UNLV Lady Rebels guard Ashley Scoggin (0) celebrates with teammate Alyssa Brown (44) after sinking a three-point basket during the second half of the Mountain West Conference championship game against the San Diego State Aztecs at the Thomas & Mack Center Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
Friday, March 15, 2024 | 11:05 a.m.
In what is quickly becoming an annual tradition, the UNLV women’s basketball team is hosting a viewing party for Sunday’s NCAA Tournament selection show, and fans are invited.
The event will be held at the Strip View Pavilion at the Thomas & Mack Center, and the party is free and open to the public. Doors open at 4 p.m., with the selection show beginning at 5 p.m.
No. 21 UNLV clinched its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday by defeating San Diego State in the Mountain West title game. The three-peat champs will head into the big dance on a big roll, having won 15 straight contests.
UNLV is currently No. 25 in the NET rankings, so the team should receive a more favorable seeding and venue than the past two years, when they entered the tournament as underdogs. The players and coaches will watch live on a big screen as the NCAA brackets are revealed.
Senior forward Desi-Rae Young, who was named Mountain West Player of the Year for the second time, said this UNLV team belongs in the field and is aiming to make a run.
“We expected to be here for a third time,” Young said, “so winning games is our highest expectation.”
UNLV held similar watch parties before the 2022 and 2023 tournaments, with each event drawing hundreds of fans and well-wishers.
The Scarlet and Gray entered last year’s NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed and were sent to Baton Rouge, La., where they fell to No. 5 seed Michigan in the first round. In 2022, they were the No. 13 seed and went to Tucson, Ariz., where they lost to No. 4 seed Arizona on the Wildcats’ home court.
ESPN’s current bracketology projection has UNLV as a No. 9 seed, taking on No. 8 Iowa State in Los Angeles.
Junior forward Alyssa Brown, the MVP of the Mountain West tournament, believes this team is poised to survive and advance.
“We expect to go in there, compete and have a different outcome than we’ve had the last two years,” Brown said. “We’re all excited to be back in that position and we’re ready to work.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
