March 12, 2007
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech earned a bid to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship on Monday, drawing a No. 7 seed in the Dallas Region and a first-round match-up, Saturday March 17 at 8 p.m. ET against 10th-seeded DePaul in the Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. The game will be regionally televised on ESPN 2.
The Yellow Jackets are in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history and the first time under head coach MaChelle Joseph. The winner of the Tech-DePaul game will meet the winner of No. 2 Purdue and No. 15 Oral Roberts on Monday March 19, and the survivor of that game advances to the Dallas regional.
Tech is 20-11 overall, 9-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, having won seven of 10 games since the beginning of February including the last five regular-season games. The Yellow Jackets’ conference record is a seven-win improvement over last year’s 2-12 finish and the first winning conference record in school history. The Jackets’ 20-11 overall mark is identical to that of the 2002-03 squad that made Tech’s last NCAA appearance. That team, under former head coach Agnus Berenato, was eliminated in the first round of the Tournament by Virginia Tech.
Tech finished the regular season on a five-game win streak and moved on to defeat Miami in the first round of the ACC Tournament. The Jackets then fell to third-seeded Maryland, 75-59, in the tournament quarterfinals finishing sixth in the conference.
“We felt like it was going to take five years to put together a team that could make it to the NCAA Tournament,” said fourth-year Tech head coach MaChelle Joseph. “The fact that we are able to get to the NCAA Tournament in four years is a compliment to our players, especially our seniors Stephanie (Higgs) and Kentrina (Wilson). It was their determination to leave Georgia Tech better than they found it that helped us get here. “We want to finish this season strong. We want to have the most wins in school history and we’re just one win away from that goal,” said Joseph. “We’re not going to the Tournament to be one and done. We’re thrilled to death to get this opportunity to play with the best teams in the country.”
DePaul, 19-12 overall, are an out-large selection from the Big East conference. This will be the first meeting between the Jackets and the Blue Demons.
Tech was 3-8 vs. teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament, including a 3-5 record against ACC teams in the field.
Tech in the NCAA Tournament
Georgia Tech is playing in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in five years and first time under head coach MaChelle Joseph and third time in the history of the program. Tech is seeking its first NCAA tournament victory.
Tickets to Georgia Tech NCAA Tournament games are available through the Georgia Tech ticket office by calling 888-TECH-TIX.
For a printable 2007 NCAA Women’s Championship Schedule, please click here
