Lots to read while we wait

for for the season to continue:

Clay says: Not much controversy in the brackets — Let’s play the games

Baylor, A&M, Prairie View headed to women’s Big Dance, KHOU, Houston

Graduating women’s basketball players reflect on their time at Cal, Daily Cal
Feet on the Ground: Layshia Clarendon’s unselfish attitude, Daily Cal

Cal Poly women’s basketball team to play Penn State in NCAA tourney opener, San Luis Obispo

CU Buffs women’s basketball team earns No. 5 seed in NCAA Tournament, Denver Post
Matt Sparkman writes: Buffaloes Earn A Five Seed, Face Kansas Saturday

Injured wrist won’t stop Carra’s final hurrah for sixth-seeded Delaware, Times-Tribune

Alexis Jones will lead Duke women’s basketball to New Orleans,and
Elizabeth Williams is the centerpiece of Duke women’s basketball, Duke Chronicle
Duke women’s basketball NCAA tournament preview, The Blue Zone

Fresno State to face Cal in NCAA Women’s Tournament, Fresno Bee

Vandal women draw UConn in opener, Idaho Statesman

Resiliency of MSU women rewarded with No. 5 seed in NCAA tourney, Detroit Free Press

Michigan women’s basketball full of cheers after learning of their No. 8 seeding, Detroit Free Press

Lady Griz no strangers to NCAA experience, Missoulian

Huskers receive tough tournament draw, Omaha.com
Nebraska, Creighton nab NCAA Tourney bids, Omaha.com

Notre Dame women’s basketball: No favors from NCAA, Sopth Bend Tribune

Penn State women’s basketball: Lady Lions seeded third, bound for Baton Rouge, Centre Daily

Princeton women get date with Florida State, Baylor awaits winner, NJ.com

Purdue women’s basketball team draws No. 4 seed, faces Liberty in Louisville, Purdue Exponent

Quinnipiac Women To Open With Maryland, Courant
Long wait is over for Quinnipiac, New Haven Register
Quinnipiac Bobcats eager to step onto the big stage against Maryland, New Haven Register

Syracuse women’s basketball seeks history, first NCAA Tournament win against Creighton, Syracuse.com

No. 2 seed Lady Vols open with Oral Roberts; Baylor is No. 1 seed, GoVolsXtra
Chattanooga’s season-opening upset of Lady Vols turned out good for both teams, GoVolsXtra

Aggie women to face Wichita State in NCAA opener, Aggie Sports

UConn women, in Bridgeport Regional, opens vs. Idaho, Post
UConn’s opponent: About Idaho, Post
UConn Women To Open Against Idaho, Courant
A Look At UConn’s Competition, Courant
Huskies to play host to Idaho in NCAA tournament, Register
Breaking down Idaho, UConn’s first round opponent, Register
Idaho has tough draw: UConn, Idaho Spokesman Review
The Idaho women’s basketball team takes a 16th seed in NCAA Tourney, KREM
UConn looms again for Kentucky, Courier Journal
Huskies look for redemption in NCAA tournament, Sports Illustrated

Wichita State women to meet Texas A&M in NCAA Tournament, Kansas.com

ESPN, MS:  Who else might be Bayou bound? Other than the No. 1 seeds, who has a shot at reaching New Orleans?

ESPN, MV: Bracket has familiar feeling

ESPN, GH: Irish face tough road to Final Four - Notre Dame could face host Iowa, South Carolina and Duke to get to New Orleans

ESPN, CC: Geography a big theme of the bracket

ESPN, KF: Not an easy start for CU, Delaware

ESPN, MS: Stanford, Cal: Elite company - Pac-12 and Bay Area rivals gain top two seeds in Spokane Regional

ESPN, Who Dey Pick: Breaking down the bracket

ESPN, Who You Pick: NCAAW: 2013 tournament

ESPN, Chat wrap: Selection Monday

Kelly Whiteside asks: Can anybody stop Baylor women’s basketball?

2013 Women’s Final Four could have familiar teams playing in New Orleans, New Orleans Time Picyune

Swish Appeal’s staff predicts Final Four & upsets

Queenie has some details: Maryland, ACC at-large; UConn, Big East at-large; North Carolina, ACC at-large; Kentucky, SEC at-large

Nate wonders: Should conference rivals be placed in same region?

He also says: 2013 NCAA brackets: Surprises & first impressions

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The record said one thing,

the final score said something different:

In a rockin’ OT, it was LA-Lafayette (3-17 Sun Belt) over North Texas (10-10 Sun Belt), 80-74.

‘ware the Billikens! Saint Louis (5-9 A-10) over Butler (8-6 A 10), 44-41.

Troy (3-17 Sun Belt) over South Alabama (10-10, Sun Belt), 62-49.

Radford (9-9 Big South) over Presbyterian (14-4, Big South), 41-38.

UNC Greensboro (4-16 Southern) over Furman (8-12, Southern), 73-68.

Longwood (8-10 Big South) over Winthrop (14-4 Big South), 79-67.

Sienna (8-10 MAAC) over Fairfield (11-7 MAAC), 52-48.

Temple (5-9, A 10) over Xavier (7-7, A 10), 52-45.

Niagara (9-9 MAAC) over Rider (10-8 MAAC), 59-54.

#18 Texas A&M over #17 South Carolina, 61-52.

The fight the record implied:

Tennessee Tech over Belmont (10-5 OVC), 61-57.

Campbell over Hight Point, 74-73, OT.

Not the fight the record implied (good and bad interpretation):

#23 Florida State over Miami, 70-58.

#9 Tennessee over Florida, 82-73. TAMU is next.

#6 Duke over NC State, 79-65.

Stetson over Mercer, 67-52.

#12 Georgia over #22 LSU, 71-53.

#15 North Carolina over Boston College, 62-57.

#10 Maryland over Wake Forest, 92-81, OT. Thomas gets a triple-double.

Michigan State over Michigan, 62-46.

One look at the record, and you understand the result:

Iona over Canisius, 76-58.

FGCU over North Florida, 73-44.

#21 Nebraska over Iowa, 76-61.

Marist over Manhattan, 72-50.

#8 Penn State over Ohio State, 76-66.

#18 Colorado over Washington, 70-59. #4 Stanford is up next.

