Cloudy forecast overshadows Dallas Region

As names were called and tickets were punched, the Dallas region filled with quite a pool of talent.

The Baylor Lady Bears of Waco will lead the way after earning the number one seed out of the 16 teams. Baylor has an astounding record of 33-1, with their one loss coming from a conference road game against Big 12 rivals Oklahoma State. The Lady Bears hold a strong position to go deep as senior guard Niya Johnson ranks first in the nation in assists.

Baylor will host their first match-up against the Idaho Vandals. The Vandals, 24-9 on the season, will make their third appearance in the big dance in four years with valuable experience against ranked teams this season. In non-conference play, they faced Duke, ranked 15^th in the nation at the time, and Oregon State, ranked 7^th.

Also in the Waco Division, the St. John's Red Storm and the Auburn Tigers will face each other as the eighth and ninth seeds. St. John's punched their ticket when they became the Big East tournament champions with a big upset over DePaul in the semis. This is their first Big East title since 1988.

The Auburn Tigers, coming in as the ninth seed, hold a unique gem in 6'3 senior forward Tra'Cee Tanner. Tanner holds the fourth highest shooting percentage in the nation and is a key asset. They finished 8-8 in SEC play and eighth in the conference that holds elite teams such as, South Carolina and Mississippi State.

Texas A&M was seeded as the fourth team in the Dallas region, hosting the first bout of match-ups in College Station. They are also in the highly-touted SEC conference, finishing third and going 21-9 overall this season.

The Aggies have been a consistent powerhouse over the years, pushing through several players with talent. Senior forward, Courtney Williams and guard Chelsea Jennings, will help A&M compete against the Missouri State Lady Bears.

The Lady Bears earned their spot with the top 64 teams with a Missouri Valley Conference tournament championship under their belt. The senior guard will be the defensive player to watch in this match-up, as she stands fourth in the nation for total steals.

To finish out the College Station division, number five seed Florida State will match-up against the 12 seed Middle Tennessee. Despite losing early in the ACC conference tournament, there is plenty of hope for the Seminoles as they only have seven losses to their 23 total wins on the season.

Middle Tennessee beat out Old Dominion 70-54 in the Conference USA title game to punch their ticket to the big dance, finishing below only UTEP and tying with Western Kentucky in conference play. They finish with an impressive 24-8 record and have a lot of weapons in their arsenal heading into the next few weeks.

The Louisville Cardinals earned the number three seed for their efforts this season and also to host the first round of match-ups in the tournament. They will face the 14 seed, Central Arkansas in their first NCAA tournament berth.

The Sugar Bears have only three losses on the season and finished second in their conference with their leadership spouting from junior guard Brianna Mullins. Louisville has shown strength in the last few NCAA tournaments, still having lots to prove as their next road to the championship begins.

To round out the Kentucky division, number six seed and ranked 20^th in the nation, DePaul will match-up against 11 seed James Madison. James Madison beat Drexel in the CAA conference tournament battle to punch their ticket for the big dance.

They stand at the top of the CAA, losing only one in conference play and only five total compared to their 27 wins. DePaul, as mentioned earlier, stands in the Big East conference. Their early loss in the conference tourney to St. John's may play to their advantage as they have much to prove early in the tournament.

The last division in the Dallas region is highlighted by Oregon State's number two seed rank, as they will host the 15 seed Troy Trojans for their first round match-up. Oregon State is well known for their defensive hustle this season, holding the seventh-ranked scoring defense in the nation.

The Trojans are coming off a big victory over Little Rock for the Sun Belt conference tournament championship, as they beat UALR by one point in the last 20 seconds of the match-up.

The Dallas Region wraps up with a match-up between Big 12 powerhouse Oklahoma State and the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Oklahoma State had big wins in conference play, highlighted by a win over the number one seed Baylor.

St. Bonaventure is considered one of the bubble teams that were the last four to get in, having much to prove and a tough match-up against Oklahoma State's Brittney Martin.

The games will begin on March 18th and 19^th, with lots of exciting match-ups and chances for possible upsets in the near future.