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Six American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Teams Earn Bids to Postseason

From The American:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Overall top-seed UConn, No. 6 seed USF and No. 12 seed Tulane were selected to the field of 64 teams that will compete for the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship. Additionally, East Carolina, Temple and Tulsa were all chosen for the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), the organization announced Monday night.

UConn, the American tournament and regular-season champion, is the No. 1 seed in the Albany Regional. The Huskies will face NEC champion and No. 16 seed St. Francis (NY) in Storrs, Conn. on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2. UConn is seeking its 10^th NCAA Championship title.

USF opens tournament play in Tampa, Fla. against No. 11 LSU on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN2. The Bulls are making their 11th postseason appearance in 12 years and earned the highest NCAA championship seed in program history with Monday’s announcement.

Tulane, who earned their first NCAA championship at-large bid since 2003, will face No. 5 Mississippi State in Durham, N.C. on Friday (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2) in the Spokane Regional. The Green Wave was selected for the NCAA tournament for the 11^th time and makes their first appearance in the Big Dance since 2010.

East Carolina (21-10) will host the Radford Highlanders in the first round of the WNIT on Wednesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. ET. Radford is the automatic qualifier from the Big South and enter WNIT play at 17-13 overall. The winner of Wednesday night’s game will advance to play the winner between East Tennessee State and NC State.

Temple takes on Marist in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on Thursday, March 19. The Owls are making their fifth appearance in the WNIT and finished with a 16-16 overall record. The Red Foxes are 23-11 on the year and earned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) automatic bid.

Tulsa was chosen for the postseason for the fifth time in school history. The Hurricane travels to Springfield, Mo. on Friday, March 20 to face off with Missouri State. The Bears finished 18-14 and fell in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game to Wichita State. Tulsa was 17-13 in their inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference.

The 2015 Women’s Final Four will be held April 5 and 7 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. UConn is the defending national champion after claiming the 2014 title in Nashville, Tenn. with a win over Notre Dame in the title game.

The 2015 WNIT Championship will be played on April 4 and televised live on CBS Sports Network at 3 p.m. ET. All games are hosted by participating schools. Complete game times will be announced when available.

NCAA First Round – Friday, March 20

No. 12 Tulane vs. No. 5 Mississippi State – Spokane Region, Durham, N.C. (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

NCAA First Round – Saturday, March 21

No. 11 LSU vs. No. 6 USF – Albany Region, Tampa, Fla. (5:30 P.M. ET, ESPN2)

No. 16 St. Francis (NY) vs. No. 1 UConn – Albany Region, Storrs, Conn. (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

WNIT First Round – Wednesday, March 18
Radford vs. East Carolina – 7 p.m. ET, Greenville, N.C. (Williams Arena in Minges Coliseum)

WNIT First Round – Thursday, March 19
Temple vs. Marist – 7 p.m. ET, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (McCann Arena)

WNIT First Round – Friday, March 20
Tulsa vs. Missouri State – Springfield, Mo. (JQH Arena)

UConn Women’s Basketball NCAA Ticket Info

As you know, the UConn women’s basketball team will be hosting the first and second rounds of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Gampel Pavilion on campus in Storrs, CT.

Here’s how to get tickets from UConn:

Tickets for the first and second round of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in Storrs will begin on Tuesday, March 17.

A first round doubleheader will take place on Saturday, March 21 in Gampel Pavilion with a second round game on Monday, March 23.

UConn Club members have an exclusive window to purchase tickets at UConnTickets.com from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., while the general public can begin to purchase at 2:00 p.m. Purchasers on UConnTickets.com can choose their own seat and use print at home.

Tickets are priced per session at $20 for adults and $15 for youth and seniors.

Tickets can also be purchased at the UConn Athletic Ticket Office in Storrs or by calling 1-877-AT-UCONN between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Parking will be available in the North and South Garages for $5 per car — payable upon entry to the garage.

