SB Nation Seattle - Women's NCAA Tournament: Vandersloot Becomes First-Ever College Player To 2000 Points, 1000 Assistshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48997/seattle-fave.png2011-03-21T20:20:03-07:00http://seattle.sbnation.com/rss/stream/18146022011-03-21T20:20:03-07:002011-03-21T20:20:03-07:00NCAA Women's Tournament: Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot Becomes First Ever College Player To 2000 Points, 1000 Assists
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<p>Only needing 10 points to reach 2000, perhaps it was fitting that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/gonzaga-bulldogs">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a> senior point guard Courtney Vandersloot reached 10 assists first in tonight's second round game against UCLA at home in Spokane.</p>
<p>However with 12:21 left, Vandersloot finally got to 10 points with a fast break layup to become the first college basketball player ever with 2000 points and 1000 assists. During the ensuing timeout, the crowd chanted "Courtney" and when she came back onto the court the ovation continued. </p>
<p>With 7:59 left in the game, Vandersloot had 15 assists, 13 points, and 6 rebounds, just four rebounds away from a triple double. The milestone should seal Vandersloot as the top candidate for the Nancy Lieberman Award given to the top point guard in women's basketball each year. Vandersloot has already won <a target="_blank" href="http://www.krem.com/sports/Gonzagas-Courtney-Vandersloot-2011--117538973.html">the 2011 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award</a>, given to the nation's best women's basketball player 5-feet-8 and under.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/21/2064912/ncaa-womens-tournament-gonzagas-courtney-vandersloot-points-assists-recordNate P.2011-03-21T16:14:28-07:002011-03-21T16:14:28-07:00Women's NCAA Tournament 2011: Preview Of A 'Battle Of Styles' Between Gonzaga Vs. UCLA In Spokane
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<p>As one of a handful of coaches in the nation that has played both the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/gonzaga-bulldogs">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/ucla-bruins">UCLA Bruins</a> this year, Montana Lady Grizzlies coach Robin Selvig's opinion certainly holds some weight in previewing the game.</p>
<p>"It will be a battle of styles," said Selvig after Montana's 55-47 loss on Saturday. "They are totally, totally different. You got to get up and down the floor, shoot the heck out of it. Gonzaga and UCLA rely on not letting anybody get up and down the floor and shoot the heck out of it. I think there's a real contrast in styles."</p>
<p>However, while there is certainly a visceral difference in how differently these teams play, Selvig also alluded to some significant similarities that might play out in tonight's game.</p>
<p>Although UCLA is more widely known for their defense, Gonzaga's discipline forced Notre Dame into 27 turnovers earlier in the season and was only .03 points per possession behind UCLA in terms of what they allowed opponents. They post almost identical offensive rebounding percentages and differentials with opponents. And perhaps most importantly, although Gonzaga typically plays at a faster pace than UCLA, UCLA has the athletes to run and can force teams into inefficient play at a fast pace.</p>
<p>"They can run," said Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves yesterday. "They choose not to all the time, but they can actually transition very well. But I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of style wins out tomorrow because I think whoever gets their tempo going has a chance of winning.</p>
<p>So to be as specific as possible, this isn't the type of mutually exclusive contrast in styles that might take place between an interior-oriented team and perimeter-oriented team in which neither team is capable of playing on the other's terms. To the contrary, there are striking similarities between the two teams that make this game more a matter of preferences.</p>
<p>"This team is familiar with teams who like to run the basketball," said UCLA coach Nikki Caldwell after the Bruins' win against Montana. "Look at playing against Stanford or even Oregon, who was leading the nation in scoring. There are some things we do defensively to counteract that because we definitely don't want to have our opponents running the ball right at us because that is what we like to do."</p>
<p>So ultimately, what might matter most in this game is who establishes an advantage within those points of similarity.</p>
<h4>3. Who can play more efficiently at a high pace?</h4>
<p>Obviously, Gonzaga's pace is fueled by their point guard and team leader Courtney Vandersloot.</p>
<p>"One person really makes Gonzaga go," said Selvig on Saturday. "They've got a lot of good players, but Vandersloot's a unique player. She makes everybody better and things rest in her hands."</p>
