The Guru NCAAW Conference Tourney Report: Drexel Routed at Delaware; La Salle Ousted in A-10s; Rider Misses MAAC Cut; Tennessee and Alabama SEC Upset Victims; Olsen Leads Iowa to Big Ten Quarterfinals

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

NEWARK, Del. — The NCAA  tournament is upon us even though the actual Big Dance is still one First Four kickoff and two weekends away.

But with all but three Associated Press ranked teams jammed into the Power Four conferences whose tourney’s got under way several days ago something’s got to give, and Friday’s the day it starts, though it already started giving on a Thursday night not very good for the locals as well as several ranked teams.

Down here at the Bob  Carpenter Center, the 99th meeting as rivals in several conferences through history between Drexel and  departing Delaware in the Coastal Athletic Association became  the exception rather than the rule in which the host Blue Hens (12-15, 9-8) gave the Dragons an Eagles Super Bowl style wipeout.

How bad was it?

  The 82–59 final score was the widest margin of victory by the Hens in the series since 2007 resulting in a split after Drexel (16-11, 12-5 CAA), the reigning conference  tournament champions as a seventh seed from last  season, won the earlier meeting  in early January 65-59 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.

By saying this was the exception, that was the fifth straight for the Dragons and after a 12-point win in the first of the string, the other differentials were four, two, two, and six points.

“It’s the first  time I ever beat them as a  head coach,” Delaware’s  Sarah Jenkins completing her third season here smiled.

The home team has been on a late season 8-of-9 renaissance after being so injured that  two games had to be cancelled  and when Villanova came down here Delaware had just six players available.

“We still haven’t gotten everybody back,” Jenkins said when asked to recall what started to get things back on track.

For Drexel, coupled with the late drought in Sunday’s home  loss to Campbell, the performance comes a little short time from operating as the second seed and chasing front-running North Carolina A&T with the regular season ending Saturday when  coach Amy Mallon’s group goes to Long  Island to face Stony Brook.

It  could be worse but a win Saturday claims the third seed for next week’s  tourney down in Washington, D.C., which isn’t much off from being the second seed, now claimed by Charleston,  which the Dragons beat in their lone  meeting.

Though Delaware is heading  to Conference  USA  this summer both coaches have expressed a desire to continue the series as non-league opponents, not much different than the games played this season against each other by former members of the decimated  PAC-12.

In this one the  Hens had a season-best 21 assists and made 10 shots from deep.

Ella Wanzer scored 19 points shooting 70 percent from  the field incorporating 4 of 6 makes from deep. Ande’a Cherisier was 8-for-12 from the field for 18 points and six boards, while Tara  Cousins  collected 15 points on 7–of-8 shooting with six assists, and Rebecca Demeke scored 11, shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Delaware  finishes with a senior  day celebration on  Saturday at 3 p.m. on Flo Sports currently in sixth place one  game ahead of a four-team gridlock.

Drexel is in third and at worst would be fourth, still good enough for a double-bye.

Against the Hens, Amaris Baker was 6-for-15 for 16 points  with a pair of makes from deep.

The tip time Saturday against the Seawolves is noon on FloSports.

Rider Misses the MAAC Tourney Cut While Fairfield Stays Perfect Over Two Seasons

Meanwhile, over in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Rider’s bid to make make the field for next week’s  tournament, held again at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, came to a crushing 77-61  collapse at Canisius in Buffalo, N.Y.,  the host team also needing the win to make  the cut.

The MAAC,  like the Big Ten  and ACC,  off expansion, have lopped the bottom teams in the final regular season standings from  participating.

In the Big  Ten, Penn State was eliminated, and Rutgers made it by one game, having swept the Lady Lions in their two meetings, one in State College by way of rallying from  a deep  deficit. However, the 15th-seeded Scarlet Knights were quickly ousted by 10th seeded Nebraska in Indianapolis on Wednesday in a tourney opener.

