‘I love how together we are.’ UK women head to Texas to begin NCAA tourney run.
University of Kentucky basketball fans still have a reason to cheer in March.
The UK women’s hoops team received an at-large berth and was made the No. 4 seed in the River Walk Region of the NCAA Tournament when the 64-team field was revealed Monday night. The Wildcats will face No. 13 seed Idaho State on Sunday at 2 p.m. on ESPN. Specific sites for first-round games will be announced later.
Idaho State (22-3 overall, 15-2 Big Sky Conference) won the Big Sky regular-season title and earned an automatic bid to the Big Dance by also winning the league tournament. The Bengals enter the NCAA Tournament on a six-game winning streak.
“We were excited to see our name pop up on the screen,” UK Coach Kyra Elzy said during a teleconference following the NCAA Selection Show. “Idaho State, the staff is already hard at work breaking down film.”
The entire NCAA Tournament will be played in Texas, with first-round games held in San Antonio, Austin and San Marcos. Second-round games will be played in three different San Antonio venues. All games in the Sweet 16 and beyond will be played in the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday, UK earned an at-large berth following its loss to No. 12 Georgia in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Kentucky is 17-8 overall and went 9-6 in the loaded SEC, finishing fifth in the league. The Wildcats enter the NCAA Tournament having lost two of their last three games.
Connecticut, ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25, is the No. 1 seed in Kentucky’s region. The Huskies will be without head coach Geno Auriemma through at least the first two rounds of the tournament because he tested positive for COVID-19. Baylor is the No. 2 seed in UK’s region and Tennessee the No. 3.
The Wildcats face a potential second-round matchup with No. 5 seed Iowa and star freshman Caitlin Clark, who leads the nation in scoring at 26.7 points per game.
Led by junior star Rhyne Howard — who was recently voted SEC Player of the Year for the second straight season — Kentucky has struggled at times during its first campaign under Elzy, but produced a solid NCAA Tournament resume. The Wildcats beat four teams currently ranked in the top 25 and dropped back-to-back games just once. Those consecutive losses came at the hands of South Carolina — the No. 1 seed in the Hemisfair Region — and Texas A&M — the No. 2 seed in the Mercado Region. A total of seven SEC teams made the tournament.
“It’s just great to even be able to have a tournament this year,” Howard said. “It’s just great to go back (to the tournament) and continue to help prove myself and, as a whole, show what we’re made of.”
Louisville (23-3) is the No. 2 seed in the Alamo Region and will face No. 15 Marist (18-3) — winner of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles — on Monday. The Cardinals and Wildcats are on opposite sides of the bracket and could not meet until the national championship game.
Elzy said Kentucky has improved since its loss to the Bulldogs on March 5.
“We have had some of our best practices of the year. I like the energy, I like the focus, and we are looking forward to going to Texas to make a run,” Elzy said. “This team has been resilient all year. We’ve had our ups and downs but I love how together we are. We’ve battled together … This is what you play for. March Madness, here we are.”
Kentucky’s tournament opener
No. 4 seed Kentucky vs. No. 13 seed Idaho State
What: Women’s NCAA Tournament River Walk Regional
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Alamodome, San Antonio
TV: ESPN
Records: Kentucky 17-8, Idaho State 22-3
About Idaho State
Location: Pocatello, Idaho
Enrollment: 12,425
Nickname: Bengals
School colors: Orange and Black
Head coach: Seton Sobolewski (231-169 in 13 seasons at Idaho State)
Conference: Big Sky
NCAA berth: Automatic (Won the Big Sky regular-season and tournament championships)
Common opponents with Kentucky: Idaho State beat Kansas State on the road 65-50 on Dec. 8 (Kentucky beat Kansas State on the road 60-49 on Dec. 3.)
Other notable games this season: Idaho State lost at Nebraska 64-51 on Dec. 6 (the Cornhuskers are 12-12); beat Big Sky Tournament No. 2 seed Idaho 84-49 in the championship game.
This story was originally published March 15, 2021 at 7:52 PM.
