Two-time defending champion Connecticut might be favored going into the women's NCAA Tournament, but Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said the Huskies aren't nearly as big a favorite as they were last year.
"They're a great team, but I think it's going to be a very exciting tournament," she said after Monday's draw gave No. 1 seeds to her team, UConn, Baylor and Tennessee. "There's no clear-cut favorite."
For instance, Stanford beat UConn this season, but lost to Tennessee. Baylor beat Tennessee, but lost to UConn.
VanDerveer said some of the No. 2 seeds, and even a No. 3 such as UCLA, also have a chance in the Tournament, which begins this weekend.
The Cardinal (29-2) are in their 24th straight NCAA Tournament and will face UC Davis (24-8) in a first-round game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Maples Pavilion. At 6:30 p.m. Monday, the winner will face the winner of Saturday's earlier game between Texas Tech (22-10) and St. John's (21-10), one of nine Big East teams to make the field.
Stanford has a 24-4 record in NCAA Tournament games at Maples and has won its last 61 games on its home court. It is hoping for a fourth straight trip to the Final Four, which will be held in Indianapolis, April 3-5.
"Our goal, like a lot of teams' goal, is the national championship," said guard Jeanette Pohlen, the Pac-10 Player of the Year. As the conference tournament proved, she said, "A lot of people can step up; I'm very confident in this team."
Last year's Stanford team was thought to have an excellent shot at the national title, too. However, All-America center Jayne Appel entered the tournament with a sprained ankle. After an opening-game win over UC Riverside, she was found to have a stress fracture in her foot. Though she kept playing, she was severely hampered.
This team is at full strength, and the addition of Chiney Ogwumike to the starting lineup has made the Cardinal quicker and more athletic. Another freshman, guard Toni Kokenis, was the catalyst of the conference tournament title-game victory over UCLA on Saturday. She won't start Saturday in place of Lindy La Rocque, VanDerveer said, because of the spark she provides off the bench.
Because the Bruins also were placed in the Spokane Regional with Stanford, there's a chance the two teams could play for the fourth time this season. Stanford has won the three previous games, but VanDerveer said she was "shocked" that UCLA was placed in the same regional. She thought the Bruins should have been a No. 2 seed elsewhere.
Baylor, which features 6-foot-8 sophomore Brittney Griner, might face the same situation with Texas A&M in the Dallas region. The Bears beat A&M by a total of 15 points in their three games, including a three-point win in the Big 12 final.
Dallas will be the site of an emotional game. Middle Tennessee State, which is still dealing with the stabbing death of player Tina Stewart on March 2, was given an at-large berth and will play Georgia.
With the Cal and St. Mary's men headed to the NIT, the Stanford women are the only Bay Area team in the Big Dance. The Cardinal won national titles in 1990 and '92 but haven't connected since then.
"The real key to success for us will be Kayla (Pedersen)," VanDerveer said. "I feel Kayla will break out in the NCAA Tournament."
The road to Indy
If the seeds hold, Stanford's path to the Final Four in Indianapolis:
First round, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, at Maples Pavilion - UC Davis (24-8), the fourth-place team in the Big West. The Aggies upset top-seeded Cal Poly by 17 points in the conference final.
Second round, 6:30 p.m. Monday, at Maples Pavilon - Texas Tech (22-10), which lost in the semis of the Big 12 tournament. Tech beat three ranked teams in one month, including then-No. 1 Baylor.
Third round, March 26, at Spokane, Wash. - Kentucky (24-8), featuring SEC Player of the Year Victoria Dunlap. The 'Cats finished second to Tennessee in the regular season and conference tourney.
Fourth round, March 28, at Spokane - Xavier (28-2), which has won 18 straight, rolling through the Atlantic 10. The Musketeers lost to Stanford in last year's Sacramento Regional final on Jeanette Pohlen's buzzer-beating basket.
الرئيسية 
موضوع: Stanford a top seed in wide-open tournament 
الثلاثاء مارس 15, 2011 2:35 am
