We’re counting down the hours to find out whether the Golden Eagles earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Hello and welcome to Selection Sunday 2023!
Later today, we’re going to find out exactly which 68 teams are in the 2022 NCAA women’s basketball national championship tournament. It’s going to be a little bit nerve wracking for the average Marquette fan, as the Golden Eagles are not guaranteed to be part of the field. More on that in a second, but here’s where Marquette stands in terms of their NCAA team sheet on Sunday morning:
Record: 21-10, 14-8 Big East
NET: #41
Her Hoop Stats: #48
Record vs NET 1-25: 2-8
Vs NET 26-50: 1-0
Vs NET 51-100: 5-2
Vs NET 100+: 13-0
It is at this point that I would like to remind you that when it comes to women’s basketball, the NCAA does not use the home/neutral/road sorting system that they use for men’s basketball. Does that mean that Marquette has three road wins in Big East play — #105 Georgetown, #124 Butler, and #129 Providence — that would be Quadrant 2 wins in the men’s system but are otherwise filed in the “yeah, whatever, sub-100, put it over there in the corner” system for women’s hoops? YEP, THEY SURE DO.
I would also like to point out that all of Marquette’s games in the first three breakdowns that they are using for women’s basketball evaluation are all in the top 70. That’s a 8-10 record against top 70 opponents. Is it knock you over with a feather great? No, it’s not, and that’s why we’ll be waiting until the Selection Show to feel safe about whether or not the Golden Eagles are actually in the NCAA field this year.
But you’d like to think that eight top 70 wins means something.
ESPN’s Charlie Creme updated his bracket on Saturday night, and he has Marquette as the best team landing in the First Four. That also means that they’re one of the Last Four In. CBS Sports’ Connor Groel last updated a bracket projection on Friday afternoon, and the Golden Eagles are a #9 seed there, pretty well clear of Kansas as the Last Team In as the 3rd #11 seed. College Sports Madness did a bracket update on Sunday morning, and Marquette is a #8 seed there. Real Time RPI’s projection slots the Golden Eagles as a #8 seed as well, with their last update coming very early on Sunday morning.
Do I feel better after tracking down those brackets that have Marquette cleanly in the field? Kinda, but still nervous.
2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show
Date: Sunday, March 12, 2023
Time: 7pm Central
Television: ESPN
Streaming: WatchESPN.com