<p>As described in an <a target="_blank" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/gonzaga-bulldogs/2011/3/21/2064046/ncaa-womens-tournament-2011-gonzaga-bulldogs-courtney-vandersloot-point-guard-milestone">earlier SBN Seattle feature about Vandersloot</a>, she has a "game awareness" that makes her especially dangerous in transition because she's a player with the confidence to make creative risks that others just can't. The key, for her as a player and the Bulldogs as a team, is that she can take those risks efficiently and that makes the entire team better.</p>
<p>"They are one of the best running teams we have seen in a long time," said Caldwell, whose team also played Notre Dame which can run but does so with a lower shooting efficiency and turnover differential which makes them less efficient overall. "There are a lot of teams who run the ball, but they are very efficient running the basketball so we got to make sure defensively we are able to set our pressure so we can make baskets."</p>
<p>So one significant challenge for UCLA will be running the ball and scoring efficiently. One thing they don't have - in addition to a point guard like Vandersloot - is the 3-point shooting ability of Gonzaga. In a fast break scenario with Vandersloot able to break down a defense and find shooters, that makes a huge difference. Unlike Saturday's game in which UCLA missed out on easy scoring opportunities, they'll have to capitalize to beat Gonzaga and whereas Gonzaga relies on converting with good spacing in the half court, UCLA relies heavily on transition points off turnovers</p>
<h4>2. How will Gonzaga's secondary ball handlers respond to UCLA's defense?</h4>
<p>Similarly, the challenge for Gonzaga at the likely pace of this game will be how everyone but Vandersloot responds to UCLA's chaotic defensive schemes.</p>
<p>"We got to look vertical and diagonal," said Graves. "We got to do a lot of different things and give them different looks. Fortunately, we have skilled players who can pass, catch, and make plays in the open court. I think that will be a benefit to us. The bottom line is it's going to come down to Courtney and how well she can handle that kind of pressure."</p>
<p>Vandersloot will definitely be critical to handling that pressure, but this what UCLA likes to do is simply keep teams off-balance and they are especially adept at doing that when players other than a primary ball handler has the ball - they will try to make an entire team uncomfortable by forcing players not used to making plays to make plays. Fortunately for Gonzaga against Iowa, Janelle Bekkering and Katelan Redmon came up big for them, combining for nine assists and only two turnovers. So their efficiency against UCLA will likely play as big a role in the game as Vandersloot's efficiency as the primary distributor.</p>
<h4>1. Who will win on the offensive boards?</h4>
<p>At the end of the game, offensive rebounding percentage could stand out as the most significant statistic. Both team's get about 43 percent of the available offensive rebounds and only allow around 32 percent. Head to head, somebody is going to have to win that.</p>
<p>"We'll have to have a great effort on the boards," said Graves. "I think that is one of the two or three keys to the game."</p>
<p>However, how the two teams get those rebounds is different - while UCLA relies heavily on their frontcourt players for offensive rebounds, Gonzaga is more of finesse team that needs contributions from across the roster to do well. The challenge is contending with UCLA's athleticism and length, which is no simple task.</p>
<p>"They have the kind of athletes and with certain skill sets that are a little bit more prone toward great defense, physical play," said Graves. "We are not blessed with a ton of size with those big type of players that can eat up space inside. We're built on speed and we have a good point guard."</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/21/2064347/womens-ncaa-tournament-2011-preview-of-a-battle-of-styles-betweenNate P.2011-03-19T09:46:39-07:002011-03-19T09:46:39-07:00Women's NCAA Tournament 2011 Preview: Three Keys For Gonzaga Vs. Iowa
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<p>With the help of a Q&A with SBN's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/iowa-hawkeyes">Iowa Hawkeyes</a> site Black Heart Gold Pants, a breakdown of the three keys for the first round matchup with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/gonzaga-bulldogs">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a> in Spokane.</p>
<h4>3. Hitting jumpshots</h4>
<p>Gonzaga was not known as a power team even with Heather Bowman and Vivian Frieson and without those two this season, they've become even more of a finesse team, relying heavily on jumpshots. The difference might be that Gonzaga has been far more efficient in that regard and while both teams have gone through cold spells in losses, it might be a bigger problem for Iowa.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/18/2059212/ncaa-womens-tournament-2011-preview-gonzaga-bulldogs-iowa-hawkeyes-spokane" target="_blank">NCAA Women's Tournament 2011 Preview: Gonzaga Vs. Iowa Q&A With SBN's Black Heart Gold Pants - Swish Appeal</a><br> Iowa tends to particularly struggle if their three-pointers aren't falling because they don't have much of a Plan B in that situation -- they struggle to pound the ball in low at times. And, frankly, depth has also been a problem in many of their losses: with such an unproductive bench, the starters are often to forced to play long minutes and in some of the losses they've looked visibly fatigued at the end of games, leading to sloppy execution on offense and defense.</p>
