BOSTON – The Catamounts were awarded the No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will square off against No. 2 NC State in the NCAA First Round on Saturday. UAlbany earned a trip to the WBIT and will play at St. Joseph’s on Thursday, while Bryant earned a spot in the WNIT. This marks the second straight year the America East has three women's teams playing postseason basketball.
Vermont is 21-12 this year and is 9-1 over the team’s last ten games. The Catamounts earned the America East’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by taking down top seed UAlbany 62-55 for the championship. This marks the program’s third consecutive postseason appearance. They fell to UConn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and last year advanced to the Fab Four of the WNIT. Vermont is 1-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
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Anna Olson has been the team’s leading scorer this year with 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 57.8 percent from the floor. Championship Most Outstanding Player Nikola Priede is averaging 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game but is averaging team-bests of 13.8 points and 6.1 rebounds over the team’s last ten games.
NC State enters the NCAA Tournament after falling in the ACC Championship game 76-62 to No. 3 seed Duke. The Wolfpack are 26-6 overall season and went a perfect 16-0 at home on the way to earning a share of the ACC regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament. This season NC State is averaging 76.8 points per game this season and feature an impressive four-guard lineup of Aziaha James, Zoe Brooks, Saniya River and Madison Hayes.
UAlbany is making its fourth straight postseason appearance as they look for their first postseason win over that span. The Great Danes are 26-6 this year and were the America East regular season championship. They will travel to face St. Joseph’s out of the Atlantic-10 on Thursday, March 20. The Hawks are 23-9 this season and lost in the finals of the A10 Championship to No. 2 seed George Mason.
Bryant is 17-14 this season and has secured a postseason berth for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Bulldogs earned the No. 3 seed in the America East Championship and fell to eventual champion Vermont in the semifinals. The opponent will be revealed on Monday, with First Round action scheduled for March 20-22.
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