Jennifer
04-03-2002, 11:37 PM
USA Today/ESPN with outlooks.
1. Connecticut (40) 33-0 1,000 1
NCAA results: Beat St. Francis 86-37, beat Iowa 86-48, beat Penn State 82-64, beat Old Dominion 85-64, beat Tennessee 79-56, beat Oklahoma 82-70. Outlook: Starting lineup takes potentially devastating loss of four starters, including All-America guard Sue Bird and forward Swin Cash. All-America guard Diana Taurasi needs help from inexperienced returnees and a heralded recruiting class.
2. Oklahoma 32-4 960 2
NCAA results: Beat Hartford 84-52, beat Villanova 66-53, beat Texas Tech 72-62, beat Colorado 94-60, beat Duke 86-71, lost to UConn 82-70. Outlook: Will greatly miss backcourt of All-American Stacey Dales, LaNeishea Caufield and Rosalind Ross. Dionnah Jackson is a promising sophomore guard. Versatile post player Caton Hill returns.
3. Tennessee 29-5 898 6
NCAA results: Beat Georgia State 98-68, beat Notre Dame 89-50, beat Brigham Young 68-57, beat Vanderbilt 68-63, lost to UConn 79-56. Outlook: Lady Vols lose just one key player, center Michelle Snow. Leading scorer Kara Lawson returns as do others inside and outside. Plenty of returning talent for NCAA semifinalist.
4. Duke 31-4 875 3
NCAA results: Beat Norfolk State 95-48, beat Texas Christian 76-66, beat Texas 62-46, beat South Carolina 77-68, lost to Oklahoma 86-71. Outlook: Blue Devils lose one regular and have a top recruiting class that should supply low-post help. Alana Beard and Monique Currie lead on the perimeter.
5. Vanderbilt 30-7 835 4
NCAA results: Beat Oakland 63-38, beat Arizona State 61-35, beat North Carolina 70-61, lost to Tennessee 68-63. Outlook: Big loss for team losing in the last two regional finals is scorer-rebounder Zuzi Klimesova. Commodores return best center in the college game, Chantelle Andersen, and a top point guard, Ashley McElhiney.
6. South Carolina 25-7 737 13
NCAA results: Beat Liberty 69-61, beat Cincinnati 75-56, beat Drake 79-65, lost to Duke 77-68. Outlook: Key loss in dramatic turnaround season is guard Shaun Gortman, plus post Teresa Geter. Leading scorer Jocelyn Penn is among three returning starters. Should have scoring power.
7. Old Dominion 28-6 716 15
NCAA results: Beat Georgia 68-54, beat Purdue 74-70 OT, beat Kansas State 88-62, lost to UConn 85-64. Outlook: Monarchs lose two future pros in Hamchetou Maiga and Lucienne Berthieu. Should get a boost from 2001 junior college player of the year Max Nhassengo, coming off a knee injury that cost her the season, plus Okeisha Howard and Monique Coker.
8. Stanford 32-3 689 5
Outlook: NCAA results: Beat Weber State 76-51, beat Tulane 77-55, lost to Colorado 62-59. Outlook: Got to Sweet 16, led by Nicole Powell, who can play any position. Big loss is inside-outside threat Lindsey Yamasaki. Had strong contributions from freshmen.
9. Colorado 24-10 647 12
NCAA results: Beat Southern 88-61, beat LSU 69-58, beat Stanford 62-59, lost to Oklahoma 94-60. Outlook: Was game shy of Final Four with veteran lineup of four seniors. Tera Bjorklund will help inside, but Mandy Nightingale-Jenny Roulier backcourt must be replaced.
10. Kansas State 26-8 560 11
NCAA results: Beat Kent State 93-65, beat Arkansas 82-68, lost to Old Dominion 88-62. Outlook: Young team may have learned a valuable lesson in Sweet 16 blowout loss to Old Dominion. Four starters are back, including shooter Laurie Koehn and versatile post Nicole Ohlde.
11. North Carolina 26-9 512 16
NCAA results: Beat Harvard 85-58, beat Minnesota 72-69, lost to Vanderbilt 70-61. Outlook: Flashy guard Nikki Teasley is a major loss, but four starters return, including Coretta Brown. Candace Sutton, a 6-6 post, also is back.