Rider is currently is 7-21 overall and 5-14 in the MAAC, while the Golden Griffins are 9-20 overall and 8-11.

La Salle transfer Gabby Turcol had a game-high 18 points for the Broncs, who also got 15 points from Winner  Bartholomew,  and Camryn Collins scored 10.

Elsewhere at  the top  of the league, Fairfield,  which ran the table last season, has kept the string going, unbeaten in the MAAC and clinching the top seed with one  game left after a 62-49 victory over visiting  Siena at the Leo D. Mahoney Arena in Connecticut.

The Stags (25-3, 19-0) have  won 42 straight over the last two seasons, fourth—longest in the nation and second longest in MAAC history.

Meghan Andersen scored 16 points, Kaety L’Amoreaux scored 14, and Emina Selimovic scored scored 10.

In what could be a preview of the championship, Fairfield finishes Saturday at 4 p.m. with a trip to nearby second-seeded Quinnipiac, which has been on the heels  of the  Stags all season. The game will air on ESPN+.

The Bobcats avoided getting swept by Mount St.  Mary’s winning on the road Thursday 64-60 at Emmitsburg, Md., as Jackie Grisdale scored 14 points and freshman sensation Gal Raviv had 13 points and 11 boards. Anna Foley had 13 points, six assists, five rebounds, three blocks and  three steals, while Paige Girardi scored 11 and Grace LaBarge scored ten.

La Salle Felled By Dayton in A-10  While Saint Joseph Starts Play Friday

The 14th-seeded Explorers were unable to sustain Wednesday’s buzzer-beating finish, falling in the second round of the Atlantic 10 tourney 60-45 to sixth-seeded Dayton (18-12) at the Henrico Sports and Events Center in Glen Allen, Va., a suburb of Richmond.

The Flyers, coached by former Connecticut star Tamika Williams-Jeter, move on to Friday’s quarterfinals playing third-seeded Davidson at 7:30 p.m.

The Wildcats, suffering a slew of injuries, opted  out of the tournament last season.

“We’re playing another team, full of seniors, who want to win, who are going to claw, who are aggressive, and we got to make the game ugly.”

Ivy Wolf scored 14 points for the Flyers, Rikki Harris scored 11, Molly O’Riordan and Arianna Smith each scored 10.

“Credit to Dayton on finding a way to get that ball in the paint against our zone and be efficient,” said La Salle coach Mountain MacGillivray.  “They deserved it. They went to their strengths and capitalized on it.”

Mackenzie Daleba was 7-for-14, scoring 14 for La Salle (10-23), while Aryss Macktoon scored 12.

All four of Friday’s games are airing on Peacock.

Fifth-seed Rhode Island (17-15)  beat 12th-seed George Washington 52-41, putting the Rams in position to bedevil Saint Joseph’s again in Friday’s second quarterfinal game at 1:30 p.m. a year after  ousting the Hawks (21-8) in the same round, ruining a chance to end a long-running drought missing trips to the NCAA tournament.

Last month Rhode Island at home upset Saint Joseph’s in the teams’ only meeting.

Defending champion Richmond (26-5), the top seed, opens Friday’s round at 11 a.m. hosting ninth-seed Duquesne (19-11), which advanced with an upset by seed number beating No.  8 Fordham 79-63 as the Dukes were on target as Jerni Kiaku scored 21,  Megan McConnell scored 17, and Andjela Matic scored  15,

“When the ball goes into the basket, you tend to have that confidence and that rhythm that the next one is going to go down,” said Duquesne coach Dan Burt. “And not just you as an individual but as a team.”

Rhode Island, coached by Dawn Staley’s backcourt mate at Virginia in Tammi Reiss, who said after beating GWU (11-18),  “We win games when we defend and rebound. And the difference is today they did that. They stayed lock in no matter how they were shooting.

“No matter what happened, they stayed lock in to `if I keep crashing  the glass and they keep fouling usL’’’ eventually I’ll get to  the free throw line and now I can see the ball go through the hoop.”

