Women's Hoops Guru

By Mel Greenberg
I
f Tuesday was quite a night for Tennessee in taking the NCAA women’s basketball championship over Stanford at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., then Wednesday was equally sensational.

After spending little sleep time after accepting the trophy, the four Vols seniors and junior sensational Candace Parker gave valedictory addresses at a morning press conference and then all headed off to the WNBA a few hours later in nearby Palm Harbor to become draft picks of the 14 teams in the pro league.

Parker, the nation’s top player and eligible to be selected, became the first overall pick of the three rounds as the Los Angeles Sparks quickly made the move everyone expected to make her Leslie Leslie’s new teammate.

However, the Chicago native will report to camp with one of her college teammates – guard Shannon Bobbitt, who was taken by the Sparks at the top of the second round and 15th pick, overall.

Alexis Hornbuckle was a first-round pick, the fourth overall selection by the WNBA runnersup Detroit Shock.

Right after Bobbitt was chosen, the Minnesota Lynx, who took Stanford star Candice Wiggins as the third overall pick, selected Tennessee’s Nicky Anosike. Alberta Auguste was not abandoned -- she went 35th overall in the third round as a selection by the New York Liberty.

While Tennessee coach Pat Summitt was able to celebrate her eighth title, she certainly let everyone know at the Hyatt Hotel press conference prior to the draft what lies ahead once the hoopla dies down in Knoxville.

“I’m not going to be nearly as smart this next year,” Summitt said. “We’re going to have a young team, but we’re going to have talent. It’s going to be quite a different transition but I’m looking forward to our incoming freshmen and I’m just excited to start working with them when classes start.”

As for her departing players, the Hall of Famer saluted them, saying, “This is a special class. I love them all. I’m obviously going to miss them, but they are going on to pursue their dreams in the WNBA and I wish them all well. They certainly gave so much to our program.”

Summitt may also lose assistant coach Nikki Caldwell, who is considered a leading candidate for the vacant UCLA job.

“I have a great staff,” Summitt said of potential changes. “There are a lot of jobs out there that are actively pursuing our staff. I would never hold back one of our staff from being a head coach and running their own program. We will know something in about a month or so with people trying to make decisions after the Final Four.”

Summitt did not join her players at the draft, opting to return with the undergraduates to Knoxville for a fan celebration later in the day.

In discussing Parker’s future as a pro, the Tennessee coach said, “Candace is going to have a great impact on the league. With her talent, her skill set, and her ability to play multiple positions, she will go in and be able to have an immediate impact. I’m really proud of how hard she has worked to expand her game. She’s worked very hard in all aspects and will be a very positive player in the league. She will be a great spokesman for the WNBA.”

Parker was asked if she might still be around if a WNBA team in a lesser market than Los Angeles owned the first shot at the lucrative senior class from across the nation.
“One thing that I live my life by is the certain. I don’t go by the what-ifs. I just try to live in the moment. Going into the WNBA… I just feel like it is my time,” Parker said.

She was asked about Sunday’s semifinal in which she executed the offense in the last seven seconds to enable Tennessee to edge LSU just before time expired.

“We have a coaching staff that prepares us for different decisions, for every situation,” Parker said. “I think at the time, we didn’t quite understand coach’s thoughts and the logic of making us run drills over and over and over again. In the end, we did it.

“ It’s weird how everything at the end comes together. There is something special with our team, and down by one point, we were going to find a way to win. That’s what great teams do. Some people call it luck, but we practiced that. I just call it pulling together and winning the game. I think it encompasses everything that we are.”

Auguste and several other players compared last year’s title experience with Tuesday night’s triumph.

“Last year I did not know what to expect, this year was different because it was a special team and we were all seniors and we wanted to go out with a bang,” she said.

Hornbuckle added, “Last year’s championship was more exciting, we didn’t know what to expect …we came out and tried to play hard. There was a lot of pressure on us to win.”

Anosike observed, “There was more pressure this year. We had to go out with a bang. We did all we could for this program. I’m more satisfied this season than I was last year.”

She was asked about Parker’s WNBA future: “As long as we aren’t playing against each other I think she’ll have a great impact. No, I’m just kidding. She’s a great player I don’t know what she’ll do without me. I’m just kidding. She has great versatility. No matter what happens she’s going to be successful.”

--Mel

By Mel Greenberg

Candace Parker’s farewell gift to her Tennessee teammates Tuesday night was another NCAA women’s basketball title at the expense of Stanford. Now it’s on to the WNBA where she’ll likely be the overall No. 1 draft pick in Wednesday’s draft.

The Chicago native dashed off the court in the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., shortly before the Vols’ 64-48 victory became official and flashed eight fingers to the sellout crowd of 21,655. Parker’s gesture indicated the number now needed by Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt to display all of her championship rings.

Stanford’s score was a season low for the Cardinal.

It was the second straight title for Tennessee (36-2), which had lost to Stanford , 73-69, in overtime in December in Palo Alto, Calif. The Vols avenged their other loss Sunday in the semifinals, beating LSU, 47-46, in the last second after the Tigers had won in Knoxville in the regular season. They also beat LSU in the Southeastern Conference title game.

Summitt, with a career record is 984-182, is just two short of the NCAA total acquired by legendary UCLA men’s coach John Wooden.

Parker, a junior who is eligible to turn pro because she missed her freshman season, repeated last years Most Outstanding Player honor after scoring a game-high 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds, and swiping four steals.

“My experience here at Tennessee has been great,” Parker said after joining Southern Cal’s Cheryl Miller, former Vols great Chamique Holdsclaw, and Connecticut’s Diana Taurasi as two-time MOP honorees at the Final Four. “I look back at my growth, not only as a player but also as a person.

“And I feel it’s been the best four years of my life,” Parker continued. “I wouldn’t change anything about it. I love my teammates, and I’m just very, very fortunate to have won two national championships. But we worked hard for it. And we deserved it.”

Shannon Bobbitt added 13 points and senior Nicky Anosike, also likely to be drafted, had 12 points and eight rebounds.

The draft will be held outside Tampa.

Jayne Appel scored 16 points for Stanford (35-4), which shocked overall top seed Connecticut in the semifinals. Senior Candice Wiggins, who could be drafted as high as third behind Parker and LSU senior Sylvia Fowles, had 14 points and grabbed four steals. But she also committed six of the Cardinal’s 25 turnovers in the face of constant Tennessee defensive pressure.

“Their pressure was much more intense this time,” Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer compared the two contests against the Vols. “They pressed and trapped basically the whole game this time.

“We just made too many mistakes to give ourselves a chance,” she added. “Our turnovers killed us. And I just think if that if you want to know a lot of the difference, this was just a much more physical game than the December game, just in terms of how the game was played.”

Wiggins also spoke of Stanford’s frustration on offense.

“They were really aggressive,” she said. “They were jumping, they were in passing lanes. I think it would have really helped us if we starting attacking maybe a little bit earlier.”

Tennessee spurted from a 7-7 tie early in the game to a 25-15 advantage with 6 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first half and Stanford failed to make any significant challenge the rest of the night.

Wiggins, the daughter of the late Alan Wiggins, who played baseball for the San Diego Padres, reflected on the close of her career, becoming the Cardinal’s only departing career.

“I don’t think maybe it has set in yet,” she said a few sentences before losing her composure briefly. “I wouldn’t want to be on any other team in the country, any other team. And it happens that we ended our season with a loss and that hurts. Because we wanted it. And this team is a special team.”

Many expect Connecticut, which fell short of the national title after its first finals in four seasons, to regain its former supremacy next season when a star-studded freshmen class arrives. The rookies will be highlighted by Wilmington’s Elena DelleDonne, the top high school recruit, and Germantown Academy’s Carolyn Doty. The veterans will be led by Maya Moore, who was the top newcomer this past season.

But Summitt, who could reach 1,000 career victories next season, promised she won’t be going anywhere soon, although passing Wooden’s record is not as among the reasons for hanging around Knoxville.

“I guess I’m along for the ride,” Summitt smiled. “They took me on a great one this time. And as long as I love the game, I’ll stay in it.

“Do I have a desire to try to beat Coach Wooden’s record? No. I just want to help the next team, next year, and get back to the Final Four. That’s always our goal every year,” she continued.

“And as long as I can be effective as a teacher and coach, that’s what I want to do. The day I walk in the gym and I don’t have the passion is the day I give it up.”

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

When Connecticut beat Tennessee and won the first of five NCAA women’s titles in 1995, Huskies coach Geno Auriemma, who grew up in Norristown, reflected afterwards that it had been a fairytale season and a happy ending was meant to be.

UConn did not take the lead in that game until the closing minutes and went on to finish at 35-0.

On Sunday night at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla., the pseudo Cinderella crown belonged to Stanford, whose 82-73 national semifinals victory over UConn advanced the Cardinal (35-3) into Tuesday night’s championship for the first time since 1992.