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<h4>2. Iowa's depth at Gonzaga's pace</h4>
<p>Led by outstanding point guard Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga can run and push the tempo. The problem that causes for Iowa is simply a matter of depth - Iowa is not deep at all beyond their starters, which can cause problems.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/18/2059212/ncaa-womens-tournament-2011-preview-gonzaga-bulldogs-iowa-hawkeyes-spokane" target="_blank">NCAA Women's Tournament 2011 Preview: Gonzaga Vs. Iowa Q&A With SBN's Black Heart Gold Pants - Swish Appeal</a><br> BHGP: The truth is this Iowa team isn't very deep at all -- if starters get dinged up or suffer foul trouble, they're in big trouble because the bench hasn't been able to offer much support all year. That said, if Kalli Hanson's outside shot is falling (she's a 36% shooter from long-range on the season), she could provide some welcome scoring relief from off the bench.</p>
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<h4>1. Staying aggressive</h4>
<p>Iowa is nothing if not a scrappy and aggressive team and that has been something that can waver for Gonzaga, particularly in getting to the free throw line. They'll have to maintain that to win.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/2011/3/18/2058084/womens-ncaa-tournament-iowa-gonzaga-preview-with-swish-appeal" target="_blank">Women's NCAA Tournament: Iowa-Gonzaga Preview With Swish Appeal - Black Heart Gold Pants</a><br>Their weakness is a sort of nebulous intangible that was significant in their USC and Notre Dame losses and that is their sometimes wavering aggression - for some reason when teams got physical with them, they tended to back down and settle for jumpers instead of going to the basket. Part of that in the early season might have been the adjustment to losing their two posts, but they haven't gotten to the free throw line at a high rate all season so settling for jumpers will be a weakness to keep an eye on.</p>
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<p>Full Q&A at<a href="http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/2011/3/18/2058084/womens-ncaa-tournament-iowa-gonzaga-preview-with-swish-appeal" target="_blank"> BHGP </a>and <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/18/2059212/ncaa-womens-tournament-2011-preview-gonzaga-bulldogs-iowa-hawkeyes-spokane" target="_blank">Swish Appeal</a>.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/19/2060195/womens-ncaa-tournament-2011-preview-gonzaga-bulldogs-iowa-hawkeyesNate P.2011-03-19T05:15:13-07:002011-03-19T05:15:13-07:00Women's NCAA Printable Bracket 2011: Grab A March Madness Bracket Ahead Of The Opening Round
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<p>The men's NCAA Tournament is down to 32 teams, but another March Madness kicks off on Saturday. It's the women's turn this weekend as 64 teams hit the court with eyes on the NCAA championship. From favorites such as UConn, Tennessee, Baylor and Stanford to our own Gonzaga Lady Bulldogs, the Women's NCAA Tournament bracket has no shortage of rooting interests for everyone.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2011-ncaa-tournament/2011/3/14/2050811/womens-ncaa-bracket-2011-tournament-schedule" target="_blank">2011 Women's NCAA Tournament printable bracket</a> can be found over at SB Nation. Print it out, make those last-minute picks and keep track of all the results on your own NCAA Tournament bracket.</p>
<p>Need help making those picks? We've got you covered. SB Nation Seattle's Nate Parham has been rounding up predictions throughout the week in our <a href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/14/2050561/womens-ncaa-tournament-selection-show-time-tv-information-bracket-predictions" target="_blank">Women's NCAA Tournament</a> StoryStream. <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com" target="_blank">Swish Appeal</a> has also been previewing each team and the March Madness field ahead of the opening round games.</p>
<p>The Women's NCAA Tournament gets started bright and early on the West Coast as Tennessee takes on Stetson at 8:05 a.m. Gonzaga and Iowa tip-off in Spokane at 1:10 p.m. in the first game at the Spokane site.</p>
<p>Stay tuned to our <a href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/14/2050561/womens-ncaa-tournament-selection-show-time-tv-information-bracket-predictions" target="_blank">Women's NCAA bracket</a> StoryStream for the latest from the tournament. Nate will be covering games live in Spokane, including Gonzaga's first round matchup.</p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/19/2059742/womens-ncaa-printable-bracket-2011march-madness-bracket-predictionsBrian Floyd2011-03-18T18:29:12-07:002011-03-18T18:29:12-07:00Women's NCAA Tournament 2011 Predictions: High Hopes For Texas A&M In Dallas Region After Tough Loss In Seattle Last Season
