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NCAA Women's Capsules: UConn, Stanford, Tennessee and Nebraska top seeds
EDITOR'S NOTE: For continued coverage, follow the link at the end of the story. Big 12 coverage, including a story on one of the top seeds, Nebraska, is in the Texas and Big 12 Capsules.
Connecticut's path to another perfect season could include a renewal of the most heated rivalry in women's college basketball.
The undefeated Huskies earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA women's basketball tournament Monday night and will open against Southern in Norfolk, Va.
Geno Auriemma's Huskies have won an NCAA record 72 straight games, but none of them have come against Pat Summitt's Tennessee Lady Vols. The two pre-eminent teams in the sport broke off their annual matchup in 2007 in a testy split.
If both come through their regions, UConn and Tennessee could meet again in the national semifinals at San Antonio
"I'm not surprised that they would line us up with Connecticut if we both come out," said Summitt, whose team earned a record 20th No. 1 seed. "They want to see that matchup. We're a long way from thinking about that matchup."
Auriemma isn't focusing on that game — yet.
"I would venture to say that after that game is over, if we are fortunate enough to win it, I think there will be a lot of coaches and players on our team that will be smiling a little bit," Auriemma said.
Ten teams have entered the NCAA tournament unbeaten; only five have emerged victorious. UConn and Auriemma have done it three times, including last season.
Stanford and Nebraska earned the other No. 1 seeds.
The Cardinal, the last team to beat Connecticut, earned their first No. 1 seed since 1998. Tennessee earned the No. 1 seed a year after getting bounced from the tournament in the first round. And Nebraska has its first No. 1 seed in school history after winning its first 30 games this season. The Cornhuskers lost their only game of the season in the Big 12 tournament semifinals.
"We evaluated Nebraska's resume, and even though they lost in the Big 12 tournament we felt that it was important to keep them on that first line," NCAA selection committee chair Jane Meyer said.
The Huskies (33-0), too, have run through their opponents this season, winning by an average of 35 points. In search of its seventh national championship, UConn is looking to become the fifth team to win consecutive titles. Tennessee last did it in 2007 and 2008.
Awaiting the Huskies in the second round could be former assistant Tonya Cardoza and the Temple Owls. They face James Madison in the first round. It's the second straight year that Auriemma could face his former assistant. Last season Temple lost in the first round to Florida.
While other teams look to make history in the tournament, the Lady Vols had enough of that last year. Tennessee, a No. 5 seed last season, lost in the first round to Ball State, marking the first time in the program's history that the team didn't advance out of the opening weekend.
Tennessee will open up at home against Austin Peay in the Memphis region. The Lady Govs (15-17) are the eighth team in NCAA history to make the tournament with a losing record. They upset Eastern Illinois to win the Ohio Valley tournament. The Lady Vols and Austin Peay are two of six teams from the state of Tennessee in the field.
ACC champion Duke earned a No. 2 seed and will host the first two rounds. The Blue Devils will play Mid-Eastern champion Hampton in the opener. LSU meets Hartford in the other game at Cameron.
If Duke gets through to the regional semifinals, a meeting with former coach Gail Goestenkors and Texas could await. The selection committee placed the Blue Devils and Longhorns in the same corner of the bracket, but that matchup didn't materialize last year.
"You can't think that far ahead anyway," Duke senior Joy Cheek said.
Five teams will be making their debut in the NCAA tournament — Dayton, Princeton, Arkansas-Little Rock, Portland State and Northern Iowa.
Baylor freshman Brittney Griner, too, will get her first taste of the NCAA tournament. The Lady Bears earned a No. 4 seed and will play Fresno State in the first round. Griner, who drew national attention coming into college as a dunking phenom, made headlines again on March 3 after throwing a punch in a game against Texas Tech. She was suspended for two games by the school for her actions.
But it all comes back to UConn. The Huskies could face No. 2 seed Ohio State in Dayton in the regional finals — if the Buckeyes can get by third seed Florida State.
"There are some teams in our bracket that are a lot better than people give them credit for," Auriemma said. "I like when you are playing teams that you're seeing for the first time, and are seeing you for the first time."
