UC Santa Barbara heads to Bowling Green, Ohio as the No. 16 seed to take on No. 1 Baylor in the Des Moines Region in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as announced today by the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Selection Committee.
This is the Gauchos' 14th appearance in the Big Dance, where they have a 7-13 all-time NCAA record.
The Gauchos are set to battle Baylor Sunday, March 18 at 10:30 a.m. (PDT). This is the third all-time meeting for the two opponents where the Bears hold a 2-0 advantage, the last meeting in 1998.
UC Santa Barbara (17-13) came from behind twice in its first two Big West Tournament games to reach the championship against No. 7 seed Long Beach State. In a 63-54 win over the 49ers, the Gauchos captured their first tournament championship since 2009 and became the lowest seed in tournament history to claim the title.
The blue and yellow are led by tournament MVP Kirsten Tilleman, who had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds against LBSU, while teammate Melissa Zornig came off the bench to collect 12 points.
Baylor earned the No. 1 seed after clinching its second consecutive Big 12 title and fourth overall. The Bears are ranked No. 1 in the nation with a perfect 34-0 record going into the post-season tournament.