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<p>Fans might have found the Texas A&M Aggies' thrilling 82-76 loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/gonzaga-bulldogs">Gonzaga Bulldogs</a> in the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament at Hec Edmundson Pavilion to be <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2010/3/24/1386226/why-frieson-gonzaga-are-a-terrific">easily among the best basketball games in Seattle last year </a>and quite possibly the best game of the entire tournament.</p>
<p>But for the second-seeded Aggies, it was a disappointing end to a season with justifiably higher expectations.</p>
<p>Returning to the NCAA Tournament this season as a two-seed once again, the Aggies can enter with at least Elite Eight expectations. They have among the best defenses in the nation, extremely efficient point guard play from Sydney Colson, and a scorer in Danielle Adams who has proven that she can put up big points at any time. Even in losing smooth wing <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2010/3/31/1396503/wnba-draft-capsule-tanisha-smith">Tanisha Smith who was drafted in the second round of the 2010 WNBA Draft</a> by the Seattle Storm, TAMU has actually gotten better this season as multiple players have raised their games.</p>
<p>And although their likely Elite Eight opponent in Dallas would unfortunately be the Big XII conference rival Baylor Lady Bears who have already beaten TAMU three times this season, a Final Four trip for coach Gary Blair's Aggies is not exactly out of the question either.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/18/2058611/ncaa-womens-bracket-2011-predictions-dallas-baylor-lady-bears-texas-a-m-aggies" target="_blank">NCAA Women's Bracket 2011 Predictions: Texas A&M Could Get A Fourth Shot At Baylor In Dallas - Swish Appeal</a><br>...we can't really say that Baylor has established a decisive or insurmountable edge over TAMU. And what it comes down to more than anything is TAMU's ability to force turnovers and pressure Baylor guards into poor decisions, such as not getting the ball to Griner in position to score. The two teams are similar in their offensive rebounding ability, but that's a battle TAMU would also have to win. But the bottom line is that between TAMU's well-rounded defensive unit, Griner and Sims, this could easily be the best game of the tournament, all griping aside.</p>
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<p>TAMU has to know they <i>can</i> beat Baylor, they just haven't done it yet. They are <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/2/15/1994672/what-texas-a-m-proved-against-baylor-who-should-join-the-big-three-as">as good as any other contender for the Final Four</a> not named Connecticut or Stanford. So while many lamented this pairing for TAMU's sake, it very well could end up being more unfortunate for Baylor whose Final Four hopes could go through a team that knows their game well and is hungry to beat a Big XII opponent.</p>
<p>At the same time, picking against a dominant 6-foot-8 shot blocker like Brittney Griner - whose offensive game appears to be developing by the day - is just too difficult to do. Nevertheless, we can expect an exciting game and perhaps TAMU involvement in among the most exciting games of the tournament once again.</p>
<p><b>Predictions from <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/18/2058611/ncaa-womens-bracket-2011-predictions-dallas-baylor-lady-bears-texas-a-m-aggies">SBN's Swish Appeal</a></b><b>:</b></p>
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<h4>Predictions:</h4>
<p><b>First round:</b></p>
<p>#1 Baylor def. #16 Prairie View</p>
<p>#9 West Virginia def. #8 Houston (WVA is just a better all-around team in key ares like rebounding, shooting and turnovers. So...yeah.)</p>
<p>#5 Green Bay def. #12 University of Arkansas - Little Rock (Green Bay's rebounding advantage should win this one)</p>
<p>#4 Michigan State def. #13 Northern Iowa</p>
<p>#6 Georgia def. #11 MTSU</p>
<p>#3 Florida State def. #14 Samford (Having an All-ACC post player anchoring a dominant strength is an important factor)</p>
<p>#10 Louisiana Tech def. #7 Rutgers</p>
<p>#2 TAMU def. McNeese State</p>
<p><b>Second round: </b></p>
<p>#1 Baylor def. #9 WVA</p>
<p>#5 Green Bay def. #4 Michigan State (What stands out about this one is GB's ability to create turnovers and allowing only 75.24 points per possession)</p>
<p>#3 FSU def #6 Georgia</p>
<p>#2 TAMU def. #10 La Tech</p>
<p><b>Sweet 16:</b></p>
<p>#1 Baylor def. #5 Green Bay</p>
<p>#2 TAMU def. #3 FSU (If turnovers caused problems for FSU throughout this season, TAMU will cause problems)</p>
<p><b>Elite Eight</b></p>
<p>#1 Baylor def. #2 TAMU (This all comes down to how well Baylor's guards handle TAMU's pressure)</p>
