NAIA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Ashland, Ore. | Lithia Motors Pavilion
March 14 (Round of 64)
5:30 p.m. – (2) Southern Oregon vs. (15) UC Merced
7:30 p.m. – (7) Wayland Baptist (Texas) vs. (10) Carroll (Mont.)
March 15 (Round of 32)
5 p.m. – TBD

TICKETS | BRACKET | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

ASHLAND – Southern Oregon will get UC Merced in the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship's Round of 64 at Lithia Motors Pavilion when it hosts the tournament's opening weekend for the second year in a row.

The Raiders (31-0) also got a healthy dose of motivation in the form of a snub when the 64-team field was announced Thursday, taking a No. 2 seed in the Cramer Quadrant of the bracket despite being ranked No. 2 overall in the final NAIA Top 25 and possessing the tourney's only perfect record.

They and the No. 15-seeded Bobcats (17-8) – who ran the table in the California Pacific Conference – will tip off at 5:30 p.m. on March 14. The second Round of 64 game in Ashland will feature No. 7-seeded and No. 20-ranked Wayland Baptist (Texas) (25-4) against No. 10-seeded Carroll (Mont.) (19-11) at 7:30 p.m.

The winners will meet in the Round of 32 at 5 p.m. on March 15. The last 16 teams standing advance to Sioux City, Iowa, to play out the rest of the tournament March 20-25.

The Raiders have been in the field all four seasons since the NAIA's two divisions merged into one and the current format was put in place. They've finished in the Round of 32 each of the last three.

They defeated Merced earlier this season, 76-52 on Nov. 16 in Klamath Falls, and are 6-0 against the Bobcats over the last decade. Merced is back in the tournament for the first time since 2022.

The Raiders are familiar with their other guests, too. Wayland Baptist – which finished second in the Sooner Athletic Conference at 21-3 – is the same team that led SOU by 29 points in the 2023 Round of 64 before the Raiders stormed back for a 68-66 victory. Carroll – which tied for second in the Frontier Conference at 10-5 but nearly knocked off No. 21 Providence (Mont.) in the tournament championship –met SOU each of the previous two seasons in non-conference play. Both teams picked up wins on their own home courts.

The No. 1 seed in the quadrant is Bethel (Tenn.) – a stunning selection considering the Wildcats (23-7) were No. 16 in the final NAIA poll. They had the top strength of schedule in the country.

A complete tournament preview will be published next week.