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Was anyone else wondering why Coach Frese

didn’t get T’d up earlier in the game for her on-the-court wanderings? (I thought that had been a point of emphasis.) When she finally did earn a double T, WaPo thinks the damage was significant: Maryland women’s basketball falls to Duke, 71-56, after Coach Brenda Frese is ejected.

Mechelle seems to echo their headline:

Then Monday, Gray took command against Maryland, not just offensively but as the spark plug of a defensive effort that made things really hard for the Terps. Alyssa Thomas and Tianna Hawkins were a combined 7-of-30 from the field, totaling 20 points. The Terps had 24 turnovers.

Yet despite Maryland’s struggles, the Terps were down just 57-50 with 4 minutes, 3 seconds left. It was still a winnable game for Maryland, which was pretty remarkable all things considered.

But then Thomas missed a shot, Gray got a layup, and Frese lost her cool. Actually she seemed on the verge of that all night. Two technicals during a TV timeout sent Frese to the locker room and Gray to the foul line.

It wasn’t a particularly elegant game — unless you were Chelsea Gray — as the Blue Devil press harassed the Terps into a ton of TOs and some poor decision-making on offense.

“Just a great, physical game – an excellent game to help prepare us for the NCAA tournament and the way those games go,” Duke head coach Joanne P. McCallie said.

“So that was important to us – to be physical and play against a physical team.”

The Notre Dame-Louisville was a little more elegant — if you were a member of the Fightin’ Irish. Says Al Lesar: Notre Dame women’s basketball: Message: Get out of ND’s way

Every defensive stop. Every drive and bucket. Every spot-up 3-pointer.

With every Notre Dame possession, the gap between women’s college basketball’s elite and the rest of the pretenders got wider.

The “haves” (Baylor, Notre Dame and Connecticut) really have it. The “have-nots” don’t have a clue.

Louisville came into Purcell Pavilion Monday night ranked No. 10 in the country. The Cardinals left as another overwhelmed victim of the second-ranked Irish after Notre Dame administered a 93-64 spanking.

CARDINAL COUPLE columnist Sandy Walker provides today’s report on the game in South Bend last night.

In other games of interest, yes, Texas Southern kept on winning, but was a squeaker against (5-20) Grambling State, 59-58. Southern couldn’t keep up, getting SWAC’d by Mississippi Valley State, 61-57.

In the Southern, Chattanooga put some distance between themselves and Davidson as they earned a win over UNC Greensboro and the Wildcats got surprised by the College of Charleston, 74-71.

Hampton continued to roll in the MEAC.

Yes, Florida Gulf has the right to say the A-Sun is “Mine, ALL MINE,” but Stetson is determined to make keep it interesting.

An important Big 10 win for Nebraska, on the road against Iowa.  Perhaps it’s because the Unofficial mascot, Basketball Head, brings support to NU women’s basketball. (Is it just me, or do the I’s in Iowa/Iowa St. stand for inconsistent?)

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It’s Big Monday Time!

*fingers crossed it’s not “Blowout Monday Time”

From Zach Ward at Swish Appeal: ACC’s best square off in much-anticipated showdown

The wait is nearly over.

No. 7 Maryland (19-3, 10-1 ACC) and No. 5/4 Duke (21-1, 11-0 ACC), the top two teams in ACC women’s basketball both by ranking and conference record, will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in Durham.

The past two seasons Maryland and Duke have split, with both teams winning on their home floors.

The teams figure to do the same again this year unless one of them can step up on the road. The Terps are a perfect 11-0 at home, but are definitely more vulnerable when they travel away from the friendly confines of College Park.

Did you miss Rebecca’s preview? Terps’ season still full of potential - Game will help decide ACC — and which center is the best in the league

Duke, Maryland’s opponent, was well-acquainted with injuries earlier in the season but is healthy now. If you wrote off Duke after the beatdown at UConn a month ago, you need to give the Blue Devils another look. They are a much-improved team since that 79-49 Jan. 21 loss. 

What has changed? The Blue Devils have inserted Chloe Wells into the starting lineup and she has been solid on offense (shooting 56 percent on 3-pointers) and a spark on defense. The move also allowed coach Joanne P. McCallie the luxury of bringing the country’s third-most-accurate 3-point shooter (46-for-96, 48 percent shooting), Tricia Liston, off the bench. The Blue Devils are still working to become a team that plays well for an entire 40 minutes instead of just 20, but they are getting closer each game.

Here’s what I’ll be looking for in this inside, outside and upside down Big Monday matchup:

Rob at DWHoops has his preview:

The Skinny:

This is the ACC game of the year, part 2. The ramifications are simple: if Duke wins, they will have a death grip on the league standings. If Maryland wins, they will tie Duke at the top of the ACC and get the rematch at home, giving them a tremendous lift down the stretch. The Terps are a makeshift team that are riding superstar forward Alyssa Thomas hard; she’s the reason why this six-woman team keeps winning. She can play so many positions on the floor that if a player gets in foul trouble, the Terps can simply sub in frosh Malina Howard (7 ppg, 4 rpg) and shift Thomas to the frontcourt or backcourt. Thomas’ line is as follows: 17 ppg, 10 rpg, 5 apg, 2 spg. She’s second in the ACC in scoring and leads it in rebounding.

Sam Wiseman at the Herald Sun says, Duke women look to rebound vs. Term

Gene Wang over at the WaPo chimes in: Chloe Pavlech boosts Maryland women’s basketball with clutch play

“I think they call that a show pony,” Pavlech said somewhat mischievously when asked about her knack for playing her best against the highest-caliber opponents.

That remark got Thomas laughing so much that the normally placid junior all-American forward had to bow her head in order to regain her composure and finish answering questions from reporters. Soon enough Frese and Hawkins also were smiling broadly, much like the rest of the team often does when Pavlech provides witty observations that keep the atmosphere light.

Happy to know the DC Basketcases are back in town, having taken what looks to have been a glorious trip to see penguins, petrels and albatrosses. (Can’t believe they didn’t take me!)

The Louisville/ND game isn’t getting a ton of prep press (Beth and Debbie did podcast on it.) I’m betting beat writers are terrified they’ll try and copy the men’s 5OT game….