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<p><i> <i>For more on the bracket, check out our <a target="new" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/14/2050561/womens-ncaa-tournament-selection-show-time-tv-information-bracket-predictions">Women’s <span class="caps">NCAA</span> Tournament</a> StoryStream. For everything women’s <span class="caps">NCAA</span> hoops, stop by <a target="new" href="http://www.swishappeal.com">SBN's Swish Appeal</a>. To fill out your own bracket and join Swish Appeal's writers in a bracket challenge, check out the </i><a target="_blank" href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball">Yahoo Women's Basketball Tournament Pick'Em.</a></i></p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/18/2059263/womens-ncaa-tournament-2011-predictions-texas-a-m-aggies-baylor-lady-bears-dallasNate P.2011-03-18T16:16:07-07:002011-03-18T16:16:07-07:00NCAA Women's Bracket 2011 Predictions: UConn's Quest For The Final Four Defined By Their Ability To Respond To Adversity
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<p>It's really easy to talk about the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/connecticut-huskies">Connecticut Huskies</a>' dominance in terms of wins and losses.</p>
<p>UConn is unquestionably the favorite to win the 2011 NCAA Tournament, if for no other reason because star forward - and assumptive first pick in the 2011 WNBA Draft - Maya Moore is arguably the most skilled college basketball player anywhere.</p>
<p>But to understand just how remarkable this team is, you have to take the circumstances of their season into account.</p>
<p>What's loss beneath their overwhelming dominance of opposing teams is that this is also a team that has suffered through more adversity than just losing to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/stanford-cardinal">Stanford Cardinal</a> in December, which ended their historic winning streak at 90 games. They entered the season without starting point guard<a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2010/11/14/1812849/beyond-moore-a-look-at-the-uconn-roster"> Caroline Doty who suffered an ACL injury last summer</a>. Freshman post <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/1/23/1951193/samarie-walkers-departure-from-uconn-leave-many-astonished">Samarie Walker decided to transfer to Kentucky</a>, leaving <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/1/20/1947336/uconn-samarie-walkers-departure-leaves-bench-even-shorter">them further shorthanded</a>. Moore was then forced to play more of a post role in the team's offense instead of her more natural wing position.</p>
<p>And yet despite <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/1/31/1965405/uconn-women-get-ready-to-battle-duke-without-its-swagger">losing some of their swagger</a> after the Stanford loss and playing with a thin post rotation, they absolutely <a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/2/1/1967523/uconns-blowout-of-duke-why-mccallies-boxing-metaphor-is-the-best-way">obliterated the Duke Blue Devils on national television</a>. </p>
<p>This is not necessarily a "team of destiny", but it's definitely a team with shocking mental fortitude and a resilience that is not only about bouncing back but rising to the occasion to present the illusion to the casual observer that nothing is wrong.</p>
<p>Although the season might be defined in the eyes of the mainstream by 90 wins and one loss - for better or worse - to truly understand what makes this team so tournament ready you have to understand how much they've had to overcome just to maintain their dominance consistently: injury, the pressure of approaching and breaking a "men's" record, a bizarre transfer of a rotation player, and somehow continuing to overwhelm Big East opponents playing with essentially a six-woman rotation. </p>
<p>There might be an impulse for some people to question whether UConn really can repeat this year given the circumstances and improved Baylor Lady Bears and Stanford teams presumably standing in their way in the Final Four. But as they've consistently overcome adversity that would break other teams this season and finished as the number one seed, who are we to doubt their ability to keep it going with a third straight national championship now?</p>
<p>UConn isn't invincible - Stanford demonstrated that and we can point to any number of other ways that they could lose games in the right circumstances. In theory, perhaps they could even lose before the Final Four. Yet in practice, identifying who that lucky opponent might be or when it might occur is almost impossible to predict - they're by far the best team in this bracket and it will take a lapse on their part to suffer a loss.</p>
<p>And that's the thing: it never occurs to this team that they might have a lapse, even when most of us would consider it understandable or, to some extent, human.</p>
<p>Just ask Duke.</p>
<p>Predictions from SBN's Swish Appeal (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/17/2055699/ncaa-womens-bracket-2011-predictions-uconn-shall-proceed-through">click here</a> for full article):</p>
