monday, march 15, 2004
sports
the university daily kansan
9B
Tennessee No.1 seed overall in women's tournament
The Associated Press
Tennessee's Kara Lawson tries to disrupt a pass by UConn's Ann Strother during last year's NCAA Women's Basketball Final. Tennessee is the top seed overall in this year's tournament, while UConn is No. 2 in the East.
For once, Connecticut did not quite measure up with the best in women's basketball.
Tennessee earned the top overall seed in the NCAA women's tournament Sunday and will play in the Midwest Regional. Duke (Mideast), Penn State (East) and Texas (West) received the other No. 1 seeds.
And what of Connecticut, winner of the last two NCAA championships and three of the last four? No. 2 in the East.
"We didn't win enough games, I guess," coach Geno Auriemma said.
Tennessee and Duke, the topranked team in The Associated Press poll, had been considered locks to be seeded No. 1. Penn State and Texas edged Purdue and Connecticut for the two other spots.
"It was exciting this year because we had more teams to consider for No. 1s," said Cheryl Marra, who chairs the selection committee. "For the first time we had a larger pool, which is exciting for the game, but made it very difficult for the committee."
In the end, Marra said Connecticut could not match the credentials of the four who were seeded No.1.
The Huskies (25-4) had been in line for a No. 1 until losing to Villanova in their next-to-last regular season game and then getting upset by Boston College in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.
Duke was ranked second among the No.1 seeds, followed by Penn State and Texas. Purdue was the top No.2, with Connecticut next.
This is the first time that UConn has not been a No.1 seed since 1998, when as a No.2 it was upset by North Carolina State in the East Regional final.
"Taking a look at (Connecticut's) full body of work, when you put it up to the other schools being considered, the other four we believe had a better overall performance this year," said Marra, senior associate athletic
director at Wisconsin.
Tennessee (26-3) received its 15th No. 1 seed in 17 years after winning the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship at 14-0 and playing the nation's toughest schedule.
The Lady Vols have 18 victories over teams that made the NCAA tournament, including a 72-69 win at top-ranked Duke.
Duke (27-3) won the ACC regular-season and tournament championships, while Texas (28-4) shared the Big 12 title with Kansas State and finished second in the conference tournament.
The Longhorns also went 2-1 against the other No.1 seeds, beating Duke and Tennessee and losing to Penn State.
Penn State (25-5) lost to Purdue in the championship game of the Big Ten tournament, but beat the Boilermakers twice during the season and played a challenging schedule that included a 20-point win over Texas.
Now the Lady lions face a challenging road to get to the Final Four in New Orleans.
hey could play eighth-seeded Virginia Tech on Tech's home floor in the second round and have a potential meeting with Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center in the regional final.
"That's how the games are set up at this time," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "I've got to believe for the last few years people thought that way when they had to come to State College.
"There's going to be challenges every place we go. That's what this tournament is for."
It was a banner year for the Big East, which got a record-tying eight teams in the NCAA tournament.
UConn will be joined by Boston College, Miami, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Villanova, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
Every Big East team except West Virginia had an RPI in the top 30, Marra said, and West Virginia had four victories against teams among the top 50 in the RPI.
The Southeastern Conference had eight teams in 1999 and 2002. Seven SEC teams made it this time: Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi and Vanderbilt.
The Big 12 also had seven and the Big Ten six.
First-round games will be played next Saturday or Sunday at 16 sites. Those winners play March 22 or 23.
Two of the regionals are March
27 and 29: the East in Hartford and the West in Seattle. The Mideast in Norfolk, Va., and the Midwest in Norman, Okla., are March 28 and 30.
At the national semifinals April 4, it will be East vs. Mideast and Midwest against West. That creates the possibility of a Tennessee-Connecticut championship game for the second straight year and fourth time since 1995.
UConn won the three previous meetings, including a 73-68 victory in Atlanta last year.
Texas is a No. 1 seed for the first time since 1988 and Penn State for the first time since 1994. Duke
earned its fourth straight No. 1 seed but is still looking for its first national title.
Tennessee, which has overcome the midseason loss of starting point guard Loree Moore to a knee injury, will open the tournament on the road for the first time ever.
The Lady Vols play Colgate in Tallahassee, Fla., on Saturday.
That's of no concern to Summit.
"We've been everywhere," she said. "I don't know (if) we've ever had a team better prepared at this time of the season to hit the road."
Purdue is the No. 2 seed in the
West. The other No.2s are Kansas State in the Mideast and Vanderbilt in the Midwest, setting up the possibility of a Vandy-Tennessee meeting in the regional final.
Texas opens at home against Southern on Sunday, Duke hosts Northwestern State on Sunday and Penn State plays Hampton in Blacksburg, Va. on Sunday.
UConn (25-4) begins defense of its national title against Ivy League champion Penn at Bridgeport, Conn., on Sunday.
Missouri was the only at-large team that made it with a losing conference record. The Tigers (17-12) tied for seventh in the Big 12 at 7-9.
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