Madness is supposed to be reserved for March.
At best, it’s questionable judgment for a Sun Belt team to play two ranked Southeastern Conference schools and area teams from high-profile leagues in November and December.
The University of Denver women’s team not only survived but thrived down the stretch, winning six consecutive games by at least 20 points. Third-year DU coach Erik Johnson and the Pioneers, including all-Sun Belt players Kaetlyn Murdoch, Brianne Culberson and Britteni Rice, earned a first-round bye in the conference tournament, which began Saturday in Hot Springs, Ark., by finishing second in the East Division.
“We scheduled the most difficult nonconference schedule that we ever attacked and one of the more difficult nonconference schedules in our league,” Johnson said Friday. “I remember telling the staff, ‘We could be 0-8 out of the gate and still feel we’re playing fairly decent basketball.’ “
The Pioneers were 8-5 in nonleague play. Now 19-10, they likely will play in the WNIT if they don’t win the league tournament and play in the NCAA Tournament.
The highlight of the challenging schedule was knocking off Vanderbilt. It was DU’s first-ever win over a nationally ranked team.
Any discussion of the Pioneers begins with Murdoch. The 5-foot-11 junior forward ranks fourth nationally in field-goal percentage (.596) and leads the Sun Belt in blocked shots (2.1 per game).
“You don’t get three players on the all-conference team until you’ve actually arrived,” Johnson said.
Middle Tennessee State, at 23-6 the top seed in the East Division, and West No. 1 seed Arkansas-Little Rock (20-7) are the Sun Belt favorites. But this might be the most somber conference tournament in the nation.
Middle Tennessee State voted to play and honor reserve Tina Stewart, who was stabbed to death in her apartment Wednesday. Her roommate has been charged with first-degree murder.
“Kids shouldn’t die,” Johnson said. Last May, he and his wife, Laura, lost their 4-year-old son, Davis, to a rare disorder.
DU plays Western Kentucky today. If the seedings hold, Middle Tennessee would play DU in the semis.
“I told our seniors the best gift I can give you guys is you don’t get a spring break this year,” Johnson said.
