Mar 12, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones players stand mid court during a break in play during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Municipal Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
The Iowa State women’s basketball team will play its first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn. following its run to the Big 12 championship Sunday.
In its first round matchup, No. 5 Iowa State will take on No. 12 Toledo – the program that Bill Fennelly coached at in his first years as a head coach.
“There’s still a lot of connections there,” Fennelly said. “I think the committee had a sense of humor when they scheduled that.”
Iowa State had hoped that winning the Big 12 tournament would put the Cyclones in position to host the opening two rounds as a top 4 seed.
“The bottom line for us is to get in the tournament,” Fennelly said. “Yeah, hosting is part of it, but at the end of the day, we’ve proven that we can leave Hilton and play really well. Hopefully that’s the case next weekend.”
Iowa State will play Toledo on Friday and if it advances, it will face the winner of No. 4 Tennessee and No. 13 Saint Louis.
“A NCAA Tournament game – you never take that for granted, never,” Fennelly said. “And obviously, we’re going to play in one of the most re-known facilities and programs in the country.”
TV selections and tipoff times will be announced at a later time.