Harsimran Kaur had 12 points and 11 boards for Rhode Island and Ines Debroise scored 11.

No. 10 Saint Louis (15-18) upset No. 7 Massachusetts 67-57 as  Brooklyn Gray shot 12-17 and scored 30 points, marking the losing Minutewomen (16-14) in their last appearance since their bound for the Mid-American Conference this summer.

The Billikens will meet No. 2 George Mason at 5 p.m.

The semifinals Saturday will air on CBS Sports and Sunday’s championship  for the NCAA automatic bid will air at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.

The National Scene

The day’s big stunner occurred in the SEC tourney in Greenville, S.C. Where eighth-seeded Vanderbilt took out No.  9 and 18th-ranked Tennessee 84-76, the third loss for the Lady Vols (22-9) in the last four games.

The SEC is a grind  and I don’t  think we handled the load well,” said first-year coach Kim Caldwell. “Now we get a lot of rest and then we’ll go right back at it.”

It’s the first time the Commodores (22-9) have beaten their in-state  rival twice in the same  season.

Vanderbilt, which got 24 points from freshman sensation Mikayla Blakes and 23 from Iyana Moore, will meet top-seed and fifth ranked South Carolina in a quarterfinal on Friday.

“Take care of the ball,” said Commodores coach Shea Ralph, another former Connecticut standout,  on the key to the win and dealing with the pressure instituted by first-year coach Kim Caldwell.

The upset likely cost Tennessee a chance to be one of 16 hosts for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.

In another upset of a ranked team in the SEC, 11th-seed Florida (16-16) eliminated sixth-seed and 19th-ranked Alabama 63-61 as freshman Liv McGill had 11 of her 29 points in the fourth quarter against the Crimson Tide (23-8).

The Gators advance to play third-seeded LSU.

No. 10 ranked Oklahoma handled Georgia 70-52 and will meet 12th-seeded Kentucky (22-6) at 2:30 p.m.

Seventh seed Ole Miss beat 10th-seed and in-state rival Mississippi State 85-73 as Kennedy Todd-Williams and Madison Scott each scored 20 points, sending the Rebels against second seed and No. 1 ranked Texas Friday.

The Longhorns and Gamecocks tied for first and Dawn Staley’s defending NCAA champions won the coin flip to determine top seed.

Olsen Leads Iowa to Upset of No. 24 Michigan  State and the Big Ten Quarterfinals

Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen carried the Hawkeyes to another key win in the Big Ten tourney at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, beating the sixth-seed Spartans 74-61 as she scored 21 points to knock Michigan State (21-9) out of the tournament.

The Hawkeyes (22-9), whose former star Caitlin Clark was in the building of the WNBA Indiana Fever she plays with in the summer, move on to play third—seed and eighth-ranked Ohio  State.

This is the day the new make their conference tourney debut in top-seed and No. 2 ranked Southern Cal with national player of the year contender JuJu Watkins, who will meet  ninth-seeded Indiana, which moved on beating eighth-seeded Oregon, another former Pac-12 member, 78-62, as Yarden Garzon scored 18 points and Penn State transfer Shay Ciezki scored 17.

Fourth-seed Maryland (23-6), ranked 15th, is hoping to pick up some wins to gain a hosting nod for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. The Terrapins will fifth—seeded Michigan (21-9), which advanced beating Washington 66-58, another of the former Pac-12  quartet.

The fourth one, second-seeded and fourth-ranked UCLA (27-2), which features Lauren  Betts whose only two losses were to Southern Cal,  meets 10th-seeded Nebraska, which advanced beating Illinois 74-70 after ousting Rutgers in the first round.

TCU Seeks First Big 12 Crown

Having their best year in history, the top-seed and eighth-ranked Horned Frogs (28-3) playing Colorado (20-11) in a quarterfinal in Kansas City after the Lady Buffs advanced beating former Pac-12 rival Arizona 61-58 as Tabitha Betson scored 16 points.

