagles. September 13, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- "Change in Women's Basketball Leadership Announced" (Press release). Pepperdine Waves. August 14, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
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