By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Western women's basketball is back in the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.
The Griffons (25-5) were selected as the No. 2 seed in the Central Region bracket Sunday night. Missouri Western will face No. 7 seed Minnesota State-Mankato (26-5) in regional quarterfinals on Friday at 2:30 p.m. central at the Sawyer Center in Bethany, Oklahoma.
Friday's game will be on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3, 680kfeq.com, KFEQ app) with coverage starting at 2 p.m.
Southern Nazarene (28-2) is the top seed and regional host.
Missouri Western, the MIAA regular season champion this season, won the Central Region tournament in 2022 and made the Elite Eight in Birmingham, Alabama.
The Griffons have made the NCAA tournament 13 times total.
The MIAA sent four teams to the NCAA tournament in women's basketball this year. No. 4 Pittsburg State (24-7) faces No. 5 Harding (25-5) in the first round at 7:30 central Friday.
Pitt State won the MIAA tournament title Sunday, topping Fort Hays State 63-53 on Sunday in Kansas City.
No. 6 Northwest Missouri State (23-7) will face No. 3 Fort Hays State (24-7) in the first round on Friday at 12 p.m. in an MIAA tournament semifinal rematch.
Hays beat Northwest this past Saturday in Kansas City in MIAA tournament semifinals, 56-49. The Bearcat women are back in the big dance for the first time since 2011.
The Missouri Western women would face the winner of Hays/Northwest in regional semifinals on Saturday, should the Griffons win their first-round game.
Women's regional semifinals are on Saturday, March 16 with the regional championships set for Monday. Tip times are to be determined.
The Division II women's basketball Elite Eight, Final Four and national title game will be held at Civic Arena in St. Joseph March 25-29.
Men's basketball
Northwest Missouri State (24-7) is the No. 2 seed and will play No. 7 seed Southwest Minnesota State (19-12) in the first round on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. central at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minnesota.
Minnesota State-Mankato (29-2) is the regional host.
Northwest, who won the MIAA tournament title on Sunday over Pittsburg State 78-65, actually lost to Southwest Minnesota State, 63-56, on November 11, 2023 in the Hillyard Tipoff Classic in St. Joseph.
The Bearcats have won 16 straight games and seek their fifth national title overall.
Men's regional semifinals are Sunday, March 17 and regional championships are Tuesday, March 19.
Women's Central Region bracket - Bethany, Oklahoma
Men's Central Region bracket - Mankato, Minnesota
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