Second-seeded Baylor (25-6), with Oklahoma and Texas gone to the SEC,  hopes to return to old times when the Bears start play in the quarterfinals playing Iowa State, which advanced beating Arizona State 96-88 as Addy Brown scored 41 points, third most in tournament history.

Texas Tech upset Utah 75-64 as Bailey Maupin scored 22 for the Red Raiders, while Gianna Kneepkens scored 23 for the Utes.

With 20th-ranked Kansas State taking out UCF 80-65 as Serena Sundell scored 21, the Wildcats in the quarterfinals meet another ranked team in West Virginia (23-6), ranked 16th.

The other quarterfinal has No. 21-ranked Oklahoma State hosting Texas Tech.

Tobacco Road Trio Featured in ACC  Quarterfinals

Having survived the second round, fifth-seed and 14th-ranked North Carolina (26-6) collides with fourth-seed and  22nd ranked Florida State (23-7) featuring Ta’Niya Latson, the nation’s leading scorer, in one of the ACC quarterfinals in Greensboro, N.C., on Friday.

Second-seeded and sixth-ranked Notre  Dame (25-4), featuring sophomore Hannah Hidalgo from Merchantville, N.J., will play seventh-seeded California (25-7), which advanced beating Virginia 75-58 as Ugonne Oniyah, Marta Suarez, and Lulu Tvidale each scored 16 points for the Golden  Bears.

Third seed  and No. 11 Duke (23-7) meets Louisville, which edged Clemson 70-68.

Top-seed N.C. State ranked seventh, will meet Georgia Tech in the other quarterfinal.

And that’s the report.

 

 

 

 

The Guru NCAAW Conference Tourneys Report: Buzzer Beater Keeps La Salle Alive in A-10; Stanford Ousted in ACC; Rutgers Quickly Eliminated in Big Ten

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Just less than a month after a buzzer-beating loss at home to Fordham in the John E. Glaser Arena brought La Salle to feeling the lowest of the lows the 13th-seeded Explorers got to enjoy how the other half feels Wednesday night courtesy of Ashleigh Connor, who got inside for a layup with 0.2 seconds left and a 50-48 victory over 11th-seeded VCU  in the last of three Atlantic 10 openers at the Henrico Sports and Events Center in Glen Allen, Va.,  a nearby suburb of Richmond.

The win by La Salle (10-22, 4-15) was the second narrow game-ender against the Rams (12-19) in less than a week having won 61-60 at home Saturday on senior day in a game Mountain MacGillivray called the best win of his life as a head coach.

The Explorers will try to keep it going in round two Thursday playing at 7:30 p.m. against sixth-seeded Dayton (17-12), which has begun making strides under former Connecticut star Tamika Williams-Jeter.

“Well, that was fun,” MacGillivray said of his team now playing with house money at least a little while longer. “Really, really happy for this group of young ladies. They’ve  been putting in the work all year. They haven’t tasted that many  rewards. But man, that’s really sweet.”

The second half was a nail biter for fans of both teams experiencing 11 lead changes.

“You can feel the hurt because they put it out there,” said VCU coach Beth O’Boyle, whose team’s  campus is nearby the relatively new arena. “And we  had a choice on how we went into the game.

“And how hard we played and how hard we worked and we chose to go after it. And unfortunately, just, one, two possessions and we’re probably really smiling and  getting excited  to play tomorrow.”

La Salle freshman Joan Quinn scored 12 points, Aryss Macktoon had 11 points, while  Mackenzie Daleba and Ayisse Magassa each scored eight.

Down the stretch through the many lead changes, Macktoon tied it with 37 seconds left in regulation. VCU couldn’t get  back in front on the next possession and La Salle got the ball and chance to win.

Describing the play, Connor said, “The defense was playing off, and (Macktoon) wasn’t open and so I was like ‘I’m going to take it left and put the shot up’ and it went in.

