Saturday, March 19
Knoxville, TN
3:00 PM
at
Tennessee
No. 13 Bulls To Face Off Against No. 4 Tennessee In The NCAA Tournament on Saturday
3/17/2022 9:38:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – After securing the third MAC Championship in program history, the University at Buffalo women's basketball team will open the 2022 NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon against the No. 4 seeded Tennessee. The teams will square off inside Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville at 3pm. The game will be broadcast on ABC with Eric Frede (pbp) and Tamika Catchings (color) announcing and can be heard on The BET 1520 AM with Matt Mattia and Paul Peck announcing.
Buffalo is making their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last six years, winning games in each of their last two appearances.
This is the first ever meeting between the two programs and the second time that the Bulls will face an SEC opponent in the NCAA Tournament as the Bulls played South Carolina in the Sweet 16 in 2018.
Winners of nine straight and 14 of their last 15 games, Buffalo enters the NCAA Tournament with a 25-8 overall record after defeating Ball State 79-75 in the Mid-American Conference championship game on Saturday. Junior Dyaisha Fair was named MAC Tournament MVP after averaging a team-best 25.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game in Cleveland. Joining Fair on the All-Tournament Team was Georgia Woolley who averaged 18.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. The Bulls were well represented on the MAC's postseason awards list as Woolley was named MAC Freshman of the Year and to the All-MAC Third Team, Fair was named First Team All-MAC for the second straight year and Summer Hemphill earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team and All-Defensive Team. Buffalo tied a program-record with 14 home wins and tied the 2017-18 Sweet 16 team for the most MAC wins in program history.
Fair leads the Bulls and ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 23.4 points per game. Hemphill is averaging a double-double with 13.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while Woolley has scored in double figures in 24 of the last 28 games and is averaging 14.6 points and 2.0 steals per game. Buffalo is distributing the basketball at an excellent clip, averaging 15.3 assists per game and a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while also ranking 22nd in the nation in rebounds per game (41.9). That leads to a potent offense which ranks 17th in the nation in scoring (76.2 ppg). The Bulls are ranked 69th in the latest NET rankings. They are also ranked 20th in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
The Tennessee Lady Vols enter Saturday's first round game with a 23-8 overall record and 11-5 SEC record after falling in the conference semifinal game to eventual champion Kentucky. The Lady Vols are led offensively by Jordan Horston who is averaging 16.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Ray Burrell (11.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Tamari Key (10.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg) are also averaging in double figures. Key set the single-season blocks record against Kentucky and is just two away from breaking Candace Parker's career record (275). As a team the Lady Vols are fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (34.0). In 87 games under Kellie Harper a UT opponent has shot 40+ percent just 21 times. UT is 22-2 this season when holding foes to 70 points or less. The Lady Vols are also strong on the glass as their 48.0 rebounds per game average ranks second in the nation and is on pace to break the school record of 46.9 set in 1992-93. Kellie Harper is in her third season at Tennessee and in her 18th year as a head coach. She has guided UT to three-straight third-place SEC finishes and back-to-back SEC Tournament semifinal appearances. Last season, she became one of only two coaches to guide four different Division I women's programs to the NCAA Tournament, previously doing so at Western Carolina, NC State and Missouri State.
The winner of Saturday's game will face the winner of #5 Oregon and #12 Belmont in the second round on Monday.
Tickets:
Tickets for the game in Knoxville, TN are now on-sale with the UB Ticket Office. Tickets must be preordered. Ticket purchase will include both games in Rounds 1 and 2. All orders will be fulfilled based on BWF Loyalty Point Ranking.
Visit the Women's Basketball Tournament Central page for all up-to-date tournament information, including ticket info and watch parties.
Donation:
UB Athletics ask fans, that are not able to travel and cheer on the Bulls in person, to help celebrate FOUR trips to the NCAA Tournament in the last SIX years, by making a $46 donation to the Women's Basketball Excellence fund. Click here to donate today.
Buffalo is making their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last six years, winning games in each of their last two appearances.
This is the first ever meeting between the two programs and the second time that the Bulls will face an SEC opponent in the NCAA Tournament as the Bulls played South Carolina in the Sweet 16 in 2018.
Winners of nine straight and 14 of their last 15 games, Buffalo enters the NCAA Tournament with a 25-8 overall record after defeating Ball State 79-75 in the Mid-American Conference championship game on Saturday. Junior Dyaisha Fair was named MAC Tournament MVP after averaging a team-best 25.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game in Cleveland. Joining Fair on the All-Tournament Team was Georgia Woolley who averaged 18.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. The Bulls were well represented on the MAC's postseason awards list as Woolley was named MAC Freshman of the Year and to the All-MAC Third Team, Fair was named First Team All-MAC for the second straight year and Summer Hemphill earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team and All-Defensive Team. Buffalo tied a program-record with 14 home wins and tied the 2017-18 Sweet 16 team for the most MAC wins in program history.
Fair leads the Bulls and ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 23.4 points per game. Hemphill is averaging a double-double with 13.1 points and 10.4 rebounds per game while Woolley has scored in double figures in 24 of the last 28 games and is averaging 14.6 points and 2.0 steals per game. Buffalo is distributing the basketball at an excellent clip, averaging 15.3 assists per game and a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while also ranking 22nd in the nation in rebounds per game (41.9). That leads to a potent offense which ranks 17th in the nation in scoring (76.2 ppg). The Bulls are ranked 69th in the latest NET rankings. They are also ranked 20th in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
The Tennessee Lady Vols enter Saturday's first round game with a 23-8 overall record and 11-5 SEC record after falling in the conference semifinal game to eventual champion Kentucky. The Lady Vols are led offensively by Jordan Horston who is averaging 16.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Ray Burrell (11.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Tamari Key (10.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg) are also averaging in double figures. Key set the single-season blocks record against Kentucky and is just two away from breaking Candace Parker's career record (275). As a team the Lady Vols are fourth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (34.0). In 87 games under Kellie Harper a UT opponent has shot 40+ percent just 21 times. UT is 22-2 this season when holding foes to 70 points or less. The Lady Vols are also strong on the glass as their 48.0 rebounds per game average ranks second in the nation and is on pace to break the school record of 46.9 set in 1992-93. Kellie Harper is in her third season at Tennessee and in her 18th year as a head coach. She has guided UT to three-straight third-place SEC finishes and back-to-back SEC Tournament semifinal appearances. Last season, she became one of only two coaches to guide four different Division I women's programs to the NCAA Tournament, previously doing so at Western Carolina, NC State and Missouri State.
The winner of Saturday's game will face the winner of #5 Oregon and #12 Belmont in the second round on Monday.
Tickets:
Tickets for the game in Knoxville, TN are now on-sale with the UB Ticket Office. Tickets must be preordered. Ticket purchase will include both games in Rounds 1 and 2. All orders will be fulfilled based on BWF Loyalty Point Ranking.
- First/Second Round - Both Games $45
- If only one game is played $25 will be charged
Visit the Women's Basketball Tournament Central page for all up-to-date tournament information, including ticket info and watch parties.
Donation:
UB Athletics ask fans, that are not able to travel and cheer on the Bulls in person, to help celebrate FOUR trips to the NCAA Tournament in the last SIX years, by making a $46 donation to the Women's Basketball Excellence fund. Click here to donate today.
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