Several hours later defending champion Tennessee (35-2) won in another photo finish, beating LSU, 47-46, on Alexis Hornbuckle’s putback with seven-tenths of a second left in regulation.

Unlike the Vols’ similar narrow win in February over Rutgers in Knoxville, this triumph was free of controversy.

No stalled clock was involved, but the brilliant collegiate career of Sylvia Fowles was frozen shut along with senior classmates Erica White, Quianna Chaney, and Ashley Thomas, among four others, one game short of that elusive championship.

Fowles, who scored 24 points and pulled 20 rebounds, will be back in news on Wednesday as the No. 2 overall pick behind Tennessee junior Candace Parker in the WNBA draft, which will be held near Tampa.

Parker, who struggled with a shoulder separation injury but finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds, now gets a chance to exit college with another title before turning pro, while Tennessee coach Pat Summitt will seek to improve her championship ring collection to eight.

Joining LSU (31-6) and Connecticut (36-2) on the sidelines is the fervent season-long desire of ESPN, which took a frenzied approach to a potential UConn-Tennessee title match after Summitt cancelled the regular rivalry between the two powers last summer.

Until another potential matchup looms next season, one now has all summer to get caught up in the history of the stillborn series in Richard Kent’s new book: Lady Vols and UConn: The Greatest Rivalry (iUniverse Inc., $14.95).

Although both coaches have not commented publicly on the precise cause of the breakup, each deferring to the other to speak first, Auriemma had stated several months ago he would address the issue once the season was over.

With the autopsy on the demise of the overall top-seeded Huskies virtually concluded almost as soon as Sunday’s game ended, look for the media pack to pursue Auriemma. He has some free time now with only two official duties remaining in Tampa. One is to accept the United States Basketball Writers Association’s coach of the year award Tuesday morning. The other is to handle obligations in his role as the next president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

In the wake of their respective defeats, both the Connecticut and LSU contingents addressed the adversities life can dispense along with the joyous occasions.

The Huskies, who had to overcome the season-ending knee injuries to starters Kalana Greene and senior Mel Thomas, seemed capable of gaining a sixth title, primarily on the play of freshman sensation Maya Moore. She finished with 20 points, scoring 14 in the second half as UConn tried to rally.

Ever since leaving Mississippi to lead the Houston Comets to the first four WNBA titles, LSU coach Van Chancellor found a way to rise above all those Southeastern Conference disappointments with the Rebels in a league ruled by Tennessee.

Chancellor’s WNBA success begat his achievement as the first male coach of the United States Olympic women’s team in 2004, which enabled him to guide the Americans to a gold medal in Athens.

That additional triumph earned him induction in September to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, which already includes Auriemma and Summitt. All three and Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer are also members of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.

Chancellor returned to the collegiate level last spring after a very brief retirement following his WNBA career and led LSU into a fifth straight Final Four. The Tigers routed Tennessee in Knoxville in February after a deep deficit early in the game. They later lost a close encounter with the Vols in the SEC championship.

“Life’s thrown a lot of things at us this particular season,” Auriemma said Sunday night. “Took away two of our players. Limited one of them. And now the fairytale didn’t have a happy ending. But that’s life.”

The setback to Stanford was a reversal of a victory in November when a healthy Huskies squad beat the Cardinal, 66-54, in the Virgin Islands.

The loss Sunday meant the end of the UConn careers of Charde Houston, Brittany Hunter, and Mel Thomas.

Chancellor opened his postgame remarks, saying, “Tough way to lose a basketball game. I really feel for our seniors. They have done everything I’ve asked them to do since I was appointed LSU coach.

“And they’ve done so much and overcome so much and I’m really proud of them graduating. They do such a great job. And I am sorry I couldn’t help them win.”

Chancellor agreed on the loss being the toughest of his career.

“Yeah, especially when I thought we had it won, and I had it won …” he said.

“(LSU) Up 1, they’ve got to go the full length of the court. And it’s really a tough loss when I think about these kids and what all they have gone through for four years. I really feel for them,” Chancellor said.

In recent seasons, the Tigers have had to deal with former coach Sue Gunter’s death caused by cancer, a controversial resignation last season by former coach Pokey Chatman before the NCAA tournament began, a run to another finals under assistant Bob Starkey, who was briefly in charge as an interim head coach; and the hiring of Chancellor.

LSU’s first finals appearance in 2005 was a last-second loss to Tennessee on a steal. The Tigers blew a huge lead to eventual champion Baylor in 2006 and were routed by Rutgers last season.

“Just because you’ve been here five times in a row, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s your turn,” White said. “You have to make it your turn. The game of life isn’t fair. Basketball isn’t fair.”

Meanwhile, if any team is making the Finals its turn, it’s Stanford, which will try to make it two straight over Tennessee this season, including an overtime triumph in Palo Alto, Calif., in December.

The Cardinal, carrying a bruised ego since being made a No. 2 seed behind Maryland in the Spokane Regional, is on a roll right now under VanDerveer, who also coached the U.S. to a gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Perhaps Stanford’s positive omens could have been found a few days ago in senior Candice Wiggins, likely the No. 3 pick in Wednesday’s draft.

The daughter of former baseball player, the late Alan Wiggins of the San Diego Padres, she was a surprise Wade winner selection Saturday as the WBCA’s player of the year.

Wiggins followed a few hours later with another top honor, receiving the Lowe’s Senior Class Award that emphasizes academic success.

She made good on the accolades Sunday night against UConn with 25 points and 13 rebounds. The Cardinal also have other threats to avoid the focus on Wiggins, courtesy of freshman flash Jayne Appel (15 points, 10 rebounds), and Kayla Pedersen (17 points).

Despite Connecticut’s setback after missing the finals the last three seasons, the Huskies could return stronger than ever with a blue chip recruiting class highlighted by Wilmington’s Elena Della-Donne. The nation’s top recruit, she was the MVP of the winning Red team Saturday in the WBCA’s high school all-star game in Tampa.

Auriemma promised he and his Huskies will witness Tuesday’s title game, although he is required to do so anyway in his role with the WBCA.

“It’s part of who you are. It’s part of what you do,” Auriemma said. “It’s our game.”

Erin Semagin Damio contributed to this story from Tampa.

By Erin Semagin Damio

TAMPA, Fla. _ So, the past few days have been pretty busy. I'm trying to finish a lot of schoolwork and spent most of yesterday at basketball events or traveling to basketball events.

Yesterday morning, we saw the announcement of the WBCA All-American team and the Wade trophy go to Candice Wiggins of Stanford (as posted previously). Wiggins is certainly a worthy winner -- she has scored two 40+ point games during the NCAA tournament so far -- but most of the audience was probably expecting the award to go to Candace Parker of Tennessee, last year's winner. Parker is likely to be the first pick in the WNBA draft, going to the Los Angeles Sparks, and has led Tennessee to a 34-2 record this year. I didn't vote, obviously, so I don't know what the deciding factor was, or even the voting margins. Anyway, both players have had fabulous seasons. Parker has won several Player of the Year awards this year, and the other players were clearly happy for Wiggins.

The high school WBCA team was also in attendance, as were several teams who had an All-American on the roster. Stacey Dales, an Oklahoma graduate and player for the WNBA's Chicago Sky emceed and used the forum to announce her retirement -- although it had already been rumored. Dales said that she had been known as a defensive stopper, and told Candace Parker that she'd have an easier time player in Chicago without Dales there.

We also visited the St. Pete Times Forum Arena to see some open practices and press conferences. We saw the Lady Vols going through security -- I guess the arena really is being careful, no exceptions.

All teams seemed eager to play each other. Van Chancellor said he thought his LSU team was being disrespected because papers were all looking ahead to a potential Tennessee-Connecticut matchup. Geno Auriemma (or "Gene Arina," if you are to believe whoever presents the Associated Press Coach of the Year Award) said that "tomorrow night can't come soon enough for all of us."

I took a few other pictures and videos from the practice -- cell phone quality, sorry. I was not able to get out to watch all the teams' practices, so Stanford and LSU fans, sorry, I swear I'm not just trying to hype certain teams. It really is only a coincidence.

(these are also kind of unfortunately silent, but the band was playing here)

This is a Lorin Dixon layup during the Uconn practice:

Tennessee preparing their post players for Sylvia Fowles:

I was able to watch a lot of the Uconn practice. There was a big crowd.

The team spent a lot of time running plays. For those fans who think there's any kind of a Sampson effect with Charde Houston and her hair (though admittedly doubtful after the past few games), the long hair seems to be back.

Freshman Lorin Dixon spent almost the entire time on offense, at the point, practicing running the team against tough defenses. Good thinking, since she's the primary backup for Renee Montgomery and Ketia Swanier.

