Martin, Nordgaard Showdown Likely

UCLA and Wisconsin Green Bay will match their conference players of the year against each other at 9 tonight in Pauley Pavilion in an opening-round game of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

And for the most part, they will guard each other, UCLA’s 6-foot-3 Maylana Martin and Wisconsin Green Bay’s 6-2 Chari Nordgaard.

Each led her conference in scoring, Martin atop the Pacific 10 at 18.5 points a game, Nordgaard No. 1 in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference at 22.4.

Nordgaard isn’t too familiar with third-seeded UCLA (23-7).

“I haven’t watched video,” she said Friday.

“I don’t like to watch teams before we play them--I’d rather concentrate on doing what Coach tells me to do. But I know Martin is a very good player.”

Everyone from 14th-seeded Wisconsin Green Bay (19-9) said all the right things Friday.

“UCLA is the most talented team we’ve faced, in terms of athleticism, size and quickness,” Coach Kevin Borseth said. “They have a ton of athleticism.”

Borseth, whose team finished the regular season with 15 consecutive wins, all but said he’d try to make it an easy night’s work for the scorekeeper.

“If the game is in the 70s or 80s, we’d have to score with them and I don’t know if we can do that,” he said.

“If it’s a game in the 50s, I think we can make that a close game.”

That came as no surprise to UCLA Coach Kathy Olivier, whose team finished with two straight wins and a piece of the Pac-10 championship.

“I think if I’m playing against UCLA, I’d want that too,” she said.

“If it’s a slow-paced game, then we’ll have to kick up our defensive effort to get our running game going.”

Olivier also talked about UCLA’s draw and begged to differ with anyone suggesting the NCAA tossed the Bruins a bone, after they were put out of last year’s tournament in the second round by a slow-fingered clock operator at Alabama.

“We feel we earned this, we won the championship of a tough conference and strongly feel we deserve to be where we are.”

Olivier looks for the same kind of intensity her players brought to the season-ender against Arizona, when she got a solid 40 minutes from her team and an 85-77 win.

Martin, who missed considerable practice time and two games at midseason because of migraine headaches, pronounced herself fit.

“I feel really good,” she said.

“The headaches are almost gone, I’m running full in every drill--I’ve felt really good the last two weeks.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Today’s Women’s Games

All times Pacific

EAST REGIONAL

At Thompson-Boling Arena, Knoxville, Tenn.

* Boston College (21-7) vs. Ohio State (17-11): 3:45 p.m.

* Appalachian State (14-14) vs. Tennessee (28-2): 6:30 p.m.

At Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.

* St. Peter’s (25-5) vs. Virginia Tech (26-2): 3:30 p.m.

* Auburn (19-8) vs. Texas (16-11): 6 p.m.

At Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C.

* Tulane (24-5) vs. St. Joseph’s, Pa. (22-7): 3 p.m.

* Holy Cross (21-7) vs. Duke (24-6): 30 minutes after Game 1

MIDEAST REGIONAL

At Stegeman Coliseum, Athens, Ga.

* Toledo (25-5) vs. Southern Methodist (19-10): 3 p.m.

* Liberty (21-7) vs. Georgia (23-6): 30 minutes after Game 1

MIDWEST REGIONAL

At Mackey Arena, West Lafayette, Ind.

* Marquette (21-7) vs. Kansas (22-9): 3 p.m.

* Oral Roberts (17-12) vs. Purdue (28-1): 30 minutes after Game 1

At Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, Lubbock, Texas

* Mississippi State (17-10) vs. North Carolina State (16-11): 3:30 p.m.

* Stephen F. Austin (17-11) vs. Texas Tech (28-3): 30 minutes after Game 1

WEST REGIONAL

At Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, La.

* Notre Dame (25-4) vs. St. Mary’s (26-6): 5 p.m.

* Evansville (19-10) vs. Louisiana State (23-7): 30 minutes after Game 1

At Pauley Pavilion

* Kentucky (20-10) vs. Nebraska (21-11): 6:15 p.m.

* Wisconsin Green Bay (19-9) vs. UCLA (23-7): 9 p.m.