And here we go: Selection Sunday starts now.

[mred]

ESPN starting now...

[Row6Seat10]

Duke be warned the Big 12 is coming in the Mid-east.

[horntooter]

Texas escapes playing at Norman. What a relief! Look forward to seeing that OU - Tennessee matchup in Norman. And Missouri makes it with an 11 seed!

[Jennifer]

Yay for Missouri! I'd love to see them beat up on Stanford. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

Wow...OU earned that #3. Awesome.

And K-State hung on to #2.

[horntooter]

UT gets a 1!! in Seattle!! Whooppeee!

[Beerman]

All I have to say is.....OUCH!!!

Looks like Tech's miserable season will finally be put to rest.

[GoggleGuy]

Hmm...I think monkeys trained to pull out names from a hat could possibly put a bracket together to rival that one.

Take a look at the second round: Iowa v. Penn State? Mizzou v. Oklahoma? A regional championship that could be decided by two highly ranked teams facing off again on the exact same court they met earlier in the season? Th eonly difference is that Tennessee would wear the white shirts this time.

Oh well, time to see if the other committee could do any better.

[Row6Seat10]

Colorado a 6 seed against UCSB on the Gouchos home court? What gives? And Ames doesn't get a Big 12 team?

[hornhooks]

Congrats to ALL Big XII teams, especially Missouri. Good luck and let's send a team to the FFour!!!

Hook 'em and gooooooooooo Horns!!!!

[MWC_Sooner]

http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/mayhem/brackets/viewable_women

complete bracket

[Jennifer]

Originally posted by hornhooks:
Congrats to ALL Big XII teams, especially Missouri. Good luck and let's send a team to the FFour!!!

Hook 'em and gooooooooooo Horns!!!!

Why stop with 1? I want to see at least 2! http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

[ladyhorns1fan]

Originally posted by Jennifer:
Why stop with 1? I want to see at least 2! http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif



Me, too!

Hook 'Em!

[JohnHenry]

Well, I think that was pretty fair, all in all. The Big 12 was respected (except Colorado - #6 ??!!), Mizzou got in, and Texas got a #1. Baylor is better than the other 4's, and would wipe the floor with #3 Boston College ('9 out of 10 times', as some poster at the Boneyard likes to say...). OU looks to have a better than even chance to make the Regional final at home.

And I don't think Tech's season is over at all. They can beat Duke if they play well. Duke is (imo) the weakest #1 out there.

Purdue will be a tough gig for Texas, though. They have quick and able guards like OU does. We'll have to really learn from last night's game if we have to face Shereka Wright...

8 teams from the Big East is a joke. If West Virginia is a tourney team, then by God ISU is. Vandy at #2 is a little much, but they were starved for #2s, I guess. La Tech got put in their place, and Stanford (along with the rest of the Pac-10) may have been treated a little too harshly by the committee.

I too am annoyed that no Big 12 team got sent to Ames. That's just dumb.

What is clear is that the committee really placed a premium on schedule and conference strength this year.

Unprecedented to have 6 viable #1 seeds out there, though. This tourney will be interesting.

[This message has been edited by JohnHenry (edited 03-14-2004).]

[ISUbballfan]

So which teams will go to Oklahoma?

[hornhooks]

Originally posted by ladyhorns1fan:
Me, too!

Hook 'Em!

Ditto....me too. I wasn't thinking clearly due to the excitement of the #1 seed. By the way, CONGRATS to Coach Coale and OU for an Academy Award winning performance last night. You guys (ladies) put on a clinic and I for one, am eternally gratefully that we won't meet up again until the prom......

[40ishHorn]

I'm pleased with the bracketing involving UT. Happy with 7 Big 12 teams. UCONN #2: YEAH!!!

Baylor/KMR @ The Pit in New Mexico should be interesting if they end up playing the Lobos. CU got screwed a bit. Hope Tech beats Tech (you know I'm a homer for the Big 12). Would love to see Baylor knock off Tenn in the SS, and Tech or KSU knock off Duke.

[JohnHenry]

Originally posted by ISUbballfan:
So which teams will go to Oklahoma?

The Midwest Regional:

1 Tennessee
2 Vandy
3 OU
4 Baylor

[BeBe]

I can't believe CU got #6!

Hopefully the team will take that as an insult and get fired up to show 'them' by making it to at least the sweet 16 again.

[Beerman]

And I don't think Tech's season is over at all. They can beat Duke if they play well. Duke is (imo) the weakest #1 out there.

If we get to Duke....

I'm worried about LaTech. Athletic teams like Baylor really hurt us. LaTech is the original Baylor.

[two cents]

Three subregionals with 2 teams from the same conference. That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen. What the heck was the committee smoking? When has that happened before? Maybe, the '80's? Good grief!!

