NCAA Div. II March Madness: Benedict and Albany State Receive Bids to South Region Women's Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  -- The NCAA Division II Women's Basketball selection committee announced the field of 64 teams for the 2014 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship on Sunday, with both Benedict College and Albany State University earning seeds in the South Region.

Benedict (20-9), who earned the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference automatic bid by winning the 2014 SIAC Women's title, garnered the #8 seed in the South and will face Nova Southeastern in the first round on Friday, March 14, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Sharks (25-4), who are currently ranked 10th nationally, are a familiar face for the Lady Tigers, as the two clubs squared off in Columbia, South Carolina on December 16, 2013.

Lady Tigers head coach James Rice is excited about the tournament and is looking forward to Friday's contest.

"We are happy to be a part of the South Regional and to represent our conference in this tournament," said Rice. "With facing Nova Southeastern, I'm glad we were able to play them earlier in the regular season. You want to face the toughest competition early on so you can gauge where you stand as a team. Playing them definitely made us better. We had to come together as a team during and after that game, because we lost our leading scorer and one of our best defensive players in London Richardson. After that, we had to regroup. We will be ready for the challenge."

Also taking the court on Friday in Fort Lauderdale will be the 2014 SIAC runners-up in the Lady Rams of Albany State University. The Rams (20-6) secured the #5 seed in the South Region and will face the #4 seeded Lady Statesmen of Delta State University (24-5). After losing a close overtime contest to Benedict in the SIAC title game this past Saturday, Lady Rams head coach Robert Skinner is happy with his teams seeding.

"It's a blessing," remarked Skinner. "We were praying for this and did not know exactly how things would go after the heartbreaking loss we suffered in the tournament championship game. We are very appreciative and want to be gracious about the seeding."

All eight teams within the region will travel to one site for first-round, semifinal and final competition at the regional level. First-round games will be played March 14, semifinal games March 15 and the regional championship will be played March 17. The regional champions will advance to the NCAA Women's Elite Eight March 25, 26 and 28 at Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pa. Gannon will host the Elite Eight.

Interactive Bracket
Printable Bracket
Selection Show

COURTESY THE SIAC MEDIA RELATIONS