RALEIGH, N.C. - For the first time in over a half-decade, the Green Bay women's basketball team is ready to dance! The Green and White, and 11-seed, is set to take on the sixth-seeded Tennessee Lady Volunteers in the First Round of the women's basketball NCAA Tournament.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
(11) Green Bay (27-6, 17-3 HL) vs. (6) Tennessee Lady Volunteers (19-12, 10-6 SEC)
Saturday, March 23, 2024 | Reynolds Coliseum
11:00 AM CST | Game Notes | History
Official NCAA women's basketball bracket
Follow the action: Watch | Listen (WDUZ The Fan 107.5 FM) | Listen (SiriusXM) | Live Stats

ON THE CALL
Saturday's game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN, which is entering its 29th season as the championship's exclusive television home. Stream on watchespn.com and in the ESPN App. Eric Frede (play-by-play) will be joined by Florida Gators women's basketball alumna Steffi Sorensen (analyst) and Lisa Mattingly (rules analyst). Fans can listen live on WDUZ The Fan 107.5, at thefan1075.com, or by searching The Fan 107.5 on mobile devices. Brian Kuklinski will have the play-by-play live from Raleigh. SiriusXM will carry the game on channel 106 or 205 depending on the make of the subscriber's vehicle. Stream at siriusxm.com/channels or download the SiriusXM app for mobile devices.

ABOUT THE LADY VOLUNTEERS
Tennessee will enter the NCAA Tournament as a very battle-tested team, with nine of their 31 contests coming against ranked teams. The Lady Volunteers are coming off a heartbreaking loss in the SEC Championship Game, losing to South Carolina 74-73 (South Carolina is the best overall seed in the Big Dance). Tennessee was leading 73-71 when South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso, who hadn't recorded a three-point attempt all season, banked in a last-second shot from downtown. Head Coach Kellie Harper, in her fifth season and 20th overall as a head coach, led the Lady Volunteers to a successful 19-12 campaign going into Saturday's game. Tennessee boasts a top-five WNBA prospect in Rickea Jackson, who paces the Lady Volunteers with 19.4 points per contest, despite playing in 23 of the team's games. Jackson also paces Tennessee in rebounds (8.0 RPG) and minutes (31.5 MPG). Jasmine Powell is another key player, leading Tennessee in assists (4.1 APG) and steals (0.9 SPG).

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Phoenix is seeking its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012, under then-head coach Matt Bollant, and first with current head coach Kevin Borseth since 2007. Green Bay has dropped seven of its last eight contests in the Big Dance. GB is 6-8 overall in the NCAA Tournament, including 6-8 on neutral hardwood. The Phoenix played its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in 1994, an 81-56 loss to the two-seeded Stanford Cardinals. Saturday's contest will be the second meeting in the Big Dance against Tennessee, coming up just short in a 59-53 loss.

?????????????????? ??????????????: On March 17, 2012, seventh-seeded Green Bay took down 10th-seeded Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

It was the first road tournament win in program history.#RiseWithUs | #ThrowbackThursday | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5HTE73Cklg

— Green Bay Women's Basketball (@gbphoenixwbb) March 21, 2024

BACK IN THE BIG DANCE
The Phoenix is dancing again after coming up just short of a tournament bid the last handful of years. It's GB's first Tournament appearance since 2018. Green Bay last won a game in the Big Dance in 2012, under then-head coach Matt Bollant, when the seventh-seeded Phoenix took down 10th-seeded Iowa State 71-57. The last time the Green and White won an NCAA Tournament game under current head coach Kevin Borseth was 2007, when the Phoenix knocked off New Mexico.

NOTHING BUT NET
As of March 18, Green Bay ranks 50th in NCAA net ranking. The Phoenix has put together a solid resume this season, ranking as high as 27th in the NET, thanks to upset victories over Creighton (currently 24th in NET) and Washington State (currently 29th in NET) earlier this season. The Phoenix boasts the highest net ranking in the Horizon League, with Cleveland State ranked 83rd. Tennessee is 30th in NET, which is 3rd in the SEC only behind South Carolina (1st) and LSU (8th).

REAPING REWARDS
Several Green Bay players were recognized in the Horizon League's awards announced a couple of week ago. Natalie McNeal was named to the All-League First Team, Maddy Schreiber named to the All-Second Team, and Bailey Butler being tapped for both the All-Third and All-Defensive Teams. Additionally, Junior Callie Genke was the winner of the Sixth Player of the Year Award, and fellow Junior Jasmine Kondrakiewicz was named a Finalist for the Sportsmanship Award.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS
Green Bay posted a dominant 14-1 at the Kress Center this season. The last time Green Bay started a season 13-0 at home was the 2017-2018 season, when GB also went 13-0. Green Bay last started 14-0 at home during the 2012-13 campaign when GB finsihed 16-0 at the Kress Center. The Phoenix averaged 78.5 PPG in home contests this season while surrendering just 53.7 PPG.

