Members of the women's basketball team react to their placement in the NCAA Tournament bracket. Akron will play at Purdue on Saturday.
The University of Akron women's basketball team received the No. 13 seed in the South Bend Region and will face No. 4 seed Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Zips (23-9) and Boilermakers (21-8) will play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. The contest will be televised live on ESPN2. The winner of Saturday's game will take on the winner of the No. 5 Oklahoma State/No. 12 Florida Gulf Coast pairing on Monday, March 24.
Purdue, ranked 17th in the latest Associated Press Top 25, will be making its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, and its 24th overall in school history. The Boilermakers hold a 21-8 overall record after bowing out in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament with an 87-80 loss to Iowa.
UA, appearing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, has won 16 of its last 17 games and earned its first ever conference title with the victory over Ball State. As the No. 3 seed for the second-straight season, the Zips earned a double bye to the league tournament's quarterfinal round and won three games in three days to secure the MAC crown.
The Zips defeated Ball State University 79-68 in Saturday's Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
In the media:
- Akron Beacon Journal: UA women’s basketball: Zips will make NCAA Tournament debut against Purdue
- Inside Higher Ed: The 2014 Academic Tournament, Women's Edition: Who would win the NCAA Women's Tournament if academics ruled?
Related:
Women's basketball coach Jodi Kest speaks at the NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on Monday.
Rachel Tecca speaks at the watch party on Monday. The women's team will play Purdue on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.