March 9, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After another banner season under head coach Matthew Mitchell, the No. 17/16 Kentucky women’s basketball team will undoubtedly be making its seventh overall and second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament when the women’s selection show is announced Monday, March 14 at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The Wildcats (24-8, 11-5 Southeastern Conference) have compiled an outstanding resume again this year which includes their second straight 20-win season, a school-record tying 11 wins in the SEC and a second-place finish in the league standings for the second consecutive year. UK also had an impressive showing in the SEC Tournament last week, earning a first-round bye for the fourth time in the last six seasons. The Cats defeated LSU and Vanderbilt en route to its second consecutive SEC Tournament championship game appearance vs. No. 4 Tennessee. UK fell to the Lady Vols, 90-65, and senior All-America candidate Victoria Dunlap (Nashville, Tenn.) was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 19.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in the three games.

UK, which has a current RPI of 14 according to the NCAA, has appeared in seven NCAA Tournaments, including two in a row. Last season, the Cats earned a No. 4 seed and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight for just the second time in school history. UK defeated Liberty and Michigan State in the first and second rounds and upset top-seeded and No. 9 Nebraska in the Sweet 16.  Despite a 13-point advantage in the first half vs. Oklahoma, the Cats fell 88-68 to third-seeded Sooners in the Regional Finals. Overall, UK holds a 7-7 record in the Big Dance.

UK’s highest seed was in the 1982 NCAA Tournament. The Cats received the No. 2 seed in the Midwest and went on to advance to the Elite Eight vs. eventual national champion Louisiana Tech.

More information on all of the possible first- and second-round sites can be found at www.ncaasports.com. The sites are:

First and Second Rounds

March 19 and 21, 2011

• The Pit / Bob King Court Albuquerque, N.M. (800) 955-HOWL – Tickets 
• St. John Arena Columbus, Ohio (800) GO-BUCKS – Tickets 
• Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, N.C. (877) 375-DUKE – Tickets 
• Thompson-Boling Arena Knoxville, Tenn. (800) 332-8657 – Tickets 
• Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, Utah (801) 581-8849 – Tickets 
• McCarthey Ath. Center Spokane, Wash. (509) 313-6000 – Tickets 
• Maples Pavilion Stanford, Calif. (800) STANFORD – Tickets 
• Bryce Jordan Center University Park, Pa. (814) 865-5555 – Tickets 

March 20 and 22, 2011

• Auburn Arena Auburn, Ala. (800) AUB-1957 – Tickets 
• John Paul Jones Arena Charlottesville, Va. (800) 542-UVA1 – Tickets 
• Cintas Center Cincinnati, Ohio (513) 745-3411 ext. 7 – Tickets 
• Comcast Center College Park, Md. (800) 462-TERP – Tickets 
• CenturyTel Center Shreveport, La. (800) 745-3000 – Tickets 
• Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Conn. (877) AT-UCONN – Tickets 
• Ferrell Center Waco, Texas (254) 710-1000 – Tickets 
• Intrust Bank Arena Wichita, Kan. (316) 755-SEAT -Tickets

Elite Eight & Sweet 16

March 26 and 28, 2011

• Dayton – Univ. of Dayton Arena Dayton, Ohio (937) 229-4433 – Tickets 
• Spokane   – Veterans Memorial Arena Spokane, Wash. (800) 325-SEAT – Tickets 

March 27 and 29, 2011

• Philadelphia –  The Liacouras Center Philadelphia (800) 298-4200 – Tickets 
• Dallas   – American Airlines Center Dallas (800) 745-3000 – Tickets 

Final Four

April 3 and 5, 2011

• Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis (866) 208-0048 – Tickets