At the SBT, Curt points out that Braker’s offense is a bonus point

The Journal-Courier pieces together this: Louisville women’s basketball will meet No. 2 Notre Dame tonight

The University of Louisville women’s basketball team, coming off a 78-45 whipping of Pittsburgh on Saturday, will be expecting a much bigger challenge tonight.

In Graham’s week in review, he notes that Michigan and LSU got much-needed wins

We might be in the midst of the shortest month, but February has a knack for setting up long summers.

There is always another game and another opportunity at this point in the season, which is one reason why it can feel a little like these weeks are the equivalent of running in wet sand. The real drama of the postseason is visible on the horizon, but still far enough away that staring at it can mean running smack into what’s more immediately proximal. Immediacy is still hard to find.

On the other hand, if there is no such thing as a must-win game in early February, there are wins that make it considerably more likely a team will have a chance to play some real must-win games a month or so from now.

And for Michigan and LSU, Sunday was the biggest day of the season.

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Dashing through the snow,

we find that CViv is cranky: Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer blasts her critics as she nears 900 career victories

Stringer, who has an 898-326 career mark over 41-plus seasons, vigorously defended her program this afternoon, sprinkling in several expletives. She said the only opinion she listens to is that of athletic director Tim Pernetti.

“I could (not) care less about any of those people,” Stringer said of her critics. “The only thing that matters to me is Tim Pernetti. He needs to be who he is supposed to be and step up and declare who you are, and that’s it. I don’t care about anybody else. ”

There’s also a little Cviv flashback from the Des Moines Register: Another View: 1993 tested the rule on ‘no crying in journalism’

For athletes and sports fans, the seasons of glory tend to stay in your mind forever. Championships clinched, big games won and the chance to breathe some rarified air are what anyone who loves sports wants to experience.

In Iowa, 1993 was a year with plenty of that rarified air, and I’ve been thinking about that year — specifically the 1992-93 basketball season — a lot lately. Yet in my mind, I don’t remember it as a season of glory. It was a season of grief.

Another coach who is feeling the heat: Utes blow out Oregon

Another coach who is feeling the heat: No. 4 Stanford women’s basketball team routs Arizona 73-43

A coach that’s bringing the heat: No. 6 Cal women’s basketball takes down hapless Arizona State

With the way the Cal women’s basketball team has been playing, Arizona State would’ve needed more than a deal with the devil to win.

The Bears soundly defeated the Sun Devils, 66-53, in Haas Pavilion Friday night to cement their eighth consecutive win.

Coach G tweets: Lindsay Gottlieb ‏@CalCoachG Talia Caldwell is 1st Cal WBB player in Haas school of biz. She’s now 1st Haas student, male or female, to have 1,000pts. We are very proud.

From Greg Alan Edwards: UK Hoops, TV, and The Real World: A Mini Rant

As most of you know, we have been doing live blogs, in-game and post-game coverage of the UK Hoops Squad all season and back into last year. We have made a conscious effort to improve the coverage, do more insight work on the players, and to make Women’s Hoops a priority here at A Sea Of Blue.

On Tuesday, WKYM did a segment with Coach Mitchell about the fact that the UK women have been filling Memorial Coliseum in game after game as the team as climbed in national prominence. So what happens when the season hits it’s peak and the drive to the finish kicks in? We lose the TV coverage.

Speaking of TV, Mechelle previews: Terps’ season still full of potential - Game will help decide ACC — and which center is the best in the league

I was sitting courtside at the XL Center in Hartford in early December waiting for Maryland to take the floor for shootaround when something caught my eye. Looking like the Imperial Walker from the “Star Wars” movies, four very long crutches emerged from the locker room tunnel and clank-clanked their way to the court. Attached to the crutches was Maryland’s starting backcourt — Brene Moseley and Laurin Mincy — both lost for the season with torn ACLs. Behind them was another be-crutched ACL casualty, 6-foot-7 Essence Townsend. And attached to all of those crutches, I thought, was Maryland’s chance at an ACC title and run to the Final Four.

Speaking of the surprising Terps, Graham offers up: Little gets between Hawkins, rebound - When discussing nation’s top seniors, Maryland forward must be in the mix

The job Tianna Hawkins hopes to land when she is done with basketball is considerably more consequential than one in which success and failure are separated by points on a scoreboard. If her career plan comes to pass, her future team will be that of a presidential protective detail with the United States Secret Service, the federal law enforcement agency with which the University of Maryland criminology major interned two summers ago.

The skills that set her apart in one endeavor seem far removed from those she might need in the other, a smooth jump shot from the elbow or nose for the ball presumably not the first thing the Secret Service looks for on a résumé. 

Then again, nothing much gets between one of college basketball’s best offensive rebounders and her current inanimate protectee — not the thicket of bodies in the paint, not fatigue. Not anything.

Speaking of injuries: No. 11 Louisville thrives despite rash of injuries

Few teams can afford to lose one key player without damaging chemistry or competitiveness.

Louisville is down four and yet is two games better than this point last season minus two regulars. The No. 11 Cardinals (19-4, 7-2 Big East Conference) enter Saturday’s home game against Pittsburgh aiming to extend their five-game winning streak before traveling to No. 2 Notre Dame on Monday night.

Stuff on the W: Beth and Debbie discuss the latest WNBA news, get ready for a Big Monday doubleheader and talk to Connecticut Sun head coach Ann Donovan.

From Nate: What the Temeka Johnson and Noelle Quinn signings mean for the Seattle Storm

For years now, the Seattle Storm have tried to find someone to serve as an alternate distributor when Sue Bird is injured or needing to rest.

Yesterday’s signings of Temeka Johnson and Noelle Quinn are this season’s attempt to fill that role of distributor whenever Bird is off the floor.

From thewiz06: Washington Mystics Offseason: A roundtable with three fellow Mystics fans on what they would like to see for 2013

thewiz also looks at the Lib: How will Bill Laimbeer make his mark on the team?

M Robinson has an Interview with former USC guard Jacki Gemelos about pursuing her WNBA dream with the Minnesota Lynx

The .com has Five Games to Watch in 2013

The Messenger is back, and he’s Helping Americans Understand Overseas Leagues

Whenever I speak of our Indiana Fever players playing overseas — whether in China, Australia, Israel, Turkey, Russia or elsewhere in Europe — I frequently sense that the conversations lead to more questions than actual answers. Certainly the cultures and languages are often different; and certainly there are rules that are different and in many leagues, there are limitations on the number of foreigners or Americans that can play; and salaries, sponsors and attendance all vary greatly. Those discrepancies vary from league-to-league and from country-to-country.

