Associated Press

Virginia's Ariana Moorer drives against N.C. State in the ACC women's tournament. Moorer netted nine points in the loss.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Ariana Moorer admitted she has no idea where Ames, Iowa is.

Monica Wright said it doesn't really matter.

Virginia's women's basketball team learned Monday night that it is a fifth seed in the Dayton Region in the NCAA tournament and will play No. 12 seed Green Bay on Sunday at 7:20 p.m. in the opening round in Ames.

"The main thing is to stay focused," Wright said. "You need to get rest and stay focused on basketball."

Six ACC teams made the tournament. League champion Duke got a No. 2 seed in the Memphis Region. Georgia Tech is the sixth seed in the Kansas City Region, where N.C. State got the ninth seed. North Carolina is the 10th seed in the Sacremento Region.

Florida State is the No. 3 seed in the same region as Virginia (21-9).

The No. 1 seed in Dayton is the top team in women's basketball, Connecticut.

"Surprise, surprise," Wright said rolling her eyes.

She and Moorer both said they'd like to face UConn, though. And not just because it would mean they'd made it to the Sweet 16.

"We want to be the first to beat them," Wright said. "Seventy-two games [won] is too many for anyone."

Moorer, a sophomore, recalled that the Cavaliers would have faced the Huskies in the Sweet 16 last year if they had managed to get out of their region.

"We were hoping to get them, to get another shot," Moorer said. "But we've still got to get that first win."

That isn't a lock. The Green Bay Phoenix (27-4) is the first Horizon League team to get an at-large bid to the NCAAs after they were upended by Cleveland State in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Juniors Kayla Tetschlag (14.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and Celeste Hoewisch (13.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg) were All-Horizon League first team picks. Hoewisch was also on the league's all-defense team.

Julie Wojta (14.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg) was a second-team all-league pick and Sarah Eichler (5.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg) was on the all-newcomer team.

If they get past Green Bay, the Cavaliers will face host Iowa State, the fourth seed, or 13th-seeded Lehigh for a trip to the Sweet 16.

Virginia's last outing was a disappointing 66-59 loss to N.C. State in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament.

Wright, the ACC's player of the year, scored 32 points in that game. Moorer had nine and no one else scored more than four.

"It was a lack-of-energy performance," Moorer said. "We were definitely trying to help [Wright] out. But everyone in the country knows she's our go-to player. When she's on, she's on.

"We try not to leave her by herself like we did."

Virginia coach Debbie Ryan said she thought the Cavs' inexperience had a lot to do with that loss, though she said Wright "didn't play that well either."

Ryan said the first-round bye and the wait before the game's 8:30 p.m. start robbed her team of energy.

"Sometimes the biggest battles are with yourself," said Ryan, who said she tried her best to keep her team occupied during the wait. "I think they were really, really ready at 4 o'clock. I'm not so sure they were ready at 8."

Wright said the team will have to bring a "different type of mentality, a different type of maturity" to the NCAA tournament. She said the Cavs came right back to Charlottesville after the loss to N.C. State and have been working "to prove to ourselves that we're capable. It's not about physicality, it's more about mindset and that attitude that you won't be denied. ...

"Honestly there's no words to describe the NCAA tournament or the ACC tournament," Wright said. "You just have to see it or experience it yourself, and know you can fight through the fatigue."