Florida State is very happy about the site at which it will make its school-record seventh consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Samford also has no complaints about the short trip to Auburn Arena for its tourney debut.
The third-seeded Seminoles look to win their seventh straight tournament opener when they face the 14th-seeded Bulldogs on Sunday.
Despite falling to North Carolina in the ACC tournament quarterfinals March 4, the Seminoles (23-7) were all smiles Monday when they learned their NCAA opener would take place just 210 miles from Tallahassee.
"We got a great seed, and we're as close to home as we could have gotten, so we couldn't have asked for a better placing," said junior center Cierra Bravard, a first-team All-ACC pick averaging team highs of 14.6 points and 7.6 rebounds.
The Bulldogs are also thrilled, as they'll be playing 110 miles from their campus in Birmingham, Ala.
"I think (playing at Auburn) rewards our fans and our community to have the opportunity to drive down (Highway) 280 to watch our team play," coach Mike Morris told the school's official website. "But, just to see our name on that bracket on ESPN kind of solidifies what we've done so far."
Samford (25-7), winner of 13 of 14, earned its spot in the field of 64 with a 57-54 victory over Appalachian State in the Southern Conference title game March 7.
For the Bulldogs to pull the upset, they will likely need senior guard Emily London - the team leader with 16.3 points per game - junior guard Paige Anderson and senior forward Savannah Hill to continue their strong recent play.
Anderson hit four 3-pointers and scored a team-best 14 points in the tournament championship, while London and Hill were named to the all-tourney team.
"It's just exciting for all of us to be in this position," Hill said.
The Seminoles feel the same way following their early exit from the conference tournament.
"I know that Courtney (Ward) is one of those players - and (senior guard) Christian (Hunnicutt) as well - didn't get the chance to really do what she can do at the ACC tournament," coach Sue Semrau said. "They're ready to come out and prepare well to play well over at Auburn."
Ward, a native of Montgomery, Ala., earned third-team All-ACC honors and is averaging 12.1 points and a team-high 4.0 assists.
The school record holder with 589 assists and 201 3s, Ward averaged 9.0 points and 6.3 assists in the NCAA tournament last season. The Seminoles lost 90-50 to eventual champion Connecticut in a regional final.
In the only meeting between Florida State and Samford, the Seminoles won 52-51 in Tallahassee on Dec. 27, 2007.
The winner plays sixth-seeded Georgia or No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee on Tuesday.
