March 13, 2006
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's basketball team, under the direction of eighth-year Head Coach Cindy Stein, is the No. 10 seed in the Bridgeport Region of the 2006 NCAA National Championship Tournament.
The 21-9 Tigers, who enter their ninth NCAA tournament with the most wins prior to NCAA play since 1985, will face seventh-seeded Virginia Tech (20-9) in the first round this Sunday, March 19, in University Park, Pa. That contest will tip off at 7 p.m. ET ( 6 p.m. CT), and will be televised live on ESPN2. Following the Mizzou/Virginia Tech matchup, No. 2 UConn (29-4) will face No. 15 Coppin State (22-8). The winners of Sunday's games will play on Tuesday for the right to advance to the Bridgeport (Conn.) Regional next weekend. All three games will take place at the Bryce Jordan Center.
As stated before, this year's NCAA bid is the ninth in the program's history; Mizzou's last appearance was two years ago in Tempe, Ariz., where the 11th-seeded Tigers fell to No. 6 seed Stanford. The last time Mizzou was a No. 10 seed, the Tigers scored a pair of upsets - first over No. 7 seed Wisconsin, and then again over host and No. 2 seed Georgia - to advance to just the second Sweet Sixteen in the team's history. Missouri is 4-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia Tech picked up its eighth bid after finishing sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. The Hokies, under second-year Head Coach Beth Dunkenberger, sport a balanced attack with four players averaging between 10 and 13 points per game. Senior G/F Dawn Chriss leads the way with 12.8 points per game, while senior F Kerri Gardin is second in scoring (12.4 ppg) and leads the Hokies with 9.9 rebounds a game.
UConn, the five-time NCAA National Champion, earned its 17th NCAA Tournament bid after winning the Big East Tournament championship. The Huskies, under Head Coach Geno Auriemma, are led by senior G/F Ann Strother, who averages 13.8 points per game. Sophomore G Mel Thomas averages 11.6 points per game, and senior F/G Barbara Turner leads the team in rebounding (7.1 rpg) while averaging 11.3 points per game.
Coppin State, under Head Coach Derek Brown, earned its second straight trip by winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference automatic bid. The Eagles are led in scoring by senior F Sherrie Tucker's 12.8 points per game.
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