Villanova to play No. 13 Cleveland State at home in women’s NCAA first round as Wildcats earn No. 4 seed in Greenville 2 Region

On Selection Sunday, Villanova saw its name called as the No. 4 seed in the Greenville 2 Region. The Wildcats will host No. 13 Cleveland State in the first round on on Saturday inside the Finneran Pavilion.

No. 5 Washington State and No. 12 Florida-Gulf Coast also will play at Finneran Pavilion, and if the Wildcats advance, they would meet the winner in the second round on March 20.

“Extremely excited [to play at home],” Villanova head coach Denise Dillon said. “We talked about it after our last game of the regular season. We were confident, or determined, to make sure that wasn’t our last game on our court.”

If Villanova wins its first two games, the Wildcats will travel to Greenville, S.C., for the Sweet 16 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

» READ MORE: Inquirer Bracket Jawn -- Pick the men's and women's NCAA fields

Villanova is the only City 6 team in the NCAA Tournament fields as the men’s teams were shut out for the first time since 1977.

This year’s Selection Sunday looked a little different for Villanova (26-5, 17-3 Big East) than it did in 2022.

The Wildcats were still gathered in the Finneran Pavilion. They were once again surrounded by family and friends. But this time, there was no doubt that they would see Villanova appear on the screen.

» READ MORE: What you might not know about Villanova as the NCAA Tournament awaits

At this time last year, Villanova was coming off a 30-point loss to UConn in the Big East tournament championship. In the week between the loss and Selection Sunday, Villanova watched its name appear on the list of bubble teams. The Wildcats didn’t know if they would make the NCAA Tournament.

Fast-forward one year, and despite once again coming off a loss to UConn in the Big East tournament title game, the only question surrounding Villanova on Selection Sunday was whether the Wildcats did enough to earn a spot in the top 16 overall seeds that would allow them to host the first two rounds of the tournament. With a second consecutive trip to the Big East tournament championship, the selection committee decided that Villanova had done enough.

It is hard to discuss the Wildcats’ success without mentioning star senior Maddy Siegrist.

» READ MORE: Maddy Siegrist has Villanova’s scoring mark, and a special bond with Sister Rose Marie, the old record-holder

Siegrist leads the nation in scoring this season at 28.9 points per game. The senior also became the all-time leading scorer, men or women, in Villanova and Big East history, as well as in City 6 women’s basketball.

“Last year, just being nervous and not sure whether you’re gonna get in or not,” Siegrist said. “I did get a little nervous today just because you wanna see where you ended up. But definitely, a lot calmer going into today.”

Siegrist was named the Big East Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She also is on the short lists for awards such as the Wooden Award, the Katrina McClain Award and the Naismith Women’s College Player of the Year Award.

The individual recognition that Siegrist has received this season has only brought positive attention to Villanova as a whole. Siegrist draws fans in every game she plays whether it’s at home in the Finneran Pavilion or on the road.

Siegrist led Villanova to a program-high No. 10 ranking in the Week 18 Associated Press poll in its program-record 14th week in the Top 25. The Wildcats also are just one win shy of tying the program record for wins in a season with 29.

Dillon has said since the beginning of the season that Villanova was prepared to go as far as Siegrist could take it. And while Siegrist has borne the largest part of the offensive load this season, the senior has not done it alone.

Villanova has seen significant contributions from sophomore Lucy Olsen and junior Maddie Burke on the offensive end. Sophomore Christina Dalce has emerged as a rim protector for the Wildcats, holding the Villanova single-season record for blocks with 76. Senior Brooke Mullin does a little of everything, especially on defense. Bella Runyan, Megan Olbrys, and Kaitlyn Orihel also help Villanova off the bench.

The players throughout the season have said that a team goal is to outperform last year’s NCAA Tournament appearance in which No. 11 Villanova upset No. 6 BYU in the first round before falling to third-seeded Michigan in the second round.

The Wildcats knew this season would be “special,” but the next few weeks is where they will show how special they can really be.

“You know as a coach when a group has it, and this group has certainly shown that every day as we step on the floor,” Dillon said. “They’re committed to the game and committed to making each other better.”