Drake women’s basketball to face Louisville in first round of NCAA Tournament in Austin

Drake women’s basketball will face No. 5 seed Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs enter March Madness as the No. 12 seed and will play the Cardinals in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.

This is the 14th NCAA Tournament for Drake, with the Bulldogs last making it to March Madness in 2019. Drake was a No. 10 seed in that appearance, losing to Missouri, 77-76, in overtime of the first round.

Drake’s best NCAA Tournament showing was the Elite Eight in 1982. Drake made the tournament for three straight seasons from 2000-02 and again from 2017-19.

In the lead-up to the 2020 election, all eyes are on Iowa. Get updates of all things Iowa politics delivered to your inbox.

More:Drake women’s basketball cruises past Belmont to capture Missouri Valley Tournament title

Drake enters the tournament with a 22-9 record and a 14-6 record in conference play. The Bulldogs have won their last five games. On Sunday, Drake defeated Belmont, 89-71, to win the Missouri Valley Conference championship and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs have gone 17-5 since the beginning of the calendar year.

Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Drake women’s basketball to face Louisville in first round of NCAA Tournament in Austin