UW-Green Bay faces always tough Lady Vols
GREEN BAY – The UW-Green Bay women's basketball team already did the difficult part by earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a win over Cleveland State in the Horizon League title game last Tuesday.
It finally learned its opponent for the Big Dance during a watch party surrounded by hundreds of Phoenix fans at the Green Bay Distillery on Sunday night.
UWGB received a No. 11 seed and will play No. 6 Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tipoff is 11 a.m. Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina. The winner will face either No. 3 North Carolina State or No. 14 Chattanooga in the second round.
UWGB NCAA Tournament history
UWGB is making its 19th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first since 2018. It has gone 6-18 all time in tournament play.
Longtime UWGB coach Kevin Borseth is seeking his first win in the NCAA Tournament since the Phoenix beat New Mexico in the opening round in 2007.
What to know about the Volunteers
The key for the shocker will be a usually stingy Phoenix defense finding a way to limit one of the better offenses in the nation.
The Volunteers are ranked 26th in the country in scoring offense at 75.9 points per game.
Why the Phoenix can reach the Sweet 16
UWGB has enjoyed success against top programs.
It beat No. 22 Creighton by 12 points on the road in November and No. 23 Washington State by 11 points at the Cancun Challenge a short time later.
Although this will be the first time on the biggest stage for Phoenix players, all five starters have at least three seasons of college experience.