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Count the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team among those who will be working from home this spring.

The Huskies (25-5) have drawn the No. 2 seed in the Bridgeport region of the 2022 NCAA Tournament bracket, as their quest for the 12th national championship in program history is set to begin on Saturday. Not only will their opener against the Southern Conference Tournament champion and 15th-seeded Mercer Bears take place on campus at Gampel Pavilion (1 p.m. ET, ABC), but the regional semifinal/final portions of the tournament (should they advance that far) will be held in eponymous Bridgeport, CT. The regional site, Total Mortgage Arena (formerly Webster Bank Arena and The Arena at Harbor Yard), is an approximately 80-mile drive from Storrs.

UConn thus earns some prime tournament positioning despite a trying season that was defined by injuries and those who stepped up in place of the fallen. Though their opponents ended several victorious streaks, the Huskies earned a seed amongst the first couple for the 16th consecutive tournament.

Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between UConn and Mercer, which earned its fourth SoCon title over the past five seasons. The Bears (23-6, 13-1 SoCon), based in Macon, GA, clinched not only their latest tournament ticket on Sunday but also their 12th consecutive victory, as they topped Furman 73-54 in the conference final. Mercer is led by senior guard Amoria Neal-Tysor, who earned back-to-back SoCon Tournament MVP honors, becoming the first to do so since Alex Anderson of Chattanooga (2007-08).

This will mark Mercer’s fourth visit to the NCAA Tournament. Though they were easily disposed of by South Carolina as a No. 16 seed last season, the Bears posted respectable efforts against Georgia (as a No. 13 seed) in 2018 and Iowa the year after (a previous experience in the No. 15 spot). This will mark the first time that the Huskies have faced a SoCon opponent in tournament play.

Total Mortgage Arena (formerly known as Webster Bank Arena and The Arena at Harbor Yard) is no stranger to the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament exploits, having hosted their regional final visits in 2006, 2013, and 2017. The facility also hosted subregional action during the competitions in 2004, 2008, and 2012. UConn is 11-1 in NCAA Tournament play at the arena, the lone loss coming in the 2006 regional final against Duke.

North Carolina State tops the Bridgeport bracket, while Indiana and Oklahoma round out the top four seeds. Bridgeport action officially commences with a First Four matchup between Longwood and Mount St. Mary’s on Thursday night in Raleigh (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The winner

of that game, one of four contests in the inaugural First Four competition on the women’s bracket, will then take on the top-seeded and hosting Wolfpack on Satuday. NC State is joined at the top by Louisville (Wichita), South Carolina (Greensboro), and Stanford (Spokane).

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Should the Huskies prevail over Mercer, they will face the winner of the Nos. 7 vs. 10 matchup between UCF and Florida in second round action (which will also be held in Storrs) next Monday.

Bridgeport Regional First Round Schedule

DateLocationGameTime (ET)TV

Thursday, 3/17

Raleigh, NC

No. 16 Mount St. Mary's vs. No. 16 Longwood (First Four)

7 p.m.

ESPN2

Saturday, 3/19

Raleigh, NC

No. 8 Washington State vs. No. 9 Kansas State

11:30 a.m.

ESPN2

Saturday, 3/19

Storrs, CT

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Mercer

1 p.m.

ABC

Saturday, 3/19

Bloomington, IN

No. 3 Indiana vs. No. 14 Charlotte

1:30 p.m.

ESPN2

Saturday, 3/19

Raleigh, NC

No. 1 North Carolina State vs. MSM/LU

2 p.m.

ESPN

Saturday, 3/19

Storrs, CT

No. 7 UCF vs. No. 10 Florida

3:30 p.m.

ESPNNEWS

Saturday, 3/19

Bloomington, IN

No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Princeton

4 p.m.

ESPN

Saturday, 3/19

Norman, OK

No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 12 Massachusetts

7:30 p.m.

ESPN2

Saturday, 3/19

Norman, OK

No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 IUPUI

10 p.m.

ESPNU

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags