It's Hartford vs. Rutgers on Sunday

Sunday is the big day.

Just how big is it?

For the second time in four years, the Hartford Hawks will join an exclusive club of 64 teams playing in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

They are likely to play in front of their largest "hometown" crowd ever, in the 10,000-seat Gampel Pavilion at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. In addition to the normal radio and Internet coverage on WWUH (91.3 FM and www.wwuh.org), the game will be televised live throughout Connecticut and New Jersey on ESPN.

In fact, the ESPN website has a full page devoted to each team in the tournament, including the Hartford women. And Coach Jennifer Rizzotti and her players have been fielding media calls and giving interviews throughout the week, as the team has been the subject of extensive media coverage.

The Hawks earned all the attention with a thrilling 52-50 win over Boston University last Saturday in the finals of the 2005 Friendship Cottage Cheese America East Women's Basketball Championship. As America East champions, Hartford secured an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament – its second in four years.

The Hawks, a No. 14 seed, will play No. 3 Rutgers at approximately 2:30 p.m. Sunday. The match-up between Hartford (22-8) and Rutgers (25-6) is one of four first-round games that will take place in Storrs on Sunday.

Single-session tickets can be purchased at the University of Connecticut ticket office (877-AT-UCONN), at www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 860.525.4500.

Single-session tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students and youths. Packages for all of the first- and second-round games in Storrs are available for $70.

For more information on the Hartford women, their America East championship win, and their trip to the NCAA Tournament, visit www.hartfordhawks.com.