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Bethel's Women's Hoops Goes Dancing into NCAA Tournament

Bethel's Women's Hoops Goes Dancing into NCAA Tournament

The women’s basketball team will play Hope College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Bethel University's women's basketball team fell to the University of St. Thomas in the 2015 MIAC Championship game, but thankfully the NCAA told the Royals Monday that their season wasn't over. BU was selected to the 64-team NCAA Tournament as an at-large entrant. Bethel had to wait until the very end of the NCAA selection show, but it was certainly worth the wait. See the team’s reaction to the news.

The Royals had put together a 21-6 resume on the season, which included an 11-game win streak, a win over No. 14-ranked Saint Mary's, and a MIAC Championship game appearance. Bethel is one of three teams to come out of Minnesota, along with the Tommies and the University of Minnesota-Morris.

BU will face Hope College, who has had a similar season to the Royals. The Flying Dutchmen stretched out an 11-game win streak and also made it to the conference championship before losing to Calvin College 73-77. Hope is making its 16th appearance in the national tournament, opposed to Bethel, who is making its fifth appearance in program history (first since 1997).

The Royals will play on March 6 at King Arena, Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois). Bethel's date with the Dutchmen will be the first stop en route to a trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Final Four will be hosted.