10th-Seeded Alabama Faces Seventh-Seeded Baylor in First Round of NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's basketball team will open play at the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Saturday, facing Baylor in the First Round of action at the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT. The Crimson Tide, competing as a 10^th seed, will go head-to-head with the seventh-seeded Bears for the first time in series history when the two tip off 30 minutes following the conclusion of the Connecticut-Vermont game, at approximately 4:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.

The Game

Alabama (20-10) vs. Baylor (19-12)
Series History: Saturday's NCAA Tournament game will be the first meeting between Alabama and Baylor

How to Follow

ESPN2
- Beth Mowins (PxP) and Christy Thomaskutty (Analyst)
CTSN
- Roger Hoover (play-by-play) on the call
Updates will be provided on the team's official Twitter account, @AlabamaWBB

About the Tide

Alabama is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance in three years after earning a bid to the Big Dance in 2021
Saturday will also mark Alabama's 12^th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament
UA is 17-11 all-time at the Big Dance, with its deepest run coming in 1994 with the team advancing to the Final Four
Alabama enters the tournament ranked 29^th in the NET rankings after coming off a loss to Kentucky in the second round of the SEC Tournament
This season, Alabama has faced 11 opponents that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament, posting a 6-6 record which includes splitting a home-and-home with Ole Miss
Hot three-point shooting has been key for the Crimson Tide this season as Alabama holds a 38.0 three-point percentage heading into the tournament
UA's three-point percentage leads the SEC and ranks sixth nationally, while the team leads the SEC and ranks 13^th nationally in three pointers per game with an 8.9 average
Aaliyah Nye leads the conference and ranks seventh nationally in three-point percentage (44.7), while ranking second in the SEC in three pointers per game (2.48)
Jada Rice leads the conference in blocks, ranking 17^th nationally in total blocks (66) and 18^th nationally in blocks per game (2.20)
Brittany Davis leads the team in three categories, pacing the Tide in points (17. 3 ppg), rebounds (7.1 rpg) and steals (1.8 spg)
Hannah Barber is averaging a team-leading 2.8 assists per game
The Tide recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2016-17 and 2017-18 and the second time under head coach Kristy Curry
UA's win over Vanderbilt (2/16) marked the first time Alabama reached the 20-win milestone during the regular season since 1997-98

The Bears

The seventh-seeded Baylor Bears enter the tournament ranked 32^nd in the latest NET rankings
The Bears are making their 19^th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance
Baylor is coming off a Big 12 quarterfinal loss to Iowa State, dropping a 74-63 decision to the Cyclones
The loss was one of six in the last nine games for the Bears, who are on a two-game losing streak
Baylor has faced 10 tournament teams this season, owning a 5-11 record
The Bears rank 13^th nationally in assists per game (17.3) and has the nation's 38^th best assists to turnover ratio (1.13)
Jaden Owns ranks 16^th nationally in total assists this season with 172, while ranking 17^th nationally in assists per game at 5.7
Darianna Littlepage-Buggs ranks 27^th nationally in double-doubles, tallying 14, while also ranking 39^th in rebounds (290) and 40^th in rebounds per game (9.4)
Sarah Andrews leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.0 points per game
In addition to pacing the Bears in assists, Owens holds a team-leading 1.8 steals per game average

For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaWBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.

-UA-