HARTFORD, Conn. -- By any measure, the season put together by the Pitt women's basketball team has been a success.

The Panthers have won 22 games, finished fifth in the Big East and had its best showing in the Big East tournament in more than 10 years.

With a winning record in a major conference and an RPI of 17 and a strength of schedule of 16, Pitt confidently awaits a bid to the NCAA tournament.

Coach Agnus Berenato acknowledged that the Panthers have been thinking about the NCAA tournament a lot in the past few weeks and are hoping they've positioned themselves to get a high seed and a good draw Monday.

Most of the projections have Pitt as a No. 6 or No. 7 seed, which would mean the Panthers would have to get through a No. 2 or a No. 3 seed to get to the Sweet 16 (assuming they win their first-round game).

West Virginia coach Mike Carey knows he has a good, potentially great, basketball team, one that is deep, talented and experienced (the Mountaineers have seven seniors), but he also knows the Mountaineers' NCAA tournament fate rides largely on which team decides to show up.

Will it be the disjointed bunch that showed up in the first half of Monday night's semifinal loss to Louisville or will it be the team that showed up in the second half and nearly erased a 22-point deficit before falling just short?

West Virginia (24-7) is projected as a No. 4 seed.

The all-tournament team comprised most outstanding player Charde Houston (Connecticut), Candyce Bingham (Louisville), Tina Charles (Connecticut), Angel McCoughtry (Louisville), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut) and Marcedes Walker (Pitt). ... The Big East is expected to get at least seven teams -- No. 1 Connecticut, No. 7 Rutgers, No. 17 Notre Dame, No. 16 West Virginia, No. 23 Louisville, Pitt and Syracuse -- into the NCAA tournament. DePaul (20-11, 8-8) is on the bubble.