The road to the Women's Final Four ends in Tampa this weekend. Who will add to the city's legacy of historic March Madness performances?

Amalie Arena is set to host the Final Four this weekend for a record fourth time. Tampa got there first because New Orleans' fourth event was canceled by the COVID pandemic in 2020.

Some of the biggest stars in women's basketball have left their mark in the Sunshine State since it first hosted the end of the women's NCAA tournament in 2008. Candace Parker finished her illustrious college career here with a national championship for Tennessee, then launched into a prolific WNBA career that will result in a jersey retirement this summer. Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu and Arike Ogunbowale have all lit up the stage in Tampa, too.

This year's crop of stars is no less impressive. Gino Auriemma's UConn squads have been a part of every Final Four here, and this year's group is led by the one-two punch of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. Dawn Staley and South Carolina will be in Tampa for the second time, though this year the Gamecocks come in as defending champions with MiLaysia Fulwiley and Chloe Kitts spearheading the effort. A couple of other All-Americans will look to end their teams' lengthy title droughts: Madison Booker is out to win Texas its first championship since 1986, while Lauren Betts is trying to give UCLA its first ever championship.

2008 Women's Final Four

Tampa's first foray into the Final Four saw a host of future Hall of Famers come through the doors of what was then the St. Pete Times Forum. Sylvia Fowles set a tournament record with 20 rebounds in a national semifinal loss for LSU, who was making their record fifth straight Final Four appearance. Stanford's Candice Wiggins scored 151 points to lead all scorers throughout the postseason. And UConn came in as a No. 1 seed led by junior Renee Montgomery and senior Tina Charles while also sporting a freshman first-team All-American by the name of Maya Moore.

But no star was bigger than Player of the Year Candance Parker, who would become the fourth player to win back-to-back tournament Most Outstanding Player honors (Cheryl Miller of USC, Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee and Diana Taurasi of UConn came before her). Parker had a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds against LSU and tossed in three blocks to boot. She then led all scorers with 17 points and added nine boards and four steals in the championship game vs. Stanford. After that, Parker would go on to win WNBA MVP , the first rookie to do so.

The Lady Vols avenged both of their regular-season losses in the Final Four, squeaking by the Tigers 48-47 before dispatching the Cardinal 64-48 to win the legendary Pat Summitt a second straight national championship and the eighth and final title of her incredible career.

2015 Women's Final Four

The next woman to win back-to-back tournament MOP honors doubled up Parker and company. It's hard to have a more successful college career than Breanna Stewart, who would lose five games in four seasons, winning the national championship and MOP each year. Stewie's junior season in 2015 was the first of two in which she swept the AP Player of the Year, Wooden Award and Naismith Award.

In Tampa, the Huskies blew past Brionna Jones' Maryland 81-58. Fans got more of a show from the other Final Four game, where Jewell Loyd and Notre Dame nearly coughed up a 12-point lead to a team making its first ever national semifinal appearance: Dawn Staley's South Carolina. Freshman A'ja Wilson scored 20 points, but Madison Cable's shot with 18 seconds left put the Fighting Irish into the title game for the fourth time in five years.

Unfortunately, just like the previous four times, Notre Dame lost in the championship. UConn had won the previous year's title game by 21, and while this one was closer, the Huskies still easily won 63-53. Moriah Jefferson and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis led the way with 15 points apiece, and while Stewart scored only eight points, she collected a game-high 15 rebounds and tacked on four blocks. Gino Auriemma won his 10th title, tying John Wooden for the most in college basketball history. He'd break the record the following year.

2019 Women's Final Four

This was Amalie Arena's most exciting Final Four. Notre Dame finally won a national championship the previous year when Arike Ogunbowale hit some of the greatest shots in NCAA history. Led by Napheesa Collier, UConn was looking to get back into the title game after two straight national semifinal losses. Oregon burst into their first Final Four behind Wooden Award winner Sabrina Ionescu. And then there was 35-1 Baylor, led by second-team All-America center Kalani Brown and third-team All-America forward Lauren Cox.

Both Final Four games were decided by five points. Ionescu hit four 3's but went just 2 of 13 from 2-point range, and Baylor won a back-and-forth battle 72-67 behind 20-point performances from both Brown and Cox. Then Notre Dame rallied from nine down in the fourth quarter thanks to Ogunbowale, who put in 13 of her 24 points in the final frame to beat UConn 81-76.

In the championship game, Cox suffered a scary knee injury during the third quarter. The Bears led by 17 in the second quarter and 14 in the third, but the Fighting Irish fought back to briefly take the lead in the fourth. After Chloe Jackson hit a layup with 6 seconds remaining, Ogunbowale had a chance to tie it with a pair of free throws with 2 seconds left. She missed the first and, despite scoring a game-high 31 points, wound up on the losing end. Baylor coach Kim Mulkey won her second national championship and last with the Bears.

How to watch Women's Final Four 2025