WBB Selected as No. 2 Seed for NCAA Tournament
3/15/2021 7:07:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Lady Bears will face Jackson State in first round Sunday in San Antonio
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Defending the national title they won two years ago, the fifth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (25-2) were selected the No. 2 seed in the River Walk Region in Monday's bracket reveal and will face SWAC champion Jackson State (18-5) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Baylor, making its 19th NCAA Championship appearance, will play the 15th-seeded Lady Tigers at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. With last year's tournament canceled because of COVID-19, the Lady Bears are back to defend the title they captured in 2019 with an 82-81 win over Notre Dame.
"We're just excited to be playing basketball," senior guard Moon Ursin said. "Obviously, this was taken away from us last year, and this is what everybody prepares for. This is the 'Big Dance,' as they call it, we're ready to get out there and play."
This is the 10th-straight NCAA Tournament that Baylor has been a top-2 regional seed. In the Lady Bears' three previous national championships, they were a No. 2 seed in 2005 and No. 1 in both 2012 and 2019.
Pac-12 champion Stanford (25-2) is the overall No. 1 seed for the 64-team tournament, which will all be held in the extended San Antonio area, and top seed for the Alamo Region. The other No. 1 seeds are Big East champion UConn (24-1), River Walk; ACC champion North Carolina State (20-2), Mercado; and SEC champion South Carolina (22-4), Hemisfair.
"I've watched a lot of women's basketball this year, because of COVID more so than I ever have," said Mulkey, whose team has reeled off 17-straight wins in sweeping the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships.
"I just don't see a dominant team. I see outstanding teams, but it's going to be who stays the healthiest. It's going to be who's playing the best and gets on a roll here these last two or three weeks. If you said, 'Coach who do you think would win it?' and you can't choose your own team, I couldn't tell you that, because I've seen a lot of teams that are capable."
The River Walk Region features three of the most tradition-rich programs in the country in UConn, Baylor and third-seeded Tennessee (16-7), which have combined to win 19 of the last 25 national championships.
Two other teams in the region have Baylor ties – former Baylor assistant Toyelle Wilson is in her second season on staff at sixth-seeded Michigan (14-5) and former Baylor All-American Nina Davis is in her first year as an assistant coach for 14th-seeded Middle Tennessee (17-7).
"Honestly, the thing I really think about the most in the moment are the three teams that are threats to us in the first and second round," Mulkey said. "Then, we'll watch the games unfold and watch people we know and coaches we know. Nina Davis and Toyelle Wilson were a part of our program, and you'll subconsciously keep up with it, but not focus on it until it's time to possibly play them."
Jackson State, making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2008, is led by 5-4 senior guard Dayzsha Rogan (17.2 ppg, 3.6 rebounds) and 6-4 senior forward Ameshya Williams (15.9, 12.0 rebounds 3.0 blocks), the SWAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
The Lady Tigers, 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, punched their ticket this time with a 67-66 win over second-seeded Alabama State in Saturday's SWAC championship game.
Baylor, which hasn't lost since falling to Iowa State, 75-71, on Jan. 16 after a two-week COVID pause, cut down nets for the second time with a 76-50 win over West Virginia in Sunday's Big 12 Championship final.
"We just keep getting better," Ursin said. "That's the scary part for teams that are going to be playing us. We just continue to click, and we continue to find each other's strengths. When we're all flowing like that and we're staying consistent, we're a hard team to beat. I'm excited to see how we're going to do in this tournament."
The Lady Bears are 10-2 versus the tournament field, including wins over West Virginia (3-0), Oklahoma State (2-0), Iowa State (1-1), Texas (3-0) and South Florida (1-0).
Big 12 Player of the Year NaLyssa Smith (18.1 ppg, 9.1 rebounds) leads a deep and talented Baylor roster that includes grad transfer DiJonai Carrington (13.5 ppg) from Stanford, the Big 12 Newcomer and Sixth Person of the Year; Ursin (11.6 ppg), a second-team All-Big 12 pick; 6-3 junior center Queen Egbo (11.3 ppg, 8.6 rebounds); and senior point guard DiDi Richards, the reigning National Defensive Player of the Year.
Sunday's 3 p.m. game at the Alamodome will be televised by ABC. The Baylor-Jackson State winner will face either seventh-seeded Virginia Tech or 10th-seeded Marquette in the Round of 32 on Tuesday at a site and time to be announced.
"Missing out on the opportunity last year really hit home," Egbo said. "It's just encouraging knowing that we'll be in the tournament again and we have another shot at it."
Ticket information for fans can be found at NCAA TICKETS. Other sites for the first and second rounds include the UTSA Convocation Center and Bill Greehey Arena at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, the University of Texas Frank Erwin Center in Austin and the Texas State University Events Center in San Marcos. From the Sweet 16 and beyond, all games will be played at the Alamodome.
