The 11th-ranked University of Kentucky women’s basketball team earned its school-record sixth straight bid to the NCAA Tournament, and 12th overall, with a No. 2 seed in the Albany Regional.
The Wildcats (23-9) will face 15-seeded Tennessee State in the first round Friday, March 20, in Memorial Coliseum. The game will air live on ESPN2 at 2:30 p.m. with Brenda VanLengen and Carol Ross calling the action.
For the second time in program history and second year in a row, Kentucky has been selected to host the first and second rounds of the 2015 NCAA Tournament in the storied Memorial Coliseum. The games will be held Friday, March 20, at noon and 2:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 22, at 2:30 p.m. The other first-round matchup in Lexington features No. 7 seed Dayton and No. 10 seed Iowa State.
The No. 2 seed is UK’s fourth in program history, the third in the last four seasons. Connecticut is the No. 1 seed in the Albany Regional.
“I am just so proud of our team for making the NCAA Tournament,” UK head coach Matthew Mitchell said. “Before the season started there were a lot of question marks for us. We lost some firepower and some veterans that meant a lot to us and we are relying on some young players. And through all of the adversity – if you think about 130 practices, summer workouts – they had to earn their way to this spot. So once again we find ourselves among the nation’s best and going into the tournament with a really good chance to compete for a national championship.”
UK is 16-11 all-time in the Big Dance, including 12-5 under Mitchell. The best finishes for UK came in 2013, 2012, 2010 and 1982 when the Wildcats fell one win shy of the Final Four. Last season UK advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over Wright State (106-60) and Syracuse (64-59) in Lexington before falling to Baylor, 90-72, in the regional semifinal. UK has advanced to at least the Sweet 16 in four of the last five NCAA Tournaments.
Tennessee State (18-12), located in Nashville, Tenn., and coached by Larry Joe Inman, claimed the 2015 Ohio Valley Tournament Championship with a 64-60 overtime win over UT Martin. It marked the Lady Tigers’ third OVC tournament title. This is TSU’s third trip to the NCAA Tournament in school history but first in 20 years. Tennessee State will come to Lexington riding a 10-game winning streak.
This will mark the fifth all-time meeting versus Tennessee State, the second this season. UK is 4-0 all-time against the Lady Tigers after defeating them on Dec. 28 in Lexington, 87-75, behind 27 points from freshman Alexis Jennings (Madison, Ala.).
Kentucky was one of seven Southeastern Conference teams to be awarded a bid to the NCAA Tournament on Monday evening. South Carolina (30-2) earned an automatic bid after winning the conference tournament, and is a No. 1 seed in the Oklahoma City Regional. Tennessee (No. 2 seed), Mississippi State (No. 5 seed), Texas A&M (No. 6 seed), Arkansas (No. 10 seed) and LSU (No. 11 seed) are also going to the Big Dance.
Also earning No. 1 seeds are Connecticut (32-1), Notre Dame (32-2) and Maryland (30-2). Connecticut, Maryland and Notre Dame each won its respective conference regular season and tournament titles to receive automatic bids. The Final Four will be played April 5 and 7 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
Tickets may be purchased:
– By calling the UK Athletics ticket office at 800-928-2287 or 859-257-1818;
– In-person at the Joe Craft Center Ticket Office, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
– Online at www.UKathletics.com/tickets.
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UK students may show their Wildcard Student ID at the Joe Craft Center ticket windows on Saturday, March 20, beginning at 9 a.m. to receive a complimentary first round ticket paid for by UK Athletics Marketing. There will be a limited number of tickets and each student is permitted to pick up only one per round.
Should UK advance to the second round, a limited number of complimentary tickets will be available again on Friday beginning at 9 a.m. Single session tickets for college students from other universities are $5 (one ticket per student with college ID).
From UK Athletics