The 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season began on November 9, 2021. The regular season ended on March 6, 2022, with the 2022 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament beginning on March 18, and ending with the championship game at the Target Center in Minneapolis on April 3.
Rule changes The following rule changes were recommended by the NCAA Basketball Rules Committee and approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel for the 2021–22 season:
The three-point line was moved to the FIBA standard of ( in the corners), matching the distance used in NCAA men's basketball since 2019–20 in Division I and 2020–21 in Divisions II and III. Live statistics may be transmitted to the bench area for coaching purposes. In an experimental rule, conferences could apply for an NCAA waiver to allow transmission of live video feeds to the bench in conference games. This was still prohibited during nonconference games. (Previously, only preloaded video had been allowed in the bench area.) The following adjustments were made to reply review rules: Officials can use replay to review any out-of-bounds play, regardless of the number of players involved. Previously, only deflections involving two players could be reviewed. Coaches may request review of the result of a play involving the restricted area or lower defensive box at any time in the game. Previously, this play could only be reviewed by officials in the last two minutes of the game (or at the same time in an overtime period). An unsuccessful coach-initiated review results in that team losing a timeout. Officials can now use replay to determine whether a basket should count when a player commits a foul away from the ball. Coaches may request this review at any time (at the cost of a timeout if the review is unsuccessful); officials can initiate a review on their own only in the last two minutes of the game (or overtime period).
Season headlines Two of the most significant developments impacting the 2021–22 season took place before the end of the 2020–21 school year, with one occurring before the start of the 2020–21 basketball season. On October 14, 2020, the NCAA announced that all student-athletes in winter sports during the 2020–21 school year, including men's and women's basketball, would receive an extra year of athletic eligibility. On April 15, 2021, the NCAA Division I Council adopted legislation that extended the so-called "one-time transfer exception" to all D-I sports, with the Division I board of directors ratifying this on April 28. This allows student-athletes in baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, and men's ice hockey to transfer one time without having to sit out a year, placing them under the same transfer regulations that previously applied to all other D-I sports.
Other news: May 6, 2021 – The University of Hartford's governing board voted to begin the process of transitioning the school's athletic program from Division I to NCAA Division III. The plan calls for the following steps: January 2022: Formal request for reclassification with the NCAA. 2022–23: No athletic scholarships will be awarded to incoming students. 2023–24: Become a provisional member in a D-III conference to be determined; transition remaining students off athletic scholarships by the end of that school year. 2024–25: Become a full member of the aforementioned D-III conference. 2025–26: Full D-III membership. July 21 – The Houston Chronicle reported that Oklahoma and Texas had approached the Southeastern Conference about the possibility of joining that league, and that an announcement could come in early August. The SEC and both schools refused comment on this report, but did not issue definitive denials. July 26 – Oklahoma and Texas notified the Big 12 Conference that the two schools do not wish to extend their grant of television rights beyond the 2024–25 athletic year and intend to leave the conference. July 27 – Oklahoma and Texas reached out to the SEC about acceptance into the conference in 2025. July 28 – The Big 12 sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN, accusing the network of tortious interference by working with other conferences attempting to lure Big 12 members in a bid to ease Oklahoma's and Texas' exits for the SEC. The network denied the allegations. July 29 – The presidents and chancellors of the 14 current SEC members voted unanimously to extend invitations to Oklahoma and Texas, effective in 2025. July 30 – Oklahoma and Texas formally accepted the SEC's invitations. August 3 – An independent review commissioned by the NCAA and conducted by the law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink following the controversy that erupted on social media over the disparities in amenities between the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments was issued. Among the recommendations: The men's and women's Final Fours should be a combined event held at a single site. The "March Madness" branding, previously used only for the men's tournament, should be extended to the women's tournament. The NCAA had already announced that it would do so before the report was issued. The women's tournament field should be expanded to 68 teams to match the men's tournament. Media rights for the women's tournament, currently bundled with rights for more than two dozen other NCAA championships and sold separately from the men's tournament, should be decoupled from those other championships once the current contract for those championships expires. If possible, the NCAA's current contract with CBS and Turner to broadcast the men's tournament, which gives said media companies control of sponsorships for all NCAA championship events—even those broadcast by other entities—should be renegotiated in order to make it easier for companies to sponsor NCAA championships