March 13, 2017
Ticket Information | NCAA Tournament Central | NCAA Tournament Bracket
AUBURN, Ala. -- The Auburn women's basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year, earning a bid to the 64-team field that was released Monday night.
The Tigers (17-14) were named the No. 11 seed in the Lexington Regional and will face No. 6 North Carolina State (22-8) in the first round Friday in Austin, Texas. Game time is set for 11 a.m. CT at the Frank Erwin Center.
Auburn was among the final teams announced in the bracket in the unveiling on ESPN Monday night, making the celebration that much more pronounced when the Tigers' name came up on the screen.
"The wait this year was a little bit tougher because of the way we felt ourselves," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "We felt so much disappointment in ourselves because of the way that we (finished the season). You look at the things we accomplished this year - being ranked in the top 25, beating Tennessee for the first time since 2009. Our RPI and our strength of schedule were unbelievable, we went out there and we played some of the toughest teams in the country. We were just doing everything (right), then at the end of the season it was like, `Oh no. This is not supposed to happen.'
"I think the committee rewarded us for doing exactly what they want teams to do. And that's kudos to Meredith Jenkins as well. Meredith kept emphasizing playing a tough schedule. You want to be in the mix at the end, you've got to play a tough schedule. Some we won, some we didn't. You look at our non-conference, Drake has not lost since they lost to us. West Virginia goes through and wins the whole Big 12. We played some tough teams."
Auburn is back in the tournament for the second straight season after having missed the Big Dance the previous six years. Last year, the Tigers advanced to the second round as a No. 9 seed, defeating eighth-seeded St. John's before falling to top-seeded Baylor in Waco, Texas.
"I had a feeling it was going to come down to the last region," Auburn senior Katie Frerking said. "We've prepared like we're going to the NCAA Tournament. We believed we were an NCAA team, and you've got to prepare for what's coming your way. The thing about the NCAA Tournament is, it's a big stage, but at the end of the day you're still playing a basketball game. I think we'll be able to focus on that considering the experience we have from last year."
"I was shaking," Auburn senior Brandy Montgomery said of the long wait to hear Auburn's name called. "I kept looking at my teammates, my stomach was in knots. But what a great feeling it was when I saw `Auburn' come up on that screen. That was an amazing feeling. It was worth the wait."
No. 3 seed Texas (23-8) is the host and will face 14th-seeded Central Arkansas (26-4), the Southland Conference champion, at 1:30 p.m. in Friday's second game. The winners of the two first-round games will meet Sunday at a time to be determined.
Auburn is in the NCAA field for the 20th time in program history. The Tigers have made three trips to the Final Four, finishing as national runner-up in 1988, 1989 and 1990. Auburn is 30-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers are 2-1 all-time against NC State. The teams met in the 2004 NCAA Tournament first round where Auburn earned a 79-59 win in Bridgeport, Conn. The last meeting came on the Wolfpack's home floor in 2012, an 85-71 NC State win in Coach Flo's second game as Auburn's head coach. The Tigers are 1-0 against the Longhorns and have never met the Sugar Bears.
Auburn will be playing just its second all-time game in Austin. The previous visit to the Erwin Center, the Tigers fell to Ole Miss in overtime, 56-55, in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinal on March 20, 1986.
Tickets are on sale now by visiting TexasSports.com. Reserved all-session tickets are $32 and general admission is $20. Student tickets are $16 for all sessions. Single-session tickets are $18 for reserved seats, $12 for general admission and $10 for students.