With a 12-4 overall record, including a 9-4 record against West Region opponents, the Seattle University women’s basketball team finds itself ninth in the first NCAA regional rankings of the season, which will eventually determine the six teams that receive at-large berths to the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament.
At the end of the regular season, the champions of the GNAC and CCAA will receive automatic berths to the postseason tournament. The next six teams ranked in the West Region will then earn at-large berths and also advance to the West Regional, most likely held at the home of the top seed. Basically, the top eight teams in the regional rankings will head to the tournament unless one of the conference champions is not in the top eight.
will need to move into the top eight by the end of the season to advance to its first-ever NCAA postseason tournament. This week, Seattle Pacific holds the top spot in the rankings, followed by Cal State San Bernardino, , , , Northwest Nazarene, UC San Diego, and ’s. The Redhawks have an immediate chance to move into the top eight, as they face Saint Martin’s Thursday at the .
This marks the second consecutive season that the women’s basketball team has been in the top ten of the regional rankings at some point. Last season the team rose as high as sixth before falling out of the top ten late in the year and missing the postseason. This is the final season will compete at the Division II level, as the athletic program starts the process of moving to Division I next year.
hosts Saint Martin’s in a crucial regional matchup Thursday at the beginning at 7 p.m.