WBB Earns No. 5 Seed in Portland 3 Regional
3/17/2024 7:33:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Bears are making their 20th-straight appearance in the Big Dance
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – After waiting nine days and "just working on ourselves," Baylor coach Nicki Collen was hoping to find out not only where but who the Bears would play in the NCAA Tournament.
Well, at least for now, one out of two is all you get.
Seeded fifth in the Portland 3 Regional, Baylor (24-7) is headed to Blacksburg, Va., for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and will face the winner of Wednesday's "First Four" matchup between Vanderbilt (22-9) and Columbia (23-6) at 5 p.m. CT Friday at Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum.
"I think the toughest part of our draw, honestly, is not knowing who our first opponent is," Collen said Sunday night after the selections were announced in an ESPN broadcast. "That's the unique challenge. But I think going to Blacksburg is probably easier than going to Spokane or some of the other places. It doesn't matter what the number is in front of your name, you've got to show up and play."
Earning its 20th-consecutive invitation to the NCAA Tournament and the 22nd all-time, all since 2001, Baylor was one of seven Big 12 teams selected. Texas and Kansas State were picked as host sites and earned Nos. 1 and 4 seeds, respectively, while Oklahoma (No. 5), Iowa State (7th), Kansas (8th) and West Virginia (8th) are all top-8 seeds.
"It's always nervous, just waiting and sitting there and waiting for your name to be shown on the screen," sophomore forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs said. "But when it did, we were all happy."
Ten of the 13 players on Baylor's roster have NCAA Tournament experience, led by Jana Van Gytenbeek and Sarah Andrews with 13 and eight games, respectively. Van Gytenbeek played in 11 games at Stanford and was part of the Cardinal's 2021 national championship team.
"I think people who have been in the tournament before kind of know what it takes and can help and support and push the other teammates," Van Gytenbeek said. "And we have a lot of experience on this team."
That's something Vanderbilt and Columbia seriously lack. The Commodores are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, while this is Columbia's first-ever trip, becoming the Ivy League's second-ever at-large pick after losing to Princeton in Saturday's tournament championship.
"I think it's important that all of them have had a taste of that experience," Collen said. "Even Dre (Edwards) play in the NCAA Tournament at Kentucky, it's been a couple years. And Jada (Walker) played in it two years ago, it was one-and-done for the. But it certainly won't be a new stage for the. And I know for Jada, it's as close to home (Richmond, Va.) as we will ever get. So, it'll be a really good thing for her."
The host Virginia Tech team has lost three of its last four games and played the ACC Tournament without 6-6 center Elizabeth Kitley (knee injury), a three-time ACC Player of the Year and projected first-round pick in the WNBA Draft.
Georgia Amoore, a 5-6 senior guard from Australia, is averaging 19.2 points and 6.9 assists per game and is "someone who's super-creative with the ball in her hands and can make shots and make them from all over the place."
"I know people don't talk about Georgia Amoore the same way they do Caitlin Clark," Collen said. "But when you miss the opportunity to watch players like (Amoore), it's almost like shame on the fans, because they are so good."
While the Hokies are ranked 13th, the Portland 3 Regional includes three top-10 teams – top-seeded and third-ranked USC (26-5), No. 2 seed and seventh-ranked Ohio State (25-5) and No. 3 seed and 10th-ranked UConn (29-5).
"It's a little nerve-wracking," Littlepage-Buggs said of waiting for the selection to be announced, "but after you find out where you're going to be and who you're playing, it's really fun and exciting."
WACO, Texas – Baylor women's basketball earned the No. 5 seed in the Portland 3 Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as announced during the Selection Show on Sunday evening.
The Bears (24-7) will face the winner of Vanderbilt (22-9) and Columbia (23-6), who have the play-in game for the No. 12 seed, in Blacksburg, Virginia. The No. 4 seed and host Virginia Tech Hokies (24-7) are set to face No. 13-seeded Marshall (26-6).
Baylor is making its 20th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 22nd appearance overall. The Bears are 55-18 all-time in the Big Dance and have made 15 trips to the Sweet 16. Baylor's 20th-consecutive appearance is the fourth-longest active streak in the country behind Tennessee (42), Stanford (36) and UConn (35).
