University of Minnesota Athletics
WBB: Gophers Earn No. 3 Seed in NCAA Tournament
3/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
For the second straight season, Williams Arena will serve as a host site of the NCAA First and Second Rounds. This year, however, eight teams from two regions will be competing in The Barn.
Saturday’s action gets underway at 11 a.m. when No. 8 Southern California (19-10) faces No. 9 Louisville (22-8). No. 1 Michigan State (28-3) will play No. 16 Alcorn State (21-8) approximately 30 minutes after the first game. The winners of these two games will play Monday at 6 p.m. for a ticket to the Sweet 16 in the Kansas City Regional.
The Gophers will play in the second game of the evening session. At 6 p.m., No. 6 Virginia (20-10) will meet No. 11 Old Dominion (22-8). No. 3 Minnesota will face St. Francis (21-9) approximately 30 minutes following the Virginia/Old Dominion contest. The winners will square off Monday at approximately 8:30 p.m. for a spot in the Sweet 16 Tempe Regional.
Minnesota’s No. 3 seed is the highest of the Gophers’ five NCAA Tournament appearances. Last season, the Gophers took their No. 7 seed all the way to the Final Four before losing in the national semifinals to eventual national champion Connecticut. Overall, the Gophers have an 8-4 record in NCAA play.
“I’m pleasantly pleased with the No. 3 seed,” said Golden Gopher head coach Pam Borton. “I thought that a three seed was a long shot, I thought we would be a high four seed or the last three seed to be chosen. This shows a lot of respect for our program. There were selection committee members in Indianapolis watching the Big Ten Tournament, so I think they saw that our team is on an upswing right now.”
Tickets are available, and can be purchased online at gophersports.com, in person at the athletics ticket office in Mariucci Arena, or by phone at 1- 800-U-GOPHER. All session tickets are available at this time, and single-session tickets will be available beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 14.
