Big Ten Matches Conference Record With Four Women’s Basketball Teams In NCAA Sweet 16
Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State advance to second weekend of NCAA Tournament
ROSEMONT, Ill. — For the second consecutive year, the Big Ten Conference will be sending a conference-record four women’s basketball programs (Indiana, Maryland, Michigan and Ohio State) to the Sweet 16 (regional semifinals) of the NCAA Tournament. This year’s four Sweet 16 participants ties for the most from any conference in the country — prior to 2021, the previous Big Ten record of three Sweet 16 teams had been accomplished four times (2003, 2004, 2005 and 2009).
Indiana (24-8) is making its third trip to the Sweet 16 and second in a row. The Hoosiers are the No. 3 seed in the Bridgeport Region and advanced to this year’s Sweet 16 with wins over Charlotte (85-51) and Princeton (56-55) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, having earned the right to host NCAA first- and second-round games for the first time in program history. Indiana will take on second-seeded UConn in the regional semifinals at 2 p.m. (ET) Saturday live on ESPN and the ESPN app at Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.
Maryland (23-8) has booked its 19th NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and 10th under head coach Brenda Frese, as well as its second in as many years. The Terrapins are the No. 4 seed in the Spokane Region and also played host to NCAA first- and second-round games at the XFINITY Center, where they defeated Delaware (102-71) and Florida Gulf Coast (89-65). Maryland will now square off with top-seeded (and defending national champion) Stanford in the Sweet 16 at 9:30 p.m. (ET) Friday on ESPN and the ESPN app at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash.
Michigan (24-6) returns to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year, the first two trips in program history. The Wolverines received the No. 3 seed in the Wichita Region and, like Indiana, made the most of their opportunity to host NCAA first- and second-round games for the first time ever, defeating American (74-39) and Villanova (64-47) at Crisler Center. The Wolverines will face No. 10 seed South Dakota in the Sweet 16 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Saturday on ESPN2 and the ESPN app at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kan.
Big Ten Champion Ohio State (25-6) is back in the Sweet 16 for the 12th time in program history and the first time since 2017. The Buckeyes had to do it the hard way, going on the road to Baton Rouge, La., as the No. 6 seed in the Spokane Region and defeating Missouri State (63-56) and host LSU (79-64) to punch their Sweet 16 ticket. Ohio State next will play No. 2 seed Texas in the regional semifinals at 7 p.m. (ET) Friday on ESPN2 and the ESPN app, also at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash.
The Big Ten sent a total of six teams to this year’s NCAA Tournament, just one shy of the conference record for most bids in a single season (2012, 2015 and 2021). Iowa was the No. 2 seed in the Greensboro Region and defeated Illinois State in the first round, 98-58, before being upset by Creighton, 64-62 in the second round. Both games were played before sold-out crowds (14,382) at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, marking the highest combined NCAA first- and second-round attendance figure at a single site since 2005.
Iowa’s twin sellouts, along with Indiana’s total of 9,627 for Monday’s second-round win over Princeton (the third-largest crowd in school history), were part of a remarkable show of support by Big Ten women’s basketball fans during the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The four Big Ten schools (Indiana, Iowa, Maryland and Michigan) that hosted games this past weekend drew a combined total of 66,183 fans (8,273 per game), the most from any conference in the country. In the second round alone, the four Big Ten host sites averaged 8,541 fans per game.
Nebraska also earned an NCAA Tournament berth this season as the No. 8 seed in the Wichita Region, its highest seed since 2014. The Huskers dropped a hard-fought 68-55 decision to Gonzaga in the first round in Louisville, Ky., but still finished the season with 24 wins, their highest total since that 2013-14 campaign.
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