“I think it was just something we do all the time. I wasn’t having my best game, but the right moment  came at the right time.”

VCU’s Mary-Anna Asare scored 20, including four makes from deep, Valentina Ojeda scored 11, while Mykel Parham had 13 rebounds, eight on the offensive glass.

The day got started with 12th-seeded George Washington topping 13th-seeded Loyola Chicago 65-44 to move to Thursday’s game against fifth-seeded Rhode Island at 1 p.m.

That winner meets fourth-seeded Saint Joseph’s, which has a double-bye, in one of Friday’s four quarterfinals, all on Peacock, while Thursday’s games will air on ESPN+.

The winning Revolutionaries (13-17) got 14 points  from  Makayla Andrews and 13  from Kamari Sims, while the Ramblers (13-17) had only Parisian Naelle Bernard in double figures with 13 points.

GWU has been winning of late under interim coach Doug Novak after the recent decision to resign by Caroline McCombs, who had success at Stony Brook.

In the other game Wednesday, 10th-seeded Saint Louis (14-18), which won the conference several seasons ago and won the WNIT last year, defeated 15th-seeded St. Bonaventure 60-50 and on Thursday at 5 p.m. will meet seventh-seeded Massachusetts (16-13), which is leaving the Atlantic 10 this summer for the Mid-American Conference.

Kennedy Calhoun had 20 points,  including the 1000th of her career, for the Billikens, while Peyton Kennedy scored 13, and Shaun’teria Anumele scored ten.

The Bonnies (6-24) were led by Caitlin Frost with 14 points.

Thursday’s other game, which starts the activity, has  eighth-seeded Fordham (15-14) meeting ninth-seed Duquesne (18-11) at 11 a.m.

That winner on Friday faces top seed and defending champion Richmond (26-5) at 11 a.m., followed by the Saint Joseph’s game — those two winners play Saturday at 11 a.m. in the first semifinal.

Next comes the third quarterfinal featuring second-seeded George Mason (24-5) at 5 p.m. facing the the Saint Louis-Massachusetts winner and then the fourth quarterfinal at at 7:30 p.m. involving third-seed Davidson (17-12) against the La Salle-Dayton winner with those winners meeting in the second Saturday semifinal at 1:30 p.m.

The championship is Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.

Rutgers Quickly Bounced  From Big Ten While Olsen Leads Iowa to Second Round

Three games marked the first round of the Big Ten at the NBA’s Indiana Pacers and WNBA’s Indiana Fever’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and after eking its way to the last cut at the 15th-seed Rutgers (11-19) was booted out 84-60 by No. 10 Nebraska 84-60.

A key for the Scarlet Knights to get in the mix was sweeping Penn State, including Sunday’s senior day, the Nittany Lions were ousted last Thursday from being in the field.

The Cornhuskers (20-10) on Thursday meet seven-seed Illinois (21-8) st 7:30 p.m., all games through the semifinals airing on the Big Ten Network.

Destiny Adams had a game-high 25 points with 10 boards in trying to help Rutgers advance while  Awa Sidibe and Mya Petticord each scored 11.

Nebraska, which outscored the Scarlet Knights the first three quarters and played an even 23-23 in the last, got 19 points and 10 boards from Alexis Markowski, while off the bench Amiah Hargrove scored 13 and Alberte Rimdal scored 12 with eighth assists, and Britt Prince scored 10.

Meanwhile Iowa (21-9) got off  to a hot start with Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen scoring 14 of her 19 points before the break and the 11th-seeded Hawkeyes rolled to an 81-54 win over 14th-seeded Wisconsin (13-17) into Thursday’s second round where they’ll face sixth-seeded and 24th-ranked Michigan State (21-8) at 9 p.m.

The Badgers got 22 points from Sarah Williams.

In the other opener one of the four newbies from the Pac-12 in 12th seed Washington beat 13th-seed Minnesota 79-65 likely knocking out of  the Golden Gophers (20-11) from the projected NCAA bubble.

