Three years ago, in the middle of the press conference where Destinee Rogers was being introduced as the next head coach of the Arkansas State women’s basketball team, Rogers reached into her pocket and held up a small, clear plastic case that contained a snippet of a basketball net.

The net, a piece of the national championship net won by South Carolina in 2017, had been sent to Rogers in 2021 by Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley. Staley sent a piece of the net to every Black female head coach in Division I.

In 2021, Rogers had just begun her career as a head coach, then serving as the interim head coach of the Red Wolves. She’d refer to the net often, frequently opening the case and holding the net in her hand, picturing the day she might be able to hold one of her own.

“To see a Black woman doing what she’s doing, you know, gives me the inspiration that I could do the same,” Rogers told Andscape.

That day for Rogers came earlier this month when her Red Wolves overcame a 17-point first-half deficit against top-seeded James Madison in overtime to win the Sun Belt Conference tournament championship. The win marked the program’s first-ever conference tournament championship and NCAA tournament appearance.

“To see the smiles on [my players’] faces … it meant the world to me to experience that moment with them,” Rogers said.

It is just Rogers’ third full season as a head coach.

Staley and Rogers are part of a group of 16 Black coaches leading teams in this year’s tournament. Last season, there were 12 Black coaches in the tournament. In 2019, there were just nine.

“We’re opening the doors for the next group of coaches that’s coming up,” Rogers said. “They can look at us and say, ‘If they can do it, I can, too,’ and that we deserve opportunities just as much as anybody.”

So, shall we dance?

Regional 1 – Spokane

Yolett McPhee-McCuin, Ole Miss

Seed: No. 5
Record: 20-10
Path to the NCAA tournament: At-large bid
First-round opponent: No. 12 Ball State

After a 15-year absence from the NCAA tournament from 2007-2022, Ole Miss will make its fourth-straight tournament appearance (2022-25) in the Coach Yo era. The Rebels secured their fourth-straight 20-win season under McPhee-McCuin and will enter the tournament with a goal to channel the magic from their Sweet 16 run in 2023.

Player to watch: Graduate forward Madison Scott is the glue piece and do-it-all player for the Rebels. The All-SEC Second Team selection leads Ole Miss in points (11.9), assists (3.9) and blocks (0.9) per game.

Carrie Moore, Harvard

Seed: No. 10
Record: 24-4
Path to the NCAA tournament: Ivy League tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 7 Michigan State

For the first time since 2007, Harvard will compete in the NCAA tournament. The Crimson captured their first Ivy League tournament title with wins over Princeton and Columbia in the semifinals and final, respectively. Moore returns the Crimson to the big dance just three years into her tenure at Harvard, where she is the first Black head coach in program history.

Player to watch: Senior guard Harmoni Turner is one of the most electrifying players to watch in college basketball. Turner, the Ivy League Player of the Year, led the conference in scoring at 22.5 points per game, the highest scoring average by a Harvard player in over 20 seasons. Against Princeton in the Ivy League tournament semifinal, Turner dropped a career-best 44 points in the victory.

Vanessa Blair-Lewis, George Mason

Seed: No. 11
Record: 27-5
Path to the NCAA tournament: Atlantic 10 tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 6 Florida State

Under Blair-Lewis, George Mason will make its first NCAA tournament appearance in program history. For Blair-Lewis, it will be her second go in the tournament, with her last appearance coming in 2019 when she was the head coach at Bethune-Cookman. This season, Blair-Lewis led the Patriots to a single-season record 27 wins and clinched back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history. For emphasis, George Mason had just two 20-win seasons in the previous 25 years.

Player to watch: Redshirt sophomore forward Zahirah Walton leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 points per game. She also averages a team-high 1.7 steals. Walton, last year’s Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, was named to both the All-Conference First Team and Defensive Team.

Stacie Terry-Hutson, San Diego State

Seed: No. 14
Record: 25-9
Path to the NCAA tournament: Mountain West tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 3 LSU

This will be San Diego State’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2012 and Terry-Hutson’s first appearance leading the Aztecs since she was named the head coach in 2013. San Diego State had one of the more impressive paths to the tournament. As the No. 4 seed in the Mountain West tournament, the Aztecs upset three-time defending champion No. 1 UNLV and survived a triple-overtime thriller against No. 2 Wyoming to reach the big dance.

