The doors to the Pepsi Center will be open to the public today for eight 50-minute practice sessions by the teams competing in the
first and second rounds of the NCAA women’s tournament. There is no admission charge.
Oklahoma will be the first team on the floor, starting at 11 a.m. The Sooners will be followed by Pepperdine at noon, BYU at 1
p.m., Iowa at 2 p.m., Florida State at 3 p.m., Louisiana Tech at 4 p.m., Stanford at 5 p.m. and Southeast Missouri State at 6 p.m.
The tournament starts Saturday with two two-game sessions. The third and final session is scheduled for Monday night.
The prices for all three sessions (six games) are $60 for adults between the baselines or $50 for end-court seats. Youths, students and seniors
pay $30 for between the baselines or $20 for end-court seats. Single-session tickets, if available, can be purchased for $30 or $25 for
adults, $15 or $10 for youths/students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at the Pepsi Center box office and Ticketmaster locations.
…
NO. 2 OKLAHOMA (29-4)
VS. NO. 15 PEPPERDINE (14-16)
11 a.m.
Star watch
She has yet to play her first NCAA Tournament game, but Oklahoma freshman sensation
Courtney Paris has become the talk of the tournament. The husky center is so
big (6-feet-4, 230 pounds), so strong, so focused and so athletic, she is virtually unstoppable.
But she’s not the only attraction for the Sooners. ESPN’s cameras have been following
Sooners coach Sherri Coale around ever since she took OU to the Final Four
in 2002. A well-balanced team, Pepperdine doesn’t have the star power of Oklahoma,
but sophomore guard Daphanie Kennedy was the MVP of the West Coast Conference
Tournament after leading the Waves to an upset of top-seeded Santa Clara.
What to watch
Anytime Oklahoma plays, all eyes are drawn to Paris, if
only to see what the other team does to try to stop her.
Key stats
Averaging 21.4 points and 15.1 rebounds, Paris is
about three trips up and down the floor from becoming
the first woman in NCAA history to have 700
points, 500 rebounds and 100 blocked shots in a
season. All she needs is three rebounds. You
want balance? Five players average between
seven and 12 points for the Waves.
…
NO. 6 FLORIDA STATE (19-9)
VS. NO. 11
LOUISIANA TECH (26-4)
6 p.m.
Star watch
There’s not a lot of glitter in this matchup, but local
fans will be eager to see how much Louisiana Tech forward
Amber Metoyer’s game has improved since she left
the Buffs. Senior guard Tasha Williams, the WAC player
of the year, leads the Lady Techster’s quick-hitting
three-guard attack. Four of the five Florida State starters
are double-figure scorers, led by by Alicia Gladden (12.8),
who is also considered the team’s best defender.
What to watch
There will be a lot of good, Metoyer-like athletes in
this game. No fewer than nine Seminoles share time for
Florida State coach Sue Semrau, while first-year Tech
coach Chris Long likes to work his bench long and hard,
too.
Key stats
The most consistent thing Louisiana Tech does is
make the NCAA Tournament. In the 25 years of the tournament,
the Lady Techsters have made 25 appearances. If
this is a close game, Florida State will be hard-pressed to
win it at the line they made just 64.7 percent of their
free throws this season.
…
NO. 7 BYU (25-5)
VS. NO. 10 IOWA (17-11)
1:30 p.m. (approximate)
Star watch
BYU coach Jeff Judkins said he always knew Ambrosia Anderson had star power; it
just took her four years to finally make the reach for it. Anderson, a former Doherty
High School standout, was the co-player of the year in the Mountain West Conference,
sharing the honor with four-time player of the year Kim Smith of Utah. A
smooth left-hander, Anderson averages 18.6 points
and 7.6 rebounds. The Hawkeyes might have a
budding star in 6-6 freshman center Megan Skouby
(14.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg). Senior guard Crystal
Smith is their best player, averaging 17.2 points,
3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
What to watch
If things don’t go BYU’s way, Judkins might
throw a tantrum. Last week he blew up at Utah
coach Elaine Elliott for running up the score
(84-60) against the Cougars in the Mountain
West Tournament finals. Three years ago,
he blew up at the selection committee
for having to play Colorado, the host
team, in the first round of the tournament
after an 84-45 loss to the Buffs.
Key stats
The Cougars’ most impressive stat might be that
they had one more win on the road (13) than they did at
home this season. And Iowa fans have to like a freshman center
who shoots 55.4 percent from the field.
…
NO. 3 STANFORD (23-7)
VS. NO. 14 SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI STATE (22-8)
8:30 p.m. (approximate)
Star watch
If Courtney Paris weren’t here, tournament officials
would be counting on Candice Wiggins to
sell the tickets. The Pac-10’s freshman of the year
last year and a John Wooden player of the year candidate
this year, the 5-11 sophomore is one of those
all-over-the-place players. She leads the Cardinal
in scoring (21.7) and chips in with 4.6 rebounds
and 3.4 assists. Senior center Tatiana Conceicao
may be a bit undersized, but she’s productive, averaging
19.6 points and 7.0 rebounds.
What to watch
The Redhawks built their season around an
in-your-face defense that limited opponents to less
than 40 percent shooting. How they try to keep
Wiggins under control and how she responds will
likely be the most fascinating aspect of the game.
Key stats
It took 13 games and seven losses, but once the
Redhawks got their act together they won 16 of
their last 17 games. Stanford finished the season
strong, winning 10 of its last 12.
