NCAA Mock Committee - Rutgers Gets Top Seed: Temple Chosen
(Guru's note: This is a local spin story, had there been room in the printed sports section, that might have been written off our deliberations in Indianapolis. In the two posts below, the last of the in-depth reports is written along with a second post with the Guru boasting how well he did in his at-large forecast with his 64-team ballot.)
By Mel Greenberg
INDIANAPOLIS _ Rutgers earned a No. 1 seed, while Temple was one of the last schools selected Friday for the simulated 64-team NCAA women's tournament field selected by a 16-member mock committee composed of coaches and members of the media at the organization's headquarters.
Tennessee, was made the overall No. 1 seed in the Greensboro, Regional, while Connecticut was namde the top seed in the New Orleans regionial. North Carolina was sent West to Spokane, Wash. with the other top seed.
After much deliberation, Temple, one of three Atlantic Ten teams, was given an at-large slot for the Owls' fifth straight NCAA appearance under coach Dawn Staley. George Washington, the preseason favorite, was also given an at-large slot after Charlotte had mythically won the conference tournament as part of the "curve balls" the NCAA tosssed at the mock committee.
The group met for two days, sequestered in a ":war" room with all the computers, data, and help the real women's commitee will use a month from now to produce the 2008 draw.
The mock commitee, because of the compressed amount of time, did not get everything achieved the actual committee has to accomplish, but the panel did get involved in many aspects of the selections and delibrerations that occur.
Rutgers had just beaten top-ranked Connecticut, the Scarlet Knights' major Big East rival, at home Tuesday night in Piscataway, N.J. to bring an end to the last unbeaten record in Division I. Coach C. Vivian Stringer's team will be involved in a rare scheduling moment Monday night when Rutgers plays at Tennessee, likely the new No. 1 ranked team.
In the 32-year history of the Associated Press women's poll. very few schools have played successive top-ranked teams and none have ever beaten both back-to-back
The last team to make an attempt at the feat was Maryland, during its NCAA championship year in 2006, when the Terrapins upset North Carolina, 98-95, in overtime in Chapel Hill on Feb. 9 and then lost to Duke, the new No. 1 team, 90-80, four days later.
Maryland later got both Atlantic Coast rivals back-to-back in the Women's Final Four with the Terrapins wnning the title in Boston in an overtime battle with Duke.
In the real world, Rutgers' NCAA seed would be its first-ever at the top. The mock committee placed the Scarlet Knights in the Oklahoma City regional, where Maryland was sent as a two-seed.
Rutgers rallied to beat the Terrapins in the Jinmmy V game at Rutgers in December.
In filling out the top portion of the bracket, the Greensboro regionial will also have second-seeded Baylor, the mythical Big 12 champion, third-seeded Duke, fourth-seeded Virginia, along with No. 5 George Washington, and No. 6 Arizona State under Tennessee.
Virginia has not been to the field in several years, but it will be like old times if the Cavaliers make a run and catch up with longtime NCAA opponernt Tennessee.
LSU, which will host Connecticut for real in a few weeks, was made the No. 2 seed behind the Huskies. West Virginia, one of eight Big East teams in the field, was named the No. 3 seed, while No. 4 Kansas State, one of six Big 12 scjhools, followed. Old Dominion was made the fifth seed, and Georgia the sixth seed.
Two teams from the Sooners State follow Rutgers and Maryland in No. 3 Oklahoma and No.4 Oklahoma State. Texas, a third Big 12 team in the region, got the fifth seed, and Ohio State was made the sixth seed.
In the West, the Tar Heels were followed by No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Pittsburgh, and No. 4 California. Vanderbilt got the fifth seed in front of No. 6 Texas A&M.
Temple's draw was unknown as where every game in the first two rounds because the mock group worked in a compressed amount of time compared the four-day marathon sessions held by the real basketball committee.
The Owls were credited with a tough non-conference schedule in which Staley's group played several Top 10 teams. They also had been on a run for recent weeks, tied for the top spot in the Atlantic Ten with George Washington and Xavier, whom the Owls had traveled to play in Cincinnati, Saturday night.
Just as in the real world, there were some mild surprises in the field. The Big Ten, which had only one ranked team in the AP poll much of the season in Ohio State, also had conference-tournament winner Minnesota and Purdue in the field with Iowa.
Hartford, which was upset in its simulated America East tournament by Vermont, was given an at-large spot. The Hawks, coached by former UConn star Jen Rizzotti, had two key nonconference wins, beating Virginia in Hawaii and a home win over then-ranked Michigan State.
The once-powerful Southeastern Conference had Georgia, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky in the field besides Tennessee and LSU.
Believed still on the board, but not taken, according to an insider at the sessions, were Xavier, Boston College, Florida, Illinois St., and Florida.
Four former coaches were among the panelists in Theresa Grentz, who left Illinois after last season but now does Big Ten women's telecasts; Marsha Sharp, who led Texas Tech to the 1993 NCAA title. The Red Raiders featured Sheryl Swoopes. Former Auburn coach Joe Ciampi, who does SEC telecasts and led the Tigers to three straight Final Fours in 1988-90, participated as did Carolyn Peck, a former Purdue and WNBA coach who now broadcasts on ESPN.
-- Mel