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Looking forward and back

’cause it’s fun, since we know how much Mechelle hates making predicitions.  In anticipation of the Kentucky/South Carolina and UNC/Maryland game, Mechelle Voepel said this:

jbb1985 (ny): Which of the two games tonight between ranked, Conference rivals are you the most interested in: MD vs. UNC or UK vs. S. Carolina?

Mechelle Voepel: Interested in both, but if I have to pick I’ll say Maryland vs North Carolina because it’s a rematch and may indicate how the Tar Heels will go through this tough four-game stretch vs. Terps, Miami, Florida State and Duke. Sylvia Hatchell is 3 wins from 900 in her career, and it could come as early as Jan. 31, I believe. But it could also be delayed awhile, as these are tough games. The interesting thing with Kentucky-South Carolina, of course, is which team sets the pace in that game, since they are so opposite.

MV got it right. Cats’ streak stopped by South Carolina, 55-50

Every shot, every cut, every pass.

Every minute of the game, South Carolina wanted to make Kentucky as uncomfortable as possible.

The No. 18 Gamecocks succeeded and upended the fifth-ranked Cats 55-50 Thursday night, ending UK’s 17-game win streak.

“They played much harder than we did,” Cats Coach Matthew Mitchell explained. “They played much more physical. Their desire was much stronger to win tonight. When that happens, then we get beat.”

Check out what else MV has to say, when she teams up with Michelle as they talk Mechelle & Michelle: Coast to Coast

On their podcast, Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli talk to a pair of head coaches, Baylor’s Kim Mulkey and UNC’s Sylvia Hatchell.

Out west, Oregon breaks into Pac-12 women’s basketball win column at the expense of the Washington State Cougars. 

The Buffaloes got so much deserved attention, and then got close to a huge win, but couldn’t put Cal away. Stanford handled the Utes.

Some good news for Ohio State, Stokes’ knee injury is healing quickly.

Nebraska welcomed Michigan State to the polls by beating them.

The Shockers continued their winning ways in the MVC, and now sit at 6-0 in the conference. The Blue Jays are keeping pace, now at 5-1.

In the Horizon League, Algoma’s Zastrow emerges for UWGB

Speaking of emerging stars, Graham offers up this: Rodriguez emerges as FSU star: Senior guard from Canary Islands has tripled her scoring average from a year ago

It might seem at first glance as if one of the season’s biggest surprises came out of nowhere to emerge as one of the best players in the ACC. But for someone who crossed an ocean just to get to Florida State four years ago, a senior season to remember turns out to be one more leg of a long journey.

Rodriguez comes from a place people dream of visiting for a few days’ respite from the real world. Where she grew up, others hope they might someday soak up the sun in retirement. So frankly, it’s a little surprising to sit across from her in a hotel lobby on a wet winter night near Boston and find that there is nowhere she would rather be than where she is, with three years worth of waiting and working behind her to prove her point.

Clearly, Graham has no jinx-ability, as Chelsea Davis helped No. 22 Florida State rally past Georgia Tech.

It’s around the corner: UConn v. Notre Dame. Jim Fuller writes: Huskies need their bench to be the best. Curt Rallo writes: Irish need to keep foot on the gas

A litte WATN? Former WNBA player Shalee Lehning continuing her legacy as a Wildcat

Speaking of the W: Fever’s Catchings Still Riding High On WNBA Championship

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Excuse me, but your slip is showing…

While the rest of the ranked teams (UCLA-recovering nicely from that Cal-Northridge oops, TAMU, Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Cal) were dispatching their overmatched opponents by various ridiculous margins, two “undefeated” and ranked teams were tested: Georgia by the mighty Illini (6-5) and #25 Arkansas by the fierce Coppin State (4-7). One escaped, the other didn’t. What up with your scheduling, Dawgs and Hogs? (And yah, there are no upsets in women’s basketball, just inaccurately ranked teams, right? Which explains what happened to #20 Texas at the hands of Iowa, right?)

Is the Stanford/UConn game on yet? (UConn’s Geno Auriemma, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer expect lots of offense, Stanford-UConn: More Than A Fairy Tale,

While you’re waiting, check out Mel’s blog on early Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year candidates. (I’ll say, as a Lib fan of “a certain age and longevity, I’ve been following the Hilltoppers since Shea Mahoney. Flashback, much?)

Then wander over to Swish Appeal and check out The state of the WNBA: 2012 edition

Hmmm… maybe the third year’s the charm for Caldwell. Her LSU team goes down to FGCU.

Will Spidey make the Tourney? Bilney! They might!

How tough is it in Sooner-land? The volleyball players are coming to the rescue.

From at Amy Farnum the NCAA.com: Forging the path - Kansas star Goodrich looks to inspire other Native Americans

Kansas senior point guard Angel Goodrich may be known for her vision on the court in women’s basketball circles, but it is her perseverance that may be her greatest strength.

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Random post….

Because I couldn’t resist sharing this headline: Shorthanded Mules kick off season tonight

In other not so fun news, “Dabnabbit!” Maryland’s Laurin Mincy to miss rest of season

Balance that off with some good news: Xavier’s (HUGE) loss was Washington’s gain: Husky women cruise past Portland for best start in a decade

ESPN Magazine has: Laying down her road - Baylor center Brittney Griner’s game is going to get even better (No idea why they decided to bold the questions — makes them seem more important than the responses.)

BERGERON: There’s also the insinuation that with dunking, with blocks, with playing at a faster speed, that people want the women’s game to look more like the men’s. Is that a fair expectation? Should the WNBA want to look more like the NBA?

GRINER: I’m just glad that we still have a league we can go to. We’re different. You can’t say that we have to play like men because that’s the “right” way to play. I don’t see anything wrong with the way we’re doing it. We’re doing a great job.

Mechelle offers up:  First-year coach, first-time mom - Jennie Baranczyk gave birth to her first son not long after taking over Drake

Drake coach Jennie Baranczyk thought her almost-7-month-old son, Eli, was about to drift off for a morning nap before she went to work. The little guy looked as if he were fading …

 Baranczyk recalled hearing a men’s basketball colleague once say his team reminded him of his infant daughter.