Player to watch: The Aztecs are led by junior guard Veronica Sheffey, an All-Mountain West selection, who leads the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game.

Carlos Funchess, Southern

Seed: No. 16
Record: 20-14
Path to the NCAA tournament: Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 16 UC San Diego (First Four)

Southern is back in the NCAA tournament for the second time in three seasons after defeating Alcorn State in the SWAC tournament championship. Funchess led the Jaguars to a 15-3 conference record, earning him SWAC Coach of the Year honors. Southern’s 20-win season is its first since 2018-19.

Player to watch: Senior guard Aniya Gourdine, an All-SWAC Second Team selection, leads the team in points (11.9), rebounds (4.7) and steals (2.4) per game.

Regional 2 – Birmingham

Dawn Staley, South Carolina

Seed: No. 1
Record: 30-3
Path to the NCAA tournament: SEC tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 16 Tennessee Tech

South Carolina will make its 13th straight NCAA tournament appearance after winning its third-straight SEC tournament title. The defending champion is entering the tournament touting 12 wins this season vs AP-ranked opponents – more than any other school. A fourth NCAA championship for Staley would put her alongside just three other coaches in history to accomplish the feat – Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt and Kim Mulkey.

Players to watch: Freshman forward Joyce Edwards has been a difference-maker for the Gamecocks. Edwards was selected to the All-SEC First Team and All-Freshman Team while leading South Carolina in scoring (13.2 points per game). Senior forward Sania Feagin has become a consistent impact player on both ends of the court as the season has progressed. Feagin, an SEC All-Defensive Team selection, will be a key component to any deep South Carolina tournament run.

Kara Lawson, Duke

Seed: No. 2
Record: 26-7
Path to the NCAA tournament: ACC tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 15 Lehigh

Under Lawson, the Blue Devils secured their first ACC tournament championship since 2013 and will be competing in the NCAA tournament for the third straight season. Lawson became the third consecutive Black coach to win the ACC tournament following wins by Niele Ivey (Notre Dame) in 2024 and Kenny Brooks (Virginia Tech) in 2023.

Player to watch: Sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa, last year’s ACC Sixth Player of the Year, was named MVP of the ACC tournament after scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 boards while coming off the bench for the Blue Devils in the tournament final. She was the first Duke player with 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in a conference tournament game since 2000.

Larry Vickers, Norfolk State

Seed: No. 13
Record: 30-4
Path to the NCAA tournament: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 4 Maryland

For the third straight season, Vickers and Norfolk State were crowned champions of the MEAC to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament. Vickers, who also was named conference coach of the year for the third straight season, led Norfolk State to its first 30-win season as a Division I program. The Spartans, riding a 19-game winning streak, earned their highest NCAA tournament seed in program history.

Players to watch: The Spartans are led by graduate guard Diamond Johnson and senior forward Kierra Wheeler, both of whom were named to the All-MEAC First Team. Wheeler averaged 15.6 points and 9.0 rebounds for Norfolk State this season while Johnson, the MEAC Player of the Year, averaged 19 points, 4.1 assists and 3.6 steals.

Regional 3 – Birmingham

Niele Ivey, Notre Dame

Seed: No. 3
Record: 26-5
Path to the NCAA tournament: At-large bid
First-round opponent: No. 14 Stephen F. Austin

Ivey is leading her team into the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year. Each of the last three seasons have ended in the Sweet 16 for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame, despite falling to a No. 3 seed, is still considered to be a top contender for the national championship. For the first time in recent years, Ivey will have the majority of her players healthy and ready to make a run for Notre Dame’s first title since 2018.

Players to watch: The dynamic duo of sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo and senior guard Olivia Miles. When these two are clicking on the floor, they are the best backcourt in college basketball. Miles was selected to the All-ACC First Team while Hidalgo was tabbed as the conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Leonard Bishop, Stephen F. Austin

Seed: No. 14
Record: 29-5
Path to the NCAA tournament: Southland tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 3 Notre Dame

Bishop will make his NCAA tournament head coaching debut in just his second season leading Stephen F. Austin. The Ladyjacks’ 29 wins this season are the most by any Southland team since 1989.

