Ball State women’s basketball is officially dancing.
The Cardinals are a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Tournament to face the No. 5 seed Ole Miss in Waco, Texas, March 21 at 6 p.m.
Ball State made the dance with their Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament Championship win over rival Toledo last weekend.
Head coach Brady Sallee said there have been moments where he has had to pinch himself just to make sure all this is really happening.
Even if the Cardinals knew they were in the dance, Sallee said there were still some butterflies on waiting to see who Ball State will face. He said regardless of the opponent, the Cardinals are excited to be able to represent the MAC, Ball State University and Muncie on a national level.
Senior guard Ally Becki said it means everything to be in the tournament with the senior class. The Cardinals have had this goal since the beginning of the season, and seeing it play out has been special, she said.
“You dream of this as a kid when you watch March Madness when you're young,” Becki said. “Especially when you're in sports, it's cool to see your name on a bracket like that.”
Associate head coach Audrey McDonald-Spencer gets goosebumps when talking about Becki. She has known Becki since she recruited her when she was 15 years old.
“To watch those kids go up there and celebrate the way we were able to celebrate... I mean, it's remarkable,” McDonald-Spencer said.
Becki has been the starting point guard from the minute she walked into the door at Ball State. Sallee said she has also been the face of the program, which is a tall task.
RELATED: Ball State women's basketball defeats Toledo in the MAC Championship to go NCAA dancing
“I think there's going to be a day where that [No. 0] jersey is hanging in Worthen Arena, and she has earned every bit of it,” Sallee said.
Ball State Athletic Director Jeff Mitchell said seeing athletes on a national stage is the “why” for Ball State athletics. He said the university celebrates student and athletic success, so seeing the Cardinals have their hard work paid off is special to see.
“It's no surprise to me that Core Four have stayed together because they believed in each other that they could win a championship,” Mitchell said. “… The way it came about this year was really meaningful and special to them and certainly for our community. [It] makes us very proud and the team's easy to cheer for.”
Even if the NCAA Tournament is newly charted territory for Sallee and the Cardinals, he said from a competition standpoint, it is normal.
The Cardinals played ranked teams like North Carolina University, Ohio State University and South Dakota State University. Ball State also played top mid-major programs with James Madison University, the University of Northern Iowa, Memphis and more.
The head coach said he scheduled the nonconference to prepare Ball State for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
“It's all for this moment, so we don't have to go wide-eyed and the whole thing now the stage,” Sallee said.
Becki said mid-majors can get overlooked on the national stage, so the ability to lace it up with the nation watching is a literal dream that she found hard to put into words.
Senior Alex Richard came into the Ball State program as a sophomore when she transferred in from Butler University. She said she was not sure what she was thinking at the time but could never have imagined having such a historic season.
Senior Madelyn Bischoff was injured for lengthy periods of the season due to injuries. The senior played the last half of the season, but she said getting hurt gave her a different perspective on how important basketball is to her.
“It just made me realize that I need to put everything out there on the court,” Bischoff said. “[It’s] a different perspective but a good one.”
Sallee said it is unique to be a part of only the second time Ball State women’s basketball has been to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. He said the banners that will soon be in Worthen Arena will cement how historic this tournament is for Ball State.
“For us at Ball State, in the Muncie Community, and hopefully in the state, there's a lot of people proud about what we accomplished this year,” Sallee said. “… We're not going to forget the moment we're in and the memories we can make while we're doing it.”
Contact Elijah Poe via email at elijah.poe@bsu.edu or on X @ElijahPoe4.
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