Columbus: W Va and BC
Tempe: Okla and Mizzou
Blacksburg: Penn St and Iowa

I'll have to go back to seen when that last occurred.

[JohnHenry]

Remember that TTech has faced plenty of tough teams in their own conference. LaTech is good, but they are not very battle-tested. TT has a couple of weeks to prepare and should be ready and able. The LRs will outrebound LaTech and probably have more quality depth.

The OU/Mizzou subregional should have been the Ames bracket. Makes no sense.

[This message has been edited by JohnHenry (edited 03-14-2004).]

[35TangoTango]

TRAVESTY IN TEMPE!!!!!

There are 7 Big 12 teams to put in 16 sub-regionals; so why do we have two of them in the same one?

And think of poor Stanford? Two advance, they will have to beat two Big 12 teams in a row. It's Deja Vu all over again.

[CUBuffs13]

Buffs a 6 seed?!?!?!?! They finish third in the Big 12 and NEVER lose to an unranked team and get a 6! Notre Dame is the 5 in that region and finishes a few games worse and lost to CU. Where's Utah?!?! That's horrible they're not in. Congrats to Mizzou - I'm very happy to see them in the tournament. It's time for our ladies to pull back out the "NR" (no respect) they markered on their hands two years ago. They were fired up and made it past Stanford to the Elite 8. I'd like to see them pumped up again. A six is just silly! I'm looking forward to seeing it all play out on the court.

[Bball Girl]

I agree that CU got rooked....and I think a Big 12 team should have been sent to Ames...

Congrats to Mizzou and to OU with the #3 well deserved and Texas with the #1 also well deserved.

the boneyard is predicting that no #1 seeds will make it thru...wonder why http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/wink.gif

[Dale8R]

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaw/ Lead story at the moment. Wonder WHO wrote it, and how long will it take them to take it down or fix it?

The Big Ten's big two knocks UConn from a No. 1

Connecticut is the defending champion, but in the eyes of the selection committee, the Huskies aren't one of the four favorites to win it all. Tennessee, Texas, Penn State and Purdue earned the four No. 1 seeds, relegating UConn to the No. 2 in the East behind the Lady Lions. This is the first time since 1998 that UConn is not a top seed.

[Go Buffs]

I'm not really too upset with CU's #6 seeding. Although I expected a 4 or a 5, CU was not playing its best basketball at the end of the year.

I just think this gives CU extra motivation to get out and play well in Santa Barbara. CU has faced tougher crowds in Manhattan, Lubbock, Ames, Waco, and Norman than they will face in Santa Barbara, and in my opinion, Houston is the weakest of the #3 seeds.

Also CU has a chance at a first ever meeting with Connecticut if they can get through the sub-regional.

Anyone else heading to Santa Barbara???

[YCN]

The top 4 seeds in the Midwest have won 26 games combined against top 25 teams this year. The West won 24, while the Mideast won 20 and the East won 18.

Of course in the interest of fairness it was deemed that Duke and UConn would have the least firepower in their regionals, and that Duke would play in Durham for the opportunity to get to Norfolk, and UConn plays in Fairfield for the opportunity to get to Hartford.

Top seed Penn State may have to beat Virginia Tech on their home court to get to Hartford, Colorado has to play on the Gauchos home court where they are 15-1 this year, for the privilege of playing Houston, Kansas State gets to go 550 miles away to Minneapolis to save 75 miles each way for Purdue to go to Ames instead, where they will no doubt be immensely more popular than KSU would have been.

I see really weak attempts at reducing travel costs, which is why they have the subregionals all over the country in the first place.

Houston, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Colorado in Santa Barbara.
Texas Tech, Maine and La Tech in Missoula.
Florida and Loyola Marymount in Albuquerque.
Maryland, Miami and Austin Peay in Baton Rouge.
TCU in Philadelphia.
Oklahoma, Missouri and Marist in Tempe.
Auburn in Fairfield.
Kansas State and UCLA in Minnesota.
Rutgers in Chattanooga.
St. Francis (Pa.), Villanova and Mississippi in Ames.
Iowa in Blacksburg.
Northwestern State and Marquette in Durham.
Colgate, George Washington and DePaul in Tallahassee.
Southern, Michigan State and Arizona in Austin.

That's 31 teams that must all be going to subregionals more than 500 miles from home. Was this really necessary?

[YCN]

Somebody needs to tell the writer of the story at Yahoo that Purdue didn't get a #1 seed, Duke did.

[unkiemark]

It's a little hard to understand how CU is a #6 while Baylor is a #4. But what really should anger us all is that the Buffs open with UCSB on their home floor. Certainly CU isn't the only higher seeded team that has to face a lower seeded team on the lower seed's home floor. But WOW, this really takes the neutral out of the neutral court. Opening the tourney this way! Let's hope the Buffs prove that they are more than a #6 seed.

