BRACKET | MSC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The University of Pikeville women's basketball team is set to open postseason play against Cumberland (Tenn.) at Noon ET on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Mid-South Conference Tournament in the East Ky. Expo Center.

With the tournament being played on its home floor, the fifth-seeded Bears (14-16, 5-9 MSC) will be looking to claim the league's automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship, but first it will have to get past fourth-seeded Cumberland (19-10, 8-6 MSC).

In the regular-season series, the Phoenix beat UPIKE twice, first it was a closer 57-50 game in Pikeville before having an easier time in Lebanon at 59-37 on Feb. 10.

While the Bears are 2-4 in their last six games, Cumberland enters the tournament with wins in four of its last six. Most recently, UPIKE lost 60-58 to Cumberlands on Saturday and the Phoenix got past Georgetown 81-71.

UPIKE has never won an MSC Tournament Championship and Cumberland has claimed only one in 2013.  

It's going to be a great week for basketball in Pikeville as 14 MSC Tournament games will be played over four days in the men's and women's brackets combined.

Other women's games on Thursday include No. 1 Shawnee State (Ohio) vs. No. 8 Life (Ga.) at 10 a.m., No. 2 Campbellsville vs. No. 7 Georgetown at 2 p.m. and No. 3 Lindsey Wilson vs. No. 6 Cumberlands at 4 p.m.

-UPIKE-