AMHERST, N.Y. – One year removed from having their postseason hopes dashed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Daemen is returning to the big stage. The Wildcats are dancing their way back to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship which gets underway later this week with regional tournaments across the country, including here at Daemen's Lumsden Gymnasium. The full 48-team NCAA tournament bracket was announced late this evening in a selection show broadcast on NCAA.com.
The tournament field is broken down into eight regions, consisting of only six teams each for this season due to the pandemic. Daemen is one of the 32 at-large bids selected by the Division II Women's Basketball Committee and now join the 16 conference champions that earned automatic qualifying bids to the tournament. Last month, Daemen was awarded the right to host the East Regional from March 12-15.
Daemen is the No. 2 seed in the East Region and the Wildcats will make their long-awaited NCAA tournament debut in the regional semifinals Saturday, March 13. As the No. 2 seed, Daemen has earned a first-round bye. The Wildcats will face the winner of third-seeded Georgian Court and sixth-seeded Concordia (N.Y.) which meet in an opening round game Friday, March 12.
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference champion Dominican (N.Y.) is the No. 1 seed in the East Region. The Chargers await the winner of Friday's other first-round matchup between fourth-seeded American International and fifth-seeded Roberts Wesleyan.
Game times and broadcast information for the East Regional will be announced later this week.
Daemen, which earned an automatic bid to the 2020 NCAA tournament before it was shelved by the pandemic, will enter this year's tournament with a 12-2 record. After capturing their second straight ECC regular-season title with a 9-0 conference mark, the Wildcats finished as the runner-up in the ECC tournament held this past week. Daemen defeated fourth-seeded Molloy, 52-42, in Thursday's semifinal round, a rematch of the 2020 ECC championship game. Then, in Saturday's tournament final, Daemen saw their eight-game winning streak snapped at the hands of second-seeded Roberts Wesleyan, 59-53. Dating back to the 2018-2019 season, the Wildcats have won 27 of their last 31 games.
Daemen's potential semifinal round opponents both hail from the CACC. Georgian Court will enter the NCAA tournament with an 8-1 overall record after being upset in the CACC tournament Saturday by Dominican, 81-65. Daemen and Georgian Court have not met since the 1993-94 season - the only all-time meeting between the two. Concordia comes into the NCAA tournament with a 6-5 overall record. Daemen defeated the Clippers 70-47 in the teams' first-ever meeting last season. A full semifinal-round preview will be posted to daemenwildcats.com later this week.
Winners of the eight regional tournaments will advance to the Elite Eight which is slated for March 23-26 in Columbus, Ohio at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Regional Schedule (all played at Daemen College, Lumsden Gymnasium, Amherst, N.Y.)
Friday, March 12 – Regional Quarterfinals
6:00 p.m. Game No. 1. – TBA
8:45 p.m. Game No. 2 – TBA
Saturday, March 13 – Regional Semifinals
6:00 p.m. Game No. 3. - TBA
8:45 p.m. Game No. 4. - TBA
Monday, March 15 – Regional Championship Game
6:00 p.m. Game No. 5. (Winner Game No. 3 vs. Winner Game No. 4)
National Schedule (all played at Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio.)
Tuesday, March 23 – National Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 24 – National Semifinals
Friday, March 26 – National Championship Game
Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.
Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.
