The Guru Report Extra: Jefferson’s Tom Shirley Gets 800th Win While NCAA WBB Tourney Expands to 68 With the Return of Selection Sunday

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

We’re breaking out a special Guru report before getting into Wednesday’s games recaps because two events that occurred deserve to be in a separate headline.

The first is the D2 Thomas Jefferson squad on the road in non-conference at Shippensburg jumped to a 14-1 run in the first quarter and kept going to a 76-65 win for a 3-0 season start but more important that accomplishment gave Rams coach Tom Shirley his 800th victory, the 17th coach in all divisions to reach that milestone.

The game nearly got away in the fourth quarter quarter after Jefferson had gained a 15-point lead.

Shippensburg then shaved the differential down to four with 4 minutes, 20 seconds later at 65-61 before the Rams applied the brakes and went on to allow Shirley to reach 800 on his first attempt of the season.

Morgan Robinson had a triple double with 11 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds, along with a pair of blocks and one steal while Cassie Murphy collected 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Haley Meinel got 21 points, while Maeve McCann scored 12.

The Robinson triple double is the Rams’ first in three seasons dating to a triple double from Caitlyn Cunningham, on November 28, 2018, playing West Chester.

The road swing continues Saturday at Kutztown at 1 p.m. before Jefferson can return home against East Stroudsburg on Monday at the Gallagher Center in East Falls to properly acknowledge Shirley, who is also the school’s athletic director.

This past summer in the local Philadelphia/Suburban Women’s Summer Basketball League, the Rams, who under NCAA rules as a Division II group can field the entire team. Went unbeaten on the schedule but was upset in the playoffs.

Shirley originally coached at DeSales up in Allentown before taking the then-Philadelphia Textile job, later to be called Philadelphia U, before another school name change several years ago.

This is his 23rd season at Jefferson, hired when Julie Soriero was hired at Penn.

Overall Shirley stands  No. 1 on Division II coaches, and at Jefferson his record is 651-289.

NCAA Tournament Expands to 68 Teams And Returns to Super Sunday One Day Earlier Than Recent Years For the Announcement of the Field and Pairings

The other news beyond the routine occurrence of wins and losses was the Division I council approving the recommendation of the women’s tournament by four to 68 teams with a first four like the men to occur this season.

For this year only when the first four opens the field of play, they will do so at four sites of the top 16 teams selected and all bidding for those sites must agree to hold the events. The following season like the men’s tournament in Dayton, the games will be played at a neutral site, which is yet to be determined.

“The committee was in support of implementing this as soon as possible and were pleased that the expanded championship field will be in play immediately for the upcoming championship and beyond,” said Duke athletic director Nia King, who chairs the tournament committee.”

Seeds 65 through 68 along with the