12. Texas Tech 20-12 503 17
NCAA results: Beat Stephen F. Austin 84-65, beat Mississippi State 77-55, lost to Oklahoma 72-62. Outlook: Loses three valuable starters but could get help from bench. Jia Perkins is a top guard, and 6-5 Cisti Greenwalt is promising.
13. Texas 22-10 473 14
NCAA results: Beat Wisconsin-Green Bay 60-55, beat UC-Santa Barbara 76-60, lost to Duke 62-46. Outlook: Reached Sweet 16 after 10-year absence. Shouldn't have to wait as long for a return trip. Four starters return, including post Stacy Stephens and Big 12 rookie of the year Heather Schreiber.
14. Purdue 24-6 445 9
NCAA results: Lost to Old Dominion 74-70 OT. Outlook: Loses two valuable seniors, Kelly Komara and Laura Meadows. Shereka Wright is among three strong returnees who should give Boilers threats inside and outside.
15. Baylor 27-6 421 7
NCAA results: Beat Bucknell 80-56, lost to Drake 76-72. Outlook: Loses 1-2 punch of guard Sheila Lambert and forward Danielle Crockrom, both expected to be first-round WNBA picks. Only one returning starter, but reserves have potential.
16. Iowa State 24-9 385 10
NCAA results: Beat Temple 72-57, lost to Brigham Young 75-69. Outlook: Loses career scoring leader, post Angie Welle, plus valuable Tracy Gahan. Lindsey Wilson is one of three returning starters who could get help from transfers Ann O'Neill and Nina Smith.
17. BYU 24-9 347 NR
NCAA results: Beat Florida 90-52, beat Iowa State 75-69, lost to Tennessee 68-57. Outlook: Cougars lose two starters and a key reserve but return Erin Thorn among three starters.
18. Penn State 23-12 325 NR
NCAA results: Beat Chattanooga 82-67, beat Florida International 96-79, lost to UConn 82-64. Outlook: Kelly Mazzante led the country in scoring as a sophomore and is among four returning starters. Lions need a post player.
19. Louisiana Tech 25-5 264 8
NCAA results: Lost to UC-Santa Barbara 57-56. Outlook: Ended season by losing to Santa Barbara in first round of NCAA tournament. Forward Ayana Walker is key loss. Will depend on post Cheryl Ford, who had a breakout junior season.
20. Drake 25-8 244 NR
NCAA results: Beat Syracuse 87-69, beat Baylor 76-72, lost to South Carolina 79-65. Outlook: A Cinderella team in the Sweet 16. Team leader Stephanie Schmitz is one of three starters leaving. Post Carla Bennett leads the returnees.
21. Minnesota 22-8 204 22
NCAA results: Beat UNLV 71-54, lost to North Carolina 72-69. Outlook: Players are set with all five starters back, including Big Ten Player of the Year Lindsay Whalen. Biggest loss might be coach Brenda Oldfield, who Monday night was reported to be leaving for the Maryland job.
22. LSU 18-12 148 24
NCAA results: Beat Santa Clara 84-78, lost to Colorado 69-58. Outlook: Could be in for a big season with all starters back. Temeka Johnson, a 5-3 point guard, makes team exciting.
23. Cincinnati 27-5 107 19
NCAA results: Beat St. Peter's 76-63 OT, lost to South Carolina 75-56. Outlook: Probably will be favored to win Conference USA again with all starters back. Could have potential to make a deep run next season.
24. Colorado State 24-7 83 18
NCAA results: Lost to Tulane 73-69. Outlook: Should be strong again as Ashley Augspurger leads four returning starters and some key reserves.
25. TCU 24-7 79 25
NCAA results: Beat Indiana 55-45, lost to Duke 76-66. Outlook: Frogs lose Kati Safaritova but have strong returning cast that includes Sandora Irvin (niece of former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin) and senior Tricia Payne (out this season with knee injury).
