Connecticut's journey for the
sixth perfect season in NCAA history will begin in Norfolk, Va.
The undefeated Huskies earned the No. 1
overall seed in the NCAA women's basketball tournament Monday night and
will open against Southern at Norfolk, Va.
Ten teams have entered the NCAA
tournament unbeaten; only five have emerged victorious. UConn and coach
Geno Auriemma have done it three times, including last season.
Tennessee, Stanford and Nebraska
earned the other No. 1 seeds.
Stanford, the last team to beat
Connecticut, earned its first No. 1 seed since 1998 in the NCAA women's
basketball tournament. Tennessee earned its record 20th No. 1 seed a
year after getting bounced from the tournament in the first round. And
Nebraska earned its first No. 1 seed in school history after winning its
first 30 games this season. The Cornhuskers lost their only game of the
season in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.
The Huskies (33-0), too, have run
through their opponents this season, winning by an average of 35 points.
In search of its seventh national championship, UConn is looking to
become the fifth team to win consecutive titles. Tennessee last did it
in 2007 and 2008.
Awaiting the Huskies in the second
round could be former assistant Tonya Cardoza and the Temple Owls. They
face James Madison in the first round.
Other first-round games in the Dayton
region are: No. 5 Virginia vs. No. 12 Green Bay; No. 4 Iowa State vs.
No. 13 Lehigh; No. 6 St. John's vs. No. 11 Princeton; No. 3 Florida
State vs. No. 14 Louisiana Tech; No. 7 Mississippi State vs. No. 10
Middle Tennessee; and No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 15 St. Francis (Pa.).
While other teams look to make history
in the tournament, the Lady Vols had enough of that last year.
Tennessee, a No. 5 seed last season, lost in the first round to Ball
State, marking the first time in the program's history that the team
didn't advance out of the opening weekend.
Tennessee will open up at home
against Austin Peay in the Memphis region. The Lady Govs (15-17) are the
eighth team in NCAA history to make the tournament with a losing
record. They upset Eastern Illinois to win the Ohio Valley tournament.
Fifth-seeded Georgetown plays MAAC
conference champion Marist, and No. 4 Baylor will face Fresno State in
Berkeley. West Virginia, the runner-up in the Big East tournament,
earned a No. 3 seed and will play Southland champion Lamar.
ACC champion Duke earned a No. 2 seed
and will host the first two rounds. The Blue Devils will play
Mid-Eastern champion Hampton in the opener. LSU meets Hartford in the
other game at Cameron.
Other first-round games in the
Memphis region are: No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 San Diego State; No. 7 LSU
vs. No. 10 Hartford; and No. 8 Dayton vs. No. 9 TCU.
Dayton is one of five teams making
their debut — Princeton, Arkansas-Little Rock, Portland State, Northern
Iowa and Dayton are the others.
Baylor freshman Brittney Griner, too,
will get her first taste of the NCAA tournament. The Lady Bears earned a
No. 4 seed and will play Fresno State in the first round. Griner, who
drew national attention coming into college as a dunking phenom, made
headlines again on March 3 after throwing a punch in a game against
Texas Tech. She was suspended for two games by the school for her
actions.
In the Kansas City region, Nebraska
will open against Northern Iowa. UCLA and North Carolina State will face
off in the eight-nine game. Other first-round matchups in the region
include No. 5 Michigan State against Mid-American champion Bowling
Green. No. 4 Kentucky will face Big South champion Liberty. In the other
half of the region, sixth-seed Georgia Tech faces Arkansas-Little Rock,
which is making its first tournament appearance. No. 3 Oklahoma faces
South Dakota State.
Second-seed Notre Dame will host
Cleveland State in its opener. Wisconsin plays America East winner
Vermont in the other matchup.
But it all comes back to UConn.
The Cardinal (31-1) were the last
team to beat the Huskies — in the semifinals of the 2008 NCAA
tournament. Stanford will open this year's tournament hosting UC
Riverside in the Sacramento region.
Other first-round games in the
Sacramento region are: No. 8 Iowa vs. No. 9 Rutgers; No. 5 Georgia vs.
No. 12 Tulane; No. 4 Oklahoma State vs. No. 13 Chattanooga; No. 6
Vanderbilt vs. No. 11 DePaul; No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 14 East Tennessee
State; No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 North Carolina; and No. 2 Texas A&M
vs. No. 15 Portland State.