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Lehigh to play Auburn at the RAC

While a 15 seed may seem a bit disappointing, the fact that Lehigh women's basketball fans will be able to make a quick jaunt down 78 to 287 to Piscataway, New Jersey to see their Lady Hawks play in the first round certainly has to be a comfort.

Lehigh will be taking on the No. 2-seeded Auburn Lady Tigers, and the other game at the RAC will pit No. 7 Rutgers against No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth. Lehigh's game will take place at noon - it will probably be the first game of the NCAA women's tourney to start or finish - and the second game will be immediately following.

Tickets should be available through the Lehigh ticket office, and Rutgers' ticket office. Adult tickets for all three games are $40, while a "family pack" for Saturday is available for $60, including 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, and 4 sodas.

Auburn, ranked No. 8 in the AP poll, is a daunting challenge for the Lady Hawks, with a team that has four seniors and balanced production across the board - they are a legitimate Final Four contender. The silver lining is that Auburn hasn't won an NCAA tournament game in at least the last three years.

[UPDATE: Lehighsports.com has more information on the matchup, including a video of the "selection party" at Rathbone Dining Hall. Notably, it's the first time that Lehigh and Auburn women's basketball have ever faced each other on the hardwood. Head coach Sue Troyan had this to say: “We made a point of telling the players that we’re not happy just to be here,” Troyan said. “We’re going to practice hard and coach hard to try to win.”]

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On the men's side, American will be lining up against Villanova in the Wachovia center. If this game were being played in Boise, Idaho, I'd give the Eagles a decent chance to pull an upset if they play their best game; but with the Wildcats in effect playing a home game, it looks like a tall order for American to shock the NCAA world a la Bucknell.

On the plus side, American will be playing at 7:20 p.m. on Thursday - meaning if you're in the Philadelphia, Bethlehem or DC area, you'll be seeing American on the tube.

[UPDATE: American has another reason to be excited: the American women's basketball team, the team I was most worried about in the Patriot League tournament, was selected for the Women's NIT, where they will face off at James Madison in a first round matchup Friday night.]

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