“At the time, I thought, ‘Huh?’” said Baranczyk (pronounced bah-rahn-check), who took over at Drake this spring just before Eli’s birth. “Now, I totally get it. We do something so small, and you just celebrate it like crazy. We take little steps, and you wobble a bit and fall over. But you look at a picture of us from a month or two ago, and we really are different.”

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Counting down to the season openers….

And the NCAA Women’s Basketball Television Broadcast page is a waste.

Put in today’s date and BOOM!, you get kicked back to the Baylor-ND game in April. Where’s Sue Donohoe when we need her?

Luckily, ESPN’s Carol Stiff seems to have stepped up her game. Check out this listing. (I believe Baylor’s on FOX Sports SW and ND/Ohio State’s on NBCSN)

1:00 PM	Lamar at (1) Baylor				Tickets
10:00 PM	Fresno State at (4) Stanford				Tickets
7:00 PM	Mount St. Mary’s at (5) Maryland				Tickets
4:00 PM	(7) Notre Dame vs. (19) Ohio State*				Tickets
7:00 PM	(15) Texas A&M at (9) Louisville				Tickets
8:00 PM	Sam Houston State at (11) Delaware				Tickets
10:00 PM	Lehigh at (13) California				Tickets
3:30 PM	Texas vs. (14) St. John’s*				Tickets
7:00 PM	North Carolina-Wilmington at (17) West Virginia				Tickets
8:05 PM	North Carolina A&T at (18) Nebraska				Tickets
7:00 PM	(20) Tennessee at Chattanooga				Tickets
6:30 PM	Cal Poly at (23) Oklahoma State				Tickets
8:00 PM	North Florida at (24) Miami (FL)				Tickets
6:30 PM	Nicholls State at (25) DePaul

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Get ready for today’s games with

some speed reading:

From the DC Basket Cases: The Raleigh Natty Regional

Whether you’ll be catching all the action in person at the RBC Center PNC Arena on Sunday, or at home (or at a sports bar) glued to your TV . . . if you aren’t excited about tomorrow’s games in Raleigh, the BCs respectfully suggest that you check your pulse.

Nate’s got some 2012 NCAA Women’s Sweet 16 Predictions: Kingston Bracket

Rebecca’s Breaking down Raleigh’s Sweet 16

Fagans says the Terps relaxed, ready for Aggiesand the AP says the Aggies have to keep Terps off the boards in NCAAs

If they do, Viv says Gary is threatening to dance again.

Graham has a couple: Taelor Karr finds home in Spokane – K-State transfer rediscovered love for basketball at Gonzaga and PSU’s Maggie Lucas diversifies game

Curt takes note: Notre Dame women’s basketball: Irish on way to free throw shooting mark and warns the Irish better beware of the Bonnies

St. Bonaventure knows they’re about to Take On a Women’s Basketball Titan and the Buffalo News’ Amy Moran thinks Irish talent can trump Bona defense

Al Lesar says Time, players have softened McGraw’s approach

The fans offer encouraging sendoff to Gonzaga women‎ but they are losing home-court advantage in regional‎.

Meanwhile, UK Hoops tries to put Gonzaga in the forefront, avoid side stories‎ as they feed off those other Cats.

In Kingston, Jim Fuller says the Huskies, Penn State are ready to run as the Lady Lions hope to continue charmed season against No. 1 seed Connecticut.  Bentley says “I don’t think they’ve played against a real, true scoring team.” and Faris says, “I think any player would take that as a challenge,’’

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Podcast Alert! (Part Deux)

From Dishin & Swishin part two of a look at ten “game-changing players”

This time, it’s Elena Delle Donne, Delaware, Alyssa Thomas, Maryland, Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown, Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame and Niveen Rasheed, Princeton

And yes, ACC folks, that was the first #9 seed to beat a #1.

And congrats to BECOY KBA. Beyond well deserved.

(And yes, I noticed my Headline Writer hung me out to dry on an earlier post. Just wait ’til I see her face in the mirror. She is so fired.)

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So, depending on how tonight, Monday and

the ACC/SEC/BEast Conference tourneys turn out, the #1 and #2 seeds could radically change.

Start your viewing pleasure tonight with Miami v. Duke, 7pm on the 3.

I’m not ignoring North Carolina and Kansas — really I’m not…. BUT:

Harvard has another shot at the Tigers.

Missouri State (18-6, 13-3 MVC) could build on a good season when they play the Sycamores.

Fairfield needs to finish strong if they want to battle Marist – they play Joe Logan’s Greyhounds.

Creighton is dealing with some off-court coach stuff and Northern Iowa is not having the kind of follow-up to the 2010-11 season they wanted — makes for an interesting 9:30pm game on the 3.

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Health news

Encouraging, but still a slow process: Maryland’s Brenda Frese stays positive as 4-year-old son battles leukemia

There’s a problem with little Tyler tonight, and Mommy is just about beside herself. Tyler just turned 4. He has leukemia — but this has nothing to do with that. Tyler is extroverted and lovey-dovey, a world-class hugger, a chatterbox. And until this very day, he loved the Maryland Terrapins, especially the women’s basketball team, unconditionally. He was red, black and yellow, through and through. Attended every game his illness allowed. Wouldn’t even think of wearing blue — because blue is Duke. And Duke, as everyone knows, is bad.

But Tyler met a new playmate the other day, and the other boy was a few years older — which meant he knew everything — and the older boy loved Duke. And so now, here is Tyler, standing in the middle of his family’s basement rec room in Laurel, wearing a Maryland T-shirt, surrounded by Terrapins memorabilia, declaring to all present that Duke is not only cool — but is also about to beat Maryland in this game of two-on-two basketball on the five-foot toy hoop set up in a corner of the room.

Relief in Cali: Long Beach State player hospitalized in Cal Poly women’s basketball team’s victory – 49ers’ Bianka Balthazar is reported in ‘good condition’ at Sierra Vista Medical Center after she collapsed during the second half

Update from Waco: Baylor women’s guard Shanay Washington suffers 5th torn ACL at end of big victory

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In other news,

how happy are the DC BasketCases?!?! Very happy. (Oh, and don’t tick off the male Terps, Georgetown, ’cause that’s messing up an important rivalry on the women’s side.)