The Huskies (19-12) of the Northwest got 21 points from Elle Ladine with eight rebounds and five assists, while Sayvia Sellers and Dalayah Daniels each scored 15 points.

On Thursday, Washington meets fifth-seeded Michigan (20-9) at 2:30 p.m. after the second round opens at noon with ninth-seed Indiana (18-11) meeting eighth-seed Oregon (19-10), the second of the four new members.

Interest will ramp up Friday when the top four seeds take the court the first time with top seed and second rank Southern Cal (26-2) with JuJu Watkins meeting the Indiana-Oregon winner at noon, followed by fourth-seed and 15th ranked Maryland (23-6) meeting the Michigan-Washington winner at 2:30 p.m. at 2:30 p.m.

Second seed and fourth-ranked UCLA (27-2), whose two losses are both to Southern Cal, meets the winner of Illinois-Nebraska at 6:30 p.m. followed by No. 3 and 13th ranked Ohio State (24-5) playing sixth-seed Michigan State or 11th seed Iowa.

The semifinals are Saturday at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. with the title  game  Sunday at 4:30 p.m.  when UCLA and  Southern Cal could  meet a third time but in the Midwest.

Patriot Seeds Set With Lehigh First Despite a Season-Ending Loss

Lehigh (24-6) had already clinched  the top seed in the Patriot League, which is played on home courts of higher seeds all the way through so Wednesday’s 78-59 loss at Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y. was a moot implication.

Detail-wise, Maddie Albrecht had 14 points for the Mountain Hawks while the hosts were led by Morgan McMahon’s 22.

Lafayette (9-20) has been playing stronger at the end of the season and the Leopards after winning 57-54 at Loyola of Maryland in Baltimore with Teresa Kiewet getting  17 points get an opening round hosting game.

The seventh-seeded squad will host lowly No. 10 American U. (1-28) at 4 p.m. at the Kirby Sports Center in Easton, Pa., while eighth-seed Boston U. (11-18) hosts ninth-seeded Loyola, Maryland at at 2 p.m., both on ESPN+, which airs everything through the semifinals before CBSSN airs the championship at noon on Sunday, March 16, several hours before the 8 p.m. announcement of the 68-team field on ESPN.

Lehigh has a bye into Monday’s quarterfinals getting the 9-8 winner at 6 p.m., while the Lafayette winner goes to second-seeded Army (22-6) at 6 p.m.

Fifth-seeded Holy Cross (18-11), the defending champion, goes to fourth-seeded Navy at 7 p.m. in Annapolis, Md., while third-seeded Colgate (23-8) hosts seventh-seeded Bucknell (16-13).

Tennessee Romps Over Texas A&M in an SEC Opener

The ninth seed and 18th-ranked Lady Vols (22-8) snapped their two-game losing streak at the end of the regular season, opening in Greenville, S.C., with a crushing 77-37 win over 16th-seed Texas A&M (10-19) as Talysia Cooper had 19 points and eight rebounds against the Aggies, and Jewel Spear had 11 points and three makes from deep.

First-year coach Kim Caldwell, whose previous Marshall team got bounced in a Sun Belt opener Wednesday, gets to go after revenge for one of the last-second losses on Thursday in the second round meeting eighth-seed Vanderbilt (21-9) at 11 a.m., the SEC Network airing everything until Saturday’s semifinals on ESPN2.

In three other games in SEC openers, No. 12 Georgia (13-18) took a 79-74 narrow win over No. 13 Arkansas (10-22); 10th-seeded Mississippi State (21-10) took a 75-55 win over No. 15 Missouri (10-22), whose coach Robin Pingeton recently announced her resignation effective with the Tigers’ final game; and No. 11 Florida (15-16) won 60-50 over No. 14 Auburn.

