SUBR Lady Jags take SWAC, headed to NCAA tourney
This is the first time since the 2001-02 season that SU has won the regular season title, the number one seed in the tournament, and the tournament championship. Southern (23-8, 14-4 SWAC) earned the SWAC's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.
Junior Hannah Kador was named the tournament's most valuable player while Ashley Augerson was named to the all-tournament team.
This is head coach Sandy Pugh's fourth conference tourney title in six tries. She leaves the Shreveport-Bossier City area with a 17-6 overall record and 4-2 in the tournament championship games. The victory also improves SU's record in the state to 15-1 and 4-0 in the month of March.
SU is vying for its fourth overall NCAA Tournament berth, while the Jaguars are 0-3 all-time in three previous appearances. Pugh has led SU to the NCAA's in four out 10 seasons on "the bluff."
The 2005-06 season was the last time SU attended the big dance. They were defeated by Duke University 96-27 the same year the SU men's team played along side the women versus the Duke men'ss team.
Eight pre-determined sites will host first and second round games on March 20 and 22: Stanford, California; Berkeley, California; Durham, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; Seattle, Washington; Tallahassee, Florida; and Tempe, Arizona. The eight other sites will host games on March 21 and 23: Ames, Iowa; Austin, Texas; Cincinnati, Ohio; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Norfolk, Virginia; Norman, Oklahoma; Notre Dame, Indiana; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Winners advance to the four regional sites to be played March 27-30 at either Memphis, Tennessee; Sacramento, California; Dayton, Ohio; and Kansas City, Missouri. The 2010 NCAA Final Four will be played on April 4 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.