UConn opens NCAA Tourney at home
The UConn women’s basketball team was named the top overall seed for the NCAA Tournament on Monday night, and the Huskies will begin play Saturday at Gampel Pavilion against St. Francis (Pa.), the No. 16 seed in the Albany Regional, at 11 a.m.
The Huskies, led by Hamilton native and American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year Kia Nurse, are the only team from Connecticut opening on their home court — but not the only team from Connecticut opening in its home state.
Quinnipiac is seeded No. 9 in the same region and will open at Gampel against No. 8 Miami on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Barring one of the greatest upsets in the history of the sport, UConn will play the winner of that game Monday at Gampel.
Then the winner is off to Albany. South Carolina is the No. 2 seed in the region, followed by Florida State and Georgia. The other No. 1 seeds are Louisville, Mississippi State and Notre Dame. UConn beat Louisville and Notre Dame in the regular season and lost to Mississippi State in the Final Four last season.
UConn (32-0) is a No. 1 seed for the 21st time in 30 NCAA Tournament appearances.
St. Francis (Pa.) is 24-9 and won the Northeast Conference’s automatic bid with a victory over Bryant in the championship game.
St. Francis leading scorer Jessica Kovatch, a junior 5-9 guard, is the second-leading scorer in the nation, averaging 24.9 points per game.
UConn has twice opened NCAA Tournament play against St. Francis, winning by 51 in 1999 and by 49 in 2002.
The Huskies have played Quinnipiac just once, winning 117-20 in 1998-99.
The Bobcats (27-5) defeated Marist in the MAAC championship, claiming that conference’s automatic bid for the second consecutive year.
A 12 seed last year, Quinnipiac defeated Marquette and host Miami to reach the Sweet 16, before losing to eventual national champion South Carolina. Auriemma celebrated his neighbour’s success, wearing a Quinnipiac T-shirt to a press conference at Gampel Pavilion.