And, as a follow on, how happy is Miami?

I don’t know that “ugly” fully captures the game, but I’m guessin’ Mel’s tweet does: EDD drives through crowd and hits. Delaware up 40-39 with 2.0 seconds left. On her worst day she is still a blooming legend.

New York, sweep New York. The Princeton Tigers enjoy their weekend.

Rhode Island is 0-12 in the A-10, and Indiana is 0-14 in the Big Ten.

Didn’t see this coming (nor, I’m sure, did JMU): Northeastern (4-11, CAA) 61, the Dukes (11-4) 50. First win ever for the Huskies over James Madison.

The Pride came back from 4 down at the half to defeat Towson, 69-66, courtesy of a late three by Nicole Capurso. But dang, check out Shante Evans’ 29 pts, 20 rebs!

No you don’t, you PinkPurple Eagles, you! Niagara (7-9, MAAC) makes Marist  (15-1) work wicked hard (2OTs), but can’t quite pull off the upset. Red Foxes win, 79-77, and are conference champeens.

Fairfield (13-3 MAAC) sorta keeps pace, taking down Canisius, 63-51.

In a game Nate wanted us to watch, but we were too busy watching this and this and this). USC built a big first half lead and eased to a 66-54 win over UCLA and new coach Close.

So, Nell must be enjoying her post-Bonner time at Auburn, huh?

In the kind of news a program wants to hear, Creighton (9-6 MVC) took down Indiana State, 63-48.

Not a battle of powerhouses, but still painful to witness the state of George Washington basketball. They (4-8, A-10) go down to Massachusetts (2-10), 56-53.

Tennessee still keeping their fans on tenterhooks. They travel to Ole Miss (2-12, SEC) and win, 66-56.

Welcome to the world of Georgia basketball: up, down, down, up. Then goes down to Florida, and goes down to Florida.

Speaking of up and down, down and up, up and down: hello Michigan State fans! In OT, Spartans 67, Purdue 52.

I totally understand why a 24-2, 13-0 C-USA team is not ranked (right). BUT, I sure hope SOMEONE in the top 25 is checking their roster, counting the number of underclassmen, and pondering a game next season.

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Work seriously interfered with

you know, blogging, so it took me a while to get to the big upset of yesterday… which, when you look at the box is quite easy to explain: Free throws and fouls.

Great, great back-and-forth game between #8 Maryland and #6 Miami, and it wasn’t Williams or Johnson who pushed the Hurricanes to victory, but Yderstrom.

Vandy couldn’t take advantage of their big win over TN and got handled by the Bulldogs.

It was reeeeeally, reaaaally close, but #23 Georgia Tech continued North Carolina’s misery, 56-54.

Loyola (MD) (12-13, 8-6MAAC) surprised the heck out Fairfield (18-7, 11-3), 55-48.

Nice, if not important, win for ODU (9-16, 6-7 CAA) over UNC-Wilmington (15-9, 8-5).

Indiana missed out on their first Big Ten win by one point.

The worst thing about the Border Showdown was not the score (KState 47, K 43), but the injury to Jayhawk Carolyn Davis.

VCU v. James Madison was the expected dogfight: Dukes over Rams, 65-64.

There was a moment during halftime when UCLA had visions of upsets dancing in their heads. Then N.O. said, “No.”

Both UTEP and Middle Tennessee won to stay fer-0 in conference play.

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Play 4Kay games

start early and end late. Check’em out!

Of the ranked teams, I’m particularly interested in the Miami/MD game (2pmEST ESPN2) and the Ohio State/Purdue game (5pmEST ESPN2).

I’m hoping James Madison v. VCU is  a good’un, ditto with Tulane/UTEP.

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Whoa!

Yes, they were missing Thomas, but still…Maryland losing to Va Tech? At home? Gotta be the upset of the season. (Hmmm, maybe there’s an anti-WHB curse goin’ on — I poke Kansas, I poke Va Tech… and look what happens!) DC BasketCases keep their reaction short and (not so) sweet.

If you though the Terps’ 19 TOs were bad, look at Auburn: 30 against Kentucky, and the loss.

Vandy regrets dropping out of the polls and took it out on #15 Georgia, 68-48.

No problems for Baylor as they took care of Oklahoma and (oh, oh) Griner hit a… three!?! (That’s just not fair.) Oh, and how cool is this? At the New York Times Krista Pirtle of The Lariat at Baylor University will file reports about the top-ranked Baylor Lady Bears throughout the season for The Quad.

Hofstra put up a great fight in the first half, and was tied with Delaware going into the break. Then EDD took over: 41pts, 15 rebs, 5 assists, and the Pride fell, 84-66.

It took overtime, but the Illini got their first Big 10 win: 71-62 over Michigan State.

The Tribe finally win a close one: William & Mary 83, ODU 80. Oh, and it’s their first win against ODU in 53 tries. (Great photo.)

Whoa! The Penguins (3-5 Horizon) took down Detroit (5-3 Horizon), 80-67.

FGCU beat up on the Mercer Bears, 92-55.

Bookends in the C-USA: UTEP goes to 7-0 in conference play (and coach Adams gets her 300th win) and sends Southern Miss to 0-7.

Looks like this isn’t the Vikings’ year — perhaps it’s the Bobcats’? Montana State 70, Portland State 50.

Six of Arizona’s seven losses are in the PAC-12.

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Feels like deja vu all over again,

doesn’t it, what with Maryland and the overtimes and winning. The Basket Cases are thrilled.

Neither Arkansas, Mississippi State, Auburn, NC State, Mississippi nor Oklahoma put up much of a fight.

Della Donne only had 40pts in the Blue Hens win over George Mason.

The return of Stevens (and the other walking Red Storm wounded) is good news for St. John’s — and bad news for #12 Louisville. Cardinals go down, 72-64.

‘ware the Miners! UTEP took down Memphis, 66-60.

South Carolina goes to 3-0 in the SEC, but we’re not talking about the game.

Another game that Debbie and Beth would want to have been at: Hofstra took down William & Mary, 100-97. The Pride’s now 3-0 in the CAA.

