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Vanderbilt Grabs #2 Seed in Midwest Regional 3-14-04 3/14/2004 Commodores will open NCAA Tournament in Chattanooga against Lipscomb on March 20 NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A late season eight-game winning streak, including a Southeastern Conference Tournament title, has taken the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team to the lofty perch of a #2 seed in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. The Black and Gold will travel down I-24 to Chattanooga for a March 20th meeting with Nashville neighbor and 15th-seed Lipscomb. In the bracket’s other half, host school Chattanooga (#10) will battle BIG EAST power and seventh-seed Rutgers. The second round matchup is scheduled for March 22. Gametimes for all contests will be determined by the NCAA in conjunction with ESPN on Monday. For the Commodores, this marks the program’s 17th NCAA appearance, the fifth in a row and the 15th selection in the last 16 years. VU’s selection as a 2-seed marks its highest seeding since its choice as the Midwest’s #1 to begin the 2002 NCAA Tournament, a year in which the Black and Gold eventually made the NCAA “Elite Eight.” Vanderbilt boasts an impressive record of 10-5 all-time in the Midwest Region with this appearance marking VU’s fourth Midwest selection in the last five seasons and sixth overall. Archrival Tennessee nabbed the top-seed in the Midwest with Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Baylor rounding out the region’s top four placings. The Lady Vols will face #16 Colgate, while the Sooners matchup against #14 Marist and Baylor takes on #13 Loyola-Marymount. Fellow SEC rival Florida (#5) heads out to Albuquerque to face the #12 New Mexico Lobos at “the Pit.” Surprise #6-seed Stanford, the Pac-10 conference champions, will face #11 Missouri, while #8 George Washington will battle #9 DePaul for the right to perhaps face the region’s top seed. Midwest Region (March 20 & 22) *Games to be played at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn. |
