The 2001 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament began on March 16 and ended on April 1.

Purdue won 74–72, then went on to defeat Xavier for the spot in the Final Four against Southwest Missouri State.

The upset run by Southwest Missouri State came to an end in the semifinal, as Purdue beat them 81–64.

In the second half, Notre Dame came back, and with just over twelve minutes left, took their first lead of the game.

Notre Dame began the game with a repeat of their performance against Connecticut, falling behind by double digits in the first half.

The Irish were the best three-point shooting team in the country, but ended up hitting just one of ten attempts.

Notre Dame's Ruth Riley scored to tie the game, then rebounded a miss by Purdue.

Riley sank both free throws to give the Irish a two-point lead and their first national championship.

The exception: First and Second rounds The following lists the region, host school, venue and the sixteen first and second round locations:[8] Regional semifinals and finals The Regionals, named for the general location, were held from March 24 to March 26 at these sites: Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four held March 30 and April 1 in St. Louis, Missouri at the Savvis Center (Host: Missouri Valley Conference) The sixty-four teams came from thirty-two states, plus Washington, D.C. Texas had the most teams with five bids.