Fairfield Hosts 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tourney

Fairfield Hosts 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tourney

The top four seeds of the Bridgeport Regional in the 2006 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship are coming to determine which of the four teams will take its place in the Final Four next weekend in Boston. And, area basketball fans will have the opportunity to see these teams action on Saturday, as all four squads will participate in open practice sessions beginning at 12:00 noon on March 25. There is no admission charge for the open practices. The four-day event is hosted by Fairfield University at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport.

Top-seeded Duke University, second-seeded University of Connecticut, third-seeded University of Georgia, and fourth-seeded Michigan State will take the floor at the Arena at Harbor Yard on March 26 and 28 to fight it out for that prestigious position in Boston. Each earned that right by winning a pair of games in the first and second rounds of the Bridgeport Regional bracket.

Michigan State, which advanced to the national championship game last season, will begin the open practice session at noon and will remain on the court until 12:50 p.m. The Spartans are ranked 16th in the nation with a 24-9 overall record. The team is making their second straight Sweet 16 appearance after defeating Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Kentucky.

Fourth-ranked Duke will fill the next open practice session, which starts at 1 pm. The Blue Devils are making their 12th consecutive appearance to the NCAA tournament, five of which were as a number one seed. The squad advanced to the Regional semi-finals after defeating Southern and Southern California, which raise its overall record to 28-3.

Georgia, which begins its open practice session at 2 p.m., has been in the Connecticut media as of late after ending the University of Hartford's run in this year's NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs are ranked 12th in the nation and improved to 23-8 after defeating the Hawks, two nights after knocking off MAAC champion Marist. Georgia will be trying to reach the Final Four for the sixth time this weekend.

There's nothing unlucky about the number 13 for Connecticut, as it advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 13th straight season following wins over Virginia Tech and Coppin State. The seventh-ranked Huskies will finish up the open practice day with a 3 p.m. session on Saturday afternoon. UConn posted two wins at the Arena at Harbor Yard during the 2004 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball First and Second Rounds, and is the only team of the four participants to have played a game at the Arena.

2006 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship
March 25-28, 2006
Fairfield University - Host
Arena at Harbor Yard - Bridgeport, Conn.

Open Practice Schedule - Saturday, March 25
Michigan State University: Noon-12:50 p.m.
Duke University: 1-1:50 p.m.
University of Georgia: 2-2:50 p.m.
University of Connecticut: 3-3:50 p.m.

Regional Semi-Finals - March 26
Game One - Michigan State vs. Duke - 7 p.m.
Game Two - Georgia vs. UConn - 30 minutes after conclusion of game one
Regional Final - March 28
Winner of Game One vs. Winner of Game Two - Time to be determined

Posted On: 03-23-2006 10:03 AM

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