SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference has announced the seeding for the 2021 Ingles SoCon Women's Basketball Championship presented by General Shale, which will begin Thursday, March 4, at the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina.
 
After winning a share of the regular-season title and earning the No. 1 seed for the first time in program history a season ago under first-year head coach Carley Kuhns en route to the SoCon Championship crown, Samford (14-8 11-2 SoCon) earned the regular-season title outright and heads into the 2021 tournament as the top seed. The Bulldogs will open up the tournament against No. 8 seed ETSU (3-15, 1-10) Thursday at 12 p.m. The Bulldogs and Bucs met just once this season, a 77-58 Samford win in Birmingham, Alabama, on Feb. 20.
 
Wofford (11-10, 7-7) and UNC Greensboro (8-15, 6-8) are slotted No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, and will face off in Thursday's second game at 2:15 p.m. The two programs split the regular-season meetings in Greensboro, North Carolina. at the end of January. The Spartans played in the title game last season, falling 59-54 to Samford.
 
Mercer (16-6, 10-3) is the No. 2 seed. Two of its league losses came to top-seed Samford. Susie Gardner's squad will battle No. 7 Western Carolina (6-17, 3-10) in game three of the first round at 5 p.m. The Bears went 2-0 against the Catamounts in Cullowhee, North Carolina, but the first meeting in the series went to overtime before Mercer pulled away for a 69-62 win.
 
No. 3 seed Chattanooga (14-9, 9-5), who owns a league-best 18 Southern Conference Championships, will take on No. 6 Furman (10-13, 6-8) in the final first-round game at 7:15 p.m. The Mocs and Paladins split the regular-season meetings on Jan. 15 and Jan. 17 in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
Semifinal action will take place on Friday and the women's championship game will tip off on Sunday at 12 p.m.
 
All women's basketball games will be held at the Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville and are set to be broadcast on ESPN+. The title game will also air on select Nexstar affiliates. For more information, visit SoConSports.com.
 
2021 Ingles Southern Conference Women's Basketball Championship presented by General Shale
Harrah's Cherokee Center Asheville ● Asheville, N.C.
 
Thursday, March 4
Game 1 – No. 1 Samford vs. No. 8 ETSU, 12 p.m.
Game 2 – No. 4 Wofford vs. No. 5 UNCG, 2:15 p.m.
Game 3 – No. 2 Mercer vs. No. 7 Western Carolina, 5 p.m.
Game 4 – No. 3 Chattanooga vs. No. 6 Furman, 7:15 p.m.
 
Friday, March 5
Game 5 – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, 12 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 2:15 p.m.
 
Sunday, March 7
Championship Game
Game 7 – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 12 p.m.
 
NOTE: All times Eastern. All games to be broadcast on ESPN+, with the championship game also on Nexstar.