For the first time, San Diego has two women’s basketball teams in the NCAA Tournament.
But the San Diego State Aztecs and UC San Diego Tritons weren’t granted any favors by the selection committee.
UC San Diego (20-15), the winners of the Big West Tournament, were seeded 16th in the West Region. The Tritons will meet Southern University (20-14) in a play-in game at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus at 7 p.m. Wednesday. If the Tritons win that game, they will play No. 1 seed and No. 1 ranked UCLA (30-2) Friday on the Bruins’ court.
San Diego State (25-9) will take their Mountain West title and eight-game winning streak to face No. 3 seed and 10th-ranked LSU (28-5) Saturday at Baton Rouge, La.
“I’ve got no problem with the bracket,” said UC San Diego coach Heidi VanDerveer. “Were we to win this thing, we’d have to get through UCLA. May as well do it early.
“In this tournament, it doesn’t matter who you play, when you play and where you play. We’re excited we can go to Los Angeles.”
San Diego State coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said she expected to be a No. 14 seed and headed either to Oklahoma or LSU for the first game.
Although she was born and raised in San Diego and played at El Capitan High School, Terry-Hutson said playing in Baton Rouge “is like returning home.” She was an assistant coach at LSU for two seasons starting in 2012; the Tigers twice reached the Sweet 16 with her on staff.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Baton Rouge,” she said. “My daughter was born in Baton Rouge. It’s a storied program with a great fan base. I’m excited to go in and play.”
Terry-Hutson said she was more nervous Sunday waiting for the bracket announcement than she was during the Aztecs’ run to the Mountain West title.
“I’m excited for our girls. Last summer, at the top of our team’s chat thread, I put ‘2024-2025 Mountain West champions.’ It came true.
“This is an exciting day for San Diego. Both the men’s and women’s teams from San Diego State and UC San Diego will be playing in the NCAA Tournament. So great.
“I thought it was a little unfair that UCSD was seeded where it was. To do what they did in the first year as a Division I entry …”
Both coaches saw it as an important moment that two San Diego universities qualified for the tournament. And it’s been a long road for both. Terry-Hutson is in her 12th season as San Diego State’s head coach. VanDerveer is in her 13th season as the UC San Diego head coach and oversaw the Tritons’ move from Division II to Division I.
“I think it says a lot about the direction of women’s basketball in general and San Diego in particular,” said VanDerveer.
“And San Diego is different from Los Angeles. The players here know one another. There’s something of a bond.”
Speaking on Saturday morning after San Diego State had clinched its NCAA berth but before UCSD won the Big West title, Aztec forward post Cali Clark said: “Wouldn’t it be great if UC San Diego won today and we both went to the tournament?”
“I love Cali,” VanDerveer said Sunday. “I recruited her, too. She is a special person. But I think that represents a bigger feeling here. Our Sumayah Sugapong and the Aztecs’ Naomi Panganiban played together in high school (at La Jolla Country Day).”
That could change, however. If both the Aztecs and Tritons keep winning, they would meet in the Sweet 16.
