It's not the beach, but it'll do
Posted: Thu March 19, 1998 at 7:24 PM ET
Advancing in the NCAA tournament often means giving up something near and dear to college students: spring break. That was true for Arkansas players, but they've ended up having a nice week anyway. Monday night in Palo Alto, they knocked off upstart Harvard to reach the Sweet 16. With no classes to attend back in Fayetteville, they spent Tuesday sightseeing in San Francisco. Wednesday, they settled in Oakland to devote the rest of the week to preparing for Saturday's game against Kansas.
This isn't the first time coach Gary Blair and the Lady Razorbacks have reached a regional together, just the first time they've been on the same team. In 1990, Arkansas advanced to the regional final, held in now familiar Palo Alto. To get there, it beat Stephen F. Austin, then coached by none other than Gary Blair.
Taking away the home-court edge
Within two years, the women's tournament could be holding first and second round games at neutral sites. The controversial finish to last Sunday's UCLA-Alabama game turned up the volume on calls to make that change, but plans were already under way. The topic will be discussed at this summer's NCAA meetings. The switch, which would likely mean a major drop in attendance, would happen no earlier than the year 2000.
The ones to watch
As we look ahead to this weekend's regionals, here are some players to watch:
In the East: There aren't many people who could stand between Old Dominion's Ticha Penicheiro and a third straight conference player of the year award. The one who did? Her teammate, 6'3" center Nyree Roberts. In ODU's first two tournament games, Roberts has averaged 20 points and 14.5 rebounds.
In the Mideast, North Carolina has had no qualms about following a freshman point guard into the postseason. Nikki Teasley already has proven she isn't easily intimidated. In her first game for the Tar Heels last fall, she scored 27 points. In February, she hit the winning basket in a double overtime battle with Virginia. In the Tar Heels' first round win last week, she handed out 11 assists.
In the Midwest, keep an eye on Louisiana Tech forward Amanda Wilson. At 6 feet, she's a weapon all over the floor. "There's not a thing she can't do on the basketball court," coach Leon Barmore told me. "She can shoot outside, she can go to the bucket, she can rebound."
In the West, look out for Arkansas' Sytia Messer. Tennessee star Chamique Holdsclaw, who's nearly unguardable, was asked recently what defender had given her the toughest time. The answer? Messer. Besides her defensive skills, Messer is second on her team in scoring and rebounding, despite the fact she's only 5-foot-8.
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