WAC Tournament champion Fresno State and WAC regular-season champion Louisiana Tech will both participate in the NCAA Tournament as the Bulldogs received the WAC's automatic bid to the dance, while LA Tech received an at-large bid to play in this year's event.
After winning the WAC Tournament, Fresno State (25-7) earned a No. 12 seed and meets fifth-seeded North Carolina (26-8) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 2 p.m. (MT) Saturday, March 19, at The Pit in Albuquerque, N.M., on ESPN2. The Bulldogs are making their fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the 2011 WAC Tournament with a thrilling 78-76 victory over Louisiana Tech.
North Carolina earned an at-large bid after falling to Duke in the finals of the ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels are making their 10th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fell in the first round last season.
For the second year in a row and 27th time in program history, Louisiana Tech (24-7) will play in the NCAA Tournament when the 10th-seeded Lady Techsters take on No. 7-seed Rutgers (19-12) in the first round at 6:30 p.m. (CT) Sunday, March 20, at the CenturyTel Center in Shreveport, La., in a game that will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Lady Techsters won the WAC regular-season title after posting a 15-1 mark in conference play.
Rutgers earned an at-large bid after falling to UConn in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament. The Scarlet Knights are making their 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament and fell in the first round a year ago.
This is the 10th time ever and second year in a row that the WAC has sent multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament.