Stanford Doesn’t Sweat Snub

The top-ranked Stanford Cardinal was expecting no muss or fuss Sunday. Just give the team its props as one of the top four in the 2005 NCAA women’s tournament and send it off to Fresno so its rabid fan base wouldn’t have far to travel for the first and second round.

They got it half right. The drive won’t be bad.

But while Stanford was downplaying the controversy of its No. 2 seeding, other teams were feeling the stress of Selection Sunday. That included USC, which had not been to the tournament since 1997, but was expecting an at-large bid.

The wait was agonizing. Every time another Pacific 10 team popped up on the NCAA tournament big board, another round of whoops and groans came from the collection of USC players and friends eagerly hoping to see the Trojans as part of the field of 64.

With three brackets filled and one to go, Coach Mark Trakh was antsy. “I was starting to think, ‘We invited all these people, and are we going to get in this thing?’ ” he said.

But considering it had been eight years since USC had earned its way into an NCAA tournament, having to wait until the end was still worth it.

The Trojans (19-10) were seeded eighth in the Kansas City Regional. They will travel to Minneapolis and play ninth-seeded Louisville (22-8) Saturday.

“I would have been happy with 12-15 wins this year,” Trakh said. “It’s a great feeling to get to the tournament. We didn’t care who we drew or where we were going to play. We’re in the tournament, and that’s what matters.

“This is just the beginning of building something special here at USC. But our mind-set is we’re not happy just to go. We want to win some games. I’ve been to the tournament before [with Pepperdine] for a cup a coffee. This time I want to sit down and have a meal.”

His players are just as enthusiastic.

“Every year I felt we had a chance to go,” said Rachel Woodward who, along with Kim Gipson, are the only two seniors on the team.

“We’ve had talent and we’d play a tough schedule. But to get here now, it’s so neat for Kim and I to be a part of this.”

Sophomore Eshaya Murphy said the Trojans were motivated all season by their quarterfinal exit in the Pac-10 tournament last year, which probably cost them an at-large bid.

“I’m so grateful,” Murphy said. “I think of Ebony Hoffman from last year, what a great player she was, and it was a shame she never got to taste the tournament. Our sophomore class knows now this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

USC was one of five Pac-10 teams given tournament slots -- as many as the SEC and Big Ten. The ACC led the major conferences with seven teams, followed by the Big 12 with six. The Big East, which had eight teams last year, had four.

Joining the Trojans from the Pac-10 were Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State and Oregon.

Although 29-2 Stanford is ranked No. 1 (moving into that spot last week) and had won both the Pac-10 regular season and tournament titles, it was given a No. 2 seeding and sent to the regional in Kansas City, Mo., where seventh-ranked Michigan State, the Big Ten champion, got the top seeding.

The other top seedings went to Louisiana State, Tennessee and North Carolina. Stanford’s snub was the first time in more than 20 years the top-ranked team wasn’t given a No. 1 seeding. Texas suffered a similar fate in 1984.

“We can’t second-guess the committee,” Stanford Coach Tara VanDerveer said. “We’re still alive, we’re still playing.

“There’s no sense in overanalyzing this thing. Our team seems to thrive when we’re shown disrespect. We’re an overachieving bunch.”

Santa Barbara, champion of the Big West Conference, was the other California team selected. The Gauchos (21-8), seeded 13th in the Tempe, Ariz., regional, clash with fourth-seeded Notre Dame (26-5) Saturday in Fresno.

On paper, this Santa Barbara squad does not appear as strong as last season’s team that reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. But Gaucho Coach Mark French said his team should not be counted out.

“Most of our veteran players were so excited going to Sweet 16 and can’t wait to get back,” French said. “We are playing our best basketball right now, and that is always confidence-building.

“There have been other years we came out of Big West tournament and not played a tough game. But we had them this time. So our kids are far from complacent. Plus, this is the only senior class that’s ever had a winning record in NCAA tournament games (4-3), and they want to keep that going.”

Santa Barbara is not alone in its optimism.

Even with tournament regulars such as three-time defending champion Connecticut, Tennessee, Georgia, Duke, and Texas in the field, there is a feeling of change in the air.

For one, the most feared team will be LSU (29-2), which spent the most time this season being ranked No. 1. Other top contenders (without top seedings) for the Final Four in Indianapolis include Ohio State, Rutgers and Baylor.

Among teams considered as possible surprises are Temple, Texas Tech, Penn State, Kansas State, DePaul and Vanderbilt.

“In my mind the talent in the tournament is much deeper than in previous years,” VanDerveer said. “That’s a good problem to have in women’s basketball.”

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How They Compare

SANTA BARBARA VS. NOTRE DAME

*--* UCSB ND Record 21-8 26-5 Seeding 13 4 Points scored 71.9 66.6 Points allowed 61.8 63.6 Field-goal pct. 44.3 43.3 Free-throw pct. 66.7 74.2 Rebounds 42.0 38.6

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How They Compare

USC VS. LOUISVILLE

*--* USC Louisville Record 19-10 22-8 Seeding 8 9 Points Scored 68.9 65.8 Points allowed 66.5 58.6 Field-goal pct 38.4 44.3 Free-throw pct 66.4 71.4 Rebounds 40.3 38.3

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KANSAS CITY

Synopsis: A potential clash of the titans -- Stanford vs. Connecticut -- looms in one semifinal. The three-time defending champion Huskies understand that no one fears them after going 23-7, their worst season since 1991-92. Still, they are the defending champions until someone beats them. The Cardinal have its deepest, most athletic team in years. But its last Final Four appearance was in 1997, and it has lost tournament games it should have won. Whoever survives that semifinal might be meat for Michigan State, which arguably has the easiest path to a regional final. But that’s assuming either Kansas State or Vanderbilt do another one of their early-tournament swoons. Kansas State showed heart in beating Texas in the Big 12 tournament semifinal after trailing 17-0 at the start. Another Big 12 team, Iowa State, could be dangerous.

Best first-round game: USC vs. Louisville. The No. 8 Trojans gave Stanford a serious run in the Pacific 10 Conference tournament and have the look of a team that continues to blossom, even if it’s a team that doesn’t shoot straight. The Cardinals reached the Conference USA final only to be turned away by Texas Christian, a team USC defeated in December and a win the Trojans say was a turning point in their season.

Impact coach: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut. Who else enjoys being such a lightning rod? And who, besides Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, has been in more big games the last 10 years?

Impact player: Candice Wiggins, Stanford. That’s a heavy psychological weight to put on the freshman guard. But Wiggins is the main reason Cardinal players are as confident as they are. Wiggins scores, rebounds, defends and doesn’t believe she’s above the team.

The pick: Stanford.

PHILADELPHIA

Synopsis: Tennessee and Louisiana Tech kept alive their streaks of playing in every tournament since the NCAA started sponsoring them in 1982. The Lady Vols earned their usual No. 1 seeding by playing the nation’s toughest schedule -- and upsetting Louisiana State in the Southeastern Conference tournament. The surprise of the bracket is Purdue at No. 9; the Boilermakers were up and down all season and got an at-large berth that some might have earmarked for Gonzaga, a former top-25 team that was left out after losing to Santa Clara in the West Coast Conference tournament final. If seedings play out, Tennessee and Ohio State would match up in the regional final. But the Lady Vols could struggle with either Texas Tech or North Carolina State in the regional semifinals, while Ohio State mainly needs to be wary of Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights are the “X” factor because of their pressure defense and team speed, which could devastate teams that are unfamiliar with them.

Best first-round game: Temple vs. Louisiana Tech. The No. 6 Owls believe they are Final Four material but will need some luck. No. 11 Tech is still smarting from being run over by another set of Owls -- from Rice -- in the Western Athletic Conference tournament title game.

Impact coach: Vivian Stringer, Rutgers. In a span of eight days, from Dec. 29 to Jan. 5, the Scarlet Knights defeated Tennessee, Texas and LSU in succession. She’s the only coach, women’s or men’s, to take three different teams to the Final Four.

Impact player: Jessica Davenport, Ohio State. The Buckeyes’ sophomore center, the Big Ten player of the year after averaging 19 points and nine rebounds, will have to live up to her billing if Ohio State is to make a run.

The pick: Tennessee.

TEMPE

Synopsis: Arizona State has an even better carrot dangling from a stick than Santa Barbara did last season. The Gauchos got to play host to first- and second-round games, and rode their fans’ emotional wave into the Sweet 16. If the Sun Devils can get past their first- and second-round games, they will play host to a regional that is a gateway to the Final Four. And Arizona State is 12-1 on its home floor, losing only to Stanford. That said, Notre Dame figures to meet the Sun Devils in the second round. Although the Irish did not win the Big East this year, they were a top-10 team most of the season. North Carolina exorcised some personal demons by beating Duke three times this season, including in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Tar Heel sophomore guard Ivory Latta kills teams with her quickness to the basket and her three-point shooting. Minnesota has the talent to make a Final Four run, but the Gophers looked woeful against Michigan State. No one believes Baylor is as good as its record except for the teams that played against the Bears.

Best first-round game: Mississippi vs. George Washington. On paper it looks like an even contest. But George Washington has something to prove considering the Atlantic 10 doesn’t get anywhere near the respect of the Big East or ACC.

Impact coach: Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame. No one paid much attention to the Irish when they won the 2001 national championship. No one has paid that much attention to them, even as a top-10 team, in 2005.

Impact player: Sandora Irvin, TCU. The Horned Frogs’ senior center averages 20 points and 12 rebounds and holds the NCAA single-game and career records for blocked shots. She is the niece of former Cowboy receiver Michael Irvin.

The pick: North Carolina.

CHATTANOOGA

Synopsis: Louisiana State is seeded No. 1, but the Tigers have some potentially big roadblocks in their way to the Final Four. Duke looms as the leading candidate to play LSU in regional final, but Texas and Penn State could also show up. The Blue Devils have to be happy being far away from North Carolina, which is responsible for three of Duke’s four losses. First-round games fraught with tension include Arizona-Oklahoma and DePaul-Virginia Tech. Arizona and DePaul have histories of early tournament exits. Texas should also be feeling some early pressure. The Longhorns were a preseason favorite to win the national championship but have underachieved much of the season. Liberty is making a ninth consecutive tournament appearance. But with Penn State ahead in the first round, the Flames have little chance of duplicating Santa Barbara’s mid-major feat of reaching the Sweet 16.

Best first round game: No. 7 Boston College vs. No. 10 Houston. The Eagles are 4-6 since losing senior guard Jessalyn Deveny (although they beat Connecticut and denied the Huskies the Big East regular-season championship). Senior center Sancho Lyttle has averaged 19.1 points and 12.4 rebounds for Houston.

Impact coach: Rene Portland, Penn State. The Nittany Lions weathered a 1-6 nonconference record by going 13-3 in the Big Ten.

Impact player: Seimone Augustus, LSU. Just a junior, Augustus should be the consensus national player of the year, but she makes the effort to blend into the Tiger’s team concept. If she could come out early, she would be the top pick in the WNBA draft.

Pick: LSU.

-- Mike Terry