<blockquote>
<p><b>First round: </b></p>
<p>#1 UConn def. #16 Hartford</p>
<p>#8 Kansas State def. #9 Purdue (Feel free to toss a coin to pick this one, I picked KSU based on an offensive rebounding edge.)</p>
<p>#5 Georgetown def. #12 Princeton</p>
<p>#4 Maryland def. #13 St. Francis</p>
<p>#6 Penn State def. #11 Dayton (Another close call, but had a hard time finding a tangible reason to pick Dayton.)</p>
<p>#3 DePaul def. #14 Navy</p>
<p>#10 Marist def. #7 Iowa State</p>
<p>#2 Duke def. #15 Tennessee - Martin</p>
<p><b>Second round:</b></p>
<p>UConn def. Kansas St.</p>
<p>Maryland def. Georgetown (Should also be an interesting one, but Maryland's considerable rebounding differential should make the difference.)</p>
<p>DePaul def. Penn St. (A rebounding test for DePaul, but their gexecution wins out.)</p>
<p>Duke def. Marist (The likelihood of things coming together for Marist in this one is slim.)</p>
<p><b>Sweet 16: </b></p>
<p>UConn def. Maryland</p>
<p>DePaul def. Duke (For all the reasons listed above regarding Marist: <a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/4/2029203/the-big-east-tournament-2011-tournament-preview-its-anyones-game-right" target="_blank">disciplined offense and shooting efficiency </a>does the trick. And no, a #3 beating a #2 is not an upset.)</p>
<p><b>Elite Eight:</b></p>
<p>UConn def. DePaul</p>
</blockquote>
<p><i> <i>For more on the bracket, check out our <a target="new" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/14/2050561/womens-ncaa-tournament-selection-show-time-tv-information-bracket-predictions">Women’s <span class="caps">NCAA</span> Tournament</a> StoryStream. For everything women’s <span class="caps">NCAA</span> hoops, stop by <a target="new" href="http://www.swishappeal.com">SBN's Swish Appeal</a>. To fill out your own bracket and join Swish Appeal's writers in a bracket challenge, check out the </i><a target="_blank" href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball">Yahoo Women's Basketball Tournament Pick'Em.</a></i></p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/18/2059070/ncaa-womens-bracket-2011-predictions-uconns-quest-for-the-final-fourNate P.2011-03-18T08:15:31-07:002011-03-18T08:15:31-07:00NCAA Women's Bracket 2011 Predictions: Top-Seeded Tennessee Not A Lock In Dayton Region Full Of Upset Potential
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<p>Seattle basketball fans got a treat in late-December with Seattle University holding the State Farm Holiday Hoops Classic at KeyArena, which featured 2011 NCAA Tournament teams Gonzaga and Notre Dame.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the game was not televised and a 4:30 p.m. PST start hampered attendance numbers leading an exciting game between two of the nation's Top 25 teams to go virtually unnoticed at a near-empty KeyArena.</p>
<p>Such is life in women's basketball.</p>
<p>But as the #2 seed Notre Dame in the Dayton region of the NCAA tournament which begins Saturday for the women, Notre Dame might have a chance to make it to the Final Four after playing what coach Muffet McGraw called their best game of the season against Gonzaga.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/1/8/1922562/uconn-at-notre-dame-what-the-fight-irishs-best-win-means-against-the" target="_blank">UConn at Notre Dame: What the Fighting Irish's Best Win Means Against The Huskies - Swish Appeal</a><br>"I think it's huge," said McGraw. "Right now, I think that's the best win on our tournament resume. Because I know that they're a NCAA tournament team, so it's nice to have beaten a team that I know is going to be in the NCAA tournament and to play 'em on the road I think makes it even better."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>While neither team played particularly well, what makes Notre Dame impressive is their balance - although star guard Skylar Diggins gets the majority of the attention, they get defensive and scoring contributions from across the roster. That capacity to overcame bad games by individuals - Diggins struggled against Gonzaga to the tune of eight turnovers - is what makes this unit particularly potent in a tournament setting as described in a bracket preview at SBN's Swish Appeal.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/16/2054337/womens-ncaa-tournament-2011-predictions-dayton-upset-bowling-green-notre-dame-tennessee-lady-vols" target="_blank">Women's NCAA Bracket 2011 Predictions: Notre Dame Could Frustrate Tennessee, Win Dayton - Swish Appeal</a><br><b>Potentially most entertaining game: #3 Miami vs. #2 Notre Dame </b><br>Notre Dame has the best defense in this bracket allowing only 0.78 points per possession while Miami isn't far behind at 0.82. Both like to feast off of opponents' turnovers and while Miami typically likes to move a bit faster, Notre Dame is an extremely disciplined team that can score efficiently at a high pace with a +11% effective field goal percentage differential.