The women's NCAA bracket was announced last night and our OVC automatic bid, Austin Peay is set to face Tennessee Saturday at 11:16 on ESPN2. Austin Peay was seeded in the #16 hole while Tennessee is the #1 seed in the Memphis Region. The winner of the game will go on to face the winner of the Dayton/TCU matchup.
The Lady Govs upset top-seeded Eastern Illinois, 69-60, to win its second straight OVC tournament title. It marked the second year in a row that APSU had defeated EIU in the tourney final.
Austin Peay heads into the tournament with a 11-7, 15-17 record. Last year they were seeded 16th as well and faced #1 seeded Duke.
Negatives: The girls are playing #1 Tennessee. It's going to be a tough matchup as Tennessee has been ranked in the top 5 most of the season and carries a 25-8, 11-5 record heading into the postseason.
Positives: Austin Peay is carrying the momentum of winning its second straight OVC championship, and will be a little more familiar with the pressures of the NCAA tournament. The team also gets to play in Knoxville, Tenn., just a few hours from their home in Clarksville, Tenn., so hopefully the large fan base that came to Nashville for the OVC tournament can fill the stands red in Knoxville as well. And, the game is on ESPN2 so that will be some extra motivation for the team to put on a good show as well.
It was clear from the post-game press conference after the championship game the girls were pumped up and excited for the challenge that lie ahead of them, and the way they fought in the championship game, it is clear they won't back down from the Lady Vols without a fight.
Ashley Herring leads the team in scoring with 14.8 points and Nicole Jamen and Jasmine Rayner have a combined 21 points and 16 rebounds, so let's hope the three can keep the Lady Govs in the game and hang with Tennessee as long as they can.
So, bring it on Tennessee, and good luck Lady Govs!
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