On Thursday in three other games, No. 5 and 10th-ranked Oklahoma (23-6), one of two former Big 12 teams along with top-ranked Texas joining the SEC this past season, meets Georgia at 1:30 p.m.; Mississippi State and No. 7 Ole Miss (19-9) play at 6 p.m., while the games conclude with Florida playing sixth-seeded and 19th-ranked Alabama (23-7) at 8:30 p.m.

Friday’s quarterfinals have No. 1 and defending NCAA champion and No. 5 South Carolina meeting the Tennessee-Vanderbilt winner at noon on ESPN; followed at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN with fourth seed and No. 12 Kentucky playing the Oklahoma winner. The No. 2 and top-ranked Texas (29-2) group meet meets the Ole Miss/Mississippi State winner at 6 p.m. on SECN, which finishes the day airing on the SEC Network, which also airs the 8:30 p.m. game between No. 3 and seventh-ranked LSU (27-4) and the sixth-seeded and 19th-ranked Alabama -Florida winner.

Stanford Upset and Ousted on ACC  Opening Day

The three new ACC  members, Stanford and California from  the PAC-12 and SMU from the American Athletic Conference had mixed results in their debut season.

SMU joined Miami and Wake Forest in not making the tournament in Greensboro, N.C., California (24-7) earned the seventh seed and a bye, while Stanford (16-14), the 11th seed, fell 63-46 to 14th-seeded Clemson (14-16).

The Tigers got 17 points from  Loyal McQueen while Mia Moore made four shots from deep and and totaled 14 points to advance to Thursday’s second round playing sixth-seeded Louisville (20-9) at 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network, which is airing all of Thursday’s games.

Stanford, whose Courtney Ogden with 13 points was the only player in double figures, had appeared in 36 straight NCAA tournaments, winning three, including the 2021 bubble format in San Antonio, second only to Tennessee, which has been in all 42.

This was the first year Stanford was under former Cardinal star and associate head coach Kate Paye, promoted after the surprise retirement of Hall of Fame legend Tara VanDerveer, a move that allowed Hall of Fame Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma to pass her the fourth game of the season to become the all-time winningest college basketball coach in all divisions, currently at 1,241 victories.  He became the leader on November 20th at home in Gampel Pavilion on campus in Storrs, beating FDU  for victory No.  1,217.

Elsewhere in openers in the ACC, Boston  College beat Syracuse 76-63 while Virginia topped Pit 64-50.

The 12th-seeded Eagles (16-16) rallied from a 17-point deficit to the 13th-seeded Orange (12-18) as Dontavia Waggoner had a career-high 32 points, Teya Sidberry scored 24 with a career-high 17 rebounds as B.C. advanced to Thursday’s second round against fifth-seed and 14th ranked North Carolina (25-6) at 11  a.m. Sophie Burrows scored 23 for Syracuse, Georgia Woolley scored 16, and Kyra Wood scored 15.

In the other game, Kymora Johnson scored 17 points, Latasha Lattimore had her 11th double double with 12 points and 11th rebounds besides reaching personal bests with six blocks and five steals as the 10th seed Cavaliers (17-14) pulled away from the 15th-seeded Panthers (13-19)  in the second half and advanced to Thursday’s second round against California at 5 p.m.

Thursday’s fourth game matches eighth-seeded Virginia Tech (18-11) against 9th-seed Georgia Tech (21-9) at 1:30 p.m.

In Friday’s quarterfinals, fourth-seeded and 22nd ranked Florida State (23-7) meets the North Carolina winner at 11 a.m. while top-seed and seventh-ranked N.C. State (24-5) meets the Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech winner at at 1:30 p.m. on the ACC Networtk.

Second-seeded Notre Dame (25-4), ranked sixth, meets the California winner at 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network, the Irish tied the Wolfpack for first but lost the head-to-head tiebreaker in overtime.

Third-seeded Duke (23-7), ranked 11th, meets the Duke winner at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday’s semifinals are at noon and 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2 and Sunday’s title game is at 1 p.m. on ESPN.

