IRVING, Texas – Following one of the most tightly contested seasons in American Athletic Conference history, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane have earned the No. 1 seed for the 2024 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, which takes place March 9-13 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.
The Golden Hurricane, along with North Texas, Temple and UTSA, earn a double bye in the tournament as the top four seeds. Tulsa, North Texas and Temple all earned a share of the regular season championship, finishing the season 13-5 in The American.
The latest tournament information can be found online at The American’s Championship Central by visiting www.TheAmerican.org/wbb. Tickets for the championship are on sale through Ticketmaster.
Tulsa (23-8) earned the No. 1 seed in the championship for the first time after winning a share of their first American Athletic Conference regular season championship. The Golden Hurricane ended the season on a five-game winning streak. Tulsa will begin play Monday in the quarterfinal round against either No. 8-seeded East Carolina (16-13) or No. 9-seeded Memphis (13-16). The Pirates and Tigers both earned a bye and will play on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT.
North Texas (23-7) earned the No. 2 seed in the championship and a share of the regular season title in their first season in The American. Under first year coach Jason Burton, the Mean Green have won a program record 23 games this season and earned their first conference championship since 1985-86. North Texas, which has a double-bye to Monday’s quarterfinals, will await the winner of Saturday’s second-round matchup between No. 7-seeded UAB (18-12) and No. 10-seeded Rice (15-14). The Blazers and Owls earned a single-bye and will play on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
Temple (19-11) enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed after earning a share of their first American Athletic Conference regular season championship. Temple, which has registered its first regular season championship since 2007-08, will play its tournament opener Monday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT against No. 6-seeded Charlotte (16-14), No. 11-seeded SMU (14-15), or No. 14-seeded Tulane (10-19). The Green Wave and Mustangs will play on Saturday in the first rounds at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT with the winner advancing to the second round to take on the 49ers on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
UTSA (16-13) claimed the final double-bye in the championship after beating Rice on the game of the season to move to 10-8 in The American. The Roadrunners earned the No. 4 seed by winning the tiebreaker against South Florida due to a head-to-head victory over the Bulls on January 16. The Roadrunners will play their first game on Monday at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT and take on No. 5-seeded South Florida (18-13), No. 12-seeded Florida Atlantic (11-17) or No. 13-seeded Wichita State (9-21). The Owls and Shockers open the tournament on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT with the winner advancing to take on the Bulls on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.
Tuesday’s semifinals are scheduled for 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. and 8 p.m. CT).
The March 13 championship final will be televised on ESPNU, while all games of the 2024 American Championship will be available on ESPN+
The winner of the 2024 American Women’s Basketball Championship will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.
2024 American Women’s Basketball Championship Schedule
Saturday, March 9
Game 1: No. 13 Wichita State vs. No. 12 Florida Atlantic – 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 2: No. 14 Tulane vs. No. 11 SMU – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Sunday, March 10
Game 3 – No 9 East Carolina vs. No. 8 Memphis – 1 p.m. ET/ Noon CT | ESPN+
Game 4 – Game 1 winner vs. No. 5 South Florida – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 5 – No. 10 Rice vs. No. 7 UAB – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 6 – Game 2 winner vs. No. 6 Charlotte – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Monday March 11
Game 7 – Game 3 winner vs. No. 1 Tulsa – 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT | ESPN+
Game 8 – Game 4 winner vs. No. 4 UTSA – 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 9 – Game 5 winner vs. No. 2 North Texas – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 6 winner vs. No. 3 Temple – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Tuesday, March 12
Game 11 – Semifinal 1, Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Game 12 – Semifinal 2, Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT | ESPN+
Wednesday, March 13
Game 13 – Championship, Game 11 winner vs. Game 12 winner – 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT | ESPNU
