After losing its final four regular-season games, there were some who doubted whether Texas A&M would earn a 12th straight berth in the NCAA Tournament.
But the Aggies all but cemented their spot in the postseason run to the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament and take some confidence with them when they square off against Ivy League champion Penn on Saturday night in a first-round contest at Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, Calif.
The winner of the Texas A&M-Penn game faces either host and No. 4 seed UCLA or 13th-seed Boise State on Monday for a spot in the Bridgeport Regional, which is headed by top-seeded and defending national champion Connecticut.
The Aggies (21-11) enter the 64-team tournament as a No. 5 seed in the Bridgeport Regional as an at-large selection.
Texas A&M is one of eight schools to have qualified for at least 12 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, joining Baylor, Connecticut, DePaul, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Stanford, and Tennessee.
"Our team is healthy and ready to go," Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said. "I'm happy for this team -- because people counted us out. This team refused to be the one that broke the streak -- we were not going to let it end at 11. Twelve is the number here at A&M, and we found a way to make it happen."
Texas A&M's streak of 12 straight NCAA Tournaments ranks 16th all-time.
"We know that Penn is a very disciplined team and we cannot afford to look past them," Texas A&M Curtyce Knox said. "Coach Blair stays on us for taking one game at a time so it's important for us to stay focused and playing smart."
Texas A&M opens the tournament against 12-seed Penn (22-7), an automatic qualifier by virtue of its championship in the inaugural Ivy League Tournament.
Led by reigning Ivy League coach of the year Mike McLaughlin, Penn rides a seven-game win streak into its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and third in four years after it won the Ivy League tournament on Sunday by beating Princeton. The Quakers are 22-7 won the Ancient Eight regular-season title with a 13-1 mark.
"I thought we were going to be a 12, 13 seed," McLaughlin said. "It's right where we should be -- we're a top 50 RPI team. I was surprised at where we are playing because I kind of thought we would be closer to the region. It's important to us that we go out there and we try to win a basketball game."
Forward Michelle Nwokedi is a key cog for the Quakers, winning Ivy League Player of the Year honors and pacing Penn in scoring (14.7 points per game), rebounding (9.3 rpg) and blocks (2.8 ppg).
"No matter what, we're going to be ready," Nwokedi said.
Nwokedi, along with Sydney Stipanovich, point guard Kasey Chambers and guard Anna Ross, played a big role in last year's near-upset of Division I all-time leading scorer Kelsey Plum and Washington in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
"A lot of those players were on the floor last year," McLaughlin said. "Maybe that will take away the beginning jitters. But obviously we're going to be 1/8facing 3/8 a quality basketball team."
Texas A&M and Penn have never played a women's basketball game against each other. The Aggies are 6-0 all-time against Ivy League foes, winning three games each against Brown and Dartmouth.
