WBB Selected as No. 2 Seed for NCAA Tournament

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            After coming up short in Sunday's Big 12 Championship final against Texas, fourth-ranked Baylor was selected as the No. 2 seed in the Wichita Region Sunday night and will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament next weekend at the Ferrell Center.
            One of four Big 12 teams selected as host sites, Baylor (27-6) will face 15^th-seeded Hawaii (20-9) in a first-round game Friday, with seventh-seeded Ole Miss (23-8) playing South Dakota (27-5) in the other first-round matchup in Waco. The winners advance to Sunday's second-round game with a berth in the Sweet 16 in Wichita, Kan., on the line.
            "Certainly disappointed, in some ways, that we didn't get a 1 seed," first-year Baylor head coach Nicki Collen said. "But, it's the same bracket, it's just whether we're at the top of the bracket or the bottom of the bracket. And it's what color uniforms you're wearing if you get there. But certainly, there's a lot in front of us."
            This is familiar territory for the Bears, who earned a top-2 seed for the 11^th-straight time and making their 20^th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Baylor has also advanced to the Sweet 16 in the last 12 tournaments.
            "Usually, I'm planning my scouting trips for which regionals have the most prospects," said Collen, who was head coach of the WNBA's Atlanta Dream the last three years. "I've never been in a situation where I've been part of a team that hosted first and second round. For me, that's really exciting, this idea of being able to share this with our fanbase."
            Baylor, which won its 12^th-consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship, is 60-2 at home over the last four seasons. This year, the Bears have won 14 of 15 home games, with the only loss coming against Oklahoma on Feb. 2.
            "We need our fans," Collen said. "We need it to matter that we're playing at home. We need a homecourt advantage, because it's what women's basketball allows. So, we've got to take advantage of it."
            Senior All-American NaLyssa Smith, the two-time Big 12 Player of the Year, leads a Baylor team that had won 12-straight before Sunday's 67-58 loss to seventh-ranked Texas in the Big 12 tournament final in Kansas City. Smith set a program record with her 24^th double-double of the season and is averaging 22.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
            Guards Jordan Lewis and Sarah Andrews are averaging 11.7 and 11.1 points, respectively, while 6-3 senior center Queen Egbo gives the Bears a fourth double-figure scorer with 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Ja'Mee Asberry leads the team with 75 made 3-pointers and has a 9.8-point scoring average.
            "We just want to let this last one go, get back to playing really good basketball and hopefully have a lot of support in Waco," Collen said.
            The Big West Conference regular-season champion, Hawaii earned its first NCAA Tournament berth in six years with a 59-48 win over second-seeded UC Davis in Saturday's conference tournament final.
            Australian grad student Amy Atwell, a 6-0 forward, was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year and is averaging 17.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. This is Hawaii's seventh overall NCAA Tournament appearance and only the second in the last 24 years.
            "I don't know a lot about Hawaii, but we're not going to take any opponent lightly," Collen said. "Ole Miss getting back in the tournament for the first time in (15) years, and South Dakota gets there a lot. I had the chance to play at South Dakota in a WNIT championship (in 2016) in my last year at (Florida Gulf Coast). They're always a good team."
            South Dakota won its third-straight Summit League championship and is riding a nine-game winning streak, while Ole Miss had a breakthrough season with wins over NCAA Tournament teams Jackson State, South Florida, Florida, Kentucky and Arkansas.
            Louisville (25-4) is the top seed in the Wichita Region and is the only team in the country to earn a No. 1 seed three times in the last four years.
If Baylor advances to the Sweet 16, the Bears could potentially face third-seeded Michigan (22-6) in the region semifinals for the second-straight year. The Wolverines fell in overtime, 78-75, in last year's NCAA Tournament, but won a rematch earlier this year in a neutral-site game, 74-68, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.
            Tickets for the first- and second-round games are available at NCAA Waco. Bear Foundation members can log into their accounts to request regional and Final Four tickets.

WACO, Texas – No. 4 Baylor women's basketball was selected as a No. 2 seed for the program's 20^th appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sunday night. The Bears (27-6) won their 12^th-straight, and 13^th overall, Big 12 regular-season championship.

Baylor will face No. 15-seed Hawaii on Friday in Waco at the Ferrell Center.

The Bears were selected as part of the Wichita Region, in which Louisville is the No. 1 seed. On BU's side of the bracket, Baylor will face No. 15 Hawaii. If the Bears advance, they will face the winner between No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 10 South Dakota.

Baylor's No. 2 seed marks the 11^th-straight NCAA Tournament that the Bears have been a No. 2 or better. Baylor will be working for its 13^th-straight NCAA Sweet 16, its fifth Final Four appearance and fourth national championship.

The Bears are led by unanimous Big 12 Player of the Year NaLyssa Smith. The senior forward is averaging 22.5 points and 11.5 rebounds and has just set a program record with 24 double-doubles in a season. Smith received her first All-America recognitions of the season last week when she was named a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated and The Athletic.

Smith – along with every other member of Baylor's starting five – received All-Big 12 accolades this season. Jordan Lewis – Big 12 Newcomer of the Year – is second on the team with 11.7 points to go with 3.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Her backcourt mate, Sarah Andrews, is averaging 11.1 points and 2.8 boards per game to go with 4.4 assists per game. Lewis and Andrews are first and second, respectively, in the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Queen Egbo is putting up 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds to go with a total of 61 blocks this season. Ja'Mee Asberry – who ranks second in program history with 77 3-pointers this season – averages 9.8 points and 2.3 triples per game. First off the bench, Caitlin Bickle is putting up 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Hawaii won the Big West Championship over the weekend. This is the Rainbow Wahine's first NCAA Tournament since 2016 with their 11-point win over UC Irvine in the conference championship game. Hawaii is led by forward Amy Atwell (17.4 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game) who was named the Big West Conference Player of the Year.

For games hosted in Waco, all session along with first and second round tickets, are available now. Visit https://baylorbea.rs/2022NCAAWBB to purchase. Bear Foundation members can log into their accounts to request regional and Final Four tickets.

For the latest news on the Baylor women's basketball team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWBB.

WBB Selected as No. 2 Seed for NCAA Tournament

Players Mentioned

Sarah Andrews

Ja'Mee Asberry

Caitlin Bickle

Queen Egbo

Jordan Lewis

NaLyssa Smith

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