Dropped out: No. 20 Boston College, No. 21 Florida , No. 23 Florida International.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Boston College (23-8) 65; Florida (18-11) 48; Mississippi State (19-12) 46; Arkansas (20-12) 45; Florida International (27-6) 44; Georgia (19-11) 44; Iowa (18-11) 39; Arizona State (25-9) 34; Notre Dame (20-10) 28; UC-Santa Barbara (26-6) 26; Tulane (24-11) 19; Indiana (17-14) 13; Liberty (23-8) 13; Villanova (20-11) 11; Virginia (17-13) 11; Oregon (21-13) 10; Wisconsin-Green Bay (24-7) 9; Houston (26-8) 8; Wisconsin (19-12) 8; Clemson (17-12) 6; North Texas (21-9) 6; UNLV (23-8) 4; Creighton (24-7) 2; Virginia Tech (21-11) 2; St. Peter's (25-5) 1; Pepperdine (23-8) 1.
The USA TODAY/ESPN Board of Coaches is made up of 40 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The 2001-02 board: Jane Albright, Wisconsin; Melanie Balcomb, Xavier; Dallas Bolla, Long Beach State; Brian Boyer, Arkansas State; Cheryl Burnett, Southwest Missouri State; Duffy Burns, Cleveland State; Gina Castelli, Siena; Bud Childers, James Madison; Martin Clapp, Louisville; Jim Davis, Clemson; Kathy Delaney-Smith, Harvard; Dan Durkin, Duquesne; Elaine Elliott, Utah; Bill Fennelly, Iowa State; Kim Foley, Central Connecticut State; Becky Francis, Oakland (Mich.); Marianna Freeman, Syracuse; Bill Gibbons, Holy Cross; Carey Green, Liberty; Gail Goestenkors, Duke; Kelly Graves, Gonzaga; Sue Gunter, LSU; Karen Hall, North Carolina A&T; Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame; Bernadette Mattox, Kentucky; Kathy Olivier, UCLA; Rene Portland, Penn State; Robin Potera, Montana State; Rhonda Rompola, Southern Methodist; Darryl Smith, Wichita State; James Smith, Northwestern State (La.); Ron Stewart, Western Michigan; Lisa Stockton, Tulane; Gail Striegler, Central Florida; Tara VanDerveer, Stanford; Sharon Versyp, Maine; Shirley Walker, Alcorn State; Marian Washington, Kansas; Annette Watts, Davidson; Bill Worrell, Tennessee Tech.
1. Connecticut (40) 33-0 1,000 1
NCAA results: Beat St. Francis 86-37, beat Iowa 86-48, beat Penn State 82-64, beat Old Dominion 85-64, beat Tennessee 79-56, beat Oklahoma 82-70. Outlook: Starting lineup takes potentially devastating loss of four starters, including All-America guard Sue Bird and forward Swin Cash. All-America guard Diana Taurasi needs help from inexperienced returnees and a heralded recruiting class.
2. Oklahoma 32-4 960 2
NCAA results: Beat Hartford 84-52, beat Villanova 66-53, beat Texas Tech 72-62, beat Colorado 94-60, beat Duke 86-71, lost to UConn 82-70. Outlook: Will greatly miss backcourt of All-American Stacey Dales, LaNeishea Caufield and Rosalind Ross. Dionnah Jackson is a promising sophomore guard. Versatile post player Caton Hill returns.
3. Tennessee 29-5 898 6
NCAA results: Beat Georgia State 98-68, beat Notre Dame 89-50, beat Brigham Young 68-57, beat Vanderbilt 68-63, lost to UConn 79-56. Outlook: Lady Vols lose just one key player, center Michelle Snow. Leading scorer Kara Lawson returns as do others inside and outside. Plenty of returning talent for NCAA semifinalist.
4. Duke 31-4 875 3
NCAA results: Beat Norfolk State 95-48, beat Texas Christian 76-66, beat Texas 62-46, beat South Carolina 77-68, lost to Oklahoma 86-71. Outlook: Blue Devils lose one regular and have a top recruiting class that should supply low-post help. Alana Beard and Monique Currie lead on the perimeter.
5. Vanderbilt 30-7 835 4
NCAA results: Beat Oakland 63-38, beat Arizona State 61-35, beat North Carolina 70-61, lost to Tennessee 68-63. Outlook: Big loss for team losing in the last two regional finals is scorer-rebounder Zuzi Klimesova. Commodores return best center in the college game, Chantelle Andersen, and a top point guard, Ashley McElhiney.
