March 17, 2008

PITTSBURGH--The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball team earned its second consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament, as it travels to Albuquerque, N. M., as a No. 6 seed. The Panthers (22-10, 10-6 Big East) will play No. 11 seed Wyoming (24-6, 12-4 Mountain West) on Saturday, March 22, at The Pit/Bob King Court, at approximately 2 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Pitt-Wyoming winner will advance to the NCAA Second Round to face the winner of No. 3 seeded Baylor (24-6, 12-4 Big 12) and No. 14 seed Fresno State (22-10, 14-2 WAC) on Monday, March 24. Monday's winner advances to the Spokane Regional and NCAA Sweet Sixteen competition. Those games are scheduled for March 30 and April 1in Spokane, Wash.

The Panthers one of just 24 programs that will be represented by both the men's and women's basketball teams at the NCAA Tournament this season. Those teams include: Baylor, Connecticut, Coppin State, Cornell, Duke, Georgia, Kansas State, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oral Roberts, Purdue, San Diego, Stanford, Temple, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Western Kentucky and Xavier.

This season, Pitt advanced to the semifinals of the Big East Tournament for the first time since 1996. In their Big East Tournament run, Pitt upset No. 9 Notre Dame (64-53), earning a win over a top-10 opponent for the first time ever in program history. That victory was also one of the school record three wins Pitt earned over ranked teams in 2007-08.

A school record third consecutive 20-win season, Pitt now has six seasons with at least 20 wins.

The squad is led by senior Marcedes Walker, who became Pitt's all-time leader in rebounding breaking a 29-year-old record of 1,107 by Wanda Randolph. She now has 1,143 rebounds, and is just the second player in Pitt history to reach the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound milestone during a career. She currently is fourth with 1,838 points and first with 1,143 rebounds.

FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS: Albuquerque, New Mexico (The Pit/Bob King Court)

Saturday, March 22, 2008
No. 3 seed Baylor vs. No. 14 seed Fresno State, Time: Noon, ESPN2 No. 6 seed Pitt vs. No. 11 seed Wyoming, Time: 2 p.m., ESPN2

Monday, March 24, 2008
The winner of Pitt-Wyoming vs. the winner of Baylor-Fresno State, Time: TBA

All times are local (MST)

Pitt's 2008 NCAA Tournament Notes

* Pitt had a school-record four players named to an All-Big East team including Shavonte Zellous on the first team, Marcedes Walker on second team and Chelsea Cole and Taneisha Harrison on the All-Freshman team.

* Marcedes Walker was named to the Big East All-Tournament team - the only player honored not playing in the title game.

* Tonight's bid is just the second in Pitt history. Last season was the Panthers' first trip to the tournament.

* Pitt advanced to the semifinals of the Big East Tournament for the first time since 1996.

* Pitt has now had six seasons with at least 20 wins. It is also the third consecutive year with 20 victories - a school record.

* Pitt earned its highest ranking in school history with a No. 14 mark in the Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll.

* Pitt won a school record three games over ranked teams in 2007-08 including a win over the highest-ranked team in school history - No. 9 Notre Dame (64-53 on March 9).

* Marcedes Walker became Pitt's all-time leader in rebounding breaking a 29-year-old record (Wanda Randolph with 1,107). She currently has 1,143.

* Walker also is just the second player in Pitt history to reach the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound milestone during a career. She currently is fourth with 1,838 points and first with 1,143 rebounds.

* Shavonte Zellous was named a Big East Player of the Week three times during the season, which ties a school record.

* Mallorie Winn is now just four points from hitting the 1,000-point mark. She will become the third active Pitt player to reach the milestone in a career (Walker and Zellous are the other two).

* Xenia Stewart is also just 43 points from 1,000. If she could reach the mark this season, Pitt's four current 1,000-point scorers would be just the 13th team in NCAA history to achieve that feat.

Pitt Selection Monday Quotes

Quoting Pitt's Head Coach Agnus Berenato:

On playing in the NCAA Tournament as a six seed:

"I'm just really excited right now. Who would have thought five years ago that this was possible, that we'd be standing right here? I think the experience is going to be great for these players. We hosted the tournament last year which was a lot of fun, but part of what makes the NCAA Tournament so unique is that it's a national competition. To get on a plane and go to Albuquerque is very exciting."

On playing Wyoming:

"I don't know a whole lot about them yet, but I'm sure I will by midnight tonight. I have a lot of friends who coach in that region so I'll definitely be checking in with them. Right now, all I really know is that they don't play in the Big East."

On Connecticut and Rutgers being in the same bracket:

"It shocked me that the committee would make that decision. These two teams have already played each other twice, and were the class of the Big East Conference all season long. I just feel that this is a national tournament and that we should be able to test ourselves as a conference against other schools."

On the Big East having eight teams in the tournament:

"That was the number I kept coming up with all along. I've been looking at numbers and stats since January and it seemed to me that our conference was going to get eight schools in. Last year, we had a little concern over how many they would take from the Big East and how that would affect us, but not this year."

On getting a six seed:

"As I said, I'm a stats person and all the numbers I could figure pointed to us getting a six seed. When I saw what some of the other schools were getting I thought maybe a five was possible, but I didn't want to get greedy. I think the NCAA Tournament rewards tradition, and in ten years when we've built a tradition here, maybe we'll earn the right to be over-seeded. But for now, I think a six is what we deserve."

Quoting Pitt's Marcedes Walker:

On going to Albuquerque:

"I'm excited to get on an airplane and travel to play a tournament game. I know that the crowd is going to be into it and that it's going to be a great time."

On getting a six seed:

"We talked a little bit about our seeding and we thought we were probably going to be a six or a seven. It's really nice because it shows the committee respects us. Unlike last year we won't have to play a number one seed right off the bat."

On whether she was nervous watching the selection show:

"It got a little bit tense at the end when they didn't call our name until the last pod. But we were pretty confident that we were going to get in, given what our resume looked like. It was a lot less stressful than the last two years, that's for sure."

Quoting Pitt's Shavonte Zellous:

On how she feels right now:

"I'm excited, but really I'm just ready to go. I wish we could go through the scouting report right now. I'm ready to hit the court and start practicing as soon as possible."

On going to Albuquerque:

"It's going to be fun. We're going to get to experience something different than last year, traveling away from home to play the tournament. I can't wait."