|
By Albert Lin,
CNN/SI
One word sums up the state of women's college hoops:
Tennessee. Yes, Purdue ended the Lady Vols' 46-game winning streak on Sunday, but UT still returns the core of a squad that last season won more games than any college basketball
team in history -- a perfect 39-0 en route to
a third consecutive national title. All five
starters are back, led by, of course, 6-foot-2 senior
Chamique
Holdsclaw , who may be the best female player ever. And coach
Pat
Summitt addressed her team's most apparent weakness -- not enough size -- by signing 6-5 and 6-3 freshmen.
Louisiana Tech returns a talented and experienced team,
Connecticut a talented and young one; the Huskies looked especially strong in dismantling Duke and Arkansas at the start of the season. However, Tennessee
is still the prohibitive favorite to repeat -- though the Lady Vols' lack of depth (because of injuries) is a definite concern.
Holdsclaw will try to make it four titles in a row.
(Rocky Widner)
| | |
The Top 25
by SI's Kelli Anderson
|
| 1.
Tennessee
| 14. George
Washington
|
| 2. Louisiana
Tech
| 15. Old
Dominion
| | 3.
Connecticut
| 16. Texas
Tech
| | 4.
Duke
| 17.
Illinois
| | 5.
Purdue
| 18.
Arkansas
| | 6.
Georgia
| 19. Notre
Dame
| | 7.
Virginia
| 20.
Arizona
| | 8.
UCLA
| 21.
Clemson
| | 9.
Rutgers
| 22.
Vanderbilt
| | 10. N.C.
State
| 23.
Nebraska
| | 11. North
Carolina
| 24.
Stanford
|
| 12.
Kansas
| 25.
Washington
| | 13.
Alabama
| |
|
|
|
Player of the
Year |
Chamique
Holdsclaw, F, 6'2", Sr.,
Tennessee
1997-98
Stats: 23.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.8
spg
| | Perhaps all you need to know about Holdsclaw is this: It's
been eight years since she played on a team that
didn't win its season
championship.
| |
|
Preseason All-America Picks: First
Team |
| Tamika
Catchings , F, 6'1", So.,
Tennessee
| | 1997-98 Stats: 18.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.6
spg
|
| Dominique
Canty , G/F, 5'10", Sr.,
Alabama
| | 1997-98 Stats: 21.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 4.8
apg
| | Chamique
Holdsclaw , F, 6'2", Sr.,
Tennessee
| | 1997-98
Stats: 23.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.0 apg, 2.8
spg
| | Stephanie
White-McCarty , G, 5'10", Sr.,
Purdue
| | 1997-98 Stats: 20.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.8 apg, 2.4
spg
| | Amanda
Wilson , F, 6'0", Sr., Louisiana Tech
| | 1997-98 Stats: 18.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.9
spg
|
|
Preseason All-America Picks: Second
Team |
| Svetlana Abrosimova , F, 6'1", So.,
Connecticut
| | 1997-98 Stats: 14.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 42.5% 3-pt.
| | Dalma
Ivanyi , G, 5'10", Sr., Florida
International
| | 1997-98 Stats: 14.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 9.5 apg, 3.4
spg
| | Maylana
Martin , F, 6'3", Jr.,
UCLA
| | 1997-98 Stats: 18.8 ppg, 7.4
rpg
| | Kelly
Miller , G, 5'10", So.,
Georgia
| | 1997-98 Stats: 17.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.9 apg, 2.7
spg
| | Amy
O'Brien , F, 6'1", Sr., Holy
Cross
| | 1997-98 Stats: 26.1 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 2.7
spg
|
|
|
Coach of the
Year
|
Gail Goestenkors,
Duke
7th year, 1997-98
record: 24-8 (Lost to Arkansas in
NCAA West Regional
final)
| | Goestenkors has done a tremendous job building the Blue
Devils' program, and this should be her best team
yet. Ignore the shaky start.
| |
|
Newcomer of the
Year |
| Tamika
Williams , F, 6'1", Fr., Connecicut, Chaminade-Julienne H.S.,
Dayton,
Ohio
| | Consensus national prep player of the year adds superior
athleticism to Huskies; heads a recruiting class of five
Parade
All-Americas.
| |
|
Top 5
Storylines to Watch
|
| Back-to-back-to-back-to-back?
| | Now that the win streak (and accompanying pressure) is gone, can Tennessee regroup for its ultimate goal, another NCAA title?
|
| Ticket
blitz
| | When will the popularity of the women's Final Four force a
shift into domes on a regular
basis?
| | Shea's the
one
| | Connecticut's title hopes rest in large part on the
recuperation of PG Shea Ralph, who missed last season with
a torn
ACL. |
| Butler almost did
it
| | Niesha Butler would have considered turning pro out of high
school if the option had been available. Will the freshman
guard live up to the hype at Georgia
Tech?
| | Swan
song
| | Can Purdue send Carolyn Peck, who leaves for the WNBA's
expansion Orlando franchise after the season, off in style
before changing coaches for the third time in three
years? Upsetting Tennessee is a good start.
|
|
|
Games to
Watch |
|
Tennessee at Louisiana Tech, November
30
| | Rematch of last year's title game, with both teams
returning experienced
squads.
|
|
Tennessee at Connecticut, January
2
| | Experience vs. inexperience, including the last two
editions of the Greatest Recruiting Class Ever -- one for
each
school.
|
|
Connecticut at Louisiana Tech, January
18
| | The round-robin continues among three teams that are head
and shoulders above the
rest. |
|
|
