The Toledo women’s basketball team is set to play in this year’s NCAA tournament.
Here is everything you need to know about the game.
The schedule
Toledo will be playing Iowa State at approximately 3:30 p.m. Saturday. If Toledo wins, the Rockets would play the winner of No. 4 seed Tennessee and No. 13 seed Saint Louis on Monday (time to be determined).
How to watch
ESPN’s networks will broadcast every game of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. The Toledo-Iowa State game game will air on ESPN2 and can be streamed on the ESPN app.
How Toledo got here
Toledo earned an automatic berth in the tournament after beating Bowling Green in the Mid-American Conference championship game. The Rockets enter the tournament with a 16-game win streak. Playing a bigger school won’t be anything new. UT played three Power Five teams during the regular season: Michigan (71-68 win), Penn State (60-59 loss), and Duke (58-41 loss).
The opponent
Iowa State is fresh off a Big 12 tournament title after beating No. 15 Texas 61-51 on Sunday. It is the first conference tournament title for the Cyclones (22-9) since 2001. They are led by former UT head coach, Bill Fennelly, who spent seven seasons at Toledo. He had a record of 166-53 with the Rockets. Iowa State is led by 6-foot-1 Ashley Joens, who is averaging 21.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game this season and was named Big 12 player of the year.
What are the odds?
DraftKings lists Iowa State (-660) as the favorites for Saturday’s game. The Rockets are 10½-point underdogs.
Analytics website FiveThirtyEight is giving the Rockets a 16 percent chance to pull off the upset.
Toledo tournament history
This will be the ninth time in program history Toledo will be competing in the NCAA tournament. Toledo, which was a regular in the tournament in the 1990s, is heading to the Big Dance for the second time in head coach Tricia Cullop’s tenure (2017). UT is 3-8 all-time in the NCAA tournament and is looking for its first tournament win in 27 years.
Who are the TV announcers?
Pam Ward and Stephanie White will be wearing the headsets for Saturday’s contest. Both have Toledo connections.
Ward was the first woman to work play-by-play on a Division I college football game when she called the telecast of Bowling Green at Toledo in 2000. White was a former UT assistant coach from 2005 to 2007.
How to buy tickets
Tickets can be purchased at UTRockets.com/tix, by calling 419-530-4653, or in person at the Rocket Ticket Office. All tickets purchased through the Rocket Ticket Office are $15. Tickets will be fully digital.
Party time
For those who can't make it to Knoxville, the Blarney Irish Pub at 601 Monroe St. in Toledo is hosting an official watch party. It starts at 3 p.m. Saturday, and it will be offering food and drink specials during the festivities. Attendees are advised to get there early.
First watch
Video: Toledo women's basketball vs. Iowa State preview
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First Published March 16, 2023, 2:13 p.m.
