2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season
| 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Preseason AP #1 | Connecticut |
| NCAA Tournament | 2016 |
| Tournament dates | March 18 – April 5, 2016 |
| National Championship |
Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis |
| NCAA Champions | Connecticut |
| Other champions | South Dakota (|WNIT) Louisiana–Lafayette (WBI) |
| Player of the Year | Breanna Stewart (Connecticut) |
The 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season began in November and ended with the Final Four in Indianapolis, April 3–5. Practices officially began on October 3.
This season of NCAA women's basketball games was the first to be played in 10-minute quarters, the standard for FIBA and WNBA play.
In addition to the change to quarter play, the NCAA also affords each team three 30-second timeouts and one 60-second timeout per game, and a media timeout will occur at the first dead ball after the 5:00 mark of each quarter. If a timeout is called before the 5:00 mark, that timeout replaces the media timeout. Teams will also be allowed to advance the ball to the front court following a timeout after a made basket, a rebound or change in possession in the last minute of the fourth quarter or any overtime periods.
The bonus situation has also changed, with teams reaching the bonus on the fifth foul of each quarter, where they will be awarded two free throws. Previously, teams shot one-and-one on the seventh foul of the half and reached the two-shot double bonus on the 10th foul. Fouls will reset following each quarter, with all overtime periods counting as extensions of the fourth quarter.
The top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls.
Thirty-one athletic conferences each ended their regular seasons with a single-elimination tournament. The team with the best regular-season record in each conference was given the number one seed in each tournament, with tiebreakers used as needed in the case of ties for the top seeding. All conferences also recognize regular-season champions, with co-championships being awarded in the case of ties. The winners of these tournaments receive automatic invitations to the 2016 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. For the final time, the Ivy League did not hold a conference tournament, instead giving its automatic invitation to its regular season champion; in case of a tie for the regular-season title (which did not happen this season), the automatic berth would have been decided by a one-game playoff (or series of one-game playoffs if more than two teams were tied).
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