In 2001, Notre Dame and Purdue squared off in the championship game in St. Louis.
It turned to be one of the best championship games in women's basketball history as Ruth Riley hit two free throws in the closing seconds to help Notre Dame knock off Purdue 68-66.
Also that year, Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) played in the Women's Final Four in St. Louis. It was the last time a school played in the Women's Final Four in its home state.
This year, Notre Dame and Purdue will look to end that drought. If both teams win their first four games, they will be playing in the Women's Final Four in Indianapolis. Notre Dame is three hours from Indy, while Purdue is just an hour away. The Irish and Boilermakers are the only Indiana schools in the 64-team tournament.
Notre Dame is the No. 2 seed and travels to Salt Lake City to play No. 15 Utah in the first round on Saturday.
"We're excited about being a No. 2 seed in the tournament," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw told the Notre Dame Observer on Monday. "We knew there were six teams in contention for the No. 2 spot and we were rewarded for a great season."
Purdue is the No. 9 seed and will play eighth-seeded Kansas State in a first-round game on Sunday at the University of Connecticut.
Purdue has been successful in first-round games, going 16-1, with its only loss in 1996.
The road to the Final Four will not be easy for Notre Dame and Purdue. The Irish are in the Dayton Region and have to get past teams such as Tennessee, Ohio State, Miami. Purdue is in the Philadelphia Region and has to get past teams such as two-time defending champion UConn, Duke and DePaul.
The Irish will take a 26-7 record into Saturday's game with Utah. Last year, Notre Dame reached the Sweet 16.
Purdue returns to the Big Dance after a year hiatus. The Boilermakers will take a 20-11 record into Sunday's game with Kansas State.
If Notre Dame and Purdue win their respective regional tournaments, they will face each other in the national semifinals at Indianapolis. Notre Dame and Purdue haven't played in the Final Four since that classic championship game 10 years ago.
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