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, Notre Dame will inevitably have to get by the top-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols, who come in as SEC Champions and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.rpiratings.com/womrate.htm">a Sagarin ranking of 4</a>. And as David Hooper of SBN's Rocky Top Talk described, Tennessee has among the most athletic and versatile rosters in addition to depth that allowed them to cruise through the SEC. </p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2011/3/16/2054462/womens-ncaa-tournament-looking-over-the-dayton-region" target="_blank">Women's NCAA Tournament: Looking over the Dayton Region - Rocky Top Talk</a><br>The upside is that Tennessee matches up well with Ohio State, and the ridiculous depth of the team should allow them to keep the pace and energy level of the game very high. The winner of the Notre Dame / whoever game won't have much time to prepare for Tennessee, and so long as the Lady Vols don't dig an early hole, they should be able to mix and match lineups until they find the combinations that work best. Both games have the potential to be very exciting, but Tennessee should be favored in each.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But the advantage that Notre Dame might have is their ability to mix defensive schemes and force opponents into turnovers - it's what Notre Dame did to Gonzaga at KeyArena, breaking out a 1-3-1 zone that Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves said he had never seen to that point in the film.</p>
<p>Not that Tennessee coach Pat Summitt is a slouch, but Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw has a well-tuned unit that could surprise some people.</p>
<p>Predictions from Swish Appeal:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><b>First round: </b></p>
<p>#1 Tennessee def. #16 Stetson</p>
<p>#8 Marquette def. #9 Texas (statistically, Texas was not stronger than any team in this field, outside of Stetson)</p>
<p>#12 BGSU def. #5 Georgia Tech</p>
<p>#4 Ohio State def. #13 UCF (I just don't have the heart to pick this upset, but it's one of the stronger possible upsets)</p>
<p>#6 Oklahoma def. #11 James Madison (I have faith that Oklahoma can limit turnovers against JMU)</p>
<p>#3 Miami def. #14 Gardner-Webb</p>
<p>#10 Temple def. #7 Arizona State (ASU was the worst 3-point shooting team in my beloved Pac-10)</p>
<p>#2 Notre Dame def. #15 Utah</p>
<p><b>Second round:</b></p>
<p>Tennessee def. Marquette</p>
<p>BGSU def. Ohio State (This is as much about tournament pool strategery as lack of faith in case OSU loses to UCF)</p>
<p>Miami def. Oklahoma</p>
<p>Notre Dame def. Temple</p>
<p><b>Sweet 16:</b></p>
<p>Tennessee def. BGSU (a great run for Prochaska & Co. and a chance for draft scouts to see her against top tier comp)</p>
<p>Notre Dame def. Miami</p>
<p><b>Elite Eight:</b></p>
<p>Notre Dame def. Tennessee (This could definitely go either way - the Lady Vols have improved dramatically)</p>
<p> </p>
</blockquote>
<p><i> <i>For more on the bracket, check out our <a target="new" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/14/2050561/womens-ncaa-tournament-selection-show-time-tv-information-bracket-predictions">Women’s <span class="caps">NCAA</span> Tournament</a> StoryStream. For everything women’s <span class="caps">NCAA</span> hoops, stop by <a target="new" href="http://www.swishappeal.com">SBN's Swish Appeal</a>. To fill out your own bracket and join Swish Appeal's writers in a bracket challenge, check out the </i><a target="_blank" href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball">Yahoo Women's Basketball Tournament Pick'Em.</a></i></p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/18/2057189/ncaa-womens-bracket-2011-predictions-dayton-region-tennessee-lady-volsNate P.2011-03-17T16:29:48-07:002011-03-17T16:29:48-07:00Women's NCAA Bracket 2011 Predictions: Gonzaga's Cinderella Chances In Spokane Will Depend On Toughness
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<p>Gonzaga University is one of 27 schools this year that can claim both their men's and women's basketball teams as NCAA Tournament participants and the women's team is poised to make the type of Cinderella run that the men's team had in 1999 to bring the mid-major program into the national spotlight.</p>
<p>Despite getting questionably seeded #11 after winning 18 games in a row en route to a WCC Championship, the Bulldogs will definitely be aided in their quest to get to the Sweet 16 by a home crowd at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane this weekend that could at least help them beat turnover prone #6 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/iowa-hawkeyes">Iowa Hawkeyes</a> team and a #3 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/ucla-bruins">UCLA Bruins</a> team that thrives off turnovers. Gonzaga had a school record 3,000 season ticket holders for the women's program this season and tickets are likely to be sold out by game time on Saturday.</p>
