OGDEN, Utah (March 14, 2016) – With a conference title win in Reno fresh on their minds, the Idaho Vandals were notified Monday of where they will they represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament.
The Vandals, who are a 16-seed, will travel to Waco, Texas, to play the top-seeded Baylor Bears, in a 5 p.m. CST game on ESPN 2.
The programs have recent history, as Idaho lost to Baylor in Waco, 88-70, in a non-conference game during the 2014-15 season. The Bears beat Texas, 79-63, in the Big 12 championship game, and are ranked fourth in the country.
Idaho earned the Big Sky’s automatic berth into the national tournament, thanks to a 67-55 victory over rival Idaho State in the Big Sky championship game on Saturday. This is Idaho’s fourth trip to the NCAA tournament.
This is the third time in the last four years that the Vandals will play in the NCAA tournament, with Idaho advancing in 2013 and 2014 as champions of the Western Athletic Conference. This is the first time Idaho has advanced as a member of the Big Sky Conference, with the Vandals advancing as a member of the Mountain West Conference in 1984.
The Big Sky will play a top-seed for the second consecutive season, as the Montana Lady Griz fell to top-seeded Notre Dame, 77-43. This is the second time in three seasons a Big Sky champion will travel to Texas, with North Dakota falling in a game with Texas A&M in 2014, 70-55.
Besides the Vandals, other Big Sky teams learned their postseason fate on Monday evening. Big Sky regular champion Montana State will continue the season, earning the league’s automatic berth in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). Montana State will play Utah on Friday, with the game being played in Salt Lake City. Game times will be released Tuesday.
North Dakota and Weber State will both take part in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The Fighting Hawks will host the Grand Canyon Antelopes, while Weber State will travel to Albuquerque to face the New Mexico Lobos on March 16.