With the regular season and the NCAC tournament out of the way, DePauw University's women's basketball team prepares for the NCAA tournament beginning tonight.
The defending national champs will open up the tournament against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College Athenas at 7:30 p.m. at Neal Fieldhouse.
The home-court advantage should give the Tigers an edge even before the game tips off. DePauw's dominance at home has been well chronicled. The Tigers have not lost at home since Mar. 3 of 2012.
"Playing at home is icing on the cake for us," said senior Ali Ross. "Last year, we had a lot of students and fans come out to the games during the NCAA tournament and it really brings a lot of energy for us. To see how many people support us and come to every game is incredible."
For the visiting Athenas, this adds to the difficulty of traveling across the country. The Athenas will come into Friday night's tilt after earning the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and the league's automatic bid to the national tournament.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps enters the tournament riding a season-long nine game winning streak. Their stingy defense has been what has carried the Athenas over this recent run of success. Since their streak began on Feb. 1, the Athenas have given up less than 50 points per game.
The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps performed well at away games this season with an impressive road record of 9-2.
The Athenas' lineup features two veteran guards that can wreak havoc on the offensive end. Senior Madeline Barnes and junior Kimberly Scamman lead the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps backcourt. Barnes averages 12.8 points per game with roughly 30 minutes a night. Scamman leads the Athenas with an average of 15.7 points per game in just over an average of 25 minutes on the game floor.
"We'll have to have a great team defensive effort," said DePauw head coach Kris Huffman. "They drive the ball well, they share the ball well, and then they shoot it well. We just want to limit their good looks."
The Tigers are the defending national champions and played an impressive season of their own.
"I do not think we feel any pressure," said Ross. "There is a target on our backs because we are the defending champs, but for us this is a new season. We prepare the same way for each team, and we are excited for the game tomorrow."
Despite having their 58 game winning streak snapped in the late portion of the season, DePauw went on to finish the 2014 regular season with a record of 27-1. The Tigers capped their season with a third straight North Coast Athletic Conference Championship after a 69-41 win over Denison University last Saturday night.
Friday night's first matchup features the 23-5 Ohio Northern University Polar Bears against the 25-2 Transylvania University Pioneers. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
The action at Neal Fieldhouse will continue on Saturday, as the winner of each first-round game will meet for their round of 32 contest beginning at 7 p.m.