UConn Women Selected as No. 1 Seed in Albany Region

From UConn:

STORRS, Conn. – The UConn women’s basketball team has been selected as the No. 1 seed in the Albany Region of the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, as announced by the NCAA on Monday evening.

The Huskies (32-1) will play their opening round game vs. No. 16 seed and Northeast Conference Tournament Champion Saint Francis Brooklyn at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs on Saturday, March 21 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

No. 8 seed Rutgers will challenge No. 9 seed Seton Hall in Saturday’s other first-round game set to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

The winners of Saturday’s games will advance to the second-round game on Monday, March 23 at a time to be determined, also in Storrs.

The winner of the second round tilt will advance to the NCAA Regional Semifinal, which will be played at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.

Each game of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3.

Connecticut owns the sport’s all-time winningest record in NCAA Tournament play, checking in at 97-17 (.851). The team is making its 27^th-straight appearance in the event and has advanced to the Regional Semifinals in each of the last 21 seasons.

The team will enter the tournament as a No. 1 seed for the 18^th time in program history and the ninth season in-a-row. UConn is 79-9 all-time as a No. 1 seed, including wins in 61 of its last 66 games. Eight of the program’s nine national championships have come when the squad began play as a No. 1 seed.

Husky head coach Geno Auriemma, who was tabbed as The American’s Coach of the Year on March 6, has guided the program to all 97 of its NCAA Tournament wins and will attempt to join former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt (112) as the only members of the NCAA Tournament 100-win club.

UConn earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning its second-straight American Athletic Conference Championship.

Ticket Information

Tickets for the first and second round of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in Storrs will begin on Tuesday, March 17.

Tickets are priced per session at $20 for adults and $15 for youth and seniors.

Tickets can also be purchased at the UConn Athletic Ticket Office in Storrs or by calling 1-877-AT-UCONN between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Parking will be available in the North and South Garages for $5 per car — payable upon entry to the garage.

Five American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Teams Selected for Postseason Play

From The American:

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – SMU and Cincinnati will compete in the 2015 NCAA Championship, highlighting a group of five American Athletic Conference teams that were selected Sunday for postseason play.

In addition to the two NCAA tournament teams, Temple, Tulsa and UConn were chosen for the National Invitation Tournament.

The American, which saw a member school (UConn) capture the national title in the conference’s first year, enjoyed the best postseason record of any league in 2014 as five teams were a combined 13-4 in the NCAA and NIT tournaments (.765).

SMU, which is ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press poll, won The American’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament after the Mustangs punctuated their regular-season conference title by winning the American Championship crown Sunday – their first conference tournament championship since 1988. SMU was seeded No. 6 in the South Region and will face No. 11-seeded UCLA Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky (3:10 p.m. ET, truTV).

SMU will play in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1993. The Mustangs have made 10 previous NCAA appearances, including a national runner-up showing in 1956. SMU coach Larry Brown, who cut the nets with Kansas in his last NCAA tournament game in 1988, served as UCLA’s head coach for two seasons (1979-81).

Cincinnati will make its fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and its sixth postseason appearance in the last seven years as the Bearcats face Purdue in Louisville as part of the Midwest Regional (7:10 p.m. ET, CBS). Seeded No. 8, the Bearcats take a 22-10 overall record into the tournament. Cincinnati will make its 29th NCAA appearance as the Bearcats bid for a seventh Final Four appearance and third NCAA title. Cincinnati won the NCAA title in consecutive seasons in 1961 and 1962 and last reached the Final Four in 1992.

Temple, which narrowly missed a spot in the NCAA field, was chosen as a No. 1 seed in the NIT. The Owls will face Patriot League regular-season champion Bucknell Tuesday at the Liacouras Center (7 p.m. ET, ESPN3). Temple will make its 18th NIT appearance and their first since 2006. The Owls previously won NIT championships in 1938 and 1969.

Tulsa was selected to the NIT as a No. 2 seed as the Golden Hurricane host William & Mary Tuesday at the Reynolds Center (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN3). Tulsa won NIT titles in 1981 and 2001 and is making its 11th appearance in the tournament.