Arizona State Upsets Cincinnati as Big 12 Gets Under Way

In the remaining Power 4 conference that had openers, the Big 12, 13th-seeded UCF (12-17) won 81-69 over 12th-seeded BYU (13-17), meaning the championship will not have to be in a Monday standby mode that was needed if the Cougars had reached the title game.

Kaitlin Peterson scored 35 in the win by UCF while Delaney Gibb scored 15 for BYU.

Ninth-seed Colorado (19-11) won 66-58 over 16th-seeded Houston (5-25), while No. 15 Arizona State (10-21) won 82-75 over No. 10 Cincinnati (15-14), and No. 14 Texas Tech (16-16) won 57-53 over No. 11 Kansas (16-14).

Jalyn Brown had 27 for the winning Sun Devils, one of four former PAC-12 teams along with Colorado, Arizona, Utah who joined the Big 12 this season, Utah and Colorado were previous members.

Reagan Jackson scored 24 for Cincinnati.

In Thursday’s second round, all airing on ESPN+, UCF meets 5th seed and 20th-ranked Kansas State (25-6) at noon; eighth-seed Arizona (19-12) meets Colorado at 2:30 p.m.; seventh-seed Iowa State (21-7) meets UCF at 6:30 p.m., and sixth-seeded Utah (22-7) plays Texas Tech at 9 p.m., the games all at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

Friday’s quarterfinals has fourth-seed and 16th-ranked West Virginia (23-6) playing the Kansas State winner at noon, followed by No. 1 seed and eighth-ranked TCU (28-3) meeting the Arizona winner at 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU while No. 2 Baylor (25-6), ranked 17th, meets the Iowa State winner at 6:30 p.m., and the third seed and 21st ranked Oklahoma State (24-5) meets the Utah winner at 9 p.m.

Saturday’s semifinals are at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+, while Sunday’s championship is at 5 p.m. on ESPN.

UNLV Upset By Wyoming in Mountain West Final While Tourney Bracket Gets Set

On the final day of the regular season UNLV, which already had claimed the top seed fell to second-seeded Wyoming 71-66 as Malene Pederson scored 7 for the host Cowgirls (20-10) leading two others in double figures while the Running Rebels (24-6) got 24 points from Amarachi Kimpson.

The tournament opens at the Thomas & Mack Center Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada.

No. 8 Boise State (17-14) meets No. 9 Nevada (11-20) at 5 p.m., followed by No. 7 Air Force (17-13) at No. 10 Utah State (4-26) at 7:30 p.m., and No. 6 Fresno State (17-14) meets No. 11 San Jose State (10-21) at 10 p.m., all on the Mountain West Network.

In Monday’s quarterfinals also all on the same network, No. 1 UNLV (24-6) meets the Boise State winner at 3 p.m.; fourth-seeded San Diego State (22-9) meets fifth-seed New Mexico (18-13) at 5:30 p.m.; No. 2 Wyoming (20-10) meets the Air Force winner at 8 p.m., and No. 3 Colorado State (22-9) meets the Fresno State winner at 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday’s semifinals  are at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on the same network and the title game Wednesday night is at 10:30 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.

Looking Ahead

Locally, regularly season games remain in two leagues Thursday with Drexel visiting Delaware at 6:30 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark on FloSports, the second-place visiting Dragons taking the short trip south are still holding second seed in the Coastal Athletic Association as they look to sweep the Blue Hens on their last visit to the Bob for CAA action with Delaware heading this summer to Conference-USA.

It’s possible the two longtime rivals will meet non-conference in the future.

Rider is at Canisius in Western New York needing a win as the first step to get the 10th and last seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament next week at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

The Broncs also need to win at Niagara Saturday and Canisius to lose again and one of these three scenarios: Saint Peter’s beats Niagara; or Merrimack beats Marist; or Sacred  Heart beats Iona.

And that’s the report.