By Erin Semagin Damio

TAMPA, Fla. _ So, the past few days have been pretty busy. I'm trying to finish a lot of schoolwork and spent most of yesterday at basketball events or traveling to basketball events.

Yesterday morning, we saw the announcement of the WBCA All-American team and the Wade trophy go to Candice Wiggins of Stanford (as posted previously). Wiggins is certainly a worthy winner -- she has scored two 40+ point games during the NCAA tournament so far -- but most of the audience was probably expecting the award to go to Candace Parker of Tennessee, last year's winner. Parker is likely to be the first pick in the WNBA draft, going to the Los Angeles Sparks, and has led Tennessee to a 34-2 record this year. I didn't vote, obviously, so I don't know what the deciding factor was, or even the voting margins. Anyway, both players have had fabulous seasons. Parker has won several Player of the Year awards this year, and the other players were clearly happy for Wiggins.

The high school WBCA team was also in attendance, as were several teams who had an All-American on the roster. Stacey Dales, an Oklahoma graduate and player for the WNBA's Chicago Sky emceed and used the forum to announce her retirement -- although it had already been rumored. Dales said that she had been known as a defensive stopper, and told Candace Parker that she'd have an easier time player in Chicago without Dales there.

We also visited the St. Pete Times Forum Arena to see some open practices and press conferences. We saw the Lady Vols going through security -- I guess the arena really is being careful, no exceptions.

All teams seemed eager to play each other. Van Chancellor said he thought his LSU team was being disrespected because papers were all looking ahead to a potential Tennessee-Connecticut matchup. Geno Auriemma (or "Gene Arina," if you are to believe whoever presents the Associated Press Coach of the Year Award) said that "tomorrow night can't come soon enough for all of us."

I took a few other pictures and videos from the practice -- cell phone quality, sorry. I was not able to get out to watch all the teams' practices, so Stanford and LSU fans, sorry, I swear I'm not just trying to hype certain teams. It really is only a coincidence.

(these are also kind of unfortunately silent, but the band was playing here)

This is a Lorin Dixon layup during the Uconn practice:

Tennessee preparing their post players for Sylvia Fowles:

I was able to watch a lot of the Uconn practice. There was a big crowd.

The team spent a lot of time running plays. For those fans who think there's any kind of a Sampson effect with Charde Houston and her hair (though admittedly doubtful after the past few games), the long hair seems to be back.

Freshman Lorin Dixon spent almost the entire time on offense, at the point, practicing running the team against tough defenses. Good thinking, since she's the primary backup for Renee Montgomery and Ketia Swanier.

By Mel Greenberg

Will the NCAA Women’s Final Four transform into a season-long anticipated two-ring circus with Tennessee and Connecticut matching up for the national championship – one more time?

That question will be answered Sunday night in Tampa, Fla., when the two longtime national rivals who no longer meet in a prelim will try to dispense with two powerful hurdles.

Connecticut, the overall No. 1 seed who is back in the tournament for the first time since 2004, will meet Stanford, which hasn’t advanced this deep since 1997.

Then the crowd in the St. Pete Times-Forum will watch a third meeting and rubber game between Tennessee and LSU. The Tigers took the first game in Knoxville before the Vols gained revenge in the Southeastern Conference title game.

Whatever happens, one thing is certain: There has never been this much star power at a Women’s Final Four among the coaches and players.

The focus of the second game is the matchup between Tennessee’s junior Candace Parker and LSU’s Sylvia Fowles, who are likely to be the 1-2 pick in Wednesday’s WNBA draft, which will be held near Tampa at the Innisbrook Golf and Country Club.

Parker, who is said to have shaken off a shoulder injury obtain in the Oklahoma City regional title game against Texas A&M, had been a roll of national player of the year honors again until Saturday when the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Stanford’s Candice Wiggins as the winner of the Margaret Wade Award.

The native of Chicago, who is eligible for the draft because she would otherwise be a senior had she not sat out her first season with an injury, recently announced her decision to turn pro.

The Los Angeles Sparks have the first pick. Fowles will likely be taken by the Chicago Sky. Wiggins has already been mentioned, while Connecticut has managed to overcome season-ending knee injuries to starters Kalana Greene and Mel Thomas because of the sensational play of freshman Maya Moore.

As for the coaches, the four have produced 14 national titles, three Olympic gold medals, and four WNBA titles.

“I think this is the greatest star power we’ve ever had,” said LSU coach Van Chancellor, who led the Houston Comets to the first four WNBA titles and the United States to an Olympic gold medal at the Athens games in 2004.

“I think if you went out and asked the average fan to name four players, they could name all four players. And that’s great for our game. It’s truly outstanding. And I think it’s a very good Final Four. You’re going to see some players do some exceptional things in this tournament.”

Tennessee’s Pat Summitt has won an NCAA six national titles, led the U.S. to Olympic gold in Los Angeles in 1984, and is the all-time leader in career victories with 981.

Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer has won two NCAA titles and an Olympic gold medal in the watershed Atlanta Games in 1996 when women’s athletics gained nationwide interest.

Auriemma has won five NCAA titles and was an Olympic assistant to Nell Fortner in 2000 in the Sydney games in Australia.

This is LSU’s fifth straight appearance at the finals, but Chancellor, who returned to the collegiate ranks last spring and never made it this far coaching Mississippi, criticized the media Saturday for already attempting to play up the Tennessee-Connecticut collision, which is still two wins away from becoming a reality.

“It’s been an amazing deal for me,” Chancellor observed. I’m amazed that a team that’s been to five Final Fours (is getting ) so little respect.”

Despite his experiences at the highest levels of women’s basketball as a coach, Chancellor has been thrilled with this year’s success with the Tigers, who beat No. 1 seed North Carolina in the New Orleans regional.

“This has been like a kid at Christmastime,” Chancellor gushed, “for me to make a Final Four with a great group of kids who beat a great North Carolina team.

“For me right now, it can’t get any better than this. To have this opportunity, to finally arrive here as a coach. But to arrive here with players you truly, really like,” Chancellor continued.

“Sometimes you coach players that you can’t wait until the season gets over with. This has been a special, special year, and I’ve really enjoyed every minute. So that makes that moment special.”

Topical Tampa: The front page of Saturday’s Tampa Tribune greeted hotel visitors outside their bedrooms, as well as regular readers, with this headline: Final Fouir Gives Lesabians Forum to Celebrate Women. … At the Associated Press awards, which gave Parker its players of the year and Auriemma it’s coach of the year, Auriemma was introduced to the media in attendance as Gene Aureema. … A lavish party by the host committee at the Aquarium featured a thundershower that inundated the section not containing a roof. ,,, La Salle senior Carlene Hightower, announced Friday as the Big Five women's player of the year, was a ,late-addition to the WNBA's pre-draft camp being held at the University of Tampa.

Erin will be reporting Sunday night’s games on the scene.

Mel

By Mel Greenberg

Less than 24-hours removed from her final moments as an active collegian, Rutgers' Essence Carson was on a telephonic call Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of the WNBA, as part of a discussion involving what promises to be one of the best-ever drafts of the pro league when it is held next Wednesday in the outskirts of Tampa, Fla.

Innisbrook Golf Club, the site of the draft, happens to be among the holdings of one Sheila Johnson, the owner of the WNBA's Washington Mystics.

Carson, who along with senior teammate Matee Ajavon, is expected to go high in the selection process, found herself addressing both the immediate future and past due to the short timing between Tuesday's loss to UConn in the Greensboro, N.C., regional final and the WNBA call.

Willingboro's Crystal Langhorne, who was also on the call, had a little more time to collect her thoughts, since her new designation as a former collegian was 48 hours old after Maryland's loss to Stanford in Spokane, Wash., on Monday night. Terrapin teammate Laura Harper,who is also draft-bound, was among the players addressed by several league coaches, as well as broadcast analyst.

The draft itself will be headlined by Tennessee junior Candace Parker, expected to go first overall to Los Angeles. The Chicago native isn't jumping once the Vols' season is done, since she is eligible because she would be a senior this season had she not had knee surgery around the time she arrived in Knoxville as a freshman.

The other part of the marquee picks at the top of the line is LSU's Sylvia Fowles, expected to be taken second by the Chicago Sky.

Ironically, the 1-2 draft punch will be going against each other Sunday night in one of the NCAA national semifinal games in Tampa.

"I think in this situation both players would be No. 1 if they came out in separate drafts," new Chicago coach Steven Key said.

Incidentally, if you think the poor players involved ran into a collegiate-pro overlap, it was even more adventurous for the writers who cover both sports, since the early afternoon phone call with the WNBA was immediately followed by the NCAA's interview session with the coaches of the Final Four teams.

The Guru was in transit during all this so understand all the quotes are off the transcripts, although there's nothing exclusive since the public can find both discussions at the Web sites of both organizations.

Carson, in her opening comments, noted, "To have the chance to play in the WNBA has always been a dream of mine, to take part in something that is growing and to be given such a great opportunity."

