Women's Hoops Guru

(Guru's note: A print story off the game with focus on ailing North Carolina State coach Kay Yow is over at philly.com)

By Mel Greenberg

RALEIGH, N.C. - South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley, who left a successful eight-year stint at Temple to revive the Gamecocks' functions, still thinks much of her native Philadelphia far from home.

On Sunday, after a win over South Carolina at the buzzer for Staley's first triumph over North Carolina State in four tries as a coach, Staley sent a cheer for the Eagles prior to their playoff win over Minnesota to advance in the NFL playoffs.

"Overall, we're taking steps in the right direction," Staley said of her new life in Columbia. "We're trying to get better and we did that today."

Then, she paused and a grin crept over her face.

"Now, we have to get the Eagles on board."

It was then pointed out to her that the Phillies finally won a world series after she left town.

"I was glued to it. I was glued to it," Staley said.

Meanwhile as the fates evolved, Staley's former Temple team watched part of the action of its previous coach in Reynolds Coliseum before heading to nearby Durham where the Owls will meet Duke Monday night. The Blue Devils should be at least No.5 in a few hours from this writing in the new poll in the wake of No. 4 Texas' loss to San Diego State last week.

Duke Homecoming

When Temple takes the floor in Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday night against Duke it will be a homecoming of sorts for assistant coach Brittany Hunter, who once was the nation's top recruit as a Blue Devils freshman.

Her arrival was a major triumph at the time in that Connecticut was a runnerup in the hunt for her talents.

She then unmwittingly touched off a mild firestorm when the Huskies were about to play the Blue Devils in a 1-2 matchup that season.

Asked by the UConn media contingent what was a deciding factor in her choice of schools, Hunter alluded to the value of a Duke diploma later in life.

In an ensuing interview with Huskies coach Geno Auriemma on his reaction, he quipped about the number of persons holding Duke diplomas he knew who were waiting on tables in restaurants.

He got the final say, however, when Hunter later decided to transfer to UConn, where she graduated last season and was brought to Temple as an aide to Tonya Cardoza, who had been a longtime assistant with the Huskies.

Hunter, in a preseason interview at Temple, said, like Dawn Staley, coaching was not a thought in her future as a player.

"It's funny," she said. "I didn't remember having interest before Tonya asked me to join her. But I remember talking to (former Connecticut star) Shea Ralph, once, and she told me she wasn't thinking of a coaching career, either, when she was an undergraduate."

Ralph, however, was an assistant to Agnus Berenato, helping to build Pittsburgh into prominence, before Auriemma then coaxed her back to her alma mater to fill Cardoza's spot on his staff.

Rutgers Fallout

If New Jersey transportation officials ever finish widening Route 18 near the Rutgers campus in New Brunswick, the improvement will be worthy.

It will put the fan base that much closer to the Raritan River on the way home after excruciating losses such as the one Saturday in the Louis A. Brown Athletic Center to national rival Tennessee.

The Scarlet Knights had led by as many as 23 points in the first half and 20 at the break.

The differential created the worst half in Tennessee's history and the 13 points were the lowest total.

Following last year's controversial loss at the finish in Knoxville when Tennessee benefited from a timer malfunction to beat Rutgers, media types were wondering how many headlines were going to have a new spin: Scarlet Knights Clock Tennessee.

The fan base was quite guiddy at the time although a portion of the sellout crowd was there to cheer for the Vols and coach Pat Summitt, who is nearing 1,000 career victories.

"Write a good headline," one yelled to the Guru as he headed down from the upper press area to the media room.

The Guru, however, wondered whether the lead could hold based on the fact it could have been worse and Rutgers has a history of letting opportunity slip through the Scarlet Knights' fingers.

He already sensed some bad karma, wondering why ushers in the crowd managed to be distributed shirts colored orange for their working attire.

As for the long range implications -- it is now not out of the question that Rutgers could be grouped again with Big East rival Connecticut in a potential NCAA tournament Sweet 16 appearance in Trenton.

That would delight organizing officials but would mean something else to Rutgers coach C.Vivian Stringer after last year's regional title matchup in Greensboro, N.C.

If Connecticut continues to dominate the nation, geographical preference would place the Huskies No. 1 in the Trenton regional.

At this point with so many unknowns, anything could happen to Rutgers that would need a great closing finish, along with a slew of other teams, to get to at least a No. 2 seed.

Ideally, on each line, Rutgers would be better as a weaker No. 2 or No. 3, or No. 4, etc. because under the infamous committee principles and procedures, anyone else in the East on the same line as the Scarlet Knights would then get the dreaded Trenton geographical placement as the stronger seed in that particular group.

The next geographical site closest to Rutgers is down here in North Carolina, which is becoming the Scarlet Knights' second tournament home. Raleigh will be one of the four sites.

But before any of the Rutgers fans start heading into that construction lane on Route 18 near the "banks," it is a long way until the end of the season.

Unlike a year ago when seven teams pretty much had claimed the top two NCAA bracket lines barring a plunge in conference competition, it is quite messy right now.

How messy?

When it came to voting in this week's poll on Sunday night, little consensus existed on what were now two potential open slots in the top 25.

-- Mel