The opening game in Ames is an intriguing matchup between fifth-seeded Virginia (21-9) and 12th-seeded Wisconsin-Green Bay (27-4), the first Horizon League team to ever earn an at-large bid.
The Cavaliers have an indispensable guard of their own in senior Monica Wright, who ranks seventh in the nation in scoring at 23.3 points per game and was the ACC's Player of the Year.
If Virginia wants to make a run this March, though, it'll need to find Wright some help.
Wright - who also leads the Cavaliers in rebounds, assists, 3-pointers and steals - had 32 points in the ACC tournament quarterfinals against N.C. State, but Virginia still lost 66-59.
``Our object isn't to just fully rely on (Wright) to score points. We look for everyone to score,'' Virginia guard Paulisha Kellum said.
That's not a problem for Wisconsin-Green Bay, who outscored opponents by nearly 16 points per game before losing to Cleveland State in the conference semifinals. The Phoenix have three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by first-team all-leaguer Kayla Tetschlag at 14.8 points a game.
Wisconsin-Green Bay is a bit undersized, with no one over 6-feet expected to start on Sunday. But the Phoenix overcome that with good ball movement, a .361 shooting percentage from 3-point range and just over 12 steals per game.
``We consider our best player to be the open player,'' Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Matt Bollant said.