Asked to reflect on her immediate past, Carson said, "I believed we stayed consistent throughout the season, especially defensively. As the season progressed, the chemistry increased and everything clicked on all cylinders by the time we reached the tournament. We had a great tournament run and unfortunately it ended up in a loss, but this season was a success and in the face of adversity we continued to rise and fight for each other; we never gave up."

Carson described the immediate aftermath of the loss to Connecticut after Rutgers had bolted to a 14-point lead in the first half.

"The locker room scene was very quiet, we were just taking in the game. It defnitely hurt a lot; it hurts to lose. We came straight back to Jersey,it was a very sad flight and everyone was really hurt by ending our season too quickly."

Carson's coach C. Vivian Stringer, has a bunch of former players in the WNBA, accented most recently by Cappie Pondexter, who was the MVP of last summer's title run by the Phoenix Mercury.

"Every players that has come through her program has learned the game of basketball as a whole," Carson said of Stringer. "She teaches you the game; she breaks it down. She really is a teacher and I think she is one of the best at it.

"Off the court how to maintain yourself as a young woman, especially professionally, she has done that. How to carry yourself, especially when you are a role model and when everyone else in looking at you. She has definitely been my mother figure for four years and I believe she has done a great job of that."

Since the odds of playing together in the WNBA with Ajavon are long, she addressed the moment when the two friends will have to go against each other the first time.

"It will be a weird feeling after playing four years with her," Carson said. "Just thinking back to high school when we played against each other; it was always a tough match-up. She's so quick with the ball and able to get to the rim so quickly; she;s really efficient with that. Playing against her in practice for four years you just know what kind of competitor she is. It is really going to be a tough match-up and it is going to be a weird feeling."

Los Angeles coach Michael Cooper said both Rutgers stars should make an impact. He noted that defense was Carson's "best asset." He predicted Carson and Ajavon would go in the first round.

Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer, who holds the fourth pick, is focusing on Ajavon along with several other guards and predicted both would go in the top eight. "It just shows what a great program they have at Rutgers."

Laimbeer, observing the NCAA tournament to date, noted that most of the projected first round of player picks all played in the elite eight regional finals.

Langhorne and Carson both commented on the impact their collegiate senior class should make on the WNBA.

"I think that with our class we hope the league improves so much," Langhorne said. "I think so many players in our class will really help the league, the depth of the league and the overall quality of play."

Carson agreed, saying, "We've all had a sense of how deep this class is over the past few years and even back in high school. The same question was posed when we were coming into college on how the (high school) `Class of `04' would change the face of women's college basketball. We seemed to live up to what they expected and I believe that we will continue to do so because we are those types of competitors. We love to play, we love the game, we love to win, this is our passion. What more can we ask than to play basketball."

Meanwhile, Temple's Lady Comfort, Pittsburgh's Marcedes Walker (University City), and Coppin State's Shalamar Oakley (Camden Catholic) were among the pre-draft camp invitees announced Wednesday. Virginia's Sharnee Zoll (Highland) and Penn State's Kamela Gissendanner were also listed in the initial group that will be supplemented by other players whose collegiate seasons are just ending.

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

GREENSBORO, N.C. - What got off to a very bad beginning here for Connecticut against Big East rival Rutgers Tuesday night in the Greensboro Regional final transformed into an uplifting finish as the Huskies emerged with a 66-56 victory to advance to the Women’s Final Four in Tampa, Fla., this weekend.

Connecticut (36-1) clinched the last of the four spots and a Sunday night date against Stanford, which had eliminated Maryland in Spokane, Wash., on Monday night.

With the triumph, the normally loquacious Huskies coach Geno Auriemma seemed a bit lost afterwards for words trying to fit his current edition into the context of previous UConn successes in the NCAA tournament.

“I don’t know how many Final Fours this is for us – nine?” Auriemma said. “The first one – because it was the very first – in 1991, was great. It was improbable.

“The one in 1995, because it was monumental – the team of the century. This one, for some reason, feels different. This one feels pretty incredible.”

The other national semifinal will be an encore presentation of last month’s Southeastern Conference title game. Top-seeded Tennessee (34-2) turned aside a challenge from No. 2 Texas A&M, 53-45, in Oklahoma City Tuesday night to move into a re-match and third meeting this season with LSU.

The Tigers topped top-seeded North Carolina in New Orleans on Monday night.

The Huskies’ win enabled the current senior class to avoid the stigma of becoming the first group since UConn became a national power in 1995 to not go to a Women’s Final Four.

Auriemma’s teams had not advanced this far since the 2004 three-peat accomplishment in New Orleans as Diana Taurasi finished her eligibility and continued into WNBA All-Star status and won a pro title last summer with the Phoenix Mercury.

Ironically, the MVP of the WNBA finals was teammate Cappie Pondexter, who was a rival at Rutgers when the two played several years at the same time at the collegiate level.

Tuesday’s game from the Connecticut side was a bit similar to the Huskies’ experience in their comeback against North Carolina in Storrs in February after the Tar Heels had overpowered them through much of the first half.

Likewise against Rutgers (27-7) , Auriemma’s group couldn’t buy shots in the opening minutes and the Scarlet Knights rode to a 14-point lead seeking a return to the Final Four.

“It was like everything Rutgers was shooting and doing was going their way,” said Ketia Swanier, who tied Renee Montgomery for team honors with 15 points. “We couldn’t hit anything. But there was never a point in time when I thought we were going to lose the game. Nobody on our team put our heads down or put or tails between our legs. We knew it was one possession at a time.”

Connecticut fought back to a competitive five-point deficit, 32-27, at the half. The momentum continued into the second half, but the contest between the two Big East powers was more like Rutgers’ close win at Piscataway rather than the Huskies’ lopsided win in Hartford.

As the minutes ticked toward crunch time, it was obvious someone was going to suffer heartbreak.

Maya Moore, the UConn freshman sensation who made the Associated Press all-America first team earlier in the day, had been held in check much of the night.

But the regional’s most outstanding player broke loose with a deep three-pointer that snapped a 49-49 tie with just under three minutes to go. That turned the tide as Rutgers lapsed into another offensive funk while the Huskies went a perfect 14-for-14 from the foul line the rest of the way.

“With this particular team, what’s really gratifying is that too many pieces have to fall just right,” said Auriemma, who lost starters Kalana Greene and Mel Thomas to knee injuries at mid-season. “Three of our perimeter players had to play 40 minutes. We don’t have all the answers to every question like we have in other years.

“We struggle at times just like other teams struggle. But this particular team didn’t necessarily get to the final four on talent, and the experience of having been there, and having three or four college All-Americans. This team got there on a lot of the intangibles that make you appreciate coaching.”

Kaili McClaren added 10 points and sophomore Tina Charles grabbed 12 rebounds.

That caused Auriemma to quip over last year’s performance by the former Christ the King star as a freshman in the regional title game.

“She got one more rebound than my daughter,” said of the New York City sensation. “My daughter didn’t get any rebounds and Tina got one.”

Charles started a parade of what has been three straight high school national players of the year committing to the Huskies. Moore was this year’s top recruit, coming out of Georgia, and Wilmington’s Elena Delle Donne of Ursuline Academy will be heading to UConn in September.

On Rutgers’ side, the Scarlet Knights’ two showcase seniors Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson scored in double figures with Ajavon collecting 18 points, while Carson had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Junior Kia Vaughn added 11 points.

Sophomore Epiphanny Prince was held to 7 points.

A year ago, the Greensboro Colisuem was a scene of joy for the Scarlet Knights when they upset overall top seed Duke in the semifinals and then put down Arizona State to advance to the Final Four before losing to Tennessee in the national championship game.

On Tuesday it was a place of sadness as Carson and Ajavon closed their brilliant backcourt careers along with classmate Katie Adams.

“They (Ajavon and Carson) meant so much to our program,” said Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, who conceded her players tired as the game wore on. "They are perfect examples of what student athletes should be. It’s not about a show. It’s about working hard to get it done.

“To have two in the same year meant so much,” Stringer continued. “They had an impact on our nation and certainly our program. To see them go, it’s tough.”

Auriemma made a veiled critical remark toward the NCAA about his team having to play Rutgers in Tuesday night’s game as a 1-2 matchup that was based more on geography than the talent level between the two schools.

“In a real tournament run by real people, No. 1 plays No. 8, No. 2 plays No. 7, 3 plays 6, and 4 plays 5. They don’t worry about what part of the country you’re in, they don’t worry about whether they’re going to draw fans, not draw fans. They don’t care about that stuff. It’s about getting it right that the teams that played throughout the season to get to those spots, that’s who you play.

“So, did they do a good job of that? No. But at the same if you’re North Carolina you can’t be moaning and groaning about playing LSU in New Orleans in that environment.

