MORGANTOWN — The bubble did not burst for the WVU women’s basketball team, and the Mountaineers will be dancing in the NCAA tournament.
According to the NCAA selection committee, WVU (19-11) was comfortably in the national field of 68 and was awarded a No. 10 seed Sunday in the Greenville 1 Region.
The Mountaineers will travel to College Park, Md. on Friday to play No. 24 Arizona, which earned the No. 7 seed in the region.
“The opportunity to continue playing in the NCAA tournament is incredibly special,” WVU first-year coach dawn Plitzuweit said. “I am so very proud of our young ladies and our staff for how hard they have worked all season. We are also excited for Mountaineer Nation and hope to see a lot of our fans on Friday as we take on Arizona.”
The Wildcats (21-9) are making their third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament after being eliminated in the second round last season.
The winner of the first-round game will advance to likely face No. 6 Maryland, which is the host of the pod and the No. 2 seed in the regional.
Unlike Arizona, which was the national runner-ups in 2021, WVU will not have the same NCAA-tournament experience.
The Mountaineers are making just their second NCAA appearance since 2017 and will be doing so in Plitzuweit’s first season. She guided South Dakota to the Sweet 16 last season.
Most projections had the Mountaineers missing out on the tournament following their 62-61 loss against Oklahoma State on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament.
WVU is ranked No. 60 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, 33 spots below the Wildcats.
“I certainly think our young ladies have earned an opportunity to keep playing and play in the NCAA tournament,” Plitzuweit said after the last-second loss against Oklahoma State. “With the resume we have, finishing in a tie for fourth place in the Big 12, I think our young ladies deserve an opportunity to keep playing in the Big Dance.”
WVU finished 2-6 against AP Top 25 teams this season, but pulled off its first-ever season sweep of Baylor to finish in a tie for fourth in the Big 12.
WVU also knocked off Georgia 49-45 on Dec. 20. The Bulldogs also earned a No. 10 seed in the Seattle 4 Regional.
If the Wildcats and Mountaineers are unfamiliar foes, there will be a familiar face going up against WVU.
Arizona forward Esmery Martinez played three seasons at WVU before transferring last summer after the retirement of Mike Carey.
Martinez scored 878 points and grabbed 785 rebounds in a WVU uniform.
She started all 30 games for Arizona this season and averaged 10.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
ARIZONA WILDCATS
RECORD: 21-9 (11-7 Pac-12), ranked No. 24 in the AP poll
COACH: Adia Barnes (131-83, 7 years, all at Arizona)
BEST WIN: 82-72 vs. No. 4 Utah
WORST LOSS: 78-70 vs. Oregon State
VS. TOP 25: 5-4, with wins against No. 18 Baylor, No. 18 Oregon. No. 4 Utah, No. 14 UCLA and No. 21 Colorado
LAST 10: 5-5, including a 73-59 loss against UCLA in the Pac-12 quarterfinals
TOP PLAYER: Shaina Pellington (Sr.) A transfer from Oklahoma, who was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2018, Pellington averaged 13.3 points and 3.7 assists per game. Named first team all-Pac-12.
NEED TO KNOW: WVU and Arizona have met once, a 65-61 Arizona victory in 1982 … Cate Reese, a 6-foot-2 senior, is a four-time all-Pac-12 performer … Arizona gave up 161 3-pointers this season, second-best in the Pac-12 … This is the third consecutive season the Wildcats will play in the NCAA tournament. They were the national runner-ups in 2021.
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