SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State Lady Bears (24-7) earned a No. 11 seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament and will open their 17^th NCAA appearance on Thursday, March 17 against 11th-seeded Florida State in a First Four matchup. The game is slated for 8 p.m. CT and will air on ESPN2.
 
The winner of the First Four matchup will be paired with No. 6 Ohio State, while the other half of the bracket features No. 3 LSU and No. 14 Jackson State. If the Lady Bears win their first game, they would advance to play No. 6 Ohio State on Saturday, March 19.
 
The champion of the sub-regional advances to the Spokane Regional for the third and fourth rounds beginning March 25.
 
Missouri State finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference regular season standings with a 14-4 record and made it to the semifinals of the MVC Tournament.
 
This marks the third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance for the Lady Bears, a program that is 18-16 all-time in NCAA play and has two Final Four appearances in its history in 1992 and 2001. This season, MSU faced three teams that appear in the tournament field (No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Virginia Tech and No. 15 Illinois State).
 
Missouri State has faced Florida State three times in program history, owning a 3-0 record. Their last meeting came in 1997, with MSU defeating the Seminoles 68-57. Missouri State and Ohio State have never met. The Lady Bears have faced off against LSU three times in program history, with LSU holding a 2-1 advantage. MSU fell to the Tigers, 58-66, earlier this season at the San Juan Shootout on November 27. Missouri State and Jackson State have also never met.
 
There will be no fan bus traveling to Louisiana, but there are tickets available through the LSU Ticket Office.

Any fans interested in going will need to contact the LSU Box Office at 1-800-960-8587 or 225-578-2184; Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to purchase tickets. Tickets will also be available on their website at www.LSUtix.net.