“There’s frigging 4,000 people at the game. Big deal. If you can’t win there, you shouldn’t be going to the Final Four. I’ve never gotten caught up in where you play as long as you play the team you’re supposed to be playing.”

Looking ahead to Stanford on Sunday, Auriemma noted, in the manner of Tuesday’s win over Rutgers, “There’s going to come a point in time in that game where one team realizes they’re going to win and the other team realizes they’re going to lose.

“That’s kind of what I coach my team to do. In that particular moment, sense it, and be ready to take advantage of it.”

Auriemma saluted Rutgers: “I think they’re one of the top four or five teams in America and they don’t deserve to be playing the No. 1 No. 1. I just think in the NCAA tournament, their team is built for tournament play. I think they represented themselves and the Big East conference in a great way. And we’re going to do the same when we get to the Final Four.”

Mel

By Stephen K. Lee

Maya Moore’s go-ahead 3-pointer with under three minutes left in Connecticut’s 66-56 win over Rutgers in the Elite Eight not only punched the Huskies’ ticket to Tampa, it also ended one of the most intriguing seasons C. Vivian Stringer and her Scarlet Knights have ever seen.

Like many Rutgers seasons, the 2007-2008 campaign was an up-and-down rollercoaster ride. Here’s a look back at some key moments:

Nov. 11 – Stanford 60, Rutgers 58: Rutgers sophomore guard Epiphanny Prince was called for a controversial foul on Stanford star Candace Wiggins with 0.1 seconds remaining in the game. Wiggins made both free throw attempts to spoil the Scarlet Knights’ season opener and possibly foreshadow Rutgers’ future problems with fractions of a second remaining on game clocks.

Nov. 14 – Introducing the Fab Five (Class of 2012)!: Jasmine Dixon (Long Beach, Calif.), Chelsey Lee (Miami, Fla.), Brooklyn Pope (Fort Worth, Texas), Nikki Speed (Pasadena, Calif.) and April Sykes (Crawford, Miss.) signed their national letters of intent to join Rutgers next season. All five would later be named McDonald’s All-Americans and Pope and Speed would be named co-MVPs of the All-American game. This group has the potential to lift Rutgers from first-class status to elite-class status (i.e. Tennessee, UConn).

Nov. 25 – Rutgers 45, LSU 43: This game marked Rutgers’ first grind-it-out win over an upper-echelon opponent. RU junior center Kia Vaughn and LSU star Sylvia Fowles each scored 13 points in a hard-fought battle in the paint.

Nov. 28 – Rutgers 56, St. Joseph’s 50: The Scarlet Knights snuck past the Hawks in a game that should have been a Rutgers blowout. RU’s porous 33.8 percent shooting (8-of-37 in the second half) was a sign that the Scarlet Knights sometimes play down to their competition.

Dec. 3 – Rutgers 68, Maryland 60: Then-No. 3 Maryland was the highest-ranked team Rutgers had beaten at home in nearly four years. Rutgers trailed 33-23 at the half but roared back in the second frame. This is the first game when the Scarlet Knights showed signs of being the second-half Cardiac Crusaders. Prince shined with 22 points and 10 assists and seniors Essence Carson and Matee Ajavon added 15 points apiece.

Dec. 6 – Duke 49, Rutgers 44: A week removed from the messy win over St. Joe’s, Rutgers lost its first game of the season with a disappointing effort against a rebuilding Duke program. The Scarlet Knights shot an embarrassing 27.6 percent from the floor. Prince led the team with 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, showing signs that she would be Rutgers’ steady rock throughout the course of the season.

Dec. 8 – Jan. 8 (America, meet The Pace-Setters!): Frustrated with the lack of sustained fire and momentum that her usual combination of starters (Ajavon, Carson, Prince, Vaughn, and Heather Zurich) and reserves (Katie Adams, Rashidat Junaid, Myia McCurdy, Brittany Ray, and Khadijah Rushdan) was producing, Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer decided to mix things up and swapped her starters for her reserves in various combinations. Stringer would ease in her regular starters a few minutes into the first half and the team experienced much success with this strategy, going 7-0 with wins over Army, California, Princeton, Temple, Pepperdine, St. John’s, and Marquette.

Jan. 29 – West Virginia 63, Rutgers 54: For Rutgers, this is the loss that ultimately cost them a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tourney. After the Mountaineers trashed them 41-26 in the second half, the Scarlet Knights started moving into the No. 2 seed classification.

Feb. 5 – Rutgers 73, Connecticut 71: In this Round 1 matchup between Rutgers and UConn, Prince took her game to another level. The sophomore guard scored 14 points in a three-minute span early in the second half to rally the Scarlet Knights back from a 40-30 deficit. Prince finished with a career-best 33 points as Rutgers handed UConn its only loss of the season.

Feb. 11 – Tennessee 59, Rutgers 58: From this day forward, the time “0.2 seconds” lives in infamy among Rutgers coaches, players, and fans. With the clock winding down and Rutgers ahead 58-57, Kia Vaughn was called for a foul on Lady Vols forward Nicky Anosike on a Tennessee offensive rebound with the clock reading 0.2 seconds. The clock, however, froze at 0.2 seconds for nearly a full second before the foul was called, meaning that the game was technically over and Rutgers had won. The officials missed the clock malfunction and the rest is history.

Feb. 19 – Rutgers 57, Notre Dame 51: In this game Myia McCurdy suffered a torn ACL, LCL and lateral meniscus in her right knee, ending her season. The loss of McCurdy essentially took away Rutgers’ use of Stringer’s ‘55’ press, as the sophomore forward was its key cog. The Scarlet Knights, which had lost freshman Khadijah Rushdan in the win over Temple, had to deal with an eight-player roster from here on out. Though they had had a few games with just eight earlier in the season, this was different because no one was coming back.

March 3 – Connecticut 66, Rutgers 46: In the Rutgers’ regular season finale, the Huskies outperformed the Scarlet Knights in just about every facet of the game. Though this loss certainly didn’t help Rutgers, it didn’t hurt RU too much either in its outside shot at a low No. 1 seed.

March 9 – Louisville 57, Rutgers 56: One week after receiving a 20-point thrashing in Hartford, Conn., at the hands of UConn, Rutgers came up short against Angel McCoughtry (20 points) and the Cardinals in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. With this loss and the fact that they hadn’t faced UConn a third time, as expected, before the NCAA tournament, the Scarlet Knights suffered a major blow to their standing at the potential top No. 2 seed. This loss may have been the reason why the NCAA committee put Rutgers in the same regional bracket with UConn.

March 17 - Selection Monday: Rutgers got dealt the Greensboro bracket where it would have to inevitably have to face UConn, the top overall seed, in the Elite Eight. Charlie-Brown sighs and eye rolls engulfed everyone in Piscataway. Not again!

NCAA Rounds 1 & 2, Greensboro Semifinals: In NCAA tourney play, the Scarlet Knights looked like they had fully recovered from their disappointing losses to UConn and Louisville. Kia Vaughn averaged 22.5 points per contest in the first two rounds while Epiphanny Prince averaged 19. In the first round win over Robert Morris, Brittany Ray notched a season-best 14 points on 5-for-5 shooting (4-for-4 from beyond the arc). In Rutgers 53-42 win over George Washington in the Sweet 16, Essence Carson matched a career best with 25 points. So, heading into their Elite Eight matchup against UConn, it looked like the Scarlet Knights found new life on offense to make up for their limitations on defense.

April 1 – Connecticut 66, Rutgers 56: The Scarlet Knights led by as much as 14 in the first half and looked poised for another Greensboro upset over a top seed. The Huskies answered with a big second half to come back and end Rutgers Final Four aspirations.

In addition to ending the Scarlet Knights’ season, Tuesday’s Elite Eight loss to UConn also closed an important chapter in the history of the Rutgers program.

The legacy of seniors Matee Ajavon, Essence Carson and Katie Adams lies in the giant leap that the Rutgers program has taken since the beginning of junior year. The trio, which is the most successful class in Scarlet Knights history (two Elite Eights, a Sweet 16, and a trip to the National Championship game), has demonstrated leadership on and off the court.

On the court, Carson and Ajavon each reached the 1,000-point mark. Carson maintained Stringer’s high expectations on defense, winning Big East Defensive Player of the Year three consecutive years. Ajavon filled the intensity void left by Rutgers legend Cappie Pondexter by playing with flair and aggressiveness. Adams, set a good example for bench players everywhere with her passion for the game despite receiving little playing time.

Off the court, Carson was always the voice of the team. Whether it was taking the mike at after a rough game or taking the podium at the Imus reaction press conference, Carson always knew the right things to say.

Ajavon served as the loveable class clown. From “I want to go to Hollywood!” to “Congratulations, Vivian (in jokingly deep voice)” she always had something humorous to say to break the tension at practices or press conferences.