The Buffs certainly hurt themselves over the last month or so of the season, by not beating a ranked team. So perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised at the seed. So here's what's up for the Buffs, a win at UCSB gets them Houston - most likely. A win over Houston gets them a shot at UCONN in Hartford.

BTW, when do we learn of the tipoff times for the first and second round games? It sure will be helpful in making travel plans :-)



------------------
MarkW

[swok34]

Love Jody's comment http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/wink.gif

Win two games in Austin and the Longhorns will travel to Seattle for the regional semifinals. But no matter where the Longhorns go, they won't have to face another Big 12 team until possibly the Final Four. Of the seven Big 12 teams that made the tournament, only Texas is the West.

"There was a big sigh of relief," Conradt said. "In my mind, I'm done with the Big 12."

[YCN]

Over at ESPN the voters are saying, by a wide margin, that Tennessee has the easiest road to the Final Four of all the top seeds. I wonder what Vandy, OU and Baylor think about that?

And putting Purdue in Hartford where UConn plays several times a year is a travesty. By not getting a number one UConn should have been pushed off that court, if they are "protecting" the highest seeds, as they say. I hope UConn loses by 20 in their subregional against Auburn.

And what's up with Colorado's draw? They play on UCSB's home court where the Gauchos are 15-1 this year, and if they win they probably have to play Houston. After that projects UConn and Penn State. And that's just to GET to the Final Four. Their seed couldn't have been gerrymandered to reduce travel, because they go to the west coast, and if they survive there, they go to the east coast.

Compare CU to all of the #5 seeds:

Colorado
Record: 22-7
RPI: 19
SOS: 28
Last 10: 5-5 (average RPI 54.1)
Record against top 25: 2-5

Losses: 5 Texas, 8 Kansas State, at 8 Kansas State, at 11 Oklahoma, vs 11 Oklahoma, at 12 Texas Tech, at 31 Minnesota.
(Minnesota surely would have finished in the top 25 with Lindsay Whalen.)

Wins: 18 Old Dominion, at 23 Baylor, 30 Notre Dame, 45 Missouri, at 45 Missouri


Notre Dame
Record: 19-10
RPI: 30
SOS: 22
Lasst 10: 7-3 (average RPI 108.9)
Record against top 25: 3-6

Losses: vs 1 Tennessee, at 4 Purdue, at 19 Colorado, at 20 Michigan State, 22 Rutgers, at 22 Rutgers, at 53 Washington, at 57 West Virginia, at 91 Georgetown, at 117 Seton Hall.

Wins: 6 Connecticut, 17 Boston College, 25 Villanova, vs 26 Auburn, at 27 Miami, 27 Miami, 37 Marquette


Florida
Record: 18-10
RPI: 13
SOS: 4
Last 10: 5-5 (average RPI 35.4)
Record against top 25: 3-5

Losses: at 1 Tennessee, at 9 LSU, 9 LSU, vs 15 Georgia, 23 Baylor, at 27 Miami, 42 Arkansas, at 44 Richmond, at 50 Mississippi, at 59 Mississippi State

Wins: at 10 Vanderbilt, 10 Vanderbilt, at 15 Georgia, 15 Georgia, at 26 Auburn, at 34 George Washington, vs 46 Temple


Louisiana Tech
Record: 27-2
RPI: 24
SOS: 111
Last 10: 10-0 (average RPI 143.3)
Record against top 25: 1-1

Losses: at 1 Tennessee, at 52 Rice

Wins: at 3 Penn State


Miami (Fla.)
Record: 22-6
RPI: 27
SOS: 70
Last 10: 6-4 (average RPI 85.6)
Record against top 25: 3-4

Losses: at 6 Connecticut, vs 17 Boston College, 22 Rutgers, at 25 Villanova, at 30 Notre Dame, 57 West Virginia

Wins: 10 Vanderbilt, 13 Florida, at 17 Boston College, 17 Boston College, 44 Richmond


It looks like the selection committee looked only at the wins, and not at the losses, and where those losses occurred. If they had actually looked at the big picture, which I don't think they did, the wouldn't have had Colorado as a #6.

If I were CU, I'd be hopping mad about this, and I would take it out on everybody in my path until somebody played inspired enough to beat me.

[unkiemark]

Time for one more rant -- I'll reserve the right to do more in the future. Airfare from Denver to Santa Barbara for next weekend begins at $434. Hope that doesn't dissuade too many http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/cu.gif fans from making the trip.



