Lady Raiders Return to NCAA Tournament with First Bid Since 2013

LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech Lady Raiders have enjoyed one of the best seasons in program history under veteran head coach Krista Gerlich.

That run continues with an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, securing the Lady Raiders with a spot in the March Madness bracket for the first time since 2013.

The Lady Raiders land in Region 2 as the No. 7 seed. They will take on No. 10-seed Villanova in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Region 2 is topped by UCLA and runs through Sacramento before the Final Four games in Phoenix.

Both Texas Tech and Villanova enter the bracket with 25-7 records this season.

For the Lady Raiders, the back half of the schedule has underwhelmed after a program-record 19-0 stretch to begin the year.

Most recently, Texas Tech has lost three of its last four games, including a frustrating upset loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament, where the Wildcats ended the game on a massive run to steal a win and leave the Lady Raiders' future up to fate.

That has brought them a matchup with the Villanova Wildcats, who reached the Big East Championship Game before getting blown out by top-overall seed UConn.

Gerlich's squad features a trio of Lady Raiders who average at least 10 points per game. Leading the way is senior guard Bailey Maupin, who's 15.4 points per game and 64 made 3-pointers this year pace one of the Big 12's best offenses.

Villanova is led by First Team All-Big East selection Jasmine Bascoe, who averages 18.8 points per game. The Wildcats also feature the conference's Most Improved Player in Brynn McCurry, a junior guard who scores 10 points and grabs 5.2 rebounds per game.

Despite the late-season losses, Texas Tech proved that it can compete against the nation's best. Wins over fellow tournament teams Baylor, West Virginia, and TCU show that, with a new lease on life in the single-elimination bracket, the talent is capable of a run toward the program's second national title.