WACO, Texas – The No. 6/6 ranked Baylor women's basketball team was selected as a No. 2 seed for the program's 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament Monday night. The Lady Bears (25-2) capped another solid season with their 12th Big 12 Regular Season Championship and an 11th Big 12 Championship Sunday. They were rewarded and will face No. 15 seed Jackson State, Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC, in San Antonio at the Alamodome.
Baylor was selected as a part of the River Walk Region, which boasts No. 1 seed UConn. On the Lady Bears' side of the bracket, Baylor will face JSU in round one, and if they advance, the winner of the No. 7 Virginia Tech and No. 10 Marquette, on Tuesday.
The Lady Bears' No. 2 seed marks the 10th-straight NCAA Tournament that Baylor has been a No. 2 or better. Baylor will be gunning for its 12th-straight NCAA Sweet 16, its fifth Final Four appearance and fourth national championship.
The Lady Bears are led by junior power forward NaLyssa Smith who was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and most recently, the Big 12 Championship's Most Outstanding Player. She is averaging 18.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest while shooting .543 from the floor. Smith received her first All-America recognition of the season last week when she was named ESPN.com All-American First Team.
Her supporting cast is a great one with three other players averaging double-figures and all were all-conference honorees by the Big 12. DiJonai Carrington, the league's Sixth Person and Newcomer of the Year, averages 13.5 points per game. Moon Ursin is having a career year as a senior at 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest while Queen Egbo may be one of the hottest players in the country averaging 11.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
Couple that with one of the biggest defensive threats in nation on the perimeter in DiDi Richards, and Baylor is poised to make a deep run.
But first, they'll face Jackson State from the Southwest Athletic Conference. The Lady Tigers finished 18-5 overall with a 14-1 mark in conference play. Saturday, JSU beat Alabama State 67-66 in Birmingham, Ala. to secure the SWAC automatic qualifier.
Ticket information for fans can be found at: https://www.ncaatickets.com/championship/womens-final-four for all rounds with limited capacity. Sites for the first and second rounds include the Alamodome, UTSA Convovation Center and Bill Greehey Arena (St. Mary's University) in San Antonio, the Frank Erwin Center (Texas) in Austin, and the University Events Center (Texas State) in San Marcos. All games, Sweet 16 and beyond, will be at the Alamodome.
Baylor Bear Insider
Defending the national title they won two years ago, the fifth-ranked Baylor Lady Bears (25-2) were selected the No. 2 seed in the River Walk Region in Monday's bracket reveal and will face SWAC champion Jackson State (18-5) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Baylor, making its 19th NCAA Championship appearance, will play the 15th-seeded Lady Tigers at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Alamodome in San Antonio. With last year's tournament canceled because of COVID-19, the Lady Bears are back to defend the title they captured in 2019 with an 82-81 win over Notre Dame.
"We're just excited to be playing basketball," senior guard Moon Ursin said. "Obviously, this was taken away from us last year, and this is what everybody prepares for. This is the 'Big Dance,' as they call it, we're ready to get out there and play."
This is the 10th-straight NCAA Tournament that Baylor has been a top-2 regional seed. In the Lady Bears' three previous national championships, they were a No. 2 seed in 2005 and No. 1 in both 2012 and 2019.
Pac-12 champion Stanford (25-2) is the overall No. 1 seed for the 64-team tournament, which will all be held in the extended San Antonio area, and top seed for the Alamo Region. The other No. 1 seeds are Big East champion UConn (24-1), River Walk; ACC champion North Carolina State (20-2), Mercado; and SEC champion South Carolina (22-4), Hemisfair.
"I've watched a lot of women's basketball this year, because of COVID more so than I ever have," said Mulkey, whose team has reeled off 17-straight wins in sweeping the Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships.
"I just don't see a dominant team. I see outstanding teams, but it's going to be who stays the healthiest. It's going to be who's playing the best and gets on a roll here these last two or three weeks. If you said, 'Coach who do you think would win it?' and you can't choose your own team, I couldn't tell you that, because I've seen a lot of teams that are capable."
The River Walk Region features three of the most tradition-rich programs in the country in UConn, Baylor and third-seeded Tennessee (16-7), which have combined to win 19 of the last 25 national championships.
Two other teams in the region have Baylor ties – former Baylor assistant Toyelle Wilson is in her second season on staff at sixth-seeded Michigan (14-5) and former Baylor All-American Nina Davis is in her first year as an assistant coach for 14th-seeded Middle Tennessee (17-7).
"Honestly, the thing I really think about the most in the moment are the three teams that are threats to us in the first and second round," Mulkey said. "Then, we'll watch the games unfold and watch people we know and coaches we know. Nina Davis and Toyelle Wilson were a part of our program, and you'll subconsciously keep up with it, but not focus on it until it's time to possibly play them."