------------------
MarkW

[swok34]

An excerpt from the live chat (archived now) by Marra...I posted one question and answer, this poster is torched..... http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/smile.gif

entire chat: http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=4889

Teresa(Albany,NY): I am very upset with the seeding. Texas should defidently not have been a #1 seed,after that 22 point loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament. If you are going to give a #1 seed to Penn State,then you should give a #1 seed to Purdue who beat them in the Big 10 championship. If you are going to give Texas a #1 seed,why not give UCONN a #1 seed too? And I am also astonished that you gave Stanford a #6 seed. I would have thought at least a 3 or 4. And the locations that teams recived are horrible. Purdue in the west, UC Santa Barbra in the East, Miami(FLA) in the West,Georgia in the west,Villanova in the west,etc. I know it doesn't much matter, but I'm talking 3 time zones away. I am very angry.

Cheryl Marra: Texas tied for the regular season conf. champion in the Big 12. They were the only No. 1 seed to play every other No. 1 seed. They beat Tenn, they beat Duke, they lost to Penn State. They beat No. 2 seed K-State, they beat Okalhoma twice, and Georgia. So, for Texas, it was the overall schedule and what they did within that, that allowed them to obtain the last No. 1 spot.

[swok34]

unkiemark...

here's a note from OU's website:

NOTE: Game times and television status will be announced by the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee on Monday, March 15.

[YCN]

Yeah, Mara didn't hang around very long, I think the angry questions were really bugging her.

I'm not going to say any more about the seedings and site assignments, I think I've already said all I need to.

[Jennifer]

Funny how on some boards, there is talk of an "anti-SEC" bias since there are 3 SEC teams in the Midwest.
However, when there were 3 Big 12 Teams in the West in 2002, it was all part of a conspiracy to make sure hte Big 12 got a Final Four team. http://hoopscoop.net/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[Moooooo]

For those upset that no Big 12 team was sent to Ames, you need to look at the big picture:

#1 Tennessee did not get sent to nearby Chattanooga because UTC, the host team, was seeded #10, so the committee needed to place a #2, 7, and 15 in that sub-regional; Lady Vols did not fit the bill but Vanderbilt did.

Virginia Tech was seeded #8 (or 9?) as host in their sub-regional, so the committee needed to place a #1, 8/9, and 16 in that sub-regional. Penn State got the nod because #1 Texas and #1 Duke are hosting, and #1 Tennessee going to Blacksburg would mean PSU would have a long commute for their first game. So, geography dictates LV's to Tallahassee, and PSU to Blacksburg.

As for Ames, Purdue is the higher rated #2 above K-State, so they were given preference for proximity to their home. Plus, they weren't gonna send them to Minneapolis, where Big 10 Minnesota was hosting.

[dem]

No doubt there are reasonable technical grounds for the makeup of the Ames subregional. The bottom line, though, is that four teams are coming that have no resonance with the local fans, while some relatively minor adjustments could easily have sent in other teams (KSU and SMS, for example) that would have been big fan favorites.

So the current system has dispensed with earning the first two games at home and getting a chance to attract a large and enthusiastic crowd. Instead, we have a combination of anti-neutral sites for higher seeds (e.g., Baylor, Colorado, and Kansas State), along with subregionals composed of teams that have no intrinsic basis for drawing a substantial crowd.

The NCAA can get away with this in Ames because here there truly is a substantial fan base for women's basketball. We will turn out and watch the games, albeit with restrained enthusiasm. And no doubt some of Purdue's large fan base with make the trip. But at other sites where this occurs, look for embarrassing wide expanses of empty seats, all televised nationwide. A pathetically misconceived strategy for building the game, in my opinion.

[catladyok]

The neat thing about this year is that there are so many teams who could win the championship regardless of how they are seeded at the beginning of the tourney. It's anybody's tournament now, and I can't wait for the games to start.

Thank goodness the tournament losses didn't affect K-State's and Texas' seeding. It may have affected, CU, though. DANG!

[mc6821]

Anyone else heading to Santa Barbara???

I already booked the flight, GB. Are you going?

[dnyce]

Originally posted by two cents:
Three subregionals with 2 teams from the same conference. That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen. What the heck was the committee smoking? When has that happened before? Maybe, the '80's? Good grief!!

Columbus: W Va and BC
Tempe: Okla and Mizzou
Blacksburg: Penn St and Iowa

I'll have to go back to seen when that last occurred.

YOU REALY THINK WEST VA WILL BEAT OHIO STATE ON ITS HOME FLOOR YOU MUST BE CRAZY NOT SAYING THAT OSU IS ALL THAT GREAT BUT THEY ARE TALL ATHLETIC AND FOR GOODNESS SAKE THEY ARE A JIM FOSTER TEAM HIS TEAMS HAVE NEVER BEEN PUT OUT IN THE FIRST ROUND