Megan Gustafson
The University of Iowa women’s basketball team has received an at-large berth into the NCAA Championships, the NCAA selection committee announced on ESPN on Monday. The Hawkeyes (24-7; 11-5) are a No. 6 seed and will play the No. 11 seed Creighton (18-12; 11-7) from the Big East at 5 p.m. (CT) on Saturday in Los Angeles inside Pauley Pavilion. The game will be televised on ESPN2. Iowa is 7-5 all-time against Creighton.
This year marks Iowa’s 25th trip to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Lisa Bluder has led the Hawkeyes to 13 NCAA Tournaments in her 18 years at Iowa. It is Iowa’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since making the Sweet Sixteen in 2015. The Hawkeyes, a No. 3 seed, defeated 14th-seeded American (75-67) in the first round before downing 11th-seeded Miami (88-70) in the second round.
It marks the third time in program history (1991, 2011, 2014) that Iowa has earned a No. 6 seed. The Hawkeyes are 2-3 all-time as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Los Angeles First/Second Round site is part of the Kansas City region. No. 3 UCLA will take on No. 14 American on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Creighton, 18-12 overall and 11-7 in league play, is making its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and second consecutive trip to the tournament. The BlueJays bowed out in the second round of the Big East tournament, falling top-seeded Marquette, 76-70.