6. South Carolina 25-7 737 13
NCAA results: Beat Liberty 69-61, beat Cincinnati 75-56, beat Drake 79-65, lost to Duke 77-68. Outlook: Key loss in dramatic turnaround season is guard Shaun Gortman, plus post Teresa Geter. Leading scorer Jocelyn Penn is among three returning starters. Should have scoring power.
7. Old Dominion 28-6 716 15
NCAA results: Beat Georgia 68-54, beat Purdue 74-70 OT, beat Kansas State 88-62, lost to UConn 85-64. Outlook: Monarchs lose two future pros in Hamchetou Maiga and Lucienne Berthieu. Should get a boost from 2001 junior college player of the year Max Nhassengo, coming off a knee injury that cost her the season, plus Okeisha Howard and Monique Coker.
8. Stanford 32-3 689 5
Outlook: NCAA results: Beat Weber State 76-51, beat Tulane 77-55, lost to Colorado 62-59. Outlook: Got to Sweet 16, led by Nicole Powell, who can play any position. Big loss is inside-outside threat Lindsey Yamasaki. Had strong contributions from freshmen.
9. Colorado 24-10 647 12
NCAA results: Beat Southern 88-61, beat LSU 69-58, beat Stanford 62-59, lost to Oklahoma 94-60. Outlook: Was game shy of Final Four with veteran lineup of four seniors. Tera Bjorklund will help inside, but Mandy Nightingale-Jenny Roulier backcourt must be replaced.
10. Kansas State 26-8 560 11
NCAA results: Beat Kent State 93-65, beat Arkansas 82-68, lost to Old Dominion 88-62. Outlook: Young team may have learned a valuable lesson in Sweet 16 blowout loss to Old Dominion. Four starters are back, including shooter Laurie Koehn and versatile post Nicole Ohlde.
11. North Carolina 26-9 512 16
NCAA results: Beat Harvard 85-58, beat Minnesota 72-69, lost to Vanderbilt 70-61. Outlook: Flashy guard Nikki Teasley is a major loss, but four starters return, including Coretta Brown. Candace Sutton, a 6-6 post, also is back.
12. Texas Tech 20-12 503 17
NCAA results: Beat Stephen F. Austin 84-65, beat Mississippi State 77-55, lost to Oklahoma 72-62. Outlook: Loses three valuable starters but could get help from bench. Jia Perkins is a top guard, and 6-5 Cisti Greenwalt is promising.
13. Texas 22-10 473 14
NCAA results: Beat Wisconsin-Green Bay 60-55, beat UC-Santa Barbara 76-60, lost to Duke 62-46. Outlook: Reached Sweet 16 after 10-year absence. Shouldn't have to wait as long for a return trip. Four starters return, including post Stacy Stephens and Big 12 rookie of the year Heather Schreiber.
14. Purdue 24-6 445 9
NCAA results: Lost to Old Dominion 74-70 OT. Outlook: Loses two valuable seniors, Kelly Komara and Laura Meadows. Shereka Wright is among three strong returnees who should give Boilers threats inside and outside.
15. Baylor 27-6 421 7
NCAA results: Beat Bucknell 80-56, lost to Drake 76-72. Outlook: Loses 1-2 punch of guard Sheila Lambert and forward Danielle Crockrom, both expected to be first-round WNBA picks. Only one returning starter, but reserves have potential.
16. Iowa State 24-9 385 10
NCAA results: Beat Temple 72-57, lost to Brigham Young 75-69. Outlook: Loses career scoring leader, post Angie Welle, plus valuable Tracy Gahan. Lindsey Wilson is one of three returning starters who could get help from transfers Ann O'Neill and Nina Smith.
17. BYU 24-9 347 NR
NCAA results: Beat Florida 90-52, beat Iowa State 75-69, lost to Tennessee 68-57. Outlook: Cougars lose two starters and a key reserve but return Erin Thorn among three starters.
18. Penn State 23-12 325 NR
NCAA results: Beat Chattanooga 82-67, beat Florida International 96-79, lost to UConn 82-64. Outlook: Kelly Mazzante led the country in scoring as a sophomore and is among four returning starters. Lions need a post player.