Speaking of the CAA: in the battle of the former WNBA players Beth Cunningham (VCU) took down Cynthia Cooper (UNC-W).

With their 77-72 win over Iowa (in Iowa City), the Huskers are now 3-0 with the Big Ten.

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Fwap! Fwap! Fwappity, fwap, fwap!

That would have been the sound of Duke’s Elizabeth Williams blocking her way to a triple-double and an ACC record. Oh, and Duke won, too.

Meanwhile, over at the Comcast center, Maryland fans were treated to a show of heart and Georgia Tech went away broken-hearted.

UNLV pulled its own comeback, topping Fresno State 73-71.

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In anticipation of tonight’s Terps/Yellow Jackets

game, the WaPo’s Gene Wang has: Laurin Mincy is big reason why Maryland women’s basketball has surged this season

There was a time in the not-too-distant past when the 6-foot Mincy wasn’t sure whether she would reach this point following a decorated high school career. During the summer between her junior and senior year, Mincy tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her left knee, derailing her final season at University High in Newark.

When she arrived in College Park, Mincy not only was nursing effects from surgery but doing so while assimilating to the rugged ACC. But as Maryland’s season drew to a close, Mincy finally began thinking about shot-making rather than the stability of her knee.

The DC BasketCases has this news about the game:

Friday’s game at Comcast (8:30 PM) between the Terps and Georgia Tech has been designated as Leukemia Awareness Night. Coach B and the Maryland program have joined forces with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Team Tyler Foundation to raise awareness of leukemia and also celebrate survivors of this terrible disease.

***

the BCs encourage you, if possible, to donate to these worthy organizations. But whether you can donate (or not) we also want to tell you about another way that you might save the life of someone who has leukemia. Join the Be the Match Registry (formerly called the National Bone Marrow Registry)!

As you probably know and can read about in greater detail on the Be the Match web site, here, individuals suffering from leukemia and other blood cancers sometimes need a bone marrow transplant in order to survive. Basically, they need the stem cells that are found in bone marrow and that mature into new blood cells, and they need them from someone who is a suitable match in terms of marrow cell types. The closer the match, the greater the chance that the transplant will be a success.

As someone who’s done it, BTM is a simple, simple process. I add my voice to the BC’s: take action!

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45 minutes and counting down…

Mel’s got some stuff on the game: Another Delaware Game-Changing Moment Awaits At Maryland

Since the season got under way back in early November the Delaware women’s basketball team has been akin to someone heading off the beach to do a little body surfing in uncharted waters.

Several times out the Blue Hens have looked at a wave unlike most they had ever seen and after successfully navigating across the crest an even bigger one would lie ahead.

With junior Elena Delle Donne healthy and happy, Delaware (10-0) is getting a rush from playing in an environment and setting challenges that not too long ago existed in another galaxy from where the Blue Hens dwell.

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Another Terp on the move

Point guard Dara Taylor is transferring to PSU. (@Conor__Walsh Conor Walsh: Terp point guard Dara Taylor to transfer to Penn State, a team spokesperson confirmed today)

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Au revoir, I’m goin’ pro

Diandra Tchatchouang will not return to Maryland next season.

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*All sing* It’s raining… rain!

As our friend Pseudonymity notes, wet weather did a number on some SEC games:

Rain delay? What sport are we talking about? Tennessee beats Ole Miss in rain-shortened game after roof failure.

The same weather system caused the Florida-Vanderbilt game to be postponed until Friday night.

Auburn ends losing streak, upsets Georgia.

LSU wins overtime home game against South Carolina.

Mathies’ layup in the final seconds gives Kentucky the home win over Arkansas
Slow start dooms Alabama against Mississippi State, ending their mini-win streak.

I believe the following analysis is correct: With South Carolina’s loss to LSU, three of the first round byes in the SEC tournament are set: Tennessee is the #1 overall seed, and Kentucky and Georgia have byes. Vanderbilt can clinch a bye with one win in their next two games, tonight or against South Carolina on Sunday.

Otherwise, the fourth bye is complicated.

Want more on the SEC? Check out Rocky Top Talk, where David Hooper write: Three Weeks Is Enough Time for the Lady Vols

In a way, I really couldn’t be happier about how the regular season has gone for the Lady Vols.  Despite dropping a real head-scratcher to Georgetown in the Paradise Jam, the no-show against Baylor, and the multitude of dubious wins throughout conference play, Tennessee is positioning themselves for their best shot at a deep NCAA run since the Candace Parker-led championship teams.  The depth may actually be the greatest in the history of Tennessee basketball, and the mix of players affords Tennessee the opportunity to match up favorably against just about anything the field can throw their way.

In other games:

Note to self – Don’t be an idiot: Flip a finger, lose your Senior night. Guess it was a “fun” game between Rutgers and the University of South Florida.

In the “We’re not dead yet,” category: Ohio State got a pound of flesh when they rallied to upset #8 Michigan State.

No really, what is going on with the #16 Tar Heels (no disrespect to Georgia Tech intended)? North Carolina goes down for a third straight game.

There was no drama when the #9 Blue Devils met the Cavaliers.

Being ranked didn’t go to Houston’s head. The #25 Cougars easily handled the Thundering Herd.

No really, keep an eye on “insanely awesome” Miami. The #14 ‘Canes won big against #12 Florida State.

#17 Maryland easily defeated Virginia Tech and Green Bay hand no problem with Valpo, earning them the Horizon title.

Speaking of the Horizon, Butler (11-5  – Horizon) got surprised by Milwaukee (7-5), 73-66.

I’m thinking that if you’re in the CAA, you simply don’t want to face the Blue Hens and Delle Donne in the conference tourney. Delaware (9-7 – conf) took down VCU, (11-5 – conf) 75-67.

Doink! Maybe it’s a delayed WHB curse: Penn State lost to Purdue, 51-49. Mingo snagged 16 rebounds and 12 points.

Squeak! Maybe it’s a delayed reaction to their Stanford loss, but UCLA just squeaked by Arizona, 74-70.

Sports Illustrated (aka the AP) writes about this year’s new crop of players: Talented young guards make immediate impact

So does Mechelle: Simmons, Fussell live up to expectations – Freshmen from Tennessee and Texas shine in loaded and talented rookie class

Meighan Simmons has a little scar on her forehead, the kind you guess was caused by some childhood mishap. Considering the Tennessee freshman does everything at about 100 mph, you correctly suspect she wasn’t much different as a toddler.

