Jim Connell

JCONNELL@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Missouri State’s run through the Southeastern Conference will continue on Saturday afternoon.

In the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Bears gathered with a couple of hundred fans at JQH Arena on Monday night for the Selection Show for the NCAA Tournament, and they didn’t have to wait long.

The first matchups announced were in the College Station, Texas, pod, which will have the 13th-seeded Lady Bears playing No. 4 Texas A&M in a 3 p.m. first-round game. It will be televised on ESPN2.

“I think as a little kid, you grow up watching those shows, and watching for Missouri State, being from this area,” senior Kenzie Williams said. “To be here is amazing, and to have all our fans behind us, watching with the team, was such an awesome experience.”

The other half of the College Station bracket will have No. 5 Florida State (23-7) facing No. 12 Middle Tennessee. The winners will play on Monday.

Texas A&M (21-9) will be the fourth SEC team the Lady Bears (24-9) have played this season. They lost to Missouri and defeated Ole Miss and Arkansas.

Lady Bears coach Kellie Harper said she has seen a little of Texas A&M play this season, and they are a guard-oriented team that has some experienced senior leaders in the backcourt.

The Aggies tied for second place in the SEC standings, and have five victories over opponents nationally ranked at the time. But the newly crowned Missouri Valley Conference champions won’t back away from the challenge.

“The way we play defense gives us a chance, to go in and try to guard some folks,” Harper said. “It’s going to take a complete game, and we’re going to have to be as good as we’ve been all season long to be able to play with Texas A&M.

“But you can’t do it unless you’re there.”

It’s been a whirlwind few days for the Missouri State team, with three victories in three days at the MVC Tournament in Moline, Ill., then a long bus ride home, arriving in Springfield about 2:30 a.m. Monday.

Then it was up for classes first thing Monday.

“We haven’t had time to really let it sink in yet, so it was kind of surreal to see it up there,” senior Tyonna Snow said.

“Whenever I get a second to myself, I sit down and tell myself that this is really happening. I woke up this morning with my (MVC champions) hat next to me, so I could remember that we were champions.”

Snow doesn’t expect it to be a problem to come down from the highs of the weekend, and of the Monday announcement, to refocus for Texas A&M.

“Once we accomplish a goal, we set another one so we can set our pace and keep going,” Snow said. “It’s not hard for this team to get up for anything, (even) breakfast.

“This team is ready to go whenever.”

Harper, who won three national titles as a player at Tennessee, was reminded after the announcement that Texas A&M lost to Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals.

Maybe she could get some scouting help from her alma mater?

“I’m going to be very respectful of the SEC family, and not call them and ask them to tattle on their SEC friends, said Harper, who then added with a laugh, “If they want to call me, I’m willing to take the phone call.”

Lady Bears at Texas A&M

When: 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: College Station, Texas

TV / Radio: ESPN2; KTXR 101.3 FM

Ticket information

A limited number of tickets to the NCAA Tournament will be available through Missouri State.

To make reservations by phone, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, current season ticket holders should call 836-8899. Non-season ticket holders should call 836-4143 and ask for The Bears Fund.

Fans will be contacted no later than Wednesday morning to be informed if they have tickets.

Missouri State also will offer a bus trip to College Station, and interested fans are asked to call the same numbers for tickets, beginning Tuesday morning.