Women's Basketball

League-Record Tying Eight ACC Teams Selected to the NCAA Tournament

Four ACC teams will serve as hosts for the first and second rounds

Bracket: http://theacc.co/wbb18Bracket

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com)  - Eight Atlantic Coast Conference teams are among the 64-team field for the 2018 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, announced Monday evening.

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.

Two of the four No. 1 seeds in the tournament come from the ACC in league champion Louisville (32-2) and Notre Dame (29-3), while Florida State (25-6) earned a No. 3 seed, NC State (24-8) a No. 4 seed,  Duke (22-8) a No. 5 seed, Miami (21-10) and Syracuse (22-8) No. 8 seeds, and Virginia (18-13) a No. 10 seed. Louisville, Notre Dame, Florida State, and NC State will all serve as host sites for the first and second rounds.
 
Louisville, which is making its eighth straight and 21st overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, is the No. 1 seed in the Lexington Region. The Cardinals will host No. 16 seed Boise State (23-9) at the KFC Yum! Center on Friday, March 16 at Noon on ESPN2. Louisville has advanced to two Final Fours, three Elite Eights and seven Sweet 16s, and owns a 27-20 mark in tournament play.
 
Notre Dame, which will be appearing in the NCAA postseason field for the 23rd consecutive year, is the No. 1 seed in the Spokane Region. The Fighting Irish will host No. 16 seed CSU Northridge (19-15) on March 16 at 5 p.m. on ESPN2. Notre Dame has advanced to the Final Four five of the last seven seasons and owns the 2001 NCAA Championship. The Fighting Irish will be participating in their 25th NCAA Championship and own a 56-23 record in the tournament.
 
Florida State was awarded a No. 3 seed in the Albany Region. The Seminoles will host No. 14 seed Arkansas Little Rock (23-9) on March 17 at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.  The Seminoles are making their 17th NCAA Championship appearance under head coach Sue Semrau and own a 22-16 record in NCAA Championship play. The Noles have advanced to the Sweet 16 five times and the Elite Eight three times (2010, 2015, 2017).
 
NC State, the No. 4 seed in the Kansas City Region, will face No. 13 seed Elon (25-7) in Raleigh at Reynolds Coliseum on March 16 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Wolfpack is participating in its 24th NCAA Tournament and owns 20 tournament wins.
 
Duke drew the No. 5 seed in the Albany Region. The Blue Devils will play No. 12 seed Belmont (31-3) in Athens, Georgia, on March 17 at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. Duke owns an all-time record of 56-23 in NCAA action and has advanced to four NCAA Final Fours, 11 Elite Eights and 16 Sweet 16s. 
 
Earning its sixth straight NCAA Tournament berth and ninth overall is Syracuse, which grabbed the No. 8 seed in the Kansas City Region. The Orange will play No. 9 seed Oklahoma State (20-10) in Starkville, Mississippi, on March 17 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The 2016 national runner-up Orange made its first Final Four appearance in that same season.
 
Miami, the No. 8 seed in the Albany Region, earned its 13th NCAA Tournament berth. The Hurricanes will play No.  9 seed Quinnipiac (27-5) in Storrs, Connecticut, on March 17 at 1:30 p.m. on ESPN2. 
 
Virginia is back in the NCAA Championship for the first time since the 2010 season. The Cavaliers are the No. 10 seed in the Albany Region and will face No. 7 seed California (21-10) in Columbia, South Carolina, on March 16 at 5 p.m. on ESPN2. Virginia is participating in its 25th NCAA Tournament and is 33-24 all-time in the Big Dance with three Final Four, seven Elite Eight and 12 Sweet 16 appearances.
 
First and second round games will be played at 16 home sites Friday, March 16 through Monday, March 19, with the 16 second-round winners moving on to the four regional sites.  The Lexington Regional (Rupp Arena) and the Kansas City Regional (Sprint Center) will be played on Friday, March 23 and Sunday, March 25, while the Albany Regional (Times, Union Center) and the Spokane Regional (Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena) will be held Saturday, March 24 and Monday, March 26.  The four regional winners will advance to the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four, March 30 and April 1 in Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena).