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Final Four Forecast
In a tournament as fickle as the weather, UConn is the pick
Compiled by Kelli Anderson, Laura Karmatz and Trisha Lucey
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Can Svetlana Abrosimova help the Huskies give Auriemma his "miracle"?
Chuck Soloman |
Geno Auriemma has been to the Elite Eight six times, the
Final Four three times and the winner's podium once, in 1995. He knows well the
pitfalls that await every wannabe champion. "There is no way we could've
predicted all that happened in '95," says the University of
Connecticut coach. "Now I know that in any game, it could all unravel. If we win a
championship at the end of this one, it'll be a
miracle."
A miracle? If so, it'll be a miracle greatly facilitated by talent, depth,
chemistry, work ethic, desire and leadership. But even with all that going for
them, the Huskies will have to get a little lucky and stay injury-free to win it
all this
year.
They will also have to overcome the spoiler factor. Last year's Tennessee team
was the most heavily favored in NCAA tournament history until it ran into
upstart Duke in the East region final and lost 69-63. Somewhere, this year's
Duke is lurking. Could it be Penn State, Notre Dame, Illinois or Rutgers? They
have coaches (Rene Portland, Muffet McGraw, Theresa Grentz and Vivian Stringer)
eager to take center stage at the First Union Center in Philadelphia, an area
they all once called
home.
In the end, a hometown connection won't give anyone an edge over Auriemma, who
grew up in suburban Norristown and earned his coaching stripes at nearby
St. Joseph's. This year his Huskies are the team to beat, and barring
unforeseen disaster -- or a miracle occurring elsewhere -- nobody
will.
Madness Q & A
No one knows more about what it takes to win the NCAA tournament than the
players and coaches who participate. So we quizzed 12 of the game's biggest
names about the ins and outs of the Big
Dance
Where would you least like to play the opening rounds of the
tournament?
DUKE GUARD GEORGIA SCHWEITZER: "I'd have to say Clemson. My first
two years here, we've lost there. Last year that was our only loss in
conference. They have a band that picks on the players. We never seem to play
well
there."
PENN STATE GUARD HELEN DARLING: "Louisiana Tech. We went there last
year, and that's just a tough place to play. They have great crowd support.
That's one place I definitely would not want to go in the opening
rounds."
TENNESSEE FORWARD MICHELLE SNOW: "Louisiana Tech and Connecticut
are probably the two hardest places to play in. At Tech the students are right
on the floor. I think that's the worst
place."
If you were playing in a close tournament game, which opposing player would you
least like to see with the ball in the final
seconds?
UCLA GUARD ERICA GOMEZ: "I would probably say Tamika Catchings from
Tennessee. She can go inside or out, shoot the three or post you up. So she's an
offensive threat no matter where she is on the
floor."
NOTRE DAME CENTER RUTH RILEY: "Jackie Stiles from Southwest
Missouri State. I played with her on Team USA, and she just works so hard. She
finds any way she can to score. She has that go-to attitude. She's hard to
rattle, hard to get out of her
game."
IOWA STATE GUARD STACY FRESE: "Edwina Brown from Texas. She's a
very good offensive player and she can score easily. We haven't really matched
up one-on-one, but I tried out for the World University Games this summer, and
she was there. She works really hard, she's physical and athletic and really
strong. She's their go-to player, and a tough player to go up
against."
Who's your favorite dark horse candidate to make the Final Four this
year?
LOUISIANA TECH COACH LEON BARMORE: "Keep an eye on Oklahoma.
They've got some good athletes, and they've been together a little bit. They may
not beat Iowa State and win the league, but look out for them in the
tournament."
NOTRE DAME COACH MUFFET MCGRAW: "I'd go with Boston College. They
only lost at UConn by seven. They're smart, they don't beat themselves. They
don't have a lot of depth, but they are fundamentally sound, smart and well
coached, and they have great guard
play."
LSU COACH SUE GUNTER: "Iowa State is a team that was on the brink
last year and knocked off a very good Connecticut team and then brought almost
everybody back. North Carolina is a possibility and so is UCLA. Both started off
ranked high, then dropped for different reasons, and now they're starting to
climb their way back
up."
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| SI FOR WOMEN'S 1999-2000 ALL-AMERICA TEAM |
| Pos. | Player | Class | School |
| FIRST TEAM |
| G | Kelly Miller | Jr. | Georgia |
| G | Helen Darling | Sr. | Penn State |
| F | Shea Ralph | Jr. | Connecticut |
| F | Tamika Catchings | Jr. | Tennessee |
| C | Ruth Riley | Jr. | Notre Dame |
| SECOND TEAM |
| G | Edwina Brown | Sr. | Texas |
| G | Semeka Randall | Jr. | Tennessee |
| F | Svetlana Abrosimova | Jr. | Connecticut |
| F | Maylana Martin | Sr. | UCLA |
| C | Summer Erb | Sr. | North Carolina State |
| Player of the Year: Shea Ralph, Connecticut |
| Freshman of the Year: LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State |
| Coach of the Year: Kay Yow, North Carolina State |
| What's the most underappreciated key to winning it
all?
IOWA STATE COACH BILL FENNELLY: "The draw. It's all about matchups.
The teams that make the Final Four are good and they're lucky. Some teams match
up better with others. Seeding is overrated, but I think the draw becomes a huge
issue."
CONNECTICUT COACH GENO AURIEMMA: "Really, really, really good
guards who are tough and smart; and really, really, really good officiating.
Guards have to handle the ball, make open shots, get the ball to the right
people and play great
defense."
DUKE COACH GAIL GOESTENKORS: "It's nothing physical, it's
emotional. When you get to that point, it's not about boxing out. You've gone
over all those little things a million times. You have to somehow help your team
feel that they're comfortable, that they belong, that they don't have to do
anything special. You don't have to play better, you have to play as good as you
are, because that's what got you there." u
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