Adams was the mother figure of the group off the court. At the beginning of the year Myia McCurdy mentioned that Adams, who like McCurdy is an out-of-state student, got her settled as a freshmen, showing her around and even helping her set up a local bank account.

The trio also played a key role in building the future. Stringer credits the Class of 2008 for recruiting the highly-touted Class of 2012.

No, the Class of 2008 didn’t win a national championship. But, perhaps more so than any other class, it put the program in a position to win future championships.

Thanks for everything E, Mat and Katie. Good luck with wherever life takes you.

By Mel Greenberg

Well, the anything-but-terrible 2s prevailed Monday night when LSU beat top-seeded North Carolina in New Orleans and Stanford downed top-seeded Maryland in Spokane.

The results left the Atlantic Coast Conference, two years removed from its Boston trifecta, reduced to zero in representatives in the Women's Final Four.

While the Stanford coverage focused on the Cardinal's shock and outrage over not getting a No. 1 seed, the reality is both games could have easily occurred no matter who held which seed.

Rutgers, meanwhile, hasn't had as much problem with its No. 2, understanding what knocked the Scarlet Knights off the season-long projected top line in the bracket, It's just where they happened to be placed.

Coach C. Vivian Stringer's group against overall No. 1 seed Connecticut Tuesday night in Greensboro will be on the under-side of the "should-have-been" been Big East title game of several weeks ago. That went by the wayside, courtesy of the quarterfinal upset loss to Louisville, which went on to cause a slight stir against the Huskies in Hartford and challenged North Carolina in the New Orleans semifinals.

But given how two No. 2s are already on their way to Tampa, or is it Tampa Bay, in sunny Florida, perhaps the Scarlet Knights could easily adapt a battle cry of why not us?

Normally, in a matchup such as the Greensboro showdown, the postgame media interviews involving the Huskies and Scarlet Knights have as much anticipation as the actual game itself, considering who's involved and the sizeable number reporters who cover both schools.

However, because of the late hour start and deadlines, most of the after-commentary will probably light up a day or two after the sun rises on Tobacco Road.

The other Tuesday night game before the anticipated Big East superpower battle, which should draw huge TV ratings despite the 9-ish start, will be in Oklahoma City, where Texas A&M will try to bring down Tennessee, the defending champs.

But if the Vols make good on their favorites role, one piece of the Final Four will feature a Southeastern Conference title encore between Tennessee and LSU.

Whatever the completed Final Four field becomes late Tuesday night, not much money will need to be spent on scouting tapes.

Rutgers has played both Stanford, LSU and Tennessee, but not Texas A&M, in terms of familiarity from this season while Connecticut has played LSU, and Stanford, but not Texas A&M.

Oh, yeah, the Vols and Huskies didn't meet for the first time in 14 years so UConn coach Geno Auriemma's success record against Tennessee in second-chance opportunities the same season won't be tested.

Don't laugh. In some circles it has been suggested, besides her displeasure over UConn's recruiting of freshman sensation Maya Moore, that Tennessee's Pat Summitt canceled the series to prevent Auriemma from gaining an "extra" advantage in a tournament second meeting.

Meanwhile, schools still alive in the field have seen their share of droughts in their geographical locations. But drought relief occurred twice on Monday night and could happen again on Tuesday.

Stanford, the oasis in a primary women's basket desert West of the Rockies, has returned to the Women's Final Four for the first time since 1997, ending a series of frustration, especially in recent regional play.

Ironically, the Cardinal are actually heading South still alive, instead of a recent tradition of going south, as they say in fandom.

Although LSU is heading for its fifth straight Final Four, it's the first time for new Tigers coach Van Chancellor, who missed several times years ago with Mississippi before moving on to the WNBA in 1997 when he went on to take Houston to the pro league's first four titles.

"Sometimes it's even hard to win with great talent," Chancellor quipped from the team bus to a caller while returning from New Orleans to LSU's nearby campus in Baton Rouge.

Meanwhile, unless Rutgers can make it two straight Final Four appearances, the UConn seniors will earn their first Final Four appearances, snapping the longest Huskies drought from the national semifinals since they won their first title in 1995.

Texas A&M has never been that far, so the Aggies couldn't technically qualify as drought stricken. But one could hang the tag on coach Gary Blair, who took Arkansas to the finals in 1998.

The Razorbacks emerged from the West regional that began with No. 1 Stanford .. , well, let's not bring up unpleasant memories while the Cardinal finally has cause to celebrate.

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

How it looks after the smoke clears from the two-night battles ahead Monday and Tuesday remains to be seen, but going into the fray, this is perhaps the greatest lineup of contenders at this stage in NCAA women's tournament history. That's especially true when you focus on just the talent level, which is almost like a USABasketball Olympic futures reunion.

Back in February at the NCAA mock bracket sessions as we assembled in Indianapolis, the Guru made a joke about how a lot of money could be saved by just holding an eight-team tournament with the seven top Associated Press teams and perhaps a play-in round or two for the last spot.

And that is eactly what happened. The entire top eight of the AP final poll has made it through. The 1-2 seeds have made it through. And while some bemoan the like of a deep parity in women's basketball, the next days are a far cry from the last part of the '90s and first part of this decade when everything was a dress rehearsal for UConn-Tennessee.

Having had Cinderella experience coaching Arkansas to a Final Four and the Tennessee FAB-Five coronation in 1998, Gary Blair is about to play the same role again with Texas A&M, which is the winner of that mythical play-in tournament.

In fact, his job to get to the South, but off the golf courses, is to find a way past the Vols in Oklahoma City, Tuesday night.

What's remarkable about the other seven is that however one would shuffle the deck, any matchup among them, besides the one ahead, is worthy of a title game. In fact, a large chunk of showdowns among the solid seven have already occurred during the regular season, notably by Rutgers, which faced five of the eight.

More story lines exist than one has room or time to write, except for my all-night pal out of Kansas City who can be found at ESPN.Com.

How would any of these confrontations fit with your desires if one could re-seed toward a title game.

Maryland-Stanford: Well, we're getting that one out West Monday night in Spokane. On one side for the Cardinal is Candice Wiggins and Jayne Appel, while the Terrapins sport 2006 title vets Crystal Langhorne, Kristi Toliver, Laura Harper, Marissa Coleman. On the sidelines its the veteran Tara VanDerveer with Stanford against the newer generational Brenda Frese, who recently personality acquired two members of a brand new generation (her twins) being hatched this season.

Maryland-Connecticut: This could occur in the national semifinals and that group of media hounds north of here known as the Horde would be all over it, recalling the commit-nerver-mind decision by Harper as a high school senior to be reportedly declared for the Huskies on a Friday night, only to announce the Terrapins as her choice several days later.

Maryland-Tennesse: It's a game many thought would happen a second time in 2006 until North Carolina blocked the Vols' path. And that leads us to ...

Maryland-North Carolina: It happened already once in the regular season in Chapel Hill, with Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle carrying the the Tar Heels in overtime. The second ACC projected confrontation didn't happen in the conference tourney, thanks to Duke's upset of the Terrapins.

Maryland-Rutgers: It was a great game as the Jimmy V Classic at Rutgers in December when the Scarlet Knights rallied for a win.

Maryland-LSU: It was also a classic in the WNIT won by the Terrapins in a closely-fought battle.

Maryland-Texas A&M: Not quite the matchup any would have predicted, but it certainly would be interesting.

Rutgers-Connecticut: It's the didn't-happen Big East title tilt brought to Tobacco Road in the rubber match Tuesday night in Greensboro, N.C. Both sides and the conference office would have loved this to occur in Tampa, where, actually Big East member South Florida is the host school. Rutgers won the nail-biter, Connecticut won the quick TKO in the regular season. Does the Maya Moore sensational rookie story continue or will Scarlet Knights seniors Essence Carson, Matee Ajavon and Katie Adams be forced to say farewell. If the latter happens, the tears of Rutgers fandom will begin to dry after the postseason dinner as they eagerly await the solid gold recruiting class that will arrive in September.
And Kia Vaughn, Heather Zurich, and Epiphanny Prince will still be around.

Rutgers-LSU: Another encore classic from the regular season won by the Scarlet Knights in a physically-played game in Piscataway.

Rutgers-North Carolina: If this occurs, someone, somewhere will remember out of all the hubris since selection Monday, the Tar Heels were the team Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer had designated as the best of all of the poisons that potentially could have been dealt to her group by the selection committee.

Rutgers-Tennessee: A second-straight NCAA title showdown. And then there's the matter of a February game won by the Vols in Knoxville - tick,tick, tick ..., ..., tick.

Rutgers-Texas A&M: Blair and Stringer have a million stories they could tell trying to capture the nation's fancy.

Rutgers-Stanford: This went to the Cardinal on a controversial foul call at Rutgers in the season opener in New Jersey. It would be a great test to determine who went on to have the greatest endurance, especially the Scarlet Knights on their rugged schedule.

