It’s the first time they’ve been to this stage in 10 years. You could say it’s a big deal.

On the Friday before Selection Monday the feeling among players and coaches was unanimous — the Missouri women’s basketball team just wanted to dance again. It didn’t matter where. It didn’t matter who.

They were pretty confident they were a lock for a spot, but nothing is certain in the month of March.

On March 14, the team’s decade-long dry spell came to a conclusion when they were announced as a No. 10 seed, set to take on No. 7 Brigham Young University.

After a record-setting 13-0 start and a perfect preseason, the Mizzou team took a turn for the worse at the first sight of Southeastern Conference play. From there it was roller coaster and just when coach Robin Pingeton thought they’d peaked, they came crashing down, ending the season with a three game losing streak.

“It’s a journey; it’s not smooth sailing for 4, 5, 6 months,” Pingeton said a few days before Selection Monday. “You’re going to hit some bumps in the road. There’ll be some challenging times, but their ability to always come back to their core values and stay true to the front of the jersey has been outstanding.”

After an ending like Missouri had, losing on senior night then in the first round of the SEC tournament, that commitment needs to come through now more than ever.

They’ve made it. But how will the underdogs handle their first trip to the big stage?

Will the players clench the first tournament triumph for the program 15 years or will they end the season with a four game losing streak?

Only time will tell. Tune into ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. on March 19 to find out.