Zags women play waiting game
The garage is clean. The yard work that can be done has been done.
“I’m trying to do anything to take my mind off the next week,” Gonzaga women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves said. “The garage and outside the house – those are the only things my wife trusts me with. (Portland coach) Jim Sollars wants me to come down and go golfing, but that’s only one day.”
Graves is trying to stay busy until Thursday night, when the Bulldogs return to the practice court, and ultimately until Monday, when the 64-team field is announced for the NCAA tournament. Gonzaga (24-8) won the West Coast Conference regular-season title for the fourth straight year, but lost to host San Diego in championship game of the WCC tournament Sunday, which puts the Bulldogs squarely on the bubble.
For what it’s worth, ESPN.com Bracketologist Charlie Creme lists GU as one of the last four teams left out of the tourney.
“Three years ago he had us in the whole time,” Graves recalled of the 27-win team that was passed over by the NCAA selection committee, “so you just don’t put much stock into those things.”
Graves and his assistant coaches put pencil to paper Monday, listing who they believe are 18-20 bubble teams vying for the last seven or eight tournament spots.
“We put together the best arguments of all those teams and we made that list, but who knows,” Graves said. “When we got left out with 27 wins, they talked about our strength of schedule. Well, our schedule strength is higher, our RPI is higher and our conference RPI is higher. So the circumstances are a little bit different and hopefully they’re not looking for something else.”
Win or lose Sunday, Graves planned to give the players a few days off. It’s spring break and several players stayed in San Diego for an extra day or two. The team will gather Monday to watch the selection show.
Graves is putting together a “little fact sheet” that will detail Gonzaga’s strengths. The Bulldogs have an RPI in the upper 30s, their strength of schedule is in the low 60s and the WCC is rated eighth nationally. The Bulldogs went 0-3 against Top 50 teams, but were 4-0 against teams 51-100.
Gonzaga will be in the NIT if it doesn’t make the NCAA field. A regular-season champion that loses in its conference tournament automatically qualifies for the NIT.
Locals lead Saints
NCAA-bound Saint Martin’s of Lacey, Wash., boasts several local connections.
The Saints (17-10), who take on host Seattle Pacific (27-0) in the NCAA Division II Women’s West Regional basketball tournament on Friday, include freshman Dara Zack (University), freshman Roni Joe Mielke (Sprague-Harrington) and junior Sade Smith (Pullman). Assistant coach Lisa (Bocook) Hendrickson played at Reardan.
Zack leads the Saints in rebounding (6.0 per game) and is second in scoring (8.9). Smith averages 7.5 ppg and 5.2 rebounds.
The semifinals will be played Saturday with the championship game scheduled for Monday. The tournament winner advances to the NCAA Elite Eight Mar. 26-29 in Kearney, Neb.
Freshman of year
Tennessee’s Angie Bjorklund (University High) was named the Southeastern Conference freshman of the year.
Bjorklund averaged 9.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in her first season. She is in sixth place in the Lady Vols’ record book for single-season 3-pointers made (62).
The Volunteers, ranked No. 2 in the nation, won the SEC tournament title on Sunday.
Bjorklund is the sixth Lady Vol all-time to be named the SEC’s Rookie of the Year, joining past standouts Bridgette Gordon (1986), Dena Head (1989), Chamique Holdsclaw (1996), Tamika Catchings (1998) and Candace Parker (2006). Bjorklund was named the SEC Freshman of the Week five times tying her with Parker for the most all-time SEC Freshman of the Week awards.