Connecticut-North Carolina: The Huskies shook off a first-half battery in Storrs in early February to create a Tar Heel meltdown the rest of the way. Yet another on this list that has classic written all over it.

Connecticut-LSU: It seems like only yesterday that Huskies coach Geno Auriemma was having makeup applied by the TV folks in the summer of 1997 in Houston so he could interview then-Comets coach Van Chancellor before the first WNBA title game. It was longer than that when both once hitched a ride to dinner in the back seat of the Guru's car so they could feel important during Olympic tryouts in Colorado Springs.
It seems like only last month, and it was, that the Huskies edged the Tigers in Baton Rouge, showing they had begun to shake off the effects of the season-ending knee injuries to Mel Thomas and Kalana Greene.

Connecticut-Stanford: The Cardinal caused a close encounter in the Caribbean in November when the then-totally Huskies were beating up on the rest of the world. Time heels all wounds, so Rebecca Lobo, the former UConn star who was "reluctantly" accepted by VanDerveer on the '96 Olympians, will be on the sidelines for this one with the ESPN crew.

Connecticut-Texas A&M: Blair and Geno in as surprise matchup, which would mean you-know-who wouldn't be participating in Tampa. It's the two former victims of the mythical "men's" bracket in the women's tournament -- notice how that doesn't come up anymore on Selection Monday. These two teams would be strangers, but Auriemma commented last week that at this time of year, the Huskies spend more time worrying about their own game plans, rather than reacting to one by the opposition.

Stanford-Tennessee: It's the overtime upset in Palo Alto, Calif., at home against the Vols that put the Cardinal on a road to a No. 1 seed that they plunged off of a week or so later with back-to-back losses to Southern Cal and UCLA. Potential foes in this one and this summer in the WNBA, Wiggins and Candice Parker are likely to be Olympic teammates in China.

Stanford-LSU: Same storyline as above except substitute Tigers senior Sylvia Fowles for Tennessee's Parker in the matchup with Wiggins.

Stanford-North Carolina: A great post-play war and a battle of wits on the sidelines in two Women's Basketball Hall of Fame coaches in the Tar Heels' Sylvia Hatchell and VanDerveer.

Stanford-Texas A&M: Researchers would spent overtime coming up with storylines for this one. But they would break tradition in being opponents who don't normally play each other out of conference. Of course, there's a matter of the Aggies carrying the honor of the Big 12 against the perennial Pac-10 rulers.

North Carolina-LSU: We're getting that one Monday night as the Tar Heels try to continue their streak of Final Four appearances and try to stop the Tigers at four. For LSU's Chancellor, it would mean completing some unfinished collegiate business that didn't occur in his former SEC days at Mississippi. Again, another great one worthy of the NCAA championship showdown, itself.

Tennessee-Texas A&M: A two-game streak over the Vols and, potentially, LSU, would be a feat Blair couldn't pull in the SEC back in his days at Arkansas.

LSU-Texas A&M: It would be a sideline matchup of country boys in Blair and Chancellor. The Tigers would be a heavy favorite.

North Carolina-Texas A&M: Another one for conference pride as the best of the Big 12 goes against the champion of the ACC.

North Carolina-Tennessee: Since beating the Vols in the 2006 Cleveland regional final, the Tar Heels have had close losses to Pat Summitt and company, including last season's Cleveland disaster in the second half of the national semifinals. After a narrow setback earlier this season at the hands of the Vols, perhaps UNC wants to show things are a little different now.

LSU-Tennessee: This could be the Southeastern Conference rubber match in the national semifinals after the Tigers won in Knoxville and the Vols took the conference championship. Bring plenty of towels because the WNBA folks, especially Los Angeles and Chicago, will be drooling over the matchup of No. 1 draft pick Parker and No. 2 draft pick Fowles in the Draft Camp special without draft camp.
Chancellor, incidentally, is on a potential track to be the first coach of women to pull a trifecta with WNBA titles, an Olympic gold medal and a potential NCAA crown. Sounds like he'd make great Hall of Famer material. Never mind, Chancellor's been there and done that in both Knoxville and Springfield, Mass.

Tennessee-Connecticut: This is No. 28 on this list of real and potential matchups at the hour this is being posted. It didn't happen for the first time in the regular season since the former rivalry began in 1995. We'll save all words on the topic until late Sunday night when the flow will begin to gush if this becomes the championship pairing.
But at least through this list, the Guru has made the point of what a tantalizing week is about to unfold.

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

As the season went along, by mid-Decenber it had become apparent that there were seven teams in the national hunt, a few others that might be close, and then there's the rest of the country,

With one exception that form held Saturday in the New Orleans and Spookane Regionals.

Out West, Maryland certainly looked like the Terrapins NCAA title bunch of two years ago with an 80-66 viictory over Vanderbilt, while Stanford ended Pittsburgh's Cinderella run with a 72-53 win.

That set the stage for Monday night's regional showdown between the Maryland, the top seed, and Stanford, the No. 2 seed.

Down in Bayou Country, LSU handled Oklahoma State, 67-52, but North Carolina had to rally from an 18-point deficit to beat Louisville, 78-74.

The fact that North Carolina, after its second-half collapse at Connecticut at mid-season, held on for a girtty regular season win over Maryland in overtime and rallied Saturday, might mean that the days of ugly Tar Heel el foldo performances might be a thing of the past.

Louisville, off its upset of Rutgers and showing against UConn in the Big East tournament, along with its NCAA charge to Saturday's contest showed itself as a team that moved closer toward the elite crowd in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, if form holds, the Sunday afternoon bill in Greensboro, N.C., appears to be heading for more of the same where Rutgers is a strong favorite to beat George Washington in a rematch from earlier in the season, while Connecticut is expected to do likewise against Old Dominion, a team the Huskies beat several years ago in a regional final in Milwaukee.

Those outcomes would set up the "delayed" orginally projected Big East title tilt Tuesday night in the rubber match between No. 1 UConn and No. 2 Rutgers.

In the Midwest, No. 1 Tennessee will be a strong favorite in Oklahoma City over Cinderella-Notre Dame, while the No. 2 Texas A&M and No. 3 Duke contest could be competitive in that the duo probably were the real 8-9 teams on the "S" curve.

And that's it for now until Sunday's games are over.

-- Mel

(Guru's note. A small technical issue and being out from the home office caused a brief delay in this post, but, as always, Stephen has a worthy viewpoint.)
By Stephen K. Lee

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – For the second straight year, the Rutgers women’s basketball team finds its road to the Final Four running through Greensboro, N.C.

“I would call it a second home,” junior center Kia Vaughn said jokingly after practice on Thursday.

Last year, the Scarlet Knights (26-6) caught fire defensively in the NCAA tournament and opened the nation’s eyes by knocking off then top-seeded Duke in the Sweet 16.

This year, with key defensive cog Myia McCurdy lost to a knee injury, Rutgers is dominating in different ways. In addition to sophomore guard Epiphanny Prince’s season-long consistency and continued improvement, the Scarlet Knights’ edge over their opponents has stemmed Vaughn’s resurgence in the post.

“I don’t think anyone could stop Kia Vaughn in the last couple of games,” Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer said after practice on Thursday. “Like they say, no time like the present.”

After averaging just 9.2 points per contest prior to the NCAA tourney, Vaughn exploded to a 22 and 23 points in the first two rounds. She attributes her recent success to opportunities in the paint presenting themselves.

“It was just there,” Vaughn said. “Some games it’s not going to be there. It was just there, and if that’s the winning way that we’re going to get out of it, then that’s where it’s going to go. Until they stop it, we’re going to keep going to it.”

Stringer believes that Vaughn has become more relaxed and breaking out of her yearlong funk.

“I think that she’s embodied the tune that it’s now or never and I think she’s determined that she’s going to play,” Stringer said.

In some ways it is now or never for the Scarlet Knights. Unlike last season, this year Rutgers will inevitably have to say goodbye to seniors Katie Adams, Matee Ajavon, and Essence Carson.

“Everything is for (the seniors) and I think that I would do anything in my power to prolong it because it’s great,” Vaughn said. “And it’s the greatest feeling to have them by my side.”

Carson detects that feeling among her teammates but she also knows that that’s not the only thing inspiring the Scarlet Knights.

“You can sense that – that they value this time that we have left,” she said. “Everyone’s playing their heart out right now. It’s just that sense of urgency.

“It would be our last game of our career here at Rutgers, but it would also be their last game this season. I’m pretty sure they don’t want to go home. We all want the same thing and that’s a national championship, so we’ll just have to take it a step at a time.”

Looking ahead to their Sweet-16 matchup with George Washington (27-6), the Scarlet Knights know not to expect a repeat of their 67-42 pounding of the Colonials way back in November.

“It’s like facing a brand-new team,” says Carson. “They’ve made many improvements since that time.”

