Bracketology predictions for CMU women's hoops heading into Monday's selection show
Central Michigan is going to the big dance for the third consecutive season.
Excluding 2019-20, when the tournament as a whole was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chippewas have made the last three NCAA Tournaments.
Technically, CMU earned the bid to the tournament in 2020 as the Mid-American Conference regular season champion but did not play due to the pandemic.
The Chippewas won the MAC Tournament in 2018 to acquire an automatic bid and were selected as an at-large team for the 2019 edition. This year, CMU won the MAC Tournament yet again to take the conference's automatic bid following the 77-72 win over Bowling Green in the title game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
In a normal year, the Chippewas would travel to the home venue of the highest seed in their four-team pod. Instead, due to the pandemic, the entirety of the women's basketball tournament will be played in San Antonio, Texas and the surrounding area.
The tournament will be divided into four regions: Alamo, River Walk, Hemisfair and Mercado. Games will be played across five different locations: The Alamodome (San Antonio), Bill Greehey Arena (San Antonio), UTSA Convocation Center (San Antonio), Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas) and University Events Center (San Marcos, Texas).
CMU's opponent, game time and location won't be revealed until the selection show, which will be televised at 7 p.m. Monday on ESPN.
Until then, it's a guessing game.
Here's who Bracketology experts project the Chippewas to play in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament:
ESPN: Bracketology analyst, Charlie Creme, has CMU as the No. 12 seed in the Hemisfair Region, taking on No. 5 seed Georgia Tech. Former Chippewa assistant coach Murriel Page is currently an assistant on the Yellow Jackets' staff.
RealTimeRPI.com: The Chippewas are projected as the No. 13 seed in the Mercado Region, taking on American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champion, South Florida, which is projected as the No. 4 seed.
College Sports Madness: CMU is projected as the No. 11 seed in the Alamo Region and projected to play Georgia Tech — the No. 6 seed — in the First Round.
