By Foster Nicholas | Sports Editor
WACO, Texas – Baylor women’s basketball was selected as the No. 4 seed in the Spokane Regional 1 and will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Foster Pavilion, ESPN announced Sunday.
The Bears (27-7, 15-3 Big 12) will open the 2025 NCAA Tournament at 2:30 p.m. Friday against No. 13 seed Grand Canyon (32-2, 16-0 WAC) at Foster Pavilion. The winner will advance to a second-round matchup on Sunday against the winner of No. 5 Ole Miss (20-10, 10-6 SEC) and No. 12 Ball State (27-7, 16-2 MAC).
“Until you see it, you imagine it,” head coach Nicki Collen said. “You think the numbers say you should be in that position [to host], but it still feels good to see it come up and to know we get to go home and plant from our own beds all week.”
For the second time under Collen, Baylor will host the first and second rounds — this being the first time at the Foster Pavilion. Graduate guard Sarah Andrews is the only player on the team who has played postseason basketball at home, with the last game being a second-round exit at the hands of No. 10 South Dakota in 2022.
“It’s great to be at Foster; it’s a great atmosphere when we do play here, and it’s an advantage playing at home,” Andrews said. “We want that fan base that we had against TCU. We want everybody to come out and bring that support because they’re going to be needed at a time like this.”
The Bears will have junior forward Darianna Littlepage-Buggs back for the first time since Feb. 15 when they face the Antelopes in the first round. Littlepage-Buggs dealt with a right knee injury that forced her to miss a month and take on a role as the team’s “cheerleader,” something she said she enjoyed.
“I was excited to be a cheerleader,” Littlepage-Buggs said. “I got to travel and see my teammates from a different perspective. That was great, but I’m so excited to be back. We [want] to make it far. That’s our group expectation.”
The 2025 Big Dance marks the Bears’ 21st straight appearance, the third-longest active NCAA Tournament streak in the nation. As a No. 5 seed in 2024, Baylor advanced to the Sweet 16 where they faced a No. 1 seed, something the green and gold are looking to replicate as a hosting team.
“We surprised a lot of people,” Andrews said. “Not really having a true post last year, I think makes a huge difference. We’ve been in big games, especially with this team. And I think we know it’s our last time playing together, so we want to make a long run.”
Grand Canyon comes into Waco fresh off a Western Athletic Conference title, riding a 30-game winning streak. Its last loss came on Nov. 18 to then-No. 23 Oregon. The Antelopes beat both Big 12 schools they faced in nonconference play and had won 14 straight games by double digits before a three-point win in the WAC Championship game.
“[They’re] a team that really gets it done on the defensive side of the ball,” Collen said. “So [it’s] certainly going to be a game that would have to work to score.”
Baylor will tip off against Grand Canyon at 2:30 p.m. at the Foster Pavilion, and broadcast on ESPNU. The Regional 1 semifinal and final will be held in Spokane, Wash., with the Final Four at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