UConn, which finished as the American Athletic Conference Championship runner-up, will play in the NIT for the 13th time overall and the first time since 2010. The No. 4-seeded Huskies, who won the NIT title in 1988, will host No. 5 Arizona State Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion in the first round of the tournament (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

American Athletic Conference Selections to the 2015 Postseason

NCAA Championship

Second Round – Thursday, March 19

No. 6 SMU vs. No. 11 UCLA – South Region, Louisville, Ky. (3:10 p.m. ET, truTV)

No 8. Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Purdue – Midwest Region, Louisville, Ky. (7:10 p.m. ET, CBS)

National Invitation Tournament

First Round – Tuesday, March 17

No. 1 Temple vs. No. 8 Bucknell (7 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

No. 2 Tulsa vs. No. 7 William & Mary (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN3)

First Round – Wednesday, March 18

No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 Arizona State (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

UConn Men To Host Arizona State In First Round of NIT

From UConn:

STORRS — The UConn men’s basketball team, fresh off its appearance in the American Athletic Conference Championship finals, has accepted an at-large bid to continue its postseason in the National Invitation Tournament.

The Huskies, 20-14, are a No. 4 seed in the 32-team NIT field and will play host to Arizona State out of the Pac-12 on Wednesday, March 18, at 7 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

UConn bowed to SMU, 62-54, in the AAC championship game Sunday at the XL Center after a thrilling run of three victories in three days over USF, Cincinnati and Tulsa to reach the title game against the Mustangs.

It will be UConn’s 13th appearance in the NIT and its first since 2010. The Huskies have an overall NIT record of 15-11, including an NIT Championship in 1988 under Hall of Fame coach Jim Calhoun.

Arizona State, 17-15 overall, finished 9-9 in the Pac-12, tied with Stanford for fifth place. The Sun Devils, out of Tempe, lost to USC, 67-64, in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament. It is also their 13th appearance in the NIT and they have an overall record of 6-12. Coached by Herb Sendek, the Sun Devils made their last NIT appearance in 2013.

Arizona State is led by 6-5 senior Shaquielle McKissic, averaging 12.0 points per game, while 6-6 sophomore Savon Goodman (11.0) and 6-4 junior Gerry Blakes (10.9) are also double-figure scorers.

The winner of Wednesday’s first-round game will advance to the NIT round of 16, facing the winner of the game between No. 1 seed Richmond, 19-13, out of the Atlantic 10 and No. 8 seed St. Francis of Brooklyn, 23-11, from the Northeast Conference. The date and time and location of the second-round game are to be determined.

Two other members of the American Athletic Conference received NIT at-large bids Sunday night. Temple is a No. 1 seed and will face No. 8 seed Bucknell in a first-round game, while Tulsa received a No. 2 seed and will meet No. 7 seed William & Mary in the first round.

This year’s NIT will use two experimental rules in all games. The 35-second shot clock will be reduced to 30 seconds and the restricted arc in the lane will be widened from three feet to four feet.

The NIT semifinals are schedule for March 31 and the championship finals are on April 2, both at Madison Square Garden.

Ticket information

Tickets for Wednesday night’s first round game vs. Arizona State are priced at $10 apiece and $4 for UConn students.

UConn Club members and Husky season tickets holders can purchase tickets at UConnTickets.com during an exclusive time period of Sunday night through Monday at noon.

Tickets to the general public will go on sale Monday at noon at UConnTickets.com and will have the ability to select their seats and print tickets at home. Tickets can also be purchased by visiting the UConn Ticket Office in Storrs or by calling the UConn Ticket Office at 1-877-AT-UCONN from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

UConn students can purchase tickets at the box office in Storrs, including game night.

Parking at the North and South Garages will be available for $5 on Wednesday night, which is paid upon entry to the garage.

