Official NCAA Release (.pdf)
Official NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Bracket (.pdf)
Ticket Information
Bowling Green, Ohio – Bowling Green State University's Stroh Center will play host to undefeated No. 1 Baylor, as
well as Ohio State, Florida, and UC Santa Barbara for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament.
Baylor is the overall No. 1 seed and will face No. 16 seed UC Santa Barbara in the Sunday's second game at approximately 2:30 p.m. Ohio State, the No. 8 seed, will face No. 9 seed Florida at 12:15. The winners will play Tuesday night, March 20, in the Stroh Center at 7 p.m.
Baylor enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 34-0 and would become the first team in NCAA history to win 40 games if it would run the table. The Bears are led by Brittney Griner, who averages 23.3 points and 9.4 rebounds, while blocking 175 shots. The 6-foot-8 junior is the favorite for National Player of the Year honors and has 2,289 career points, 907 career rebounds, and 568 career blocked shots. She ranks second in NCAA history in rejections. Head coach Kim Mulkey has a career record of 332-79 in 12 seasons leading Baylor.
Baylor's first round opponent, UC Santa Barbara, enters the tournament with a record of 17-15 overall after going 8-8 in the Big West Conference. The Gauchos won their 14th Big West title as the No. 6 seed in the league tournament and carry a four-game winning streak to Bowling Green. UC Santa Barbara ranks seventh in the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 51.6 points per game. The Gauchos have no players averaging in double-figures but six players average at least 6.0 points per game. Sweets Underwood averages 7.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest. Head coach Carlene Mitchell is in her first season leading the Gauchos after serving 10 years as an assistant coach at Rutgers.
No. 8 seed Ohio State went 25-6 on the year and 11-5 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes lost to Nebraska in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament after opening the year with 15 consecutive wins. Ohio State is an efficient offensive team, ranking seventh in the country in field goal percentage and 15th in three-point percentage. The Buckeyes have a lethal duo in Taylor Hill (20.3 points per game) and Samantha Prahalis (20.1 points per game). Those two have combined to make 141 three-pointers and have attempted 321 free-throws, with each shooting over 76 percent from the stripe. Head coach Jim Foster is in his 34th season as a head coach and 10th at Ohio State. He is 261-68 with the Buckeyes and a remarkable 765-293 overall.
No. 9 seed Florida enters the tournament at 19-12 on the year and 8-8 in the Southeastern Conference. The Gators will be playing in an NCAA Tournament game in Bowling Green for the second time after beating BGSU 69-67 in Anderson Arena in the first round of the 1993 tournament. Florida lost to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals and is 3-4 in its last seven games. Jennifer George, a 6-foot junior, dominates inside and is averaging 13.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 55 percent from the floor. She is eighth in the country in field goal percentage and 15th in double-doubles. Head coach Amanda Butler is 97-66 in five seasons at Florida and 137-88 in seven years as a head coach.
