BIG EAST Sends Four To NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament
No. 2 seed Connecticut joined by No. 10 seed Creighton, No. 11 seed Villanova and No. 11 seed DePaul in the field; Seton Hall and Marquette headed to the WNIT.
NEW YORK – Four BIG EAST teams heard their names called Sunday night during the 2022 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show as automatic qualifier Connecticut was joined in the field by at-large selections Creighton, Villanova and DePaul. The four selections match the BIG EAST’s most since conference realignment (2013-14), last earning four bids in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Additionally, Seton Hall and Marquette accepted invites to the WNIT, with the Golden Eagles being the automatic qualifier and the Pirates an at-large selection. The WNIT bracket will be announced on Monday at 2 p.m. ET.
UConn is the No. 2 seed in the Bridgeport Region and will host No. 15 seed Mercer on Saturday in Storrs, Conn. Creighton is the No. 10 seed in the Greensboro Region and will face No. 7 seed Colorado on Friday in Iowa City, Iowa. Villanova is the No. 11 seed in the Wichita Region and will face No. 6 seed BYU on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. DePaul is the No. 11 seed in the Greensboro Region and will face fellow No. 11 seed Dayton in the First Four on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET in Ames, Iowa. That game will air on ESPNU. The winner of the Blue Demons-Flyers match will face No. 6 seed Georgia on Friday in Ames.
This is the sixth time the Huskies have been named a No. 2 seed. UConn (25-5) will compete in its 33rd-straight NCAA Tournament, dating back to 1989. UConn has advanced to 21 NCAA Final Fours, including the last 13 straight, an NCAA record. The Huskies have won a record 11 National Championships.
Creighton (20-9) is making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including the fifth under current head coach Jim Flanery. Creighton’s last trip to the Big Dance came in 2018 when the Bluejays defeated Iowa in the opening round, then went on to battle UCLA inside the historic venue of Pauley Pavilion.
This is the first time since 2018 and the 12th time overall that Villanova (23-8) has earned an NCAA Tournament berth. Friday’s game will be the 20th game in the NCAA Tournament all-time for the Wildcats, who are 8-11 in their previous 11 tournament appearances. Villanova has been a No. 11 seed once before, in 1989 when it was defeated by No. 6 seed Old Dominion. In their most recent NCAA appearance, the Wildcats went 1-1 in 2018 as a No. 9 seed. Villanova defeated No. 8 South Dakota State in a first round game in South Bend, Ind. before falling to top seed Notre Dame in the second round.
DePaul (22-10) is making its 25th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Blue Demons also earned an automatic bid for the 2020 NCAA Tournament which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DePaul is 17-24 all-time in the NCAAs, advancing to the Sweet 16 four times (2006, 2011, 2014 and 2016).
Tip times and television information for NCAA Tournament First Round games will be announced later this evening.
