The Black Bears and the Raiders meet in Montana.
By staff and wire reports

ORONO – A day after earning its first NCAA tournament bid in four years, the University of Maine was rewarded by getting matched up with one of the top-10 women’s basketball teams in the nation.

The Black Bears, seeded No. 13 in the Mideast Region, will face fourth-seed Texas Tech next Saturday in the opening round. The Red Raiders were ranked No. 10 in the most recent AP women’s basketball poll.

At least Maine (25-6) gets to play Texas Tech on a neutral court. The game against the Big 12 opponent will take place in Missoula, Mont. Texas Tech has not played away from home in the first round since 1997.

The other game in the sub-regional features No. 5 Louisiana Tech and No. 12 Mo ntana on the Grizzlies’ home court.

The two winners meet Monday, with the champion advancing to the Sweet 16 in Norfolk, Va.

Maine received its automatic tournament berth by winning the America East championship Saturday with a 68-43 victory over Boston University.

Texas Tech suffered some key injuries this season and finished at 24-7. The Raiders were upset in the Big 12 quarterfinals by Baylor. During he week of Jan. 6, Texas Tech was the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

National champions in 1993, Texas Tech is making its 15th consecutive appearance in the women’s tournament. The team has reached the Sweet 16 a total of 10 times.

A total of seven teams from the Big 12 received invitations to the NCAA tournament, including No. 1 seed Texas and No.2 Kansas State. All seven are seeded higher than Maine.