That's certainly not the case with the Cardinal (31-1), who beat the Huskies in the 2008 NCAA tournament semifinals. Stanford will open this year's tournament hosting UC Riverside in the Sacramento region.
Louisville became just the third team to play in the national championship game and not make the tournament the next season. The Cardinals are one of seven schools that are hosting first- and second-round games that won't be playing in the NCAA tournament.
The Big East and Big 12 each garnered seven bids. The SEC and ACC each had six. In all, 12 conferences received multiple bids — the highest number since 2001.
Notebook: Ohio State eyes unbeaten UConn down the road
To win its first national championship in women's basketball, Ohio State always figured it would have to get past No. 1 Connecticut at some point.
The Buckeyes could get their shot not far from home, in the regional final at Dayton, Ohio, on March 30.
Ohio State (30-4) earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament Monday night and is three wins from a potential showdown with the defending champions, winners of a women's record 72 straight games.
"The committee looks to create matchups that would enhance the audience," Buckeyes coach Jim Foster said in Columbus, Ohio. "If we're fortunate enough to play in Dayton, Buckeye fans would make sure it's a full arena."
First, the Buckeyes must beat 15th-seeded St. Francis, Pa., on Sunday in Pittsburgh. The Red Flash (17-14) are the Northeast Conference champions. The winner of that game faces Mississippi State or Middle Tennessee. Ohio State defeated Mississippi State in the second round of the tournament last year in Columbus.
UConn opens Sunday against Southern in Norfolk, Va.
Sophomore guard Samantha Prahalis cautioned that the Buckeyes can't look ahead.
"We have to remain focused," she said. "Knowing that (Connecticut) is out there is tough. If it happens, we'll be happy. You want to go up against the best. We're ready."
It might take a win over Connecticut for the Buckeyes to make a name for themselves — even after winning six straight Big Ten titles. During the tournament selection show Monday, ESPN analyst Doris Burke called three-time Big Ten player of the year Jantel Lavender, "Shontel."
"It starts with a J," Lavender said. "That's not even looking at your sheet. C'mon. She knows everybody else's name but mine. ... We have some proving to do, just with that alone. It shocked me completely."
TIGERS' TALE: After what seemed like an interminable wait, Princeton coach Courtney Banghart could not have been happier with the Tigers' first-round draw in the NCAA tournament.
Making the first tournament appearance in its history, Princeton was given an 11th seed in the Dayton region and will play sixth-seeded St. John's (24-6) in Tallahassee, Fla., on Saturday.
The Tigers' matchup was the fourth-to-last announced as a large contingent of players, coaches, administrators and supporters squeezed into a restaurant near campus in Princeton, N.J., to watch the selection show.
"They kept us going," Banghart said. "I think they knew this was our first time so (they said), 'We're going to make them wait and wait and wait.' The expectation was brutal.
"I'm so happy for the kids. I think St. John's is a great matchup for us. I think we know a little bit about them. St. John's is who we wanted, or Virginia or Michigan State, someone like that."
Princeton, just the third Ivy League team to go 14-0, carries a 21-game winning streak into the tournament. The Tigers won their eighth Ivy League title, but this was the first time their championship included an automatic NCAA bid.
"I think before the season even started we knew we wanted to win the Ivy League, we knew we wanted to make the tournament," said freshman Niveen Rasheed, the league's rookie of the year. "It didn't click to us how amazing or how much of an accomplishment this was until you see your name up there.
"It's awesome. Nothing can describe the feeling. We surpassed expectations for us, but I think we knew we were capable of doing this."
T-SPOON: Florida State will host Louisiana Tech on Saturday, a rematch of a first-round game that the Seminoles won four years ago.
The Seminoles (26-5) topped Louisiana Tech 80-71 at Denver in 2006. The Lady Techsters (23-8), one of the most storied programs in women's basketball with two NCAA championships and six trips to the championship game, won the WAC tournament this season.
"I think it's a great honor to play a program that is as storied as Louisiana Tech," Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. "We're going to have our work cut out for us."
