Has Duke women's basketball ever won national title? Blue Devils' March Madness history

[ASFN Admin]

The question of whether Duke women's basketball is a national title contender will be answered on Sunday.

The No. 2 seed Blue Devils will take on No. 1 seed South Carolina at 1 p.m. ET from the Legacy Arena at the BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama, with a chance to advance to the Final Four in the 2025 women's NCAA Tournament. If Duke can defeat Dawn Staley and the defending national champion Gamecocks, there's no question that Kara Lawson can lead this squad to a championship.

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Duke has been a mainstay in the national tournament, but has not always had the most success in the Big Dance. This marks its first Elite Eight performance since 2013, and its 12th appearance in school history. The Blue Devils would reach their first Final Four since 2006 with a win.

But the question fans may wonder while they watch Duke on Sunday against South Carolina: Does Duke women's basketball have a national championship?

Here's what you need to know about Duke's March Madness history, and whether the Blue Devils have ever won a women's NCAA Tournament championship:

Duke women's basketball March Madness history​

Duke women's basketball has reached the Sweet 16 round 19 times in program history and will play in its 12th Elite when it plays South Carolina on Sunday. The Blue Devils' Elite Eight appearance will be its first since 2013. Their first appearance in the Elite Eight came in 1998.

With an upset win over South Carolina, Duke would reach its first Final Four since 2006 and for the fifth time in program history.

Here's a look at the team's history in March Madness:

Sweet 16 appearances

• 1998
• 1999
• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2007
• 2008
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• 2013
• 2015
• 2018
• 2024
• 2025

Elite Eight appearances

• 1998
• 1999
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006
• 2010
• 2011
• 2012
• 2013
• 2025

Final Four appearances

• 1999
• 2002
• 2003
• 2006

National championship game appearances

• 1999
• 2006

Has Duke women's basketball ever won a national championship?​

No, the Blue Devils have never won a national championship in women's basketball. Duke has reached the championship game twice, in the 1999 and 2006 tournaments. However, they finished as the national runners-up each time.

In 1999, as a No. 3 seed, the Blue Devils picked up wins over No. 14 Holy Cross (79-51), No. 11 St. Joseph's (66-60), No. 2 Old Dominion (76-63) and No. 1 Tennessee (69-63) in the East Region. The Bulldogs defeated No. 3 Georgia 81-69 in the Final Four before losing 62-45 to Purdue in the national championship.

Duke's path to the 1999 championship game:

• First round: No. 3 Duke 79, No. 14 Holy Cross 51
• Second round: No. 3 Duke 66, No. 11 St. Joseph's 60
• Sweet 16: No. 3 Duke 76, No. 2 Old Dominion 63
• Elite Eight: No. 3 Duke 69, No. 1 Tennessee 63
• Final Four: No. 3 Duke 81, No. 3 Georgia 69
• Championship: No. 1 Purdue 62, No. 3 Duke 45

Seven years later, the Blue Devils made their second championship game. As a No. 1 seed, Duke swept through No. 16 Southern (96-27), No. 8 USC (85-51), No. 4 Michigan State (86-61) and No. 2 UConn (63-61) in the Bridgeport Regional to reach the Final Four. The Blue Devils defeated LSU (64-45) in the Final Four but lost 78-75 to Maryland in the national championship.

• First round: No. 1 Duke 96, No. 16 Southern 27
• Second round: No. 1 Duke 85, No. 8 USC 81
• Sweet 16: No. 1 Duke 86, No. 4 Michigan State 61
• Elite Eight: No. 1 Duke 61, No. 2 UConn 61
• Final Four: No. 3 Duke 64, No. 1 LSU 45
• Championship: No. 2 Maryland 78, No. 1 Duke 75

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Has Duke women's basketball ever won a national championship?

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