After compiling a 21-6 record and finishing runner-up in the Big 12 Conference regular season and tournament, the West Virginia women’s basketball team is a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Mountaineers will take on No. 13 seed Lehigh in a Hemisfair Region first-round matchup at 8 p.m. Sunday in San Antonio. The contest will be shown on ESPNU.
West Virginia enters the NCAA Tournament after winning two of three games in the Big 12 Tournament over the weekend. A buzzer-beating victory over Kansas State in Friday’s quarterfinal sent the Mountaineers into Saturday’s semifinal, where they knocked off Oklahoma State. WVU then suffered its third 20-plus point loss of the season to Baylor in Sunday’s conference title game.
“I’m proud of them, but we’re better than what we played today,” WVU coach Mike Carey said. “We’ll have to regroup and get ready for the NCAAs.”
Lehigh (10-5) got into the field by winning the Patriot League Tournament. The Mountain Hawks defeated Boston University 64-54 in Sunday’s Patriot League final.
Lehigh beat Holy Cross and Bucknell — avenging four regular season losses to the Bison — to reach the conference title game. The matchup with West Virginia will mark Lehigh’s first non-conference contest this season.
The winner of the WVU-Lehigh matchup advances to face the winner of No. 5 Georgia Tech-No. 12 Stephen F. Austin in a second-round contest.
South Carolina is the No. 1 seed in the Hemisfair Region and a potential Sweet 16 opponent.
West Virginia enters the NCAA Tournament 6-0 in non-conference play.