Louisiana Tech is coached by Teresa Weatherspoon, the former WNBA star who led the Lady Techsters to their last NCAA title in 1988. This is the first time Louisiana Tech is back in the NCAAs since that loss to Florida State in 2006.
"All I care about is that our name was called, because we worked for it to be called," Weatherspoon said. "We are now going to prepare ourselves to go in and do great things."
LEFT OUT: Maryland's string of consecutive appearances in the tournament ended at six.
The Terrapins (19-12) were left out of the 64-team NCAA field when seeds were announced Monday night. A 5-9 Atlantic Coast Conference record hurt the chances of the 2006 national champions making a seventh straight trip to the NCAAs. A 2-5 finish to the regular season didn't help, either.
Now, Maryland will await word on a potential bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament.
Last season, Maryland went 31-5 and reached the Elite Eight, but entered this season with a young team that lacked experience. In the Terrapins' most recent game, a 66-64 loss to No. 6 Duke in the ACC tournament, coach Brenda Frese started two freshmen and two sophomores.
FAMILIAR FOE: C. Vivian Stringer and Rutgers didn't have to wait long to find out whether they were going to the NCAA tournament for the eighth straight year.
Two games into the announcement of the 64-team field, the Scarlet Knights (19-14) knew they would be heading to Stanford, Calif., as the ninth seed to play eighth-seeded Iowa in a first-round game Saturday.
The pairing came so quickly into the televised show that the players barely reacted. There were no cheers, no fist pumps. It was almost a shock for a team that really wasn't sure whether four wins in the last five games would be enough to get it into the tournament for the 21st time in school history.
Despite its 14 losses, Rutgers had the 24th-best RPI in the country and the fourth-strongest schedule.
"I think we could have assumed based upon our RPI and schedule that we probably were (in)," Stringer said in Piscataway, N.J.
The first-round game will match Stringer, the Hall of Fame coach who has taken Rutgers to two Final Fours (2000, 2007), against the program she coached for 12 years and also led to a Final Four in 1993.
"They have a real flair for the drama, don't they?" Stringer said of the selection committee's pairing. "There is a great story line and it should be interesting one way or the other. Yeah, Iowa. I don't know anything about them other than probably of all the schools I would want to play, that's not the one because nothing good can come of it in my heart."
Rutgers has played Iowa twice since Stringer took over in 1995, winning both games.
Stringer, who had vowed not to play in the WNIT if the NCAA did not select Rutgers, likes the way her team is playing now.
"I know now enough to know that you shouldn't ever count the Scarlet Knights out," she said. "You don't know what we're going to do. We are as unpredictable as anybody."
-- Doug Feinberg
Top Seeds
Unbeaten UConn in unfamiliar NCAA tourney bracket
STORRS, Conn. — Connecticut's quest for a second straight NCAA tournament title will begin in a bracket filled with unfamiliar opponents.
The top-ranked Huskies (33-0), seeking their seventh national championship and an unprecedented second consecutive undefeated season, will play Southern University (23-8) in the first round Sunday in Norfolk, Va.
A victory over the Southwestern Athletic Conference champions would extend the Huskies' record streak to 73 consecutive wins.
UConn's bracket includes just one other Big East team, No. 15 St. John's, and only one other top 10 team, No. 8 Ohio State. It also includes No. 11 Florida State and No. 16 Iowa State.
"I'm certainly surprised," senior center Tina Charles said. "Usually, we have a harder road. But I'm definitely happy with whatever situation we have."
This will be the first time in UConn's 21 years as an NCAA tournament team that none of its tournament games will be played in Connecticut.
The Huskies haven't opened the tournament outside the state since 2006. That year, they played the regional semifinals and finals in Bridgeport. This season the regional will be in Dayton, Ohio.
Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said he likes the idea of being away from home for all six games and thinks it might actually help the Huskies get some calls from the officials.
"When you're perceived to be playing at home, trust me, you don't get those 50-50 calls," he said. "I don't care what anybody tells you, you don't get those calls.
"If you're good, you can win anywhere," he added. "It doesn't really matter."