KEEPING THINGS NEUTRAL
The Phoenix is 4-1 in neutral site contests this season, including 2-0 at the Horizon League Tournament. Three of GB's five neutral games were in Cancun for the Cancun Challenge over Thanksgiving, taking down UMass before dropping a close contest to Maryland. Green Bay responded to that loss by upsetting then-No. 23 Washington State.

BORSETH WRITING THE BOOKS
Head Coach Kevin Borseth once again etched history into the record books recently. He collected his 500th win as the Head Coach of the Phoenix with a victory over Northern Kentucky on February 8 and is now just four victories from tallying his 600th win as a Division I Head Coach. The legendary HC, who ranks 16th all-time in NCAA Division I women's basketball wins, has the most wins in program history, having surpassed Carol Hammerle's 456 victories early last season. KB also grabbed his 800th career win against UIC on December 13.

ALL WE DO IS WIN
This season marks the 47th consecutive campaign that the Green Bay women's basketball program has had a winning record. Tennessee is the only team to beat that streak, boasting a winning season in all 50 years of its history.

BUTLER ON THE ATTACK
Bailey Butler has been sensational in the assists department this season, averaging 5.5 APG. She currently ranks sixth in program history in individual season assists with 181 total, while breaking the Division I individual season record. Butler is eighth in individual career assists.

CASSIE CUTTING IT LOOSE
Junior guard Cassie Schiltz has been dominant from the field this season, shooting 42.3 percent overall, 37.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 94.3 percent from the charity stripe. Schiltz, who garnered her first Horizon League Player of the Week honor on January 2, tallied a career-high 27 points in the win over Cleveland State on December 30. The Luxemburg, Wisconsin native reached 1,000 career points when she splashed a threee against Purdue Fort Wayne in the Horizon League Semifinals.

CALLIE COMING THROUGH
Callie Genke has hit her stride lately, reaching double figures three times in the last five games. She scored at least 11 points in those three games and let it fly in the semifinal win over Purdue Fort Wayne, shooting 6-of-11 overall while pacing all scorers with 16 points.

SUPER SUPERLATIVES
GB has had unparalleled success during this season. Here's a breakdown of some interesting superlatives prior to Saturday's game against Tennessee:

• There has been only one game that finished within three points.
• GB is 15-2 versus winning teams.
• Five of GB's six losses are against teams that are at or below .500.
• The Phoenix has held all but two opponents (Oakland on Jan. 20) and (Cleveland State on Feb. 3) to less than 50 percent shooting.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
Some of the biggest keys to Green Bay's success during the 2023-24 campaign includes:

• Scoring 70+ (20-1).
• Recording a higher field goal percentage than its opponent (26-0).
• Leading at the half (26-2).
• Surrendering less than 60 points (23-0).

ANDERSEN GOES DANCING (AGAIN)
Graduate transfer Natalie Andersen will be appearing in her third NCAA Tournament. The Mukwonago, Wisconsin native has been a key piece off the bench, averaging five points in nearly 20 minutes of action per contest. Andersen reached the Big Dance in 2020 and 2022 with Horizon League foe IUPUI before helping Green Bay go dancing this season.

SCHREIBER STEPPING UP
Maddy Schreiber has been a big part of Green Bay's success this season, scoring at least 12 points 20 times. In those 20 games, GB's record is 16-4. She chipped in with 12 points in the upset win over then No. 23-ranked Washington State, 14 points in the upset victory over then No. 22-ranked Creighton, and poured in a career-high 23 points in the win over Milwaukee on November 30. Maddy chipped in with 18 points in the victory over Youngstown State a few weeks ago and scored 14 on the Penguins in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament.

MAKIN' MCNEAL
Natalie McNeal took over the Horizon League Championship Game, making 15 of 21 field goals, while scoring a career-high 32 points to take home Tournament MVP honors. She has crashed the boards at a high rate this season, pacing the squad with 6.8 rebounds per game. The fourth-year player from Germantown, Wisconsin is in her second season as a Phoenix after spending her first two collegiate years with Saint Louis. Her 6.8 RPG is currently on pace for a career-high by a full rebound. McNeal has grabbed 16 rebounds in her career three times, all with the Phoenix. She paces the Phoenix in field goals made, free throws made, points, and rebounds. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Jenna Guyer celebrates her birthday on Sunday, March 24. Bailey Butler's big day is on Wednesday, March 27. We wish them well.

WELCOME TO TITLETOWN
The Phoenix boasts a trio of true freshmen (Maren Westin, Sophie Lahti, and Meghan Schultz) and one transfer (Natalie Andersen, IUPUI). Westin and Andersen are guards, while Lahti and Schultz bring height to the forward position. Schultz stands at six feet, four inches, surpassing Kendall Renard as the tallest player on the team. The Phoenix once again boast a roster of mostly homegrown talent. Of the 13 players on the roster, 10 are from the Dairyland. Only Westin (Becker, Minn.), Lahti (Pine City, Minn.), and Jenna Guyer (Circle Pines, Minn.) are not from Wisconsin.

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