March 16, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
NCAA Tournament Announcement Photo Gallery
2009 NCAA Division I Tournament Bracket in PDF Format
After winning its first MWC regular-season title and advancing to the conference championship game for the second year in a row, the San Diego State women's basketball team earned its first NCAA tournament bid in 12 years late Monday afternoon. The 10th-seeded Aztecs, who will make their seventh overall NCAA appearance, will play the seventh-seeded DePaul Blue Demons out of the Big East Conference on Saturday, March 21, at Cox Arena at 5 p.m. PT.
"To be able to play at home against an obviously great DePaul team that tied for fourth in the Big East, it will be a great opportunity," said SDSU head coach Beth Burns. "I know San Diego and I know San Diego will be here. I think our opportunity is that we're going to ask our fans,'Calling all Aztecs, come show the NCAA that we want to have this tournament here early and often.'"
SDSU garnered one of 33 at-large selections in the field, as the Mountain West Conference got three bids to the championships. Utah earned the league's automatic bid, while TCU was another at-large pick. The MWC has had at least three teams go to the tournament in each of the last four seasons.
The Aztecs will meet DePaul for the first time in school history. The winner of that game will play the winner of the No. 2 Stanford vs. No. 15 UC Santa Barbara game on Monday, March 23, for the chance to advance to the Sweet 16 and a spot in the Berkeley regional, March 28 and 30.
San Diego State's last trip to the postseason came in Burns' first stint on Montezuma Mesa, as she directed the team to NCAA tournament appearances in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997. The Aztecs have also played in the NCAAs in 1984 and 1985, when they advanced to the regional semifinals.
This is the first time Cox Arena has served as a host site to the NCAA women's basketball tournament. The last time SDSU played at home in the NCAAs was in 1995 at Peterson Gym.
San Diego State, which is 23-7 overall and ended up 13-3 in league play, finished the season 14-0 at Cox Arena and has won 16 straight on its home floor overall, ranking as the eighth-longest streak in the country. Saturday's game will be televised live on ESPN2, while Xtra Sports 1360 will have the radio call locally.
Tickets are available for purchase at the Cox Arena Box Office, Aztec Ticket Office at Qualcomm Stadium Ticket Window E or over the phone at (619) 283-7378. Ticket orders may also be placed over the internet by going to Ticketmaster.com.
2009 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship
First & Second Rounds
At Cox Arena, San Diego, Calif.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
5 p.m. - No. 10 San Diego State vs. No. 7 DePaul ESPN2
7:30 p.m. - No. 15 UC Santa Barbara vs. No. 2 Stanford ESPN2
Monday, March 23, 2009
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 6:30 p.m.