Women’s Top Teams Back Again Half Of This Year’s Elite Eight Teams Advanced To Final Four Last Winter
This is all so familiar for Connecticut, Tennessee, Stanford and Georgia, all so new for Notre Dame, George Washington and Florida. And it’s the way it used to be for Old Dominion.
It’s the Elite Eight in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, the round in which the Final Four berths are decided.
Four games today will determine the field for next weekend’s event at Cincinnati, which is assured of having two repeaters from the last two years and at least one team that makes it for the first time.
Connecticut, defending national champion Tennessee, Stanford and Georgia made up the Final Four in both 1995 and 1996, but the NCAA selection committee ensured that wouldn’t happen again this year.
Thus, No. 1-ranked and top-seeded Connecticut plays third-seeded Tennessee in the Midwest Regional at Iowa City and top-seeded Stanford meets No. 2 seed Georgia in the West finals at Missoula.
The surprise teams are fifth-seeded George Washington and sixth-seeded Notre Dame in the East, neither of which has been this far before. They’ll meet in Columbia, S.C., and they’re just as confident as anyone else still playing.
“We’re not a team that suddenly showed up,” said George Washington center Tajama Abraham, whose school has seven straight 20-victory seasons. “We’ve built to this for a while.”
That leaves top-seeded Old Dominion to play third-seeded Florida in the Mideast finals in West Lafayette, Ind. Old Dominion, the 1985 national champion, has been in the regional finals three times previously but not since its title season. Florida had never gotten past the second round before this year.
George Washington (28-5) knocked off top-seeded North Carolina 55-46 on Saturday to earn its shot at the Final Four, while Notre Dame dumped second-seeded Alabama 87-71 behind Beth’s Morgan 36 points, an East Regional record. That followed an 86-83 victory at third-seeded Texas in the second round.
“We’ve been able to keep our poise through all this,” Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. “But coming into the season our goals were very high.”
Florida (24-8) is relishing its underdog role against Old Dominion (32-1), which is ranked second nationally and has won 31 straight.
“It gives us the opportunity to come out with nothing to lose because nobody expects us to win,” Florida guard Dana Smith said.
Both teams have strong inside players - DeLisha Milton and Murriel Page for Florida and Clarisse Machanguana, Nyree Roberts and Mery Andrade for Old Dominion.
Along with neutralizing that trio, Florida will have to slow down All-American point guard Ticha Penicheiro, who excels in the open court.
Connecticut (33-0) and Tennessee (26-10) will face each other for the sixth time since January 1995. UConn has won all three regular-season games, including a 72-57 victory on Jan. 5 of this year, and they split two Final Four games.
Tennessee won 88-83 in overtime in the national semifinals last year and Connecticut won 70-64 in the 1995 national championship game.
“It was nice to play them in January because it didn’t mean anything,” said Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma, who turned 43 on Sunday. “That’s what creates a big-game atmosphere, because all of our other games with them had so much riding on them and this one will tomorrow night.”
Both teams have a different look than in the January game. Tennessee now has point guard Kellie Jolly, who missed the first 16 games because of a knee injury. Connecticut no longer has top reserve Shea Ralph, who tore knee ligaments in the Huskies’ first-round NCAA game.
Stanford (33-1) has made the most impressive run of anyone through the NCAA tournament, winning by margins of 52, 22 and 22 points. The Cardinal blew away Virginia, one of the nation’s best defensive teams, 91-69 on Saturday night as All-American Kate Starbird scored 22 points.
Georgia (25-5) has come back strong after a 28-point loss to Auburn in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament. The Lady Bulldogs, the regular-season SEC champions, beat Stanford 86-76 in the national semifinals last year.
xxxx NCAA women East Regional final George Washington (28-5) vs. Notre Dame (30-6) 1:30 p.m., ESPN Mideast Regional final Old Dominion (32-1) vs. Florida (24-8) 4 p.m., ESPN Midwest Regional final Connecticut (33-0) vs. Tennessee (26-10) 6 p.m., ESPN West Regional final Stanford (33-1) vs. Georgia (25-5) 8:30 p.m., ESPN The Final Four At Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati Friday and Sunday