Connecticut has made it to the Final Four 10 times, including seven appearances in the past 10 years.
UConn forward Maya Moore said she knows that if the team does it again, it would likely face old rival Tennessee, a team she has never played, in the national semifinals.
"I'm sure everybody would want to see that," she said. "Anytime you can get two competitive teams on the court on the national stage, that's great. That's what I think any great program wants."
Connecticut isn't the only team from the state in the tournament. Hartford, ranked No. 25 in the nation, will play LSU in a first-round game in Durham, N.C.
The Hawks (27-4) earned an at-large bid and a 10th seed in the Memphis region after losing in the America East Conference final to Vermont on Saturday.
It will be the Hawks' fifth appearance in the tournament, where they are 2-4.
"I'd rather play a powerhouse conference than another mid-major," coach Jen Rizzotti said. "I feel like we get more respect when we beat Michigan State or Louisville than when we beat Marist or Temple. It's just a matter of making sure our mindset is right going into the game."
-- Pat Eaton-Robb
Stanford is top seed in Sacramento region
STANFORD, Calif. — The last time Stanford drew a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, the Cardinal got knocked out in the first round.
That was in 1998, when Stanford was upset by Harvard and became the only top seed to lose to a No. 16 seed — a point coach Tara VanDerveer plans on emphasizing to her players in the coming days.
"Just the fact that it doesn't matter who you're playing or where you're playing. You need to come out and really play well," VanDerveer said. "We will talk about that, for sure. We all know what happened the last time we were a No. 1 seed and obviously we don't want that repeated."
Second-ranked Stanford, which became the first team to go undefeated during the Pac-10 regular season and win the conference tournament, was chosen as the top seed Monday in the Sacramento region.
The Cardinal (31-1) will open play Saturday against Big West tournament champion UC Riverside (17-15) at home in Maples Pavilion.
Stanford is hosting the first two rounds because New Mexico, originally selected as the site, is undergoing a renovation to its arena. The change was made last fall.
The Cardinal went 18-0 to win their 10th consecutive Pac-10 regular-season title, then followed that up by winning the conference tournament.
The only blemish on Stanford's record this season was an 80-68 loss at No. 1 Connecticut on Dec. 23. The Cardinal's only two losses in the last 53 games, in fact, have come against the Huskies.
But Stanford was the last team to beat Connecticut, in the semifinals of the 2008 NCAA tournament.
The Huskies (33-0) earned the No. 1 overall seed and are in the Dayton region, setting up a potential 1 vs. 2 matchup with Stanford for the national championship should both teams get that far.
"It's not something that people don't know (about), in terms of UConn and the Stanford kind of redeeming themselves story," Pac-10 player of the year Nnemkadi Ogwumike said. "UConn is an amazing team and very skilled ... but I don't think people should underestimate us. At the same time, we can't underestimate ourselves."
Stanford is making its 23rd consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament and 24th overall. Riverside, on the other hand, is going to the tournament for only the third time, though all three have come in the last five years.
This is the first time the Cardinal and Highlanders will play each other.
"I guess they started out 3-12 and a lot of teams that start out that way, they're going one way," VanDerveer said. "They came back and won their last 14 games in a row. A very hot team. We're going to have to play very well."
Despite the loss to Harvard 12 years ago, VanDerveer welcomed Stanford's No. 1 seed. But she said she's more concerned with the team's health.
Star center Jayne Appel is nursing a sore right ankle that had her coming off the bench for two games before returning to the starting lineup against UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament championship game.
Stanford did not practice Monday and Appel, who is third on the team in scoring and tied for second in rebounding, might also be held out of Tuesday's workout as a precaution.
"I'm going to wait and see how she's doing," VanDerveer said. "She will be shooting free throws, I know that. I just want her to be fresh for the game and not risk her spraining it or stepping on someone. If she is practicing it will be limited."
Tennessee draws No. 1 seed in NCAA tournament
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's offseason work paid off. The Lady Vols have earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament a year after their worst postseason finish.
"They wanted to get better," coach Pat Summitt said. "I think they were embarrassed. They made history in a bad way, so now I think they want to make history in a good way."
