SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies women's basketball team was officially named to its second-straight NCAA tournament on Sunday.

The Huskies were named to the tourney as a No. 6 seed and  will face the No. 11 South Dakota State Jackrabbits at a to-be-determined time March 20 in Fort Worth, Texas. It's a vast improvement from last year, where UW made it as a No. 11 seed and was eliminated in the First Four.

Washington found out its opponent and the date of its game at a watch party at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle. The Huskies will play on Friday morning at 11:30 a.m. PT. The full schedule for Friday is below.

Before the watch party, which featured a small audience of Husky faithful, several players spoke with the media regarding the tournament and their journey to this point.

The junior guard has stepped up to become Washington's go-to offensive option this season. After being named to the Big Ten All-Preseason team, Sellers lived up to the hype and was named First-Team All-Big Ten.

Sellers led the Huskies this season with a career-high 18.5 points per game on 48.2% shooting from the floor, and she added 3.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.

Sellers is one of the foundational players for this roster and will be taking part in her second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance. It's the first time the program has made consecutive tournaments since the Kelsely Plum-led Dawgs (2015-17) and Sellers shares that honor with the senior class of Yulia Grabovskaia, Elle Ladine, Shayla Gillmer, Teagan Brown and Hannah Stines.

"I'm just very grateful to be back in March Madness," Sellers said Sunday. "Obviously, as a basketball player, that's all you want to do — is get to March Madness. I'm really excited that we get to share this moment with the fans and the people. I think our team has worked very hard and I'm really happy."

Unlike last season when the Huskies were on the bubble and had to earn a "First Four' selection, Sellers and the rest of Washington knew almost certainly the team would have a spot in the tournament. It was just a matter of where and what team the Dawgs would play. 

Washington suffered a 63-60 'First Four 'loss against Columbia and is looking to take the lessons from a year ago into this year.

"On Selection Sunday, that's always scary," Sellers said. "Last year, we didn't know what was gonna happen. I'm very grateful that this year, we're secured. We're gonna make it there, so the feeling is definitely a lot different from last year. ... (We're just) trying to be who we are, consistent in who we are. I think last year, we kind of got out of ourselves and didn't play our best basketball. There was a lot going on, there was a lot of pressure on that game. I think this year, (the key is) being confident in how we've been playing and trust each other and trust what the coaches are doing."

As great as Sellers has been this season, it won't be all on her to help Washington advance in the tournament. She'll be bolstered by a solid supporting cast.

McGaughy entered her first year in Montlake as one of the most highly-touted recruits in program history, but was given room to grow into her role.

The five-star Class of 2025 forward and former McDonald's All-American was originally in a bench/sixth player role, sitting behind behind senior center and Michigan transfer, Grabovskaia.

As the season progressed, McGaughy improved and eventually played her way into the starting lineup.

"I think it was the best thing that could have happened, honestly," McGaughy said Sunday. "I've learned a lot from Yulia, for sure. She's obviously been at two different schools. Two different (NCAA Division I) programs. So, she really knows how it is, how systems work. She has so much knowledge. We're two different fives but no matter what, I still learn from her mindset."

McGaughy was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team. She finished the year having averaged nine points per game on 47.8% shooting and also recorded 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.

McGaughy has received a fair amount of support in the stands over her brief but eventful collegiate journey.

The Colfax, Wash., native has had her family and friends attend multiple games her freshman season at Alaska Airlines Arena. Now, her family will get to see her take on March Madness.

"Obviously, coming from Colfax, 20 minutes away from (Pullman, Wash.), nobody really expected me to go to Washington. I hadn't even thought I was going to Washington for a while. Then I did, and it took a lot of people to get adjusted to it. But they have now. They get to visit me a lot, whether it's just to say 'hi' or see games. It's the greatest opportunity ever. They're kind of stuck seeing me at a lot of games for three more years."

Howell will also play in her second consecutive NCAA Tournament, but this will be her first with UW.

Howell transferred to Washington after playing her true freshman season at Southern California (USC).

The Boise, Idaho, native emerged as a multi-faceted player for the Huskies and was the team's second-leading scorer. She averaged 14 points per game on 50.5% shooting, including a 41.9% mark from 3-point range. She also averaged 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

A Big-Ten Honorable Mention selection, her  field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and rebounds all led the team.

Howell joined the team with a reputation as an efficient sharpshooter, which made her perimeter defense and rebounding ability a welcome site.

"When I played club ball, I rebounded a lot," Howell said Sunday. "And then, obviously, at USC, we had some pretty predominant two-big systems. So, there was a lot of them getting the rebounds, which worked really well for us at USC last year. And I love to rebound. I find it super fun and kind of a work thing. I love being able to get back to that and help the team in any way I can."

Howell, who's also something of a local player given her Idahoan roots, has quickly adapted to her new surroundings in the Pacific Northwest and has has been a consistent contributor game-to-game offensively, defensively or both.

Howell was able to see a deep tournament run firsthand last year on the Trojans squad that won the regular season Big Ten championship and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight.

Now, she's hoping for another deep tournament run. This time around, she'll be one of the featured players.

"There's a lot of benefits of both (systems)," Howell said. "I like playing in both systems but I do think I've been able to find a little bit more versatility driving, creating more shots. Not just shooting 3s, but being able to do other things as well. So that's been super cool to see."

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