The national championship hopes for Long Beach State and UCLA remain alive and well.
Both Long Beach State and UCLA earned the two at-large bids to complete the nine-team NCAA Tournament field that was announced Sunday afternoon.
Long Beach State following its Big West Tournament finals loss to Hawai’i was still able to receive the No. 1 overall seed. The Beach finished the season atop the KPI and RPI rankings and had one of the best records against teams under NCAA Tournament consideration.
UCLA received the No. 3 seed and edged out UC Irvine for the final at-large bid.
The two-time defending NCAA champions held the advantage against the Anteaters in the majority of selection committee criteria categories including head-to-head, RPI, KPI and record against teams under NCAA Tournament consideration.
UCLA will play the No. 6 seed Belmont Abbey in the quarterfinals, while Long Beach State will face the No. 8 seed Fort Valley State in the quarterfinals.
The Big West champions Hawai’i earned the No. 2 seed and will play the winner of the play-in match between Penn State and Daemen.
Daemen won the NEC championship and earned the conference’s inaugural bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will play host to the two-time NCAA champions Nittany Lions, who won their conference tournament as the No. 3 seed.
Loyola received the No. 4 seed and will play the No. 5 seed Pepperdine in the quarterfinals.
The NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will take place starting Thursday, May 8.