Utes dancing as No. 7 seed, will play Arkansas in first-round of NCAA Tournament

University of Utah women's basketball will play Arkansas in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament.

The University of Utah women's basketball team was selected as a No. 7 seed and will play the University of Arkansas in the first-round of the 2022 NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament. This is Utah’s first appearance in the tournament since 2011.

A GREAT DAY TO BE A UTE! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/F0jhkBY24e

— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) March 14, 2022

After finishing the season 20-11, Utah looks to bounce back from a heartbreaking PAC-12 finals loss they suffered to Stanford last week. 

Despite the loss, Head Coach Lynne Roberts had nothing negative to say about her team’s effort, choosing instead to focus on the upcoming tournament.

“I’m incredibly proud of this team, and this game doesn’t define our season,” Roberts said. “I’m disappointed we lost, but our season’s not over.”

Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens and Jenna Johnson shined throughout the PAC-12 tournament, landing them both on the All-Tournament team. Kneepkens finished the tournament tied for first in points with 56.

Arkansas went 18-13 this year, losing its final game to South Carolina earlier this month. Amber Ramirez led the Razorbacks in scoring this year, averaging 15.1 points per game.

The NCAA will use the 68-team format in the women’s tournament for the first time this year. The men’s tournament has had 68 teams since 2011.

The game will take place March 18 in Austin, Texas.

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