Follow #RSCWBB teams IU East, IU Kokomo at #NAIADIIWBB National Championship
Follow #RSCWBB teams IU East, IU Kokomo at #NAIADIIWBB National Championship
NAIA DIVISION II WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MARCH 8-14 AT SIOUX CITY, IOWA
Live Video Live Stats Bracket Schedule All Times Eastern
First Round -- Thur., March 9
#5 IU East (28-5) def. #4 Purdue Northwest (24-8), 85-80 Box Score
#1 St. Xavier (30-2) def. #8 IU Kokomo (21-12), 100-61 Box Score
Second Round -- Fri., March 10
#1 Marian (Ind.) (31-3) def. #5 IU East (29-5) vs. #1 Marian (Ind.), 96-69 Box Score
KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The NAIA national office announced Wednesday night the bracket and pairings for the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship via the NAIA Selection Show live online. River States Conference women's basketball national qualfiers IU East (28-5) and IU Kokomo (21-12) learned their first-round dates and assignments.
IU East, the RSC Tournament and regular-season champions, drew a No. 5 seed in the 32-team national championship. The Red Wolves take on No. 4 seed Purdue Northwest (Ind.) (24-8) in the first round on Thursday, March 9 at 1:45 p.m. CT. IU East checked in at No. 20 in the NAIA DII Women's Basketball Top 25 Poll released Wednesday. Purdue Northwest is ranked No. 14 and qualified for nationals as the third-place team in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.
IU Kokomo, the RSC Tournament runner-up and the RSC West Division champion, earned a No. 8 seed and will play No. 1 seed St. Xavier (Ill.) (30-2) in the first round on Thursday, March 9 at 5:15 p.m. CT. St. Xavier is ranked No. 3 in the latest NAIA DII Top 25 Poll and is in the national tournament as the CCAC regular-season champion.
IU East is making its second all-time appearance in the national tournament, and IU Kokomo is making its national championship debut. For complete tournament information, including the bracket and schedule, or to view the NAIA Selection Show, click the links above.
The national tournament is the 26th annual NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship, presented by Mercy Medical Center and Seaboard Triumph Foods. The tournament will be held in Sioux City, Iowa, for the 20th-straight season – the longest streak of any current championship host – at the Tyson Events Center from March 8 – 14.
The field is made up of 22 automatic berths and 10 at-large selections. Automatic qualification is given to conference regular-season champions, tournament champions or tournament runners-up depending on the conference. At-large teams were determined using the final regular-season Coaches' Top 25 Poll released today. For the complete NAIA DII WBB Top 25 Poll (March 1), click here.
The NAIA Network – the association's official video streaming home – will video-stream the first 28 games live leading up to the semifinals and final on ESPN3. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament package is available at $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.