The Lady Vols drew a No. 5 seed last year — their lowest ever — and lost to Ball State in their first opening round defeat in school history.
This year, all is right in Knoxville again — so far.
Winning the Southeastern Conference's regular-season and tournament titles helped Tennessee (29-2) grab the top seed in the Memphis, Tenn., regional, which will be played 350 miles away from its campus. It's the 20th time the program has earned a No. 1 spot.
"It feels great because usually Tennessee is a No. 1 seed, and I just feel like we're back to Tennessee — the way Tennessee is supposed to be," sophomore guard Shekinna Stricklen said.
The Lady Vols, who finished ranked third in the final Top 25 poll, will open against Austin Peay on Saturday on their home court in Knoxville named for Summitt. The Govs (15-17) are the eighth team in NCAA history to make the tournament with a losing record.
Two of Summitt's brothers attended Austin Peay, which is located in Clarksville, Tenn., 200 miles from Knoxville and just 13 miles from her hometown of Henrietta, Tenn. The Lady Vols have won all five meetings between the two teams.
Austin Peay lost to top-ranked Duke in the first round of last season's NCAA tournament.
"Tennessee is a tremendous team and has had a great season, and you know they're going to make a great run in the tournament," Austin Peay coach Carrie Daniels said "We're going to go step on the court having the experience of being in the tournament last year. Hopefully we'll draw from that experience and go out there and give them a good game."
Also in the Memphis regional are: No. 2 Duke, No. 3 West Virginia, No. 4 Baylor, No. 5 Georgetown, No. 6 Texas and No. 7 LSU. Tennessee beat Baylor, Texas and LSU during the regular season.
But the more anticipated matchup is the possible Final Four meeting with undefeated Connecticut. Geno Auriemma's Huskies have won an NCAA record 72 straight games, but none of them have come against the Lady Vols since Summitt ended their annual matchup in 2007.
"A lot of this (bracket arrangement) has to do with what they want to see," Summitt said. "I think a lot of people feel this is a matchup that we've got to have for the NCAA tournament and women's basketball. I'm not looking down the road at all though."
The Lady Vols graduated only one player last year and the three juniors, seven sophomores and three freshmen who returned worked harder in the offseason than any Tennessee team had for the better part of a decade to improve.
It paid off with Tennessee's first regular-season SEC title in three seasons and a 70-62 win over Kentucky in the SEC tournament championship. It's the first time the Lady Vols have taken both crowns since 2000, when they lost to Connecticut in the NCAA championship game.
"We've worked hard, and we've proven a lot," Stricklen said. "I feel like we've really earned that No. 1 spot."
-- Beth Rucker
No. 2 Seeds
OSU women to get St. Francis, Pa., in NCAA tourney
COLUMBUS, Ohio — If Ohio State is going to win its first national title in women's basketball it figured it would have to get by powerhouse Connecticut at some point.
That point could come at the Dayton regional final on March 30.
The Buckeyes (30-4) earned a No. 2 seed and is three wins away from a likely showdown with defending NCAA champion UConn, winners of a women's record 72 straight games.
"The committee looks to create matchups that would enhance the audience," Buckeyes coach Jim Foster said. "If we're fortunate enough to play in Dayton, Buckeye fans would make sure it's a full arena."
But first the Buckeyes must get past 15th-seeded St. Francis, Pa., on Sunday at 12:06 p.m. in Pittsburgh. The Red Flash (17-14) is the Northeast Conference champions. The winner of that game faces either Mississippi State or Middle Tennessee. Ohio State defeated Mississippi State in the second round of the tournament last year in Columbus.
The Huskies open Sunday against Southern in Norfolk, Va.
Ohio State sophomore guard Samantha Prahalis said the Buckeyes can't look ahead.
"We have to remain focused," she said. "Knowing that (Connecticut) is out there is tough. If it happens, we'll be happy. You want to go up against the best. We're ready."
Jantel Lavender, the Buckeyes' three-time Big Ten player of the year, said overlooking St. Francis would be a mistake.
