Following an exciting Region 13 Tournament that saw Minnesota West Community and Technical College claim the Region 13B title and Anoka-Ramsey Community College capture the Region 13A crown, the NJCAA DIII Women's Basketball Committee recognized the strength of the MCAC. In addition to the automatic qualifying bids wrapped up by Minnesota West and Anoka-Ramsey, the committee selected two additional Minnesota College Athletic Conference (MCAC) teams as at-large selections for the 2024 NJCAA Women's Basketball National Tournament, and all four teams were seeded in the top five. Those two additional teams were Rochester Community and Technical College and Northland Community and Technical College.
This is the second consecutive year that four MCAC teams have made the national tournament. In 2023, Rochester won the national championship, Minnesota West finished as the runner-up, Riverland Community College finished 3rd, and Anoka-Ramsey finished 5th.
Minnesota West Community and Technical College brought home the Region 13B championship last weekend after defeating Northland Community and Technical College 75-69 in the championship game. The Lady Jays were chosen as the national tournament's overall #1 seed and will get a bye in the first round of the tournament. They will look to build on their 23-7 record as they face the winner of the Prince George's/CC of Rhode Island game on Thursday, March 14, at 2:00 PM CT.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College is currently ranked #5 in the nation and won their second consecutive district championship with a 72-67 win over #1 ranked Rochester Community and Technical College. Anoka-Ramsey has a 22-6 overall record and picked up the number 4 seed at the national tournament. They will have a first-round bye and then take the court against the winner of the Northland/Nassau game on Thursday, March 14, at 4:00 PM CT.
Rochester Community & Technical College, after being ranked #1 for the majority of the season, was an easy at-large selection. The Yellowjackets are 21-4 on the season and are looking to hold up another national championship trophy this season. As the top at-large selection, Rochester was named the #2 seed in the national tournament and will also receive a bye in the first round. They will play the winner of the Jefferson (NY)/RCSJ Gloucester game on Thursday, March 14 at 6:00 PM CT in the quarterfinals.
Northland Community and Technical College, currently ranked 3rd in the nation, also received an at-large bid and was slotted in as the #5 seed in the tournament. The Pioneers, with their 22-5 record, will be the lone MCAC team playing on the opening day of the tournament. Northland will play Nassau at 2:00 PM CT on Wednesday, March 13.
The twelve-team NJCAA DIII Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament is comprised of eight automatic qualifying teams and four at-large selections. With a win in their opening round of competition, a team will advance in their bracket, while a loss will move a team into the consolation bracket.
The NJCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship Bracket, as well as all other information for the tournament, including results, can be found at: https://www.njcaa.org/championships/sports/wbkb/div3/index
Ticket Information and schedule can also be found at: https://www.rochestermnsports.org/events/njcaad3wbb.html