19. Louisiana Tech 25-5 264 8
NCAA results: Lost to UC-Santa Barbara 57-56. Outlook: Ended season by losing to Santa Barbara in first round of NCAA tournament. Forward Ayana Walker is key loss. Will depend on post Cheryl Ford, who had a breakout junior season.
20. Drake 25-8 244 NR
NCAA results: Beat Syracuse 87-69, beat Baylor 76-72, lost to South Carolina 79-65. Outlook: A Cinderella team in the Sweet 16. Team leader Stephanie Schmitz is one of three starters leaving. Post Carla Bennett leads the returnees.
21. Minnesota 22-8 204 22
NCAA results: Beat UNLV 71-54, lost to North Carolina 72-69. Outlook: Players are set with all five starters back, including Big Ten Player of the Year Lindsay Whalen. Biggest loss might be coach Brenda Oldfield, who Monday night was reported to be leaving for the Maryland job.
22. LSU 18-12 148 24
NCAA results: Beat Santa Clara 84-78, lost to Colorado 69-58. Outlook: Could be in for a big season with all starters back. Temeka Johnson, a 5-3 point guard, makes team exciting.
23. Cincinnati 27-5 107 19
NCAA results: Beat St. Peter's 76-63 OT, lost to South Carolina 75-56. Outlook: Probably will be favored to win Conference USA again with all starters back. Could have potential to make a deep run next season.
24. Colorado State 24-7 83 18
NCAA results: Lost to Tulane 73-69. Outlook: Should be strong again as Ashley Augspurger leads four returning starters and some key reserves.
25. TCU 24-7 79 25
NCAA results: Beat Indiana 55-45, lost to Duke 76-66. Outlook: Frogs lose Kati Safaritova but have strong returning cast that includes Sandora Irvin (niece of former Dallas Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin) and senior Tricia Payne (out this season with knee injury).
Dropped out: No. 20 Boston College, No. 21 Florida , No. 23 Florida International.
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Boston College (23-8) 65; Florida (18-11) 48; Mississippi State (19-12) 46; Arkansas (20-12) 45; Florida International (27-6) 44; Georgia (19-11) 44; Iowa (18-11) 39; Arizona State (25-9) 34; Notre Dame (20-10) 28; UC-Santa Barbara (26-6) 26; Tulane (24-11) 19; Indiana (17-14) 13; Liberty (23-8) 13; Villanova (20-11) 11; Virginia (17-13) 11; Oregon (21-13) 10; Wisconsin-Green Bay (24-7) 9; Houston (26-8) 8; Wisconsin (19-12) 8; Clemson (17-12) 6; North Texas (21-9) 6; UNLV (23-8) 4; Creighton (24-7) 2; Virginia Tech (21-11) 2; St. Peter's (25-5) 1; Pepperdine (23-8) 1.
The USA TODAY/ESPN Board of Coaches is made up of 40 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The 2001-02 board: Jane Albright, Wisconsin; Melanie Balcomb, Xavier; Dallas Bolla, Long Beach State; Brian Boyer, Arkansas State; Cheryl Burnett, Southwest Missouri State; Duffy Burns, Cleveland State; Gina Castelli, Siena; Bud Childers, James Madison; Martin Clapp, Louisville; Jim Davis, Clemson; Kathy Delaney-Smith, Harvard; Dan Durkin, Duquesne; Elaine Elliott, Utah; Bill Fennelly, Iowa State; Kim Foley, Central Connecticut State; Becky Francis, Oakland (Mich.); Marianna Freeman, Syracuse; Bill Gibbons, Holy Cross; Carey Green, Liberty; Gail Goestenkors, Duke; Kelly Graves, Gonzaga; Sue Gunter, LSU; Karen Hall, North Carolina A&T; Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame; Bernadette Mattox, Kentucky; Kathy Olivier, UCLA; Rene Portland, Penn State; Robin Potera, Montana State; Rhonda Rompola, Southern Methodist; Darryl Smith, Wichita State; James Smith, Northwestern State (La.); Ron Stewart, Western Michigan; Lisa Stockton, Tulane; Gail Striegler, Central Florida; Tara VanDerveer, Stanford; Sharon Versyp, Maine; Shirley Walker, Alcorn State; Marian Washington, Kansas; Annette Watts, Davidson; Bill Worrell, Tennessee Tech.