"It's focusing on one game," she said. "UConn would be the last game of the Elite Eight. You have to get there before you can play them."
It might take a win over Connecticut for the Buckeyes to make a name for themselves despite winning six straight Big ten titles. During Monday's tournament selection show, ESPN analyst Doris Burke called Lavender "Shontel."
"It starts with a J," Lavender said. "That's not even looking at your sheet. C'mon. She knows everybody else's name but mine.
"We have some proving to do. Just with that alone. It shocked me completely."
It was a busy night for Ohio teams. Dayton (24-7) learned it was making its first trip ever to the Division I women's tournament. The eighth-seeded Flyers will face ninth-seeded TCU (22-8) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. Should they win, the Flyers would meet the winner of top-seeded Tennessee and Austin Peay — the latter the eighth team in NCAA history to make the tournament with a losing record (15-17).
Dayton coach Jim Jabir said he wanted his players to enjoy every moment.
"I want it to be memorable," he said. "I know we'll play hard, but I also want them to enjoy every second because these are memories that you remember for a very long time."
The good news for 15th-seeded Cleveland State is that the team will play at home in the first round. The bad news is that the Vikings (19-13) must play second-seeded Notre Dame (27-5) at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. If they pull the upset, they would play the winner of Wisconsin and Vermont.
"We are thrilled to be back in the NCAA tournament representing Cleveland State," coach Kate Peterson Abiad said. "This is what we have talked about since the first day of practice."
Bowling Green (27-6), a No. 12 seed after winning the Mid-American Conference title, travels to Louisville to meet Michigan State (22-9) at 12:11 p.m. Saturday. The winner gets Kentucky or Liberty.
"We did a lot of homework, and we thought we might be a 12 seed," Falcons coach Curt Miller said. "We are excited about it. We know a lot about Michigan State — it is a rematch of our WNIT game two years ago, and (MSU head coach) Suzy Merchant was a longtime coach in the MAC, so it's a little bit of a reunion for both of us."
Xavier, despite being ranked three slots higher than No. 8 Ohio State in the final Associated Press Top 25, received just a No. 3 seed — the best ever for the school.
But the Musketeers (27-3) do get to play in their hometown. They take on East Tennessee State (23-8) in Cincinnati on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Sixth-seeded Vanderbilt (22-10) meets DePaul (21-11) in the earlier game, with the winners meeting on Tuesday. Should the Musketeers win that game, they would advance to the Sacramento regional.
For now, though, they'll savor playing at home.
"What's great is your family can come down, and it's a great opportunity for our fans," said senior forward April Phillips. "The last two years, we've been pretty far away and it was basically just us out there."
ACC champ Duke claims No. 2 seed in NCAAs
DURHAM, N.C. — Once again, there's no shortage of subplots in Duke's NCAA tournament bracket.
The Blue Devils, who claimed the No. 2 seed in the Memphis Regional on Monday night, could face an interesting path to their fifth Final Four.
Duke (27-5) will play No. 15 seed Hampton on Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium in a first-round matchup with the winner advancing to face either No. 7 seed LSU or No. 10 seed Hartford.
One possible opponent in the regional semifinals is No. 6 seed Texas — and coach Gail Goestenkors, who left Duke for the Longhorns after the 2006-07 season. It's the second straight year the selection committee placed the Blue Devils and Longhorns in the same corner of the bracket, but that matchup didn't materialize last year.
"You can't think that far ahead anyway," senior Joy Cheek said.
After that, if the seeds hold, the Blue Devils would have to beat No. 1 seed Tennessee to claim its first Final Four spot since 2006. Duke won four of six meetings with the Lady Vols during the previous six seasons, but they did not play this year.
"There can be a lot of hypothesizing about what could happen and we're supposed to create the happening, and that's (to) move Duke through the brackets and move us through with dominant, aggressive play," Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said.
The Blue Devils, who are making their 16th straight NCAA appearance and 17th overall, are seeded No. 2 for the first time since 2005. They claimed No. 1 seeds three times from 2006-09 and are one of six Atlantic Coast Conference teams in the field.