Carson pointed to the improved play of GW center Jessica Adair, who managed just nine points on 2-of-16 shooting from the field. Through the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, Adair is averaging 14 points and 10.5 through the first two rounds of the tournament. Vaughn thinks that the entire Colonials team has gotten better.

“Their whole team – it’s just a different atmosphere, so it’s actually more like pumped, a little bit fast-paced,” Vaughn said.

Still, when the Scarlet Knights and the Colonials tipoff at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, keep an eye on the battle between Vaughn and Adair down low as both attempt to lead their teams to the Elite Eight.

By Mel Greenberg

Everything that was Villanova's roller coaster season became a one-game highlight/horror film in Bouler, Colo., Thursday night when the Wildcats were knocked out of the Women's National Invitation Tournament by a 16-1 closing run by host Colorado for a 64-58 defeat.

For most of the game, which the Guru tracked back here in Philadelphia, Villanova held a lead and appeared poised to join St. Joseph's as the only two Big Five teams to advance to the WNIT quarterfinals. The Wildcats also are the only Big Five team to advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament and in 1982, the last year of the AIAW tournament, coach Harry Perretta's teams advanced with Rutgers, the ultimate winner, Texas and Wayland Baptist to the Final Four at the Palestra.

Then, as has been the case of Villanova dry spells, it all fell apart in the high altitude and Colorado moved on to host TCU on Sunday.

Stacie Witman closed out her career with 20 points and Maria Getty had 15.

In the past, the Guru has found Colorado coach Kathy McConnell-Miller, the older sister of Duquesne coach Suzie McConnell-Serio, amusing as a former Virginia teammate of Dawn Staley, and later as an assistant to Theresa Grentz before moving on to her first head coaching job at Tulsa.

Well, as it turns out, Colorado also has some interest names on its roster, such as Whitney Houston and Brittany Spears, who played roles in the rally that produced the victory.

Guru's Ears Weren't Burning

Not really, but Stephen checked in from Rutgers after the team's pre-Greensboro press briefing to report he would be filing out of the interview session and noted that coach C. Vivian Stringer invoked the Guru's name and more ancient history involving Cheyney and the formative years of the poll.

We'll wait for the email before making any kind of rebuttal.

Waner's Latest AP Blog

The Associated Press is using blogging reports from Rutgers' Essence Carson, North Carolina's Erlana Larkins, Duke's Abby Waner, and Maryland's Crystal Langhorne, all of whom are still alive in the tournament regional semifinals.

Here's the most recent report, which comes from Waner.

THURSDAY, March, 27:

DURHAM, N.C. - Well, we finally made it home - but not for long! Last night was a great game versus Arizona State, and despite the not so friendly support from the Terrapins fans, we were able to pull out the win.

In case you didn't catch the game, Chante Black was a minor 26-point, 13-rebound reason for our success. It's pretty safe to say that this game was largely dependent on the post play seeing as ASU has Lauren Lacey and Sybil Dosty on the inside - which would explain why I avoided the paint for the entire game! Other than our 8-0 start from the tip, it was a tight game until we closed the game with free throws at the end.

So about 10 minutes to go in the first half, I had a literal run-in with Charli Turner Thorne. Quick rewind: Charli was my assistant coach this summer while I played with the U21 USA World Championship team, and it was so great to see her again before we played. Charli could be the all-time most fashionable coach, and last night was no exception.

Unfortunately, her stylish heels were a detriment to us both. I shot a three in the corner (and no, it was not my one make of the night ... that would be the wide open layup in the first three minutes!) and as I ran back, it clearly was not in a straight line because I managed to step out of bounds and directly on Charli's foot.

Seeing as how I am:

A. Not so coordinated/graceful in the least bit

B. Have zero elasticity in my ankles, my right ankle turned and I found myself on the ground like I too often do. I'm pretty sure Charli also took a spill, but I had to watch as my team attempted to guard 5 on 4. A quick tape job and re-lacing later, everything was fine. I'm not sure if I can say the same about Charli's heels.

So here is what's on tap for the next few days in Durham:

1. Laundry is a must; unfortunately, I can't talk Dave, our equipment guy, into throwing my personal laundry in with my practice gear.

2. Catching up on classes (Hear that, Coach P?). Coach P is always sure to send us friendly reminders/threats to get to class once we get back ... not saying that it would take a threat for us to go to class, of course!

3. Briefly scanning the 594 packet that will be waiting on my locker from Coach Brown regarding everything one might need to know about Texas A&M - favorite colors, shoe sizes and siblings' ages included.

Can't wait to tell more from Oklahoma City, Go Duke!

- Duke junior Abby Waner

WBCA Gives Less to UConn's Moore

Unless there is a freshman rule blocking eligibility under the WBCA guidelines, the Guru finds it quite remarkable that Connecticut freshman Maya Moore did not make the final 12 for the organization's player of the year.

Huskies teammates Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery made the cut, but since the finalists,we believe, are picked off the 40 finalists for the WBCA's All-America team, we find it interesting that the other two, talented that they are, were picked by a coaches' panel ahead of Moore.

Philly Roots in the Sweet 16

Still alive from the City of Brotherly Love are former University City star Marcedes Walker with Pittsburgh, the first men's or women's Panthers squad to advance this far, The team is coached by South Jersey's Angus Berenato.

George Washington's coach Joe McKeown is a Father Judge graduate and redshirt junior Lisa Steele is from South Jersey, as is Ivy Abiona, and former Colonial star Lisa Cermingnano, who is now an assistant with Vanderbilt. Connecticut's Meghan Gardler is from Springfield, while Huskies coach Geno Auriemma grew up in Norristown.

And Rutgers coach C.Vivian Stringer's Cheyney background has already been noted.

-- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

Hello, all.

This will be short because the Guru is busy at an offsite location in the Philadelphia-area counting United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) all-American, coach, player, and freshman ballots, although two of those categories, as one might guess, don't require a lot of counting.

There didn't appear to be any new player-blogging at the AP site in the last 24 hours. We did deliver AP Doug back to his Manhattan residence on what was a rather quick trip South on the way back to here.

One record clear from a previous post -- Doug's train time spent on trips to Connecticut games is on Metro North mostly and not Amtrak.

Looking at the Sweet 16 field, in terms of AP Final poll teams, the first nine all survived. Cal was upset, but No. 11 Old Dominion, No. 13 Oklahoma State, and No. 15 Notre Dame, making it 12 of the AP's Sweet 16. The other AP teams still alive are No. 19 Louisville, No. 20 George Washington, No. 21 Vanderbilt, and unranked Pittsburgh, although it would be hard to make the Panthers a 100 percent Cinderella, considering they had been ranked during the season.

On the other hand, beating Baylor was still worth something. There was an oppportunity for all but one of the top 16 to make the field. The only intra-16 game was No. 15 Notre Dame's win over No. 14 Oklahoma.

No. 10 Cal lost to George Washington, No. 12 Baylor lost to unranked Pitt, as mentioned, and No. 16 Kansas State lost to No. 19 Louisville.

For those counting conference success, the Big East has already been addressed and has five of the Sweet 16, followed by three from the Atlantic Coast, three from the Southeastern, two from the Big 12, and one each from the Pacific-10, Colonial Athletic Association, and Atlantic Ten.

Officially Speaking

During the immediate fallout after the "Clockgate," episode involving Rutgers' last "extra" second loss at Tennessee, it was noted that if any of the officials who worked the game and didn't follow procedure and had been reprimanded in any meaningful way, perhaps their names wouldn't appear in NCAA tournament boxscores, namely because they might be suspended from the tournament.

Well, a glance at every boxscore in the first two rounds yielded this find:

Bob Trammell worked the Pittsburgh-Wyoming game in the first round and the West Virginia-Vanderbilt game in the second round; Tina Napier worked the Western Kentucky-UTEP game in the first round and the George Washington-California game in the second round, while Bonita Spence worked the Illinois State-Oklahoma game in the first round and the Oklahoma-Notre Dame game in the second round.

On another note, Dawn Marsh, who has played in the tournament for Tennessee, officiated one of the games. We caught her working some CAA games involving Drexel this season. Also working one of the games was Wanda Szeremeta, a former teammate of scoring sensation and now New York Liberty executive Carol Blazejowski when the two starred for Montclair State, which advanced to the first Women's Final Four format in 1978 under the AIAW.

Villanova Travels Memory Lane in the WNIT

The Wildcats will be in Boulder, Colo., to play the University of Colorado in a third-round contest. In 2003, coach Harry Perretta's squad upset a very good Ceal Barry-coached Buffs squad in Colorado's holiday tournament and the two later met again in an NCAA regional semifinal game in Tennessee, won by Villanova. The magic for the Wildcats ended the next game against the Vols, but that win made Perretta's group the only Big Five team to advance that far in NCAA history.

-- Mel