2012–13 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
The 2012–13 NCAA Division I women's basketball season began in November and ended with the Final Four in New Orleans, April 7–9.
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, Baylor point guard Odyssey Sims, and Maryland power forward Alyssa Thomas. 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 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 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.
- February 22, 2013 - Saint Peters' Bridget Whitfield hit eight of eight three-point attempts, tied for third most 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
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.
| School | Former Conference | New Conference |
| Belmont Bruins | A-Sun | OVC |
| Butler Bulldogs | Horizon League | Atlantic 10 |
| Denver Pioneers | Sun Belt | WAC |
| Fresno State Bulldogs | WAC | Mountain West |
| Hawaii Rainbow Wahine | WAC | Big West |
| Longwood Lancers | Independent | Big South |
| Missouri Tigers | Big 12 | SEC |
| Nebraska–Omaha Mavericks | MIAA | Summit League |
| Nevada Wolf Pack | WAC | Mountain West |
| New Orleans Privateers | Division II independent | Division I independent |
| North Dakota Fighting Sioux | Great West | Big Sky |
| Northern Kentucky Norse | GLVC | A-Sun |
| Oral Roberts Golden Eagles | Summit League | Southland |
| Seattle Redhawks | Independent | WAC |
| Southern Utah Thunderbirds | Summit League | Big Sky |
| TCU Lady Frogs | Mountain West | Big 12 |
| Texas A&M Aggies | Big 12 | SEC |
| Texas State Bobcats | Southland | WAC |
| UT Arlington Mavericks | Southland | WAC |
| UTSA Roadrunners | Southland | WAC |
| VCU Rams | CAA | Atlantic 10 |
| West Virginia Mountaineers | Big East | Big 12 |
New arenas
- Coastal Carolina left behind one of the smallest venues in Division I basketball, Kimbel Arena. 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
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
Final Four – New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
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.| Date | Winner | Score | Loser |
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 sitesAward winners
Consensus All-American teams
The following players are recognized as the 2013 Consensus All-Americans:Major player of the year awards
- Wooden Award:Brittney Griner
- Naismith Award: Brittney Griner
- Associated Press Player of the Year: Brittney Griner, Baylor
- Wade Trophy: Brittney Griner
Major freshman of the year awards
- USBWA National Freshman of the Year : 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: Muffet McGraw
Other major awards
- Nancy Lieberman Award : Skylar Diggins
- Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award : Alex Bentley, Penn State
- Senior CLASS Award : Elena Delle Donne
- Maggie Dixon Award : Holly Warlick
- Academic All-American of the Year : Elena Delle Donne, Delaware
- Elite 89 Award : Jude Schimmel, Louisville
Coaching changes