Duke assured itself of a spot in the 64-team bracket after winning its first ACC tournament title since 2004, and knew it wouldn't have to leave home until next week because it is hosting to a four-team subregional.
Hartford (27-4) was one of only four teams to beat last year's Duke team in the regular season, while perennial power LSU is in the field for the 12th straight year.
And in another interesting twist, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva spent a decade at Duke and was the one responsible for hiring McCallie when Goestenkors left.
Duke's opponent, Hampton (20-11), is guided by David Six — an interim coach who was running the school's intramural department at this time a year ago — and won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship to make the field for the first time since 2004.
Tennessee would become the third No. 1 seed to face Duke this season. The Blue Devils went 0-2 against Connecticut and Stanford during the regular season in a gauntlet designed by McCallie to prepare her team for the tournament.
-- Joedy McCreary
Notre Dame draws No. 2 seed in NCAA tournament
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame is looking to make up for last year's disappointing performance in the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
The Fighting Irish (27-5), who lost 79-71 to Minnesota at home in the first round last season, open this year's tournament on Sunday at home against Cleveland State (19-13).
"We have a little vengeance coming," senior forward Lindsay Schrader said Monday night after the women's NCAA tournament pairings were announced. "We don't want to be out first round because that was really hard last year watching someone get to the Sweet 16 on our home floor."
The Irish earned a second seed, their highest seeding since winning the national championship in 2001.
"I thought that's what we earned," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. "We had a great season and I was hoping for a two."
Seventh-seeded Wisconsin (21-10) will face 10th-seeded Vermont (26-6) in the earlier game in South Bend on Sunday. The winners play Tuesday.
The Irish, who lost three times this season to top-ranked Connecticut, were happy to see the Huskies on the opposite side of the tournament bracket, meaning they won't have to play them again unless both teams advance to the title game.
"I thought after playing them three times they wouldn't put us together, and I'm glad they didn't," McGraw said.
While McGraw said Notre Dame used the first-round loss to Minnesota last season as motivation during the offseason and put it behind them, Irish players said it will help them this postseason.
"With what happened last year, we have a sense of that's not going to happen again," senior guard Ashley Barlow said.
Several players said the Irish might not have focused enough on the Gophers last season.
"We just didn't come ready to play," Barlow said.
The Irish are 6-2 all-time at home in NCAA tournament games. Notre Dame is making its 15th straight NCAA appearance, the sixth-longest active streak in the country.
"I think it's been an amazing run for us. We've had so many great players come through," McGraw said. "I think when kids come here they know they're going to be in the postseason, and that's what they want."
-- Tom Coyne
Missing Out
Maryland women fail to make NCAA tournament
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Maryland missed making the women's NCAA basketball tournament for the first time in seven years, but will play host to Iona at Comcast Center in the first round of the 64-team Women�’s National Invitation Tournament.
The Terrapins (19-12) were left out when the NCAA field was announced on Monday. A subpar 5-9 Atlantic Coast Conference record hurt Maryland's chances, as did its 2-5 finish in the regular season.
"Obviously, the team's extremely disappointed," coach Brenda Frese said. "But we take sole ownership. We're going to use it to motivate us and get better next season."
Last season, Maryland went 31-5 and reached the Elite Eight. The first-round WNIT game against Iona (18-13) will be on Friday.
However, the Terrapins this season never were able to get the marquee victory that might have earned them an NCAA bid. They lost to Duke once in the regular season and once in the conference tournament. Those two losses came by a combined three points. Maryland also lost games to Miami and Georgia Tech by a combined four points.
The Terrapins topped North Carolina, 83-77, in the first round of the ACC Tournament before losing to Duke in the next round. Frese held out some hope that the Terrapins�’ play against two quality opponents might persuade the selection committee to include them in the NCAA field.
"The stretch we played in the conference tournament was some of our better basketball," she said.
Maryland opened the season 14-3, but struggled against a typically strong collection of conference teams. Six teams from the ACC made the NCAA field.
Frese, who just completed her eighth season at Maryland, hadn't missed the tournament since her first year at the school, 2002-03.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For continued coverage, click here: MORE.
