PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Pilots women's basketball team was selected as a 12-seed for the upcoming 2023 NCAA Tournament. They will face off against the 5-seed Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, March 18 at 6 p.m. on ESPN U in Los Angeles at Pauley Pavilion on UCLA's campus.
 
This is the sixth time in program history that the Pilots have earned a berth to the tournament. The last time the Pilots made the tournament was 2020, when the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The Pilots were an automatic qualifier this year after winning the 2023 WCC Tournament, their second championship in four years.
 
The Pilots are 23-8 overall and finished 15-3 in WCC play. Their overall record was their best since the 1996-97 season and their WCC record was the best in program history. They won the WCC Tournament this past week, their third conference championship as a program and their second in four years. Since head coach Michael Meek took over four seasons ago, the Pilots have played in a postseason tournament each year, playing last season in the WNIT and advancing to the second round for the first time in program history.
 
Oklahoma is 25-6 on the year and finished conference play with a 14-4 record. They finished second in the Big 12 and advanced to semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. The Sooners have played in 23 NCAA Tournaments, including 21 since 2000.
 
The 2023 championship features 68 teams for the second time in the tournament's history. The first and second rounds will be played at the campuses of the top-16 seeds, with the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 being played at one of two regional sites: Greenville, South Carolina or Seattle. The Pilots will play in Greenville should they advance past the weekend, with those game taking place between March 24-27. The Women's Final Four will be played March 31 and April 2 respectively at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
 
The Pilots and the Sooners will face off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 18 on ESPN U. For more information, stay tuned to PortlandPilots.com.
 
PORTLAND PILOTS NCAA POSTSEASON HISTORY
1994 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to USC – 77-62)
1995 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to Purdue – 74-59)
1996 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to TTU – 61-78)
1997 NCAA Tournament (1st Round Loss to Michigan State – 75-70 (OT))
1999 WNIT (1st Round Loss to Washington – 67-63)
2009 WNIT (1st Round Loss to Portland State – 57-51)
2010 WBI (1st Round Loss to Washington – 75-44)
2020 NCAA Tournament (Canceled due to COVID-19)
2021 WBI (Championship Loss to Cleveland State – 67-64)
2022 WNIT (2nd Round loss to Oregon State - 74-56)
2023 NCAA Tournament (TBD)
 
ABOUT THE PILOTS
• The Portland Pilots finished the season 23-8 overall and 15-3 in conference play. It's their best record since the 1996-97 season and their highest win total in WCC play ever.
• They finished second in the WCC in the regular season for their highest conference finish since '97 as well.
• Portland's WCC Tournament championship was their second in four seasons and their third in program history.
• Alex Fowler and Maisie Burnham were both named to the All-WCC Tournament team, with Fowler being named the tournament's most outstanding player. Fowler is the only Pilot to ever earn the honor twice.
• Fowler and Burnham were also All-WCC selections in the regular season, with Fowler making the first team and Burnham the second team.
• Emme Shearer also got a nod, earning honorable mention.
• The Pilots led the WCC in assists per game (17), field-goal percentage (46%), steals per game (9.5) and turnovers forced per game (17.35). They were ranked 18th and 19th nationally in field-goal percentage and assists per game.
• The Pilots have seven players that hail from Australia. That is the most in NCAA Division I basketball.

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