Photos – AAC MBB: UConn Huskies vs SMU Mustangs – 3/15/15

Here is a photo gallery from the 2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship game between the UConn men’s basketball team and the SMU Mustangs at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. SMU beat the UConn Huskies 62-54 to win The American Championship.

To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)

Video: UConn Men’s Magical Ride Ends With Loss To SMU

A fan can’t believe the call against UConn’s Ryan Boatright (11) during the 2015 American Athletic Conference men’s championship finals between the SMU Mustangs and the UConn Huskies at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

The UConn men’s basketball team came into the 2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament with an unenviable task.

Win four games and garner the automatic bid from the conference. Lose at any point and they’d have a date in the NIT most likely.

All the UConn Huskies did is win the first three games but in the fourth game, they just didn’t have enough left in the tank as the SMU Mustangs won the championship game with a 62-54 win at the XL Center.

UConn finishes the season at 20-14 and will most likely host a game in the first round of the NIT. SMU moves to 27-9 and was given the 6th seed in the South region.

Rodney Purvis stepped up big time for the Huskies with 29 to lead them. Daniel Hamilton added eight points and 10 rebounds while Ryan Boatright had seven points. Amida Brimah had seven blocked shots on the afternoon.

Markus Kennedy led a balanced SMU attack with 15 points. Nic Moore and Yanick Moreira both had 11 points while Ben Moore had 10. Sterling Brown led the Mustangs with 12 rebounds.

UConn Huskies vs SMU Mustangs 2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship box score

Here are SMU’s postgame quotes.

Here are UConn’s postgame quotes.

Here are the postgame notes from The American.

Here is a photo gallery.

Video: UConn Men on Energy From XL Crowd Against Tulsa

Just like Friday night, Saturday’s crowd was awfully loud in support of the UConn men’s basketball team in the 2015 American Athletic Conference Semifinals at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

It’s quite possible without the support of the fans, the UConn Huskies would have lost the game to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Instead, UConn beat Tulsa and will play in the finals on Sunday.

Watch and/or listen below as UConn men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie, Ryan Boatright, Omar Calhoun, Phillip Nolan, Daniel Hamilton and Amida Brimah talk about the energy from the crowd in the win over Tulsa.

Photos – AAC MBB: UConn Huskies vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane – 3/14/15

Here is a photo gallery from the UConn men’s basketball game vs the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the semifinals of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at the XL Center in Hartford, CT. The UConn Huskies won the game 47-42.

To see full size picture or slide show, please click on image
(mobile/tablet users: to scroll through photos, you can swipe left or right; to remove caption, tap photo.)

Video: Crowd, Boatright Propel UConn Into AAC Finals Against SMU

UConn’s Ryan Boatright (11) celebrates after a three-pointer during an American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Semifinal game between the UConn Huskies and Tulsa Golden Hurricane. UConn will play SMU on Sunday for the title.

The UConn men’s basketball team was trailing by eight points with 3:41 to go in the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. It didn’t matter to the crowd at the XL Center in Hartford, CT for the American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals.

They were going to cheer their UConn Huskies on no matter what. And believe it, it may have just helped UConn to the victory.

Using a 16-2 run to end the game, UConn came from behind to beat Tulsa 47-42 to advance to Sunday’s final against the SMU Mustangs. UConn and SMU split the regular season series.

Ryan Boatright paced the Huskies with 21 points while Rodney Purvis had 18. Daniel Hamilton, who was playing with a heavy heart after losing grandmother on Friday, led UConn with 12 rebounds and five assists. He did struggle from the field going 1-of-9 but his only basket came when his team needed it most.

Nobody from Tulsa hit double-figures in the scoring column. Shaquille Harrison led them with nine points while Rashad Ray had eight. James Woodard pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Golden Hurricane and chipped in with seven points.

UConn Huskies vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane 2015 American Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals box score

Here are UConn’s postgame quotes.

Here are Tulsa’s postgame quotes.

Here are the postgame notes from the American.

Here is a photo gallery from the game.