For the second-straight year, Conference USA will be represented by four teams in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Regular season champion DePaul earned the league’s highest seed winding up as the fifth-seed in the Chattanooga Regional, while C-USA Tournament champion TCU is the seventh-seed in the Tempe Regional. Louisville, who fell to the Horned Frogs in the tournament’s championship game, is a No. 9 seed in the Kansas City Regional and Houston joins DePaul in the Chattanooga Regional as the No. 10 seed.

The Blue Demons will open the tournament against No. 12 seed Virginia Tech in games hosted by the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. on Sunday, March 20. If the Blue Demons advance, they will play the winner of the No. 4 Penn State/No. 13 Liberty contest. DePaul is making its fifth tournament appearance as a member of C-USA and 10th overall. Junior Khara Smith, a first-team All-C-USA pick, has led the Blue Demons to three straight tournament appearances.

DePaul could face league-foe Houston in the Chattanooga Regional final if both teams advance to that point. The Cougars will face No. 7 seed Boston College in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sunday. Houston is making its first back-to-back tournament appearances after picking up the school’s first NCAA victory last season with a 62-47 first-round victory over UW-Green Bay. The Cougars boast the nation’s leading rebounder in Sancho Lyttle and with a victory over the Golden Eagles would face the winner of the No. 2 Duke/No. 15 Canisius.

The Horned Frogs are making their fifth-straight trip to the tournament having advanced to the second round each time. TCU will square off with No. 10 Oregon in Seattle, Wash., on Saturday. Senior Sandora Irvin, who won the league’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards, is the NCAA’s all-time leader in blocked shots. Should the Frogs advance they will play the winner of the No. 2 Baylor/No. 15 Illinois State match-up.

Louisville is making its first appearance in the tournament since 2001 and ninth overall. U of L, which has advanced to the second round three times, will face No. 8 USC in the opening round on Saturday. Waiting on the Cardinals or Trojans in the second round will be the winner of the No. 1 Michigan State/No. 16 Alcorn State.

Future member Rice, who won the WAC Tournament title, is the No. 11 seed in the Chattanooga Regional. The Owls will play sixth-seeded Georgia in the opening round on Saturday.

Conference USA has produced 40 NCAA bids since the league’s inaugural season in 1995-96.

Game times for all first round games will be announced on Monday.