other than the men's tournament. The current system by which a significant amount of revenue from the men's tournament is returned to Division I members should be extended to the women's tournament. September 3 Multiple media outlets reported that the Big 12 was on the verge of inviting four schools—American Athletic Conference members Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF, plus BYU, a West Coast Conference member and an FBS independent in football. All four schools were reportedly preparing membership applications, and their future entrance could be approved as early as the next scheduled meeting of Big 12 presidents on September 10. The entry timeline was uncertain at the time of the report, but would most likely be in 2024. Baylor announced that basketball, soccer, and volleyball, the last three Baylor women's sports still using the "Lady Bears" nickname, would drop "Lady" effective immediately. The soccer and volleyball teams had changed their social media accounts to reflect this change several days earlier. September 10 – BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF were officially announced as incoming Big 12 members no later than 2024–25. October 18 – Yahoo Sports reported that The American was preparing to receive applications from six of the 14 members of Conference USA—Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA. October 19 – ESPN reported that all six C-USA members named in Yahoo Sports' report had submitted applications to The American, and that each would receive a formal letter by the end of that week (October 22) detailing the terms of expansion. October 21 – The six aforementioned C-USA members were announced as incoming members of The American at a date to be determined. October 22 – The Action Network reported that C-USA member Southern Miss had accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference in 2023, though no formal announcement had then been made. The report added that the Sun Belt was preparing to add two other C-USA members, Marshall and Old Dominion, as well as FCS program James Madison. At the time, some formal announcements of new members were expected on October 25, but a Marshall announcement was likely to wait until after the school announced its new president on October 28. The report also indicated that the Sun Belt would expel its two full non-football members, Little Rock and UT Arlington, after the 2022–23 season. October 26 – Southern Miss was officially announced as a Sun Belt member, effective no later than July 2023. In other Sun Belt realignment news, it was reported that Old Dominion's arrival would be announced later that week, and that James Madison's board had scheduled an emergency meeting on October 29 (presumably to discuss a Sun Belt invitation). October 27 – Old Dominion was officially announced as a Sun Belt member, also effective no later than July 2023. This marked ODU's return to that conference after an absence of more than 30 years. October 30 – The day after both the Sun Belt Conference and Marshall issued tweets indicating that the Thundering Herd had accepted a Sun Belt invitation, this move was officially announced. November 5 – Conference USA, which had nine of its schools depart to other conferences, announced that ASUN Conference members Jacksonville State and Liberty and Western Athletic Conference members New Mexico State and Sam Houston would join C-USA no later than July 2023. November 6 – James Madison made its move to the Sun Belt official, initially effective no later than July 2023. November 12 The WAC announced that Incarnate Word would join from the Southland Conference in July 2022. Utah governor Spencer Cox signed a bill passed by the Utah State Legislature that changed the name of Dixie State University to Utah Tech University, effective in the 2022–23 school year. The nickname of Trailblazers was not affected. November 16 The Atlantic 10 Conference announced that Loyola Chicago would join from the Missouri Valley Conference after the 2021–22 season. CBS Sports reported that the MVC had entered into talks with three schools regarding future membership—Summit League member Kansas City, Ohio Valley Conference member Murray State, and non-football Sun Belt member UT Arlington. The report indicated that the latter two schools were seen as the strongest candidates, but all three were likely to receive invitations in the coming months. November 17 – The NCAA announced that the women's tournament would expand from 64 to 68 teams, effective with the 2022 tournament. This was another recommendation made in the August 2021 gender equity report. For the 2022 tournament only, the four extra games, held using the same format as the existing men's First Four, will be held on campuses of teams seeded in the top 16. From 2023 on, the women's First Four will be held at a neutral site to be determined. December 9 – The other Sun Belt member without a football program, Little Rock, announced that it would join the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2022. January 7, 2022 – Murray State was announced as a new member of the MVC, effective July 1. January 21 – UT Arlington announced it would return to the WAC, in which it had been a member in the 2012–13 school year, effective July 1. January 25 – The Colonial Athletic Association announced that it would add three members effective that July—Big South Conference member Hampton, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference member Monmouth, and Stony Brook, a full member of the America East Conference whose football team was already a member of the legally separate entity of CAA Football. January 26 – UIC was announced as a new member of the MVC, effective July 1. February 2 – The Sun Belt and James Madison both reported the latter's entry to the conference would be on July 1, rather than 2023.