The Lady Techsters, who represented the Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana, were led by head coach Leon Barmore, in his 3rd season as head coach at the school. After finishing runner-up the prior season, Louisiana Tech opened this season ranked No. 5 in the AP poll and, like Auburn, spent the entirety of the season inside the top 5. They finished the regular season right back where they started – ranked No. 5 in both major polls.
In the NCAA tournament, La Tech defeated Kansas, Ole Miss, and No. 4 Texas to reach the fourth NCAA Final Four in program history. They won 68–59 over No. 1 and defending National champion Tennessee in the national semifinal[2] to reach the national championship game with a 31–2 record. The Lady Techsters knocked off the top-ranked, defending National champions in the National semifinal for the second straight season.
The Tigers, who represented the Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, were led by head coach Joe Ciampi in his 9th season at the school. Auburn began the season ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll. After spending the first 14 polls at either No. 3 or No. 2, the Tigers peaked at No. 1 for two of the final three weeks before finishing the regular season back at No. 3 in both major polls.
Playing as the No. 1 seed in the Mideast region of the NCAA tournament, the Lady Tigers defeated Penn State, No. 17 Georgia (on the road), and No. 9 Maryland to reach the first Final Four in program history. In the National semifinals, Auburn defeated No. 7 Long Beach State, 68–55.[3] The 32–2 Tigers entered the matchup with No. 5 Louisiana Tech as the slight favorite.