Ticket, game dates and TV information will be released when made available.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor women's basketball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWBB.
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – After waiting nine days and "just working on ourselves," Baylor coach Nicki Collen was hoping to find out not only where but who the Bears would play in the NCAA Tournament.
Well, at least for now, one out of two is all you get.
Seeded fifth in the Portland 3 Regional, Baylor (24-7) is headed to Blacksburg, Va., for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and will face the winner of Wednesday's "First Four" matchup between Vanderbilt (22-9) and Columbia (23-6) at 5 p.m. CT Friday at Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum.
"I think the toughest part of our draw, honestly, is not knowing who our first opponent is," Collen said Sunday night after the selections were announced in an ESPN broadcast. "That's the unique challenge. But I think going to Blacksburg is probably easier than going to Spokane or some of the other places. It doesn't matter what the number is in front of your name, you've got to show up and play."
Earning its 20th-consecutive invitation to the NCAA Tournament and the 22nd all-time, all since 2001, Baylor was one of seven Big 12 teams selected. Texas and Kansas State were picked as host sites and earned Nos. 1 and 4 seeds, respectively, while Oklahoma (No. 5), Iowa State (7th), Kansas (8th) and West Virginia (8th) are all top-8 seeds.
"It's always nervous, just waiting and sitting there and waiting for your name to be shown on the screen," sophomore forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs said. "But when it did, we were all happy."
Ten of the 13 players on Baylor's roster have NCAA Tournament experience, led by Jana Van Gytenbeek and Sarah Andrews with 13 and eight games, respectively. Van Gytenbeek played in 11 games at Stanford and was part of the Cardinal's 2021 national championship team.
"I think people who have been in the tournament before kind of know what it takes and can help and support and push the other teammates," Van Gytenbeek said. "And we have a lot of experience on this team."
That's something Vanderbilt and Columbia seriously lack. The Commodores are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, while this is Columbia's first-ever trip, becoming the Ivy League's second-ever at-large pick after losing to Princeton in Saturday's tournament championship.
"I think it's important that all of them have had a taste of that experience," Collen said. "Even Dre (Edwards) play in the NCAA Tournament at Kentucky, it's been a couple years. And Jada (Walker) played in it two years ago, it was one-and-done for the. But it certainly won't be a new stage for the. And I know for Jada, it's as close to home (Richmond, Va.) as we will ever get. So, it'll be a really good thing for her."
The host Virginia Tech team has lost three of its last four games and played the ACC Tournament without 6-6 center Elizabeth Kitley (knee injury), a three-time ACC Player of the Year and projected first-round pick in the WNBA Draft.
Georgia Amoore, a 5-6 senior guard from Australia, is averaging 19.2 points and 6.9 assists per game and is "someone who's super-creative with the ball in her hands and can make shots and make them from all over the place."
"I know people don't talk about Georgia Amoore the same way they do Caitlin Clark," Collen said. "But when you miss the opportunity to watch players like (Amoore), it's almost like shame on the fans, because they are so good."
While the Hokies are ranked 13th, the Portland 3 Regional includes three top-10 teams – top-seeded and third-ranked USC (26-5), No. 2 seed and seventh-ranked Ohio State (25-5) and No. 3 seed and 10th-ranked UConn (29-5).
"It's a little nerve-wracking," Littlepage-Buggs said of waiting for the selection to be announced, "but after you find out where you're going to be and who you're playing, it's really fun and exciting."
WACO, Texas – Baylor women's basketball earned the No. 5 seed in the Portland 3 Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, as announced during the Selection Show on Sunday evening.
The Bears (24-7) will face the winner of Vanderbilt (22-9) and Columbia (23-6), who have the play-in game for the No. 12 seed, in Blacksburg, Virginia. The No. 4 seed and host Virginia Tech Hokies (24-7) are set to face No. 13-seeded Marshall (26-6).
Baylor is making its 20th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 22nd appearance overall. The Bears are 55-18 all-time in the Big Dance and have made 15 trips to the Sweet 16. Baylor's 20th-consecutive appearance is the fourth-longest active streak in the country behind Tennessee (42), Stanford (36) and UConn (35).
Ticket, game dates and TV information will be released when made available.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor women's basketball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWBB.
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