Alive And Well In The West

Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer resolved before watching Sunday’s NCAA selection show that she would not get upset no matter what.

It was a wasted resolution. Everything she could have hoped for happened. Stanford (30-1) is the No. 1 seed in the West Region and begins the tournament with a home game Saturday against Howard (21-5).

What made her particularly happy was the inclusion of four other Pac-10 teams in the 64-team field, along with USF and Portland from the West Coast Conference.

“A year away (as U.S. national team coach) affected my perception,” VanDerveer said. “When I watched today, it didn’t matter what seed we were.

“One thing that pleased me was five Pac-10 teams made it (Stanford, USC, Oregon, Washington and Arizona). I was afraid our 18-0 record would have (the selection committee) punish the conference.

“It’s a great statement about basketball on the West Coast. Portland’s in, USF is in. I’ve been saying the basketball here is good. Now it’s time to prove it.”

Bearcats looking for redemption

No one has more to prove in the men’s NCAA Tournament than the team that started the season at No. 1 and fell hard, never to make it back.

The Cincinnati Bearcats haven’t lived up to their magazine covers, their rankings and their own hype - forward Ruben Patterson’s promise of a national title.

As the tournament begins, the Bearcats (25-7) are in danger of going down as the biggest underachievers in coach Bob Huggins’ eight seasons.

“We realize that now it’s do-or-die,” All-America power forward Danny Fortson said. “We talked a lot at the beginning of the year. Now it’s time to put up.”

Outside shooting could doom Jayhawks

The stat sheet from No. 1 Kansas’ devastating defeat of Missouri in the Big 12 men’s championship game shows only one possible problem area for the Jayhawks - outside shooting.

Billy Thomas and Jerod Haase were a combined 2 for 12 on 3-point tries.

But even with that performance, Kansas shot 54.1 percent for the game. And a team that makes 20 of its first 30 shots, as the Jayhawks did against Missouri, isn’t going to lose often.

Kansas (32-1) has such a variety of weapons on offense that a bad day by a single player has always been compensated for by someone else.

Ryan Robertson stepped in for the injured Jacque Vaughn at the start of the season, and Raef LaFrentz turned into a dominating, All-American when center Scot Pollard was hurt in mid-season.

As they head for Memphis and their first-round game Thursday against Jackson State, the only way the Jayhawks look vulnerable is if their outside touch deserts them and they run into a team with enough size to go up against LaFrentz and Pollard.

South Carolina celebrating

Surprised to see four South Carolina teams in the NCAA Tournament?

This has been a long time in the making in the Palmetto State. South Carolina, Clemson, the College of Charleston and Charleston Southern, all in the 64-team men’s field, have gradually built tournament credentials the past few seasons.

This year’s Palmetto four marks a high-point in a slow revival of an often overlooked basketball tradition that has roots back to Hall of Famers Frank Selvy and Frank McGuire.

“I think it’s a real compliment to this state and the different programs,” Clemson coach Rick Barnes said. “It’s got everyone excited.”

Wildcats without Anderson

Kentucky coach Rick Pitino says it’s unlikely injured star Derek Anderson will see action in the men’s NCAA Tournament. It opens against Montana (21-10) on Thursday in Salt Lake City.

Anderson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against Auburn on Jan. 18.

“I’d have to get five or six different opinions,” Pitino said. “After getting those opinions, I’d probably still not play him.”

He added that the consequences of reinjury would make it hard to put Anderson on the floor and that’s something he’s not willing to take a chance on now.

“‘I don’t think I could coach again, emotionally, if something happened,” Pitino said. “It’s too much of a risk.”

Bruins not unhappy going east

For the second straight year and third time in four years, three-time Pac-10 champion UCLA (21-7) was shipped out of the West Regional.

But unlike last year, when the Bruins were unhappy about getting a No. 4 seed in the Southeast, they’re happy being No. 2 in the Midwest.

“That’s cool,” senior Charles O’Bannon said. “We’re not too concerned about where we got placed. We’re happy to get a two seed and excited about our chances.”

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