“I was 2 years old,” Simmons explained. “I ran into the wall, split my head open. I was running from my older sister, and my dad had told me to slow down. Then I turned around to look to see if my sister was still coming and — bam. The wall was right there.”

And DishnSwish writes: From Rings & Medals to the Bottom of the Big East, Anne Donovan Is Loving the Challenge

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Game called on account of darkness…

Or might have been, if Ariana Morer didn’t hit a buzzer-beater to avoid a FIFTH overtime. It was Virginia over NC State, 94-92.

Sometimes the numbers lie: #11 Maryland shot over 50% and won the battle of the boards, but Miami’s Shenise Johnson couldn’t care less. She went off for 30pts and the #21 Hurricanes came away with the upset. The DC BasketCases called it a “Tale of two Halves.”

I know it’s all the rage to wonder what’s up with Ohio State, but I kinda have the same question about #18 Kentucky, especially after the Wildcats lost to the suddenly surging South Carolina.

The UW women got their first sweep of Cal since ’04-’05.

LSU free throwed…threw… used free throws to squeak by Auburn.

It’s Tigers v Lions in a key Ivy match-up tonight.

The Ducks, says Rob Moseley of the Register-Guard, reached a new low in their loss to UCLA.

That makes 10 in a row for the Northern Iowa women.

Not to be out done, that’s 49 Pac-10 wins in a row for the Cardinal.

We’ve heard this before: “Sloppy” and “Tennessee.” We’ve also seen the result: Lady Vol victory.

In a battle of the States, Michigan took it to Penn and Anthony Odoradi thinks Merchant should be a household name.

North Carolina enjoys playing Clemson.

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The current events in Egypt

are making the DC Basket Cases revisit their trip from last year.

The also write most amusingly about the Terp/Longwood game.

Longwood is located in Farmville, Virginia, an actual place that (we think) inspired the popular Facebook game. (Anybody need a cow?) Why the Terps took a break from their ACC schedule to play another cupcake overmatched opponent, we don’t know. We thought that part of the schedule wrapped up in November and December. Not so. But even though this game didn’t promise to be overly-competitive, Maryland games are always fun, so off we headed to College Park this afternoon.

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The Basket Cases caught the Duke-MD game

and say, it “Felt Like March . . .”

Watching tonight’s game between #14 Maryland and #3 Duke, you’d never have known it was January; or, that it was opening night of the ACC season. No, this game felt more like March . . . like an ACC final. That’s when we expect intense, hard-fought nailbiters, full of punches and counterpunches by two really good teams. Not so much in early January.

A little south of them, Lady Swish has your Saturday special: HU, NSU, Richmond, Liberty, Radford in action and notes that VCU’s Hurt goes off again; ODU, JMU earn CAA wins

Courtney Hurt is doing for the Rams (7-6, 2-0 CAA) what Elena Delle Donne did for Delaware a year ago during her fabulous freshman season – almost singlehandedly carrying her squad to victories. Hurt’s number were spectacular by themselves – a school record-tying 35 points, 13 rebounds. But 25 of those points – 25 of VCU’s 39 – came in the second half as she rallied her Rams past the dangerous Seahawks (9-4, 1-1 CAA). It was the latest in a string of sensational efforts from Hurt (24.9 ppg, 13.7 rpg), the most potent double-double force in the CAA since, well, Elena Delle Donne. Hey, ESPN, how ’bout some national pub for this kid?

Will you take a little love from the WHB?

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A little whomp, stomp and squeak

Well, you’ve got to believe that this was Georgia Tech’s biggest win in the Joseph era: nipping #8 (and no longer undefeated) UNC 71-70. The Tar Heels has a 7-point lead with 1:40 left. Oops. That’s three straight at home for the Yellow Jackets, and just third victory in the last 17 meetings vs. UNC.

#10 Kentucky didn’t have much time to recover from their loss at Duke – and Arkansas may have given some “pushover no more” notice — as the Razorbacks knocked off the Wildcats.

Duke was in a Terp-fight with Maryland, but (as they seem to do in close games) clamped down and pulled away in the end for the 71-64 victory.

Michigan St. took care of business against Wisconsin, while the WHB Jinx did its work on Michigan v. Purdue. Virginia Tech was no match for Florida State, and Green Bay dispatched a stubborn Youngstown State.

I think it would be an act of kindness not to discuss the masacree that was the Tennessee/Alabama game, or the 30pt-answer Stanford gave to Tom’s question in the Mechelle chat.

tom: Pac 10 questions. What do you think of Niya Butts and the Arizona program? They seem to be winning solidly. As things stand, could they be the fifth Pac 10 team (behind Stanford, UCLA, USC and ASU) to get in? Cal is a bit of a question mark at this point, correct?

Mechelle Voepel: The Wildcats lost to Texas A&M in November but kept the game pretty close, which was a good sign. Another sign will be how they fare against Stanford tonight – not whether they win, which is unlikely, but how well they play. As for Cal, the vast majority of teams are still NCAA tournament “question marks” now, so they have plenty of time to make their case for a tournament bid. Will need to show more determination and fight than they did against Stanford over the weekend, which I’m sure Coach Boyle has been talking to the Bears about this week.

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What’s up?

From Graham: A look at the week ahead

Thursday – Maryland at Duke:With Maryland coming off back-to-back quality wins against St. John’s at home and Saint Joseph’s on the road, this rivalry looks as enticing as it has in several seasons. The boards will be big. That Maryland is one of the nation’s statistically dominant rebounding teams came into question after St. John’s claimed an edge on the boards, but hang with the Blue Devils and any questions will be answered.

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Lots and lots and LOTS of good stuff

in Mel’s latest: Maryland’s Board Work Stifles St. Joseph’s

Drexel Down and Delaware Up

It was a mixed day for the two area teams diving into the start of play in the Colonial Athletic Association.

After having the best nonconference record in the Denise Dillon era, Drexel was victimized by the debut of new North Carolina-Wilmington coach Cynthia Dyke-Cooper, the former WNBA and Olympic star who guided the Sea Hawks to a 69-61 victory. UNCW (9-3, 1-0) shot 64.4 percent from the field.

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