USJ Women's Basketball To Face Johns Hopkins In First Round of NCAA DIII Tournament
Release Courtesy of University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) Athletic Communications
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's basketball team, which captured its second Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship in program history this past Saturday, was selected to play Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament in Baltimore, Md. The Blue Jays looked on in anticipation during the squad's viewing party, as each of the 64 teams in the bracket were revealed Monday afternoon in a live selection show on www.NCAA.com.
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Johns Hopkins was selected to host the first and second round games from March 7-8, with games to be played at Goldfarb Gymnasium in Baltimore, Md. The USJ Blue Jays will play the JHU Blue Jays in the four-team pod's second game on Friday, March 7 at 7:15 p.m. Joining USJ and Johns Hopkins are Carnegie Melon and Bridgewater State, who will play first on Friday at 4:45 p.m. The single-elimination tournament continues on Saturday, March 8, with the two winners going head-to-head at 7:15 p.m. for the right to advance to the sectional round the following weekend.
THE COMPETITION
JOHNS HOPKINS
Johns Hopkins is making its fourth consecutive and 15th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Jays carry a 22-4 record into the tournament after falling in the Centennial Conference Championship Game to Gettysburg in overtime. The Blue Jays are 16-14 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to Sweet 16 last season after topping Marietta (75-66) and Christopher Newport (77-75) in the first two rounds. Johns Hopkins' first-round game against USJ will mark the 11th home NCAA Tournament game in program history. The Blue Jays are 8-2 all-time in the NCAA's inside Goldfarb Gym and Friday's matchup will be the first-ever meeting between the Blue Jays and the Blue Jays.
CARNEGIE MELLON
Carnegie Mellon posted a 20-5 record, including a 10-4 mark in the University Athletic Association (UAA), this season. The Tartans have won two straight and seven of their last eight games. They are making their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2016. Carnegie Mellon is 3-3 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with a run to the Sweet 16 in 2016 highlighting its tournament history. By opponent cumulative record, the Tartans played the 19th-most difficult schedule in the nation as their opponents combined to post a 381-243 (.611) record this season.
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BRIDGEWATER STATE
Bridgewater State will carry a 19-6 overall record into the NCAA Tournament as the Bears earned an automatic bid into the Big Dance with a 76-65 win over Framingham State in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Championship Game. The Bears are making their 12th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including their second in the last three years, and they are 2-13 all-time in the tournament.
USJ
The Blue Jays (19-9) won their second GNAC Championship in program history this past Saturday, and the first for the Blue Jays since the 1997-98 season, after taking down Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 66-59. It marks the 14th overall GNAC title in USJ school history across all sports. The Blue Jays will be making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
THE TOURNAMENT
Forty-three conferences were awarded automatic qualification for the 2025 championship. The other 21 berths were reserved for at-large selections designated by the NCAA Power Index (NPI).
Sixteen first/second-round sites will be conducted March 7-8. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites March 14-15. Winners of the four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals/final site on March 20 and 22. All games, except the semifinals and final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. The semifinals/final will be conducted at Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia, hosted by City of Salem and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.
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UP NEXT
The Blue Jays will compete in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament First Round against Johns Hopkins on Friday, March 7. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and the Blue Jays at Goldfarb Gymnasium in Baltimore, Md. is slated for 7:15 p.m. Ticket information for the game is coming soon.