Selection Monday has arrived and the NCAA Division I
Women’s Basketball Committee has announced the Field of 64
that will vie for the 2008 National Championship. Fairfield
University will host eight teams in the First and Second Rounds,
March 22-25 at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn.
The site will have four teams playing in the New Orleans Regional
and four teams playing in the Greensboro Regional.
The first round games will begin on Sunday at noon, as
fifth-ranked Kansas State University will take on 12th seeded
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, in the New Orleans
Regional. The Wildcats earned an at-large bid to the
tournament, after putting up a 21-9 record as a member of the Big
XII Conference. The Mocs, with a 29-3 record, enter the
tournament with an automatic bid, having won the Southern
Conference Tournament title.
The second New Orleans Regional game will feature the number
four-seed, University of Louisville, taking on the 13th-seeded
Miami University (Ohio). The Cardinal enter the tournament
with 24-9 record and earned an at-large berth, after advancing to
the Big East Conference tournament final. The RedHawks earned
an automatic berth to the tournament by winning the Mid-American
Conference Tournament title, and have compiled a 23-10 overall
record.
The top-seed in the field is the University of Connecticut, which
is ranked first in the Greensboro Regional. The Huskies,
32-1, and winners of the Big East Conference tournament title, will
take on 16th ranked Cornell University, at 7 p.m. on Sunday.
The Big Red captured the Ivy League crown with a 20-8 record after
winning a three-team playoff.
The University of Texas is the number eight seed in the region and
will take on number-nine seed, University of Minnesota in the
second game of the Sunday evening session. The Longhorns
enter the tournament at 21-12, and earned an at-large bid to the
tournament as a member of the Big XII Conference. The Golden
Gophers boast a 20-11 record an earned an at-large berth from the
Big Ten Conference.
Fans can purchase tickets at the Arena at Harbor Yard box office
by calling 203-345-4904. Fans can visit
www.FairfieldStags.com to print out a ticket order form, which can
be faxed to the box office at 203-345-4914.
Fairfield is hosting an NCAA women’s basketball event for
the third time in five seasons. The Stags first hosted a
First and Second Round in 2004, as UConn advanced to the Sweet 16
with a pair of wins. In 2006, Fairfield and the Arena played
host to the Bridgeport Regional, which was won by Duke University,
defeating the Huskies in the regional final.
