UK women earn fourth seed in Lexington region
Head coach Matthew Mitchell of the Kentucky Wildcats gives a thumbs up to fans after the NCAA women’s basketball tournament Sweet 16 game against the Washington Huskies at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY on Friday, March 25, 2016. Photo by Michael Reaves | Staff.
March 13, 2017
After weeks of anticipation, the No. 18 UK women’s basketball got the good news they were hoping to receive on the Selection Monday bracket release show.
It was announced that the Cats are the fourth seed in the Lexington region, meaning they will play all their tournament games in Lexington until the Final Four.
If UK kept winning, the first and second round games will be hosted in Memorial Coliseum, and the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games will be at Rupp Arena.
If the Cats want to make their first Final Four in program history, they will need to get through Belmont first in the first round. Belmont is 27-5 on the year after winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
Belmont’s leading scorer is Kylee Smith, who averages 15.7 points a game. Including Smith, there are four Bruins who average double-digit points.
Other teams in the Lexington region include No. 1 seeded Notre Dame, No. 2 seeded Stanford, and No. 3 seeded Texas.
All the teams the Cats could play in the tournament will present a challenge, but UK will have the luxury of playing all those games a court the Cats are familiar with.
Tipoff for for the first round game against Belmont is scheduled for noon.
