The Gonzaga Bulldogs earned a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament and will face off against the No. 4 Stanford Cardinal in Palo Alto, California.
It’ll be an uphill climb for Jill Barta and company against one of the historically better women’s teams in the NCAAs. The Cardinal are having a theoretical “down year” by their standards, finishing the season 22-10. But that record is a bit harsh considering the non-conference slate.
Stanford played five ranked teams in the non-conference, but lost to all five. Luckily, the Cardinal regained their form during Pac 12 play, beating Arizona State, Oregon State, and Oregon.
The Bulldogs have one of the better forwards in the game in Jill Barta, who is averaging 18.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Gonzaga also won’t have the added benefit of the home crowd. The Bulldogs have made runs into the NCAA Tournament, but those have largely come within the friendly confines of Spokane. On the road in Palo Alto, it’ll be a bit different.
The season is not over yet, however. You can tune into the women’s team on Saturday, March 17, at 2:30 pm, on ESPN2.