Jackson State, making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2008, is led by 5-4 senior guard Dayzsha Rogan (17.2 ppg, 3.6 rebounds) and 6-4 senior forward Ameshya Williams (15.9, 12.0 rebounds 3.0 blocks), the SWAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
The Lady Tigers, 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, punched their ticket this time with a 67-66 win over second-seeded Alabama State in Saturday's SWAC championship game.
Baylor, which hasn't lost since falling to Iowa State, 75-71, on Jan. 16 after a two-week COVID pause, cut down nets for the second time with a 76-50 win over West Virginia in Sunday's Big 12 Championship final.
"We just keep getting better," Ursin said. "That's the scary part for teams that are going to be playing us. We just continue to click, and we continue to find each other's strengths. When we're all flowing like that and we're staying consistent, we're a hard team to beat. I'm excited to see how we're going to do in this tournament."
The Lady Bears are 10-2 versus the tournament field, including wins over West Virginia (3-0), Oklahoma State (2-0), Iowa State (1-1), Texas (3-0) and South Florida (1-0).
Big 12 Player of the Year NaLyssa Smith (18.1 ppg, 9.1 rebounds) leads a deep and talented Baylor roster that includes grad transfer DiJonai Carrington (13.5 ppg) from Stanford, the Big 12 Newcomer and Sixth Person of the Year; Ursin (11.6 ppg), a second-team All-Big 12 pick; 6-3 junior center Queen Egbo (11.3 ppg, 8.6 rebounds); and senior point guard DiDi Richards, the reigning National Defensive Player of the Year.
Sunday's 3 p.m. game at the Alamodome will be televised by ABC. The Baylor-Jackson State winner will face either seventh-seeded Virginia Tech or 10th-seeded Marquette in the Round of 32 on Tuesday at a site and time to be announced.
"Missing out on the opportunity last year really hit home," Egbo said. "It's just encouraging knowing that we'll be in the tournament again and we have another shot at it."
Ticket information for fans can be found at NCAA TICKETS. Other sites for the first and second rounds include the UTSA Convocation Center and Bill Greehey Arena at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, the University of Texas Frank Erwin Center in Austin and the Texas State University Events Center in San Marcos. From the Sweet 16 and beyond, all games will be played at the Alamodome.
WACO, Texas – The No. 6/6 ranked Baylor women's basketball team was selected as a No. 2 seed for the program's 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament Monday night. The Lady Bears (25-2) capped another solid season with their 12th Big 12 Regular Season Championship and an 11th Big 12 Championship Sunday. They were rewarded and will face No. 15 seed Jackson State, Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC, in San Antonio at the Alamodome.
Baylor was selected as a part of the River Walk Region, which boasts No. 1 seed UConn. On the Lady Bears' side of the bracket, Baylor will face JSU in round one, and if they advance, the winner of the No. 7 Virginia Tech and No. 10 Marquette, on Tuesday.
The Lady Bears' No. 2 seed marks the 10th-straight NCAA Tournament that Baylor has been a No. 2 or better. Baylor will be gunning for its 12th-straight NCAA Sweet 16, its fifth Final Four appearance and fourth national championship.
The Lady Bears are led by junior power forward NaLyssa Smith who was named the Big 12 Player of the Year and most recently, the Big 12 Championship's Most Outstanding Player. She is averaging 18.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest while shooting .543 from the floor. Smith received her first All-America recognition of the season last week when she was named ESPN.com All-American First Team.
Her supporting cast is a great one with three other players averaging double-figures and all were all-conference honorees by the Big 12. DiJonai Carrington, the league's Sixth Person and Newcomer of the Year, averages 13.5 points per game. Moon Ursin is having a career year as a senior at 11.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest while Queen Egbo may be one of the hottest players in the country averaging 11.3 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game.
Couple that with one of the biggest defensive threats in nation on the perimeter in DiDi Richards, and Baylor is poised to make a deep run.
But first, they'll face Jackson State from the Southwest Athletic Conference. The Lady Tigers finished 18-5 overall with a 14-1 mark in conference play. Saturday, JSU beat Alabama State 67-66 in Birmingham, Ala. to secure the SWAC automatic qualifier.
Ticket information for fans can be found at: https://www.ncaatickets.com/championship/womens-final-four for all rounds with limited capacity. Sites for the first and second rounds include the Alamodome, UTSA Convovation Center and Bill Greehey Arena (St. Mary's University) in San Antonio, the Frank Erwin Center (Texas) in Austin, and the University Events Center (Texas State) in San Marcos. All games, Sweet 16 and beyond, will be at the Alamodome.
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