SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 12, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) โ It was a historic Selection Sunday for women’s college basketball in Utah, with the Utes earning their highest-ever seed at No. 2 and the Thunderbirds making their NCAA Tournament debut.
The University of Utah will host first- and second-round games as a No. 2 seed, beginning Friday against 15th-seeded Gardner-Webb University at the Huntsman Center.
Utah (25-4) enters the NCAA Tournament as the Pac-12 Conference regular-season co-champion and the nation’s fourth-highest scoring team at 83.5 points per game. The Utes also are making back-to-back trips to the Big Dance for the first time since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
“I’m pleased that we got a [No. 2] seed,” Utah coachย Lynne Roberts said Sunday. “I think we earned that over the course of the season. … We’re excited we get to host. That’s been one of our goals the entire season.”
Meanwhile in Cedar City, Southern Utah University was announced as part of the NCAA Tournament field for the first time, earning a No. 14 seed and a first-round matchup against third-seeded Notre Dame on Friday in South Bend, Indiana.
The Thunderbirds (23-9) won the Western Athletic Conference as first-year members and earned the first NCAA Tournament bid in school history with a 82-73 win over California Baptist in the WAC championship game Saturday night.
“I’m just so excited for this team,” T-Birds coach Tracy Sanders said Sunday. “We’ve worked really hard all season, and it’s fun to see it all come together and to win the conference. I’m proud of our fight and excited to see what we do in the tournament.”
University of Utah
One of the Utes’ most successful Pac-12 seasons ended on a high note Feb. 25 with an 84-78 victory over Stanford, giving Utah a share of the regular-season title for the first time.
That was followed by one of the few low points this season as the Utes’ Pac-12 Tournament run was cut short in the quarterfinals with a 66-58 loss to Washington State. The Cougars ultimately surprised the field by going 4-0 in the tournament and taking home the championship trophy.
The Utes are led by Pac-12 Player of the Year Alissa Pili, who’s averaging 20.3 points while shooting 58.5% from the floor and 42.9% from 3-point range in her first season in Utah. The 6-foot-2 junior forward previously played three seasons at the University of Southern California, where she was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in the 2019-20 season.
Pili is joined by sophomore guard and fellow All-Pac 12 honoreeย Gianna Kneepkens, who averages 15.4 points per game while shooting 50.3% from the floor, 42% from 3-point range and 83.5% from the free throw line.
Utah is making its 19th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament and second with Roberts as coach. Prior to this season, the highest the Utes have been seeded has been fifth.
Gardner-Webb (29-4) went undefeated in the Big South Conference and won the conference tournament. The Bulldogs are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
“I know that Gardner-Webb always has a good team,” said Roberts, the Pac-12 Coach of the Year this season. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. It’s always fun to play new teams that you don’t know much about and they don’t know much about you.”
Tickets for the tournament’s first and second rounds can be purchased via Ticketmaster.
๐ซ๐จ๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ถ๐น ๐ป๐ฏ๐ฌ 2๐ต๐ซ ๐๐ฌ๐จ๐น ๐ฐ๐ต ๐จ ๐น๐ถ๐พ๐#GoUtes | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/VUDRUjeO1v
— Utah Womenโs Basketball (@UTAHWBB) March 13, 2023
Southern Utah University
The T-Birds made the most of their inaugural season in the WAC, winning the conference championship and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament field for the first time.
Cherita Daugherty scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the WAC title game and earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the tournament. The Vancouver, Washington, native leads the T-Birds with 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Tomekia Whitman (12), Daylani Ballena (11.3) and Megan Jensen (11.3) also are scoring in double figures, while Lizzy Williamson adds 9.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
Notre Dame (25-5) is a No. 3 seed and will host first- and second-round games.
selection sundayโ ๐ #AlwaysUs x #TBirdNation x #RaiseTheHammer pic.twitter.com/wKUhmN6GFZ
— SUU Womenโs Basketball (@SUUWBasketball) March 13, 2023