<p>Yet beating the #2 <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/teams/xavier-musketeers">Xavier Musketeers</a>, should both teams get the opportunity, would be another matter entirely that will depend heavily on whether Gonzaga can contend with their size and rebounding inside. And not only was overcoming bigger and more physical teams a problem during this season, but actually during last season as well as already described on SBN's Swish Appeal.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/16/2053611/womens-ncaa-tournament-2011-predictions-ucla-bruins-xavier-gonzaga-bulldogs-spokane-bracket" target="_blank">Women's NCAA Bracket 2011 Predictions: How Gonzaga Can Upset UCLA & Xavier In Spokane - Swish Appeal</a><br>Gonzaga has not only been outrebounded on the offensive end in all four of their losses, but there appears to be a pattern of rebounding well in the first half and then having a let-down in the second half in their Notre Dame, Ole Miss, and USC losses. And that's similar to what happened against Xavier in the Sweet 16 last season - Gonzaga hung rebounding at a rate of only 1% below Xavier in the first half and that ballooned to a 39% differential in the second half.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This statistical problem early in the season appeared to be one concrete manifestation of a deeper more intangible problem that has troubled the Bulldogs: against both Notre Dame and USC the subject of needing to be more aggressive came up for Gonzaga.</p>
<p>Gonzaga coach Kelly Graves has noted that Gonzaga is not a power team, so the fact that they've managed to shoot as well as they have as primarily jump shooting team is actually really impressive. However throughout their game against Notre Dame in the State Farm Holiday Classic at Key Arena, Graves could be heard imploring his team to be more aggressive in getting to the basket.</p>
<p>"He doesn't want us to settle for jumpers, especially games like this where we're not knocking shots down we need to be able to get to the rim and that's something we need to improve on," said Gonzaga point guard Courtney Vandersloot, after their 70-61 loss to Notre Dame in which they shot 28.2 percent in the second half, including 1-for-12 from three. "Down the stretch we need to get to the rim when our shots aren't falling."</p>
<p>One thing that stands out as a sign of Gonzaga's tendency to settle for jumpers is their free throw rate: they only had 11 free throws against Notre Dame and 16 per game during non-conference play. Given that they shot 75 percent from the charity stripe for the season, going to the rim and drawing contact is to their benefit.</p>
<p>Although people might already have penciled in Gonzaga to beat Iowa in the first round, against an aggressive athletic team like UCLA and a potential Sweet 16 re-match against Xavier they can't afford to have lapses in aggression even if they are a finesse team.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, they faced a similar challenge last season in the Seattle sub-regional at Hec Ed against a bigger North Carolina team and an aggressive defensive team in Texas A&M and made it to the Sweet 16 against Xavier. With a home crowd in even closer proximity, it's difficult to count them out this season.</p>
<p>Predictions from Swish Appeal (click here for a preview of<a target="_blank" href="http://www.swishappeal.com/2011/3/16/2053611/womens-ncaa-tournament-2011-predictions-ucla-bruins-xavier-gonzaga-bulldogs-spokane-bracket"> the full Spokane region bracket</a>):</p>
<blockquote>
<h4>Early predictions:</h4>
<p><b>First round:</b></p>
<p>#1 Stanford def. #16 UC Davis</p>
<p>#9 St. John's def. #8 Texas Tech</p>
<p>#5 North Carolina def. #12 Fresno State</p>
<p align="left">#4 Kentucky def. #13 Hampton</p>
<p align="left">#11 Gonzaga def. #6 Iowa</p>
<p align="left">#3 UCLA def. #14 Montana</p>
<p align="left">#7 Louisville def. #10 Vanderbilt</p>
<p align="left">#2 Xavier def. #15 South Dakota State</p>
<p align="left"><b>Second Round: </b></p>
<p align="left">Stanford def. St. John's</p>
<p align="left">North Carolina def. Kentucky</p>
<p align="left">Gonzaga def. UCLA</p>
<p align="left">Xavier def. Louisvile</p>
<p align="left"><b>Sweet 16:</b></p>
<p align="left">Stanford def. North Carolina</p>
<p align="left">Xavier def. Gonzaga</p>
<p align="left"><b>Elite Eight:</b></p>
<p align="left">Stanford def. Xavier</p>
</blockquote>
<p><i> <i>For more on the bracket, check out our <a target="new" href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/14/2050561/womens-ncaa-tournament-selection-show-time-tv-information-bracket-predictions">Women’s <span class="caps">NCAA</span> Tournament</a> StoryStream.To break down the bracket with Gonzaga fans, be sure to stop by SB Nation’s <a target="new" href="http://www.slipperstillfits.com">The Slipper Still Fits</a>. For everything women’s <span class="caps">NCAA</span> hoops, stop by <a target="new" href="http://www.swishappeal.com">Swish Appeal</a>. To fill out your own bracket, check out the </i><a target="_blank" href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball">Yahoo Women's Basketball Tournament Pick'Em.</a></i></p>
https://seattle.sbnation.com/2011/3/17/2057071/womens-ncaa-bracket-2011-predictions-gonzaga-bulldogs-cinderella-spokaneNate P.