Big 12 Making Impact in Women's Bracket

Associated Press

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- The last time the Big 12 left such a footprint this late in the NCAA tournament, Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale got an extra taste of how strong the conference had become.

Just to get to the Final Four, Coale's Sooners had to take out Big 12 rivals Texas Tech and Colorado in regional play.

This time, OU, Texas A&M, Baylor and Iowa State are higher seeds and won't meet each other unless they all make it to the Final Four.

The Big 12 was one of the dominant conferences in the sport all season long. Seven of the league's teams spent time in the Top 25, and four made it into the top five.

Joining them in the round of 16 are UConn, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Louisville from the Big East; three teams apiece from the Big Ten and Pac-10; Maryland from the ACC and Vanderbilt from the SEC.

The Sooners will face fourth-seeded Pitt in Oklahoma City on Sunday night.

Single-session tickets for this weekend's NCAA women's basketball regional in Oklahoma City are going on sale.

Tickets will be available beginning at 10 a.m. Friday at the Ford Center box office or online or by phone. Tickets are $21 and $31.

Rutgers and Purdue will play at 6:30 p.m. Sunday followed by OU and Pittsburgh at 9 p.m.

Ticket sales for the regional at the Ford Center have nearly doubled in the last two days after Oklahoma defeated Georgia Tech Tuesday night.

By late Thursday afternoon, more than 9,200 tickets had been sold.