THE FLATS – The Georgia Tech women’s basketball team is going dancing in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and 11th time in program history after earning an at-large bid Sunday night when the field of 68 teams was announced during the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show.
The Yellow Jackets (21-10 overall, 11-7 ACC) earned the No. 9 seed and will face the No. 8-seed Kansas on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPNU in the Spokane Region. Kansas (20-9, 11-7 Big 12) earned an at-large bid after finishing fifth in the Big 12 regular season. The Jayhawks, led by Big 12 Coach of the Year Brandon Schneider, fell in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals. This will be the first meeting between Kansas and Georgia Tech in program history. The winner of Friday’s game will advance to second round play and face the winner of No. 1 Stanford (28-3, 16-0 Pac-12) and No. 16 Montana State (22-12, 14-6 Big Sky).
Georgia Tech reached the ACC Tournament quarterfinals as the No. 6 seed and have won two of its past three outings. The Jackets capped the regular season earning some prestigious conference hardware as Lorela Cubaj was tabbed the ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Cubaj also picked up all-ACC first team honors by both the Blue Ribbon Panel and league’s head coaches, while Lotta-Maj Lahtinen received all-ACC honorable mention by the media.
Four Jackets are averaging double-figure scoring numbers, led by Lahtinen at 11.0 points per game. Nerea Hermosa follows averaging 10.7 points, while Eylia Love contributes 10.6 points per game. Cubaj is one of two players in the league averaging a double-double on the season behind 11.1 rebounds and 10.1 points per game.
Georgia Tech is making back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since the Yellow Jackets made six consecutive appearances from 2007-2012.
The 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament will be the first to have 68 teams. First Four games will be played Wednesday, March 16, and Thursday, March 17, at four of the top 16 host sites. First- and second-round games will be played Friday, March 18, through Monday, March 21, at the top 16 seeds.
Regional games will be played March 25-28, with Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum) and Spokane, Wash. (Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena) hosting regional semifinals and finals games on March 25 and 27, while Bridgeport, Conn. (Webster Bank Arena) and Wichita, Kansas (Intrust Bank Arena) will host March 26 and 28.
The Women’s Final Four will be played Friday, April 1, and the national championship game is Sunday, April 3 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
Game times and television coverage will be announced at a later time.
Below is the schedule of play for the tournament:
First Four March 16-17
First Round March 18-19
Second Round March 20-21
Sweet 16 March 25-26
Elite Eight March 27-28
Final Four April 1
National Championship April 3
TECH’S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Georgia Tech’s 2022 berth into the NCAA Tournament marks the 11th appearance by the Yellow Jackets. Tech made its first appearance in 1993, but would not return again until 2003. From 2007-2012, the Jackets made six consecutive NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by the program’s first-ever run to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2012. Georgia Tech’s highest seeding in the NCAA Tournament has been No. 4 in 2012.
Last season, Georgia Tech advanced to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in program history. As the No. 5 seed, the Jackets uprooted 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin in overtime and No. 4-seeded West Virginia to meet No. 1 South Carolina in the Sweet 16.
Tech has won five first round games dating back to its first NCAA Tournament victory in 2007.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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Lotta-Maj Lahtinen meets with media following NCAA Tournament Selection Show
Head coach Nell Fortner meets with media following NCAA Tournament Selection Show
