A quick scan of the Sweet 16 is familiar stuff: Yep, seven teams from the Southeast, just as you'd expect. The No. 1 seeds all coasted. The No. 2 seeds are all still alive. But hold on a minute - how in the name of Pat Summitt did San Francisco and Stephen F. Austin crash the party?
Not that SFA is that big a surprise. The Ladyjacks have been in 11 of the 14 tournaments and lost only three times all year, and go 6-2, 6-2 and 6-0 across the front. Couple that with 52 percent shooting and some serious clutch work from sophomore Katrina Price, and you've got the makings of an upset, which is what Clemson found out in over time.
But USF? The Lady Dons had checked out in the first round of the tournament last year, and struggled early in the season before righting themselves in the West Coast Conference season. Still, no one figured that this 12th seed was going to come to the Southeast, the supposed hotbed of women's basketball, and send Florida and Duke home. Especially at Duke.
But that's what happens when you come out shooting like it was your home gym and the Blue Devils manage to go 0-for-13 from three-point distance. Of course the 64-60 win wasn't all that easy, as USF watched a 14-point lead with eight minutes left evaporate - with help some home cooking from the striped shirts, who managed to contain USF's 6-3 center Valerie Gillon by keeping her on the bench most of the game with foul trouble.
No matter. Brittany Lindhe had 17 points, 5-7 point guard Jamie Shadian had a key hoop down the stretch and seven rebounds and Julie Murdent did her Gillon imitation with 14 points. The Dookies never led, and despite the last-minute struggles, it was clear that the better team won.
Things were a little more relaxed for the No. 1 seeds, as they won by an average of 30 points.
Top-ranked Louisiana Tech led the way with an 84-46 pasting of a good Southern Mississippi team. Debra Williams had 21 and Vickie Johnson 16 to lead the way for the Lady Techsters, while Brandy Reed (who's from San Francisco and would still be playing if she'd stayed home to go to school) had 26 points, 18 rebounds and a couple of assists.
Tennessee, which has reached the regional finals 11 times got 19 first-half points from Latina Davis (she finished with 25) and 20 points from a slightly dented Chamique Holdsclaw to coast into the next round.
Ohio State's Katie Smith showed why she's an All-American with 29 points on 10 of 16 shooting, but her Buckeye teammates made just 16 of 51 - while the Volunteers hit a blistering 58.8 percent from the field.
Stanford won its 21st in a row with its patented all-out hustle, high drama and serious talent. Colorado State got in the way at Maples Pavilion and went home a 94-63 loser despite outstanding performances from freshmen Katie Cronin and Becky Hammon.
But Kate Starbird had 22 and Naomi Mulitauopele added 15 as the Cardinal pursued its third national title.
Poor Connecticut only won by 20, depressing news when compared the fortunes of the other top teams, but the issue was never in doubt. Kara Wolters was too tough inside and Jennifer Rizzotti's ESPN highlight dive-slide-and-dish epitomized the Husky hustle.
Tamika Matlock had 15 points for the Spartans, who simply couldn't handle the defending champs.
Iowa had the most exciting ride of the top seeds, squeezing out a 72-71 win over DePaul, and denying the Blue Demons a chance to play at home for the Regionals.
But the Hawkeyes balanced scoring proved to be the difference, and Latasha Byears' 26 and Kim Williams' 25 weren't backed up by the rest of the DePaul lineup.
Old Dominion also struggled a bit, outlasting 10th seed Toledo 72-66. The Lady Monarchs cruised to a 45-27 halftime lead but then had to hold on against the Blades, who had three players in double figures.
As usual, it was Clarisse Machanguana leading the way, though this time Esther Benjamin tied her for high point honors with 16 off the bench. In fact, bench strength is a key for the Lady Monarchs, who get over 20 points a game from non-starters.
Georgia had no worries of any kind against Oklahoma State, outscoring the visitors by 14 points in each half. Kedra Holland led all scorers with 18, but a lot of people got a lot of playing time in this 83-55 laugher.
Penn State's road was no tougher, as the Lady Lions (what happened to the `Nittany'?) crunched Kent 86-59. Katina Mack had 22 points and Julie Jarosz added 17 off the bench while Carrie Templin led Kent with 11. More important, though, for the fate of the 10th seeded Golden Flashes was the fact that Billie Jean Smith, who had 20 in Kent's first round win, wound up with zero. The Rest
Auburn's 68-61 overtime win over third-seeded Colorado might have been a surprise to some, but the Lady Tigers have played in three NCAA title games and did battle their way to a 20-8 record in the always murderous SEC. Colorado and Colorado State both departed in the second round, but that's still the first time both state schools made it that far.
Auburn's arch-rival, Alabama, had it a lot easier, thumping North Carolina State 88-68 behind Shalonda Enis' 21 points. Enis and her teammates shot better than 50 percent from the field and forced 20 turnovers to offset 18 points from Nicole Mitchell (the only Wolfpack player in double figures).
Virginia might just be a third seed, but consider this: The Cavaliers have lost just one NCAA game in 16 tries at home - and they'll be at home for the Regionals as well. Their 62-43 pasting of George Washington was not particularly stirring, but Tora Suber did score 28 points and Virginia did manage a 44-30 rebounding edge.
Sheri Sam's 28 points for Vanderbilt mattered a bit more, as the Commodores broke open a close game in the second half. Scoring the first eight points after intermission made things much easier, as did Nettie Respondek's 15 points. Sam, by the way, hit on 12-of-16 from the field and had eight rebounds.
Kansas did it the other way around, building up a 15-point cushion in the first half, only to watch Texas make it close by game's end. The 77-70 margin was never really in doubt, though, and Tameka Dixon and Angie Halbleib made big plays down the stretch to insure the Jayhawk victory.
Texas Tech made a lot of Golden Dome-haters happy by sending Notre Dame home, 82-67. Michi Atkins, as usual, was tough inside, and the Fighting Irish will have to wait 'til next year.
