Lopers 7-3 Record Vs. NCAA Tourney Teams Not Enough to Host
Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney women’s basketball team is in the NCAA Division II Tournament for a third straight year and for the 16th time in program history.
The 64-team field (eight schools in eight regions) was announced tonight at www.ncaa.com with regional play set for March 10-13. The winners advance to the Elite Eight March 20-22 in St. Joseph, Mo.
UNK (28-4), MIAA regular season champions, was hoping to host the Central Regional but instead fell from the top seed to the second seed after a loss Saturday night in the league tourney semifinals. The Lopers will face seventh-seed and MIAA rival Pittsburg State (22-7) Friday in Duluth, Minn., at a time to be announced.
The Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (27-3), regular season and tournament champions of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, will host the tourney in Romano Gymnasium. UNK and UMD have met each of the past two years in the Central Regional with the Lopers coming out on top in both games. For the season, Kearney went 7-3 vs. NCAA tourney qualifiers with Duluth at 3-3.
The Blue & Gold has won the last five meetings with Pitt, taking this year’s season series by scores of 70-55 (Kearney) and 70-67 (Kansas). Both teams fell to Missouri Southern in this past weekend’s MIAA Tournament in Kansas City.
The Loper/Gorilla winner will face either third-seed MSSU or sixth-seed Augustana. The Lions had three double digit wins at the MIAA’s to not only grab the league’s automatic bid but also move up four seeds.
UNK is 8-15 all-time in the NCAA’s, reaching the “Sweet 16” in 2021, 2007 and 1998.
Central Regional Field
Minnesota-Duluth (27-3) – Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conf. auto qualifier
UNK (28-4)
Missouri Southern State (27-6) – MIAAA auto qualifier
Central Missouri (25-4)
Minnesota State (25-4)
Augustana (25-5)
Pittsburg State (22-7)
Southern Nazarene, Okla. (27-4) – Great American Conf. auto qualifier
Friday, March 10
Four Games times TBA
Saturday, March 11
Two Game times TBA
Monday, March 13
Championship Game time TBA
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