Featured photo by Erin Douglas
Story by Calvin White
Middle Tennessee women’s basketball (29-4) earned an 11-seed, will tip off against the 6-seeded Louisville Cardinals (24-9) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday at 12:30 Central Time in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
MTSU beat Louisville 67-49 in the Murphy Center last season and held the Cardinals to 27 percent shooting. Savannah Wheeler and Courtney Whitson combined for 39 of MTSU’s 67 points.
“We’re happy to be here,” MTSU head coach Rick Insell said. “We’re very excited about being in the NCAA Tournament. We feel like, in Baton Rouge, you’ve got four great teams there. We feel like we’re playing our best right now so we’re pretty excited about getting back on the court.”
MTSU enters the tournament on a 19-game winning streak and as the second team in Conference USA history to go undefeated in conference play and win. This will be MTSU’s 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in 19 seasons under Insell.
The Blue Raiders have not advanced to the second round of the Big Dance since 2006-07 when they beat Gonzaga 85-46 before falling to Marist 73-59.
“We’re excited to be back in the Dance because it’s what we work for,” Whitson said. “Just staying level-minded and knowing that the work that got us to this point can’t stop now just because we’re here. We want to win some games and make a run in this thing.”
Calvin White is the sports editor for MTSU Sidelines. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, and follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines and on X and Instagram at @mtsusidelines. Also, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
