Field: The championship provides for a maximum field of 48 teams participating in eight regions.

Dates and sites: Regionals will be conducted March 9-11 or 10-12 at on-campus sites. The Women's Elite Eight will be held at the Pine Bluff Convention Center in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, March 21, 22 and 24.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/563-1133 (pin code 1915); request numbers are 1266 for bracket/schedule, 1267 for ticket information, 5064 for quarterfinal results, 5065 for semifinal results and 5067 for championship-game results. Championship results will appear in the April 10 issue of The NCAA News.

Championship notes: North Dakota earned its third straight title last season but is back to battling in-state rival North Dakota State for the top ranking this year. One of the two teams has claimed each of the last seven Division II titles, and the two have traded victories this season. North Dakota lost its national player of the year but returned two all-tournament team members, Jaime Pudenz and Katie Richards, to the 1999-00 squad. North Dakota and North Dakota State will not have another head-to-head match-up unless it was to happen in the regional final. Emporia State, which also familiar to the Elite Eight field, has posted a 23-3 record so far this season, while Northern Kentucky is 24-2. Both teams were defeated in the semifinals last year but return experienced personnel.