Trying to win for the West
STANFORD, Calif. – Candice Wiggins is fully aware of the West Coast’s futility in the NCAA tournament. The Stanford star grew up in San Diego closely following the Cardinal and college basketball as a kid.
She is all for changing that this year as she ends her remarkable run on The Farm.
No school west of the Rockies has won a national title since Stanford did so in 1992 and none has even advanced to the Final Four since the Cardinal’s trip in ‘97. If that drought is going to be snapped this year, Stanford and Bay Area rival California have the best chance of doing it.
“We’re usually underrepresented in the first place. It’s important we all are successful,” Wiggins, the three-time Pac-10 Player of the Year said before Stanford’s practice Friday. “It’s amazing. It’s kind of hard to believe this is my last one.”
No. 2 seed Stanford (30-3) faces NCAA first-timer and No. 15 Cleveland State (19-13) in a first-round game on its home floor in the Spokane Regional today. Cal (26-6), the third seed in the Greensboro Regional, takes on No. 14 San Diego (19-12) earlier in the day at Maples Pavilion.
The Golden Bears, who only had to drive about an hour from nearby Berkeley, are seeking their first NCAA victory since 1993 and just the second in school history.
“If we come out and showcase our talents, it’s like, ‘Hey, we have some teams out here on the West Coast,’ ” forward Ashley Walker said. “This is something our program hasn’t done. This group of girls has done so much for the program and it’s something we want to accomplish.”
The other first-round games at Maples feature seventh-seeded UTEP (27-3) against No. 10 seed Western Kentucky (26-7), and sixth-seeded George Washington (25-6) versus No. 11 seed Auburn (20-11).
Before Stanford and Cal can start thinking about traveling to Tampa, Fla., for the Final Four, both programs have more immediate hurdles to clear.
The Cardinal, riding an 18-game winning streak and fresh off their fifth Pac-10 tournament title, have failed to make it through the first weekend the last two times they’ve hosted – including a second-round loss to Florida State last March that still stings. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of top-seeded Stanford’s NCAA loss to No. 16 Harvard at home.
“It’s been a fast year,” Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer said from the interview podium. “My memory of this specific spot is not a good one, and we’re going to try to change that – and have a great tournament here at Maples.”