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Coach Mike Carey has again guided the West Virginia women’s basketball team to the NCAA tournament. This year, WVU is a No. 6 seed in the Bridgeport, Connecticut, Region.
We're in! The Mountaineers are the No. 6 seed and headed to College Park, Md., on Friday to play Elon.#SelectionMonday #ncaaW pic.twitter.com/LgXwc4Cbgu
— WVUWomen'sBasketball (@WVUWBB) March 13, 2017
The Mountaineers (23-10) will play Elon on Friday, March 17, at 2:30 p.m, on ESPN2. They will travel to College Park, Maryland, as Maryland will host the four-team pod for the first two rounds of the tournament.
The Bridgeport Region is topped by No. 1 seed Connecticut. The Huskies (32-0) are the heavy favorites to win the title, but WVU would not have to meet the former Big East foe until the Elite Eight.
The Phoenix (27-6) won the Colonial Athletic Association regular season and tournament championships, giving them an automatic seed. Elon is guided by head coach Charlotte Smith, who has been in charge since 2011.
Shay Burnett, a junior guard, leads her team with 12.1 points and 4.7 assists per game. Lauren Brown, another junior guard, averages just at 12 points per game for the Phoenix.
WVU won the 2017 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship by defeating three top-25 teams, Oklahoma, Texas and Baylor. Tynice Martin has been the catalyst for the team all season, but her efforts in the conference tournament earned her Most Outstanding Player honors.
Since taking over in 2001, Carey has steered the Mountaineers to a now 10 NCAA tournament appearances. However, his WVU teams have never advanced past the second round. To do that, the Mountaineers will likely have to play the host team for this pod, the No. 3 seed Maryland Terrapins.