Field has a ‘local flavor’
If the area players who make up 80 percent of the starting lineup for the Arizona State women’s team are going to make it to the Final Four it’s going to be quite an accomplishment.
The Sun Devils were seeded third in the Greensboro, N.C., Regional, which has top-ranked Duke as the No. 1 seed.
It would take three wins for ASU seniors Emily Westerberg (Central Valley) and Aubree Johnson (Post Falls), junior Regan Pariseau (CV) and sophomore Briann January (Lewis and Clark) to make a potential matchup with Duke (30-1).
“That’s a tremendous honor,” Pariseau told the Associated Press after the bracket was revealed. “I’m definitely very excited.”
The three seed is the highest ever for the Sun Devils, who also set a school record for wins in making the tournament three straight times for the first time.
“I think we’ve got to do something with that number or it’s going to be really hard to relish it, and that’s just the brutal truth,” ASU coach Charli Turner Thorne told the AP. “It’s wonderful that this team got that validation for their body of work to date.”
The Sun Devils (28-4) face UC Riverside (21-10) at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in Los Angeles. To make the Sweet 16 in Greensboro and a possible date with second-seeded Vanderbilt (27-5), ASU would also have to get past sixth-seeded Louisville (26-7) or No. 11 BYU (23-9) on Monday.
Washington, the fourth Pac-10 team to get into the tournament, is a No. 11 seed in the Dallas Regional, where second-ranked North Carolina is the top seed. The Huskies (18-12) play sixth-seeded Iowa State (25-8) at 9 a.m. PDT in Minneapolis on Saturday. A win would likely mean another daunting opponent in third-seeded Georgia (25-6).
“We’re just thrilled; we’re excited,” Huskies coach June Daugherty said in a news conference. “We knew that we were in it after the tremendous preseason we played and all we did in the Pac-10. Our seniors are being rewarded with another opportunity to play for a national championship in the NCAAs.”
It’s the second straight appearance, and 11th in Daugherty’s 11 years, for the Huskies, who lost in the second round last year.
Angela Hartill, a sophomore from Riverside, and New Mexico are a No. 8 seed in the Fresno Regional. The Lobos (24-8) face Wisconsin-Green Bay (28-3) at 4 p.m. Sunday in Hartford, Conn. If they win they’ll likely meet No. 1 seed Conneticut.
Montana was projected to get into the tournament even after the Grizzlies lost in the Big Sky Conference tournament. The upset left their record at 27-3, identical to Gonzaga’s record two years ago when the Zags lost in the West Coast Conference championship. And just like GU, UM was left out of the NCAA, and just like the Zags will play in the NIT. The Grizzlies play at Utah Wednesday.
Also in the NIT is Davidson, with senior Brynn Kelly (Ferris). The Wildcats play at Alabama-Birmingham on Thursday.