By Staff
RALEIGH, N.C. – The 2018 postseason tips off locally on Thursday with the first and second rounds of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship hosted by the N.C. State Wolfpack at Reynolds Coliseum.
Led by Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Champion Louisville, eight league teams total are among the 64-team NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship field.
The eight teams selected to the tournament match a league record (2014 and 2015), and are the most of any conference this year.
2018 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship
First Round
Fri., Mar. 16
Lexington Regional | Louisville, Ky.
No. 16 Boise State at No. 1 Louisville – Noon | ESPN2
No. 8 Marquette vs No. 9 Dayton – 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Kansas City Regional | Raleigh, N.C.
No. 5 Maryland vs No. 12 Princeton – 12:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 13 Elon at No. 4 NC State – 2:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Albany Regional | Columbia, S.C.
No. 10 Virginia vs No. 7 California – 5 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 15 N.C. A&T at No. 2 South Carolina – 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Spokane Regional | Notre Dame, Ind.
No. 16 CSUN at No. 1 Notre Dame – 5 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 8 South Dakota State vs No. 9 Villanova – 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Sat., Mar. 17
Albany Regional | Storrs, Conn.
No. 16 Saint Francis (Pa.) at No. 1 UConn – 11 a.m. | ESPN2
No. 8 Miami vs No. 9 Quinnipiac – 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Albany Regional | Athens, Ga.
No. 5 Duke vs No. 12 Belmont – 11 a.m. | ESPN2
No. 13 Mercer at No. 4 Georgia – 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Albany Regional | Tallahassee, Fla.
No. 14 Ark-Little Rock at No. 3 Florida State – 11 a.m. | ESPN2
No. 6 USF vs No. 11 Buffalo – 1:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Kansas City Regional | Starkville, Miss.
No. 8 Syracuse vs No. 9 Oklahoma State – 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
No. 16 Nicholls State at No. 1 Mississippi St. – 6 p.m. | ESPN2
Second Round
Sun., Mar. 18
First Round Winners
Mon., Mar. 19
First Round Winners
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ACC Notables
1 – The ACC finished the regular season as the No. 1 conference in the RPI and strength of schedule rankings.
2 – Current ACC teams own two NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships: North Carolina (1994) and Notre Dame (2001), and 21 trips to the Final Four.
2 – Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw has been named the National Coach of the Year by both USA Today and espnW.
2 – ACC teams own two of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament – Louisville and Notre Dame. Including 2018, the ACC has had at least one No. 1 seed in each of past five tournaments and 19 times overall. The ACC has had multiple No. 1 seeds in five tournaments (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2018).
3 – An ACC team has been in the Final Four three of the past four seasons, with a league team reaching the title game those same years.
3 – Three of the top seven winningest active coaches by percentage in NCAA Tournament history are in the ACC (more than any other league): No. 4 Jeff Walz of Louisville (.719), No. 6 Muffet McGraw of Notre Dame (.709) and No. 7 Sylvia Hatchell of North Carolina (.682).
4 – Four ACC teams earned a top four seed and will host first and second round games – No. 1 Louisville, No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 NC State.
5 – Five conference teams are ranked in the final Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Polls (No. 3/3 Louisville, No. 5/6 Notre Dame, No. 11/11 Florida State, No. 20/18 Duke, No. 21/22 NC State).
6 – Six different institutions have represented the ACC in the Women’s Final Four (current membership).
7 – Seven ACC teams have secured 20-win seasons, tied for the most among all conferences – Louisville (32), Notre Dame (29), Florida State (25), NC State (24), Syracuse (22), Duke (22) and Miami (21).
8 – Led by ACC Champion Louisville, eight league teams are among the 64-team 2018 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship field. The eight teams selected to the tournament match a league record (2014 and 2015), and are the most of any conference this year. It is also the fourth time in the last five years at least seven ACC teams have earned berths in the Big Dance, and the 11th time in the last 14 years at least six teams have been selected.
8 – Since 2006, the current ACC membership combines for eight title game appearances, the most from a single conference.
20 – The ACC has had a .500 or better showing in the NCAA Tournament for 20 consecutive seasons.
85 – The ACC has placed at least one team in the regional semifinals every year since the NCAA Women’s Championship began in 1982. With three teams advancing in 2017, 85 ACC squads have reached the regional semifinals over the past 36 years.
152 – ACC teams posted a 152-45 record (.772) against non-conference opposition during the 2017-18 regular season, including 11 wins over Top 25 teams. The 152 non-conference wins are the most of any league.
178 – The ACC (actual membership) has had 178 teams reach the NCAA Tournament in league history, with a 274-176 (.609) record.
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