Their participation in the tournament has a lot to do with the new 16 team format. Last year, only 12 participated in the NCAA post-season. Timchal said she is not thrilled with the ACC's continued lack of an automatic bid, but is a fan of the new format. It's exciting for the sport to get some of these teams back in, said Timchal, referring to the bottom three seeds in the tournament. We are really going to compete for a national title this year with 16 quality teams.
Questions abound, however, regarding the qualifications of the bottom four seeds.
The Nittany Lions failed to register a victory against any of the teams in the tournament. They were 0-9 in matchups against fellow tournament teams. You have your automatics, then you have to fill in the extra spots. They played a difficult schedule which overshadows their losing record. Despite their losing record, the Nittany Lions got a favorable draw.