| 2026 | UCLA (37-1) | 79-51 | South Carolina | Cori Close | Mortgage Matchup Center (Phoenix, Arizona) | Texas & Connecticut |
| 2025 | Connecticut (37-3) | 82-59 | South Carolina | Geno Auriemma | Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida) | UCLA & Texas |
| 2024 | South Carolina (38-0) | 87-75 | Iowa | Dawn Staley | Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland, Ohio) | North Carolina State & Connecticut |
| 2023 | LSU (26-6) | 102-85 | Iowa | Kim Mulkey | American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas) | Virginia Tech & South Carolina |
| 2022 | South Carolina (35-2) | 64-49 | Connecticut | Dawn Staley | Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) | Louisville & Stanford |
| 2021 | Stanford (31-2) | 54-53 | Arizona | Tara VanDerveer | Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) | Connecticut & South Carolina |
| 2020 | CANCELLED | due to | COVID-19 | PANDEMIC | Smoothie King Center (New Orleans, Louisiana) | - |
| 2019 | Baylor (37-1) | 82-81 | Notre Dame | Kim Mulkey | Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida) | Connecticut & Oregon |
| 2018 | Notre Dame (34-3) | 61-58 | Mississippi State | Muffet McGraw | Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio) | Connecticut & Louisville |
| 2017 | South Carolina (33-4) | 67-55 | Mississippi State | Dawn Staley | American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas) | Connecticut & Stanford |
| 2016 | Connecticut (38-0) | 82-51 | Syracuse | Geno Auriemma | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana) | Oregon State & Washington |
| 2015 | Connecticut (38-1) | 63-53 | Notre Dame | Geno Auriemma | Amalie Arena (Tampa, Florida) | South Carolina & Maryland |
| 2014 | Connecticut (40-0) | 79-58 | Notre Dame | Geno Auriemma | Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tennessee) | Stanford & Maryland |
| 2013 | Connecticut (35-4) | 93-60 | Louisville | Geno Auriemma | New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Notre Dame & California |
| 2012 | Baylor (40-0) | 80-61 | Notre Dame | Kim Mulkey | Pepsi Center (Denver, Colorado) | Stanford & Connecticut |
| 2011 | Texas A&M (33-5) | 76-70 | Notre Dame | Gary Blair | Conseco Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Indiana) | Connecticut & Stanford |
| 2010 | Connecticut (39-0) | 53-47 | Stanford | Geno Auriemma | Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) | Baylor & Oklahoma |
| 2009 | Connecticut (39-0) | 76-54 | Louisville | Geno Auriemma | Scottrade Center (St. Louis, Missouri) | Stanford & Oklahoma |
| 2008 | Tennessee (36-2) | 64-48 | Stanford | Pat Summitt | St. Pete Times Forum (Tampa, Florida) | LSU & Connecticut |
| 2007 | Tennessee (34-3) | 59-46 | Rutgers | Pat Summitt | Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio) | North Carolina & LSU |
| 2006 | Maryland (34-4) | 78-75 (OT) | Duke | Brenda Frese | TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, Massachusetts) | North Carolina & LSU |
| 2005 | Baylor (33-3) | 84-62 | Michigan State | Kim Mulkey | RCA Dome (Indianapolis, Indiana) | LSU & Tennessee |
| 2004 | Connecticut (31-4) | 70-61 | Tennessee | Geno Auriemma | New Orleans Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Minnesota & LSU |
| 2003 | Connecticut (37-1) | 73-68 | Tennessee | Geno Auriemma | Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Georgia) | Texas & Duke |
| 2002 | Connecticut (39-0) | 82-70 | Oklahoma | Geno Auriemma | Alamodome (San Antonio, Texas) | Tennessee & Duke |
| 2001 | Notre Dame (34-2) | 68-66 | Purdue | Muffet McGraw | Savvis Center (St. Louis, Missouri) | Connecticut & Southwest Missouri State |
| 2000 | Connecticut (36-1) | 71-52 | Tennessee | Geno Auriemma | First Union Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) | Rutgers & Penn State |
| 1999 | Purdue (34-1) | 62-45 | Duke | Carolyn Peck | San Jose Arena (San Jose, California) | Louisiana Tech & Georgia |
| 1998 | Tennessee (39-0) | 93-75 | Louisiana Tech | Pat Summitt | Kemper Arena (Kansas City, Missouri) | Arkansas & North Carolina State |
| 1997 | Tennessee (29-10) | 68-59 | Old Dominion | Pat Summitt | Riverfront Coliseum (Cincinnati, Ohio) | Notre Dame & Stanford |
| 1996 | Tennessee (32-4) | 83-65 | Georgia | Pat Summitt | Charlotte Coliseum (Charlotte, North Carolina) | Connecticut & Stanford |
| 1995 | Connecticut (35-0) | 70-64 | Tennessee | Geno Auriemma | Target Center (Minneapolis, Minnesota) | Stanford & Georgia |
| 1994 | North Carolina (33-2) | 60-59 | Louisiana Tech | Sylvia Hatchell | Richmond Coliseum (Richmond, Virginia) | Purdue & Alabama |
| 1993 | Texas Tech (31-3) | 84-82 | Ohio State | Marsha Sharp | Omni Coliseum (Atlanta, Georgia) | Iowa & Vanderbilt |
| 1992 | Stanford (30-3) | 78-62 | Western Kentucky | Tara VanDerveer | Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angeles, California) | Southwest Missouri State & Virginia |
| 1991 | Tennessee (30-5) | 70-67 (OT) | Virginia | Pat Summitt | Lakefront Arena (New Orleans, Louisiana) | Connecticut & Stanford |
| 1990 | Stanford (32-1) | 88-81 | Auburn | Tara VanDerveer | Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tennessee) | Virginia & Louisiana Tech |
| 1989 | Tennessee (35-2) | 76-60 | Auburn | Pat Summitt | Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, Washington) | Louisiana Tech & Maryland |
| 1988 | Louisiana Tech (32-2) | 56-54 | Auburn | Leon Barmore | Tacoma Dome (Tacoma, Washington) | Long Beach State & Tennessee |
| 1987 | Tennessee (28-6) | 67-44 | Louisiana Tech | Pat Summitt | Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas) | Texas & Long Beach State |
| 1986 | Texas (34-0) | 97-81 | USC | Jody Conradt | Rupp Arena (Lexington, Kentucky) | Western Kentucky & Tennessee |
| 1985 | Old Dominion (31-3) | 70-65 | Georgia | Marianne Stanley | Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas) | Western Kentucky & Northeast Louisiana |
| 1984 | USC (29-4) | 72-61 | Tennessee | Linda Sharp | Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, California) | Cheyney State & Louisiana Tech |
| 1983 | USC (31-2) | 69-67 | Louisiana Tech | Linda Sharp | Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, Virginia) | Old Dominion & Georgia |
| 1982 | Louisiana Tech (35-1) | 76-62........ | Cheyney State | Sonja Hogg | Norfolk Scope (Norfolk, Virginia) | Tennessee & Maryland |