SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference has announced the seeding for the 2023 Ingles SoCon Women’s Basketball Championship, which will begin Thursday, March 2, at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina.
For the first time in its program’s history, Wofford (20-8, 10-4 SoCon) won the regular-season title and will enter the 2023 tournament as the top seed. The Terriers will open up the tournament against No. 8 seed Western Carolina (9-20, 2-12) on Thursday at 11 a.m. The two teams split their matchups during the season with Western Carolina winning, 53-49, on Jan. 12 in Cullowhee, North Carolina, and Wofford taking the Feb. 11 matchup by a score of 83-62 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Terriers will be looking for their first tournament title in school history in Asheville.
UNCG (15-13, 8-6) and Mercer (12-15, 8-6) are slotted No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, and will face off in Thursday’s second game at 1:15 p.m. The two squads split the season series with the Spartans winning in Macon, Georgia, on Jan. 5 by a score of 72-68, and the Bears won, 65-46, on Feb. 4 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Mercer is the two-time defending SoCon Tournament champions and will be looking for a third straight title next week.
Chattanooga (17-12, 9-5) is the No. 2 seed. The Mocs went 2-0 against No. 7 seed Furman (11-18, 3-11) during the season. Chattanooga was victorious, 51-44, in a double-overtime thriller back on Jan. 21 in Greenville, South Carolina, and topped the Paladins on Feb. 16, 70-63, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Furman played in the title game last season, falling 73-54 to Mercer.
No. 3 seed ETSU (22-8, 9-5) will take on No. 6 Samford (13-16, 7-7) in the final first-round game at 5:45 p.m. The Bulldogs won the first matchup between the two teams, 68-58, back on Jan. 14 in Johnson City, Tennessee, while the Buccaneers won the second meeting, 75-63, in Birmingham, Alabama, on Feb. 9.
Semifinal action will take place on Friday and the women’s championship game will tip off on Sunday at noon ET.
All women’s basketball games will be held at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville and are set to be broadcast on ESPN+. The title game will also air on select Nexstar affiliates. For more information, visit SoConSports.com.
2023 Ingles Southern Conference Women’s Basketball Championship
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville Asheville, N.C.
Thursday, March 2
Game 1 – No. 1 Wofford vs. No. 8 Western Carolina, 11 a.m.*
Game 2 – No. 4 UNCG vs. No. 5 Mercer, 1:15 p.m.^
Game 3 – No. 2 Chattanooga vs. No. 7 Furman, 3:30 p.m. ^
Game 4 – No. 3 ETSU vs. No. 6 Samford, 5:45 p.m. ^
Friday, March 3
Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 11 a.m.*
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 1:15 p.m. ^
Sunday, March 5
Championship Game
Game 7 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, Noon
NOTE: All times Eastern. All games to be broadcast on ESPN+, with the championship game also on Nexstar.
* Tip-off as part of Education Day program on March 2 and March 3.
^ Denotes approximate game time. The first games both days will have a firm start time. Each game thereafter will start 30 minutes following the conclusion of the preceding game but will not start prior to the listed time.