November seems like only yesterday when the Connecticut and Tennessee women’s basketball teams had encountered difficult times, and most everyone was enthralled with the idea that parity finally had arrived in the sport.
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Well, here it is, Sweet 16 time in the NCAA women’s tournament, and those two rulers are very much alive with the opportunity to once again collide in another Final Four.
The three-time defending NCAA champion Huskies will have a little more difficult time, however, than the first two rounds, when they arrive at the Kansas City regional.
All Tennessee’s early-season struggles meant to date was that Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt’s move to the record books was held up a few weeks so she could celebrate in Knoxville on Tuesday night, becoming the all-time men’s and women’s NCAA coaching leader with 880 victories.
Still, the Lady Vols’ road to Indy has a few obstacles in the Philly regional, the only one of the four regionals in the tournament this weekend that has the original top four seeds intact.
Here is a glance at what’s ahead in each location.
Philadelphia regional
The teams: No. 1 Tennessee (28-4) meets No. 4 Texas Tech (24-7) in the first game Sunday before No. 2 Ohio State (30-4) faces No. 3 Rutgers (27-6).
What to expect: Tennessee is 4-0 against Texas Tech, but the schools haven’t met since the Vols’ 57-44 victory in the Elite Eight on March 27, 2000.
The Raiders are led by four players who average double figures: La Toya Davis (12.5 points), Alesha Robertson (12.7), Cisti Greenwalt (13.2) and Chesley Dabbs (12.3). All-American Shyra Ely leads the Vols with a 14.4 scoring average and 7.0 rebounds.
Rutgers turned aside 15th-ranked Temple’s ambition to play in its own arena, snapping the Owls’ 25-game win streak.
Cappie Pondexter is the story of the Scarlet Knights, although senior Chelsea Newton helps toughen their vaunted defense under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer.
Like Stringer, Buckeyes coach Jim Foster is one of a few to have had three different programs in the AP women’s poll.
Vanderbilt and St. Joseph’s also were ranked teams, and with Foster being a native of Philadelphia, he also will have a local cheering section.
Ohio State has experienced a renaissance under Foster, whose 6-foot-5-inch sophomore center Jessica Davenport leads the Buckeyes with 19.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. Senior 5-9 guard Caity Matter is averaging 13.4 points.
Rutgers will try to avenge a 52-50 loss to OSU in Columbus. This game could go to the wire.
Chattanooga regional
The teams: No. 1 LSU (31-2) vs. No. 13 Liberty (25-6) on Saturday before No. 6 Georgia (24-9) meets No. 2 Duke (30-4).
What to expect: An intriguing regional, indeed. The Tigers, who were No. 1 in the polls most of the season, are led by Seimone Augustus, who appears en route to being named a consensus national player of the year.
Liberty was a one-and-done wonder eight times before this year when the perennial Big South champions, led by Katie Feenstra, pulled upsets over Penn State and DePaul to advance to the Sweet 16.
The game between Georgia and Duke involve two teams on a championship treadmill, with both having made Final Four appearances without ever gaining the title.
Blue Devils All-America Monique Currie could be the difference.
Tempe regional
The teams: No. 3 Minnesota (26-7) meets No. 2 Baylor (29-3) on Saturday night before No. 1 North Carolina (29-3) meets No. 5 Arizona State (22-9).
What to expect: Baylor, with two All-Americans in junior Sophia Young and senior Steffanie Blackmon, could be the darkhorse in the field.
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Minnesota’s main force is All-American center Janelle McCarville.
In the other game, the Wildcats made it home to Wells Fargo Arena, but can they upset a solid Tar Heels team led by All-American guard Ivory Latta?
Kansas City regional
The teams: No. 1 Michigan State (30-3) meets No. 5 Vanderbilt (24-7) before No. 3 Connecticut (25-7) plays No. 2 Stanford (31-2).
What to expect: The Spartans have had an all-time season for their program, led by Lindsay Bowen, and are prohibitive favorites over a Commodores team that many thought would be gone by now.
The moment of truth will follow. The Huskies are still talented, even though it’s the first time UConn has not placed a player on the AP All-America first, second or third squads.
Just when it was thought that coach Geno Auriemma’s squad would make a quick exit, UConn began a run through the Big East tournament and the first two rounds of this tournament.
But those games were in the neighborhood in nearby Hartford when not in Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.
Stanford, meanwhile, is arguably the best Cardinal contingent in some time. This is so, in part, because of the play of freshman Candice Wiggins, who made second-team All-American.
The UConn-Stanford matchup will be the perfect bookend to conclude the regional semis.