Players to watch: Graduate guard Faith Blackstone and senior forward Trinity Moore pace the Ladyjacks. Blackstone, a Southland First Team selection, leads the Ladyjacks with 14.9 points per game while Moore was named to the Southland All-Defensive team and was named MVP of the Southland Conference tournament.

Erin Dickerson Davis, William & Mary

Seed: No. 16
Record: 15-18
Path to NCAA tournament: CAA tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 16 High Point (First Four)

William & Mary’s path to the NCAA tournament may be the most impressive of any team competing in the big dance. As a No. 9 seed in the CAA tournament, the Tribe played four games in four days, including rallying from a 12-point deficit in an overtime victory over the conference’s top seed in the quarterfinals and erasing a 14-point deficit in an upset of No. 3 Campbell in the championship game. William & Mary became the lowest seed to ever win the conference tournament. The prize? The program’s first ever conference tournament championship and tournament appearance.

Player to watch: Senior guard Bella Nascimento, who was named the CAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 33 points in the championship game. Nascimento, an All-CAA Second Team selection, leads the Tribe in points (16.3) and steals (1.6) per game.

Regional 4 – Spokane

Kenny Brooks, Kentucky

Seed: No. 4
Record: 22-7
Path to NCAA tournament: At-large bid
First-round opponent: No. 13 Liberty

Brooks wasted zero time turning Kentucky back into an SEC contender, netting a fifth-place regular-season finish in the 10-bid conference. The Wildcats’ 22 wins are the most since the 2019-20 season. Kentucky will try and make it past the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2016.

Players to watch: All eyes will be on Kentucky point guard and projected WNBA first-round pick Georgia Amoore, but Dazia Lawrence could be the X-factor for the Wildcats. Lawrence, who transferred from Charlotte, has been one of the most impactful transfers in the country this season, averaging 12.7 points per game on 46.3% shooting for Kentucky.

Charmin Smith, California

Seed: No. 8
Record: 25-8
Path to NCAA tournament: At-large bid
First-round opponent: No. 9 Mississippi State

This season was the breakthrough for Smith, who led the Golden Bears to their winningest season since 2012-13. Cal will compete in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019. The Golden Bears’ best finish in the tournament was an appearance in the Final Four in 2013.

Player to watch: Senior forward Ugonne Onyiah leads the Golden Bears in rebounds (7.4) and blocks (1.3) per game while averaging 12.2 points for a Cal squad known for its balanced offense.

Chelsea Lyles, Florida Gulf Coast

Seed: No. 14
Record: 30-3
Path to the NCAA tournament: ASUN Conference tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 3 Oklahoma

Lyles began her FGCU coaching career as a student assistant in 2010. Last November, she was named the second head coach in team history. Lyles was chosen to fill the giant shoes left by Karl Smesko, who built the program into a mid-major powerhouse. Lyles has since led FGCU to a 30-1 (18-0 ASUN) record, earned ASUN Coach of the Year honors and captured the program’s 11th NCAA tournament appearance. The next challenge for Lyles: Get the Eagles to advance past the second round.

Player to watch: FGCU features a back-to-back ASUN Player of the Year in Emani Jefferson, who averages a team-high 14.4 points and 3.4 assists per game for the Eagles. Jefferson shoots 57.5% from the field.

Destinee Rogers, Arkansas State

Seed: No. 15
Record: 21-10
Path to the NCAA tournament: Sun Belt tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 2 UConn

Rogers, the first Black female head coach in Arkansas State athletics history, will lead a Red Wolves team into the tournament that leads Division I in average 3-pointers made per game (10.6). Arkansas State features five different players who have made at least 40 threes on the year.

Player to watch: The Red Wolves are led in scoring by junior guard Zyion Shannon, who averages 11.0 points per game.

Trina Patterson, UNC Greensboro

Seed: No. 16
Record: 25-6
Path to the NCAA tournament: SoCon tournament champion
First-round opponent: No. 1 USC

UNCG will make just its second-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament – their last appearance occurring 27 years ago. Under Patterson, the Spartans finished the year with their most wins since the program moved to Division I in 1991-92. Patterson was named the SoCon Coach of the Year, her third time receiving the honor.

Player to watch: Just a freshman, Nya Smith earned a spot on the All-SoCon First Team while also being named the conference’s Sixth Woman and Freshman of the Year. The guard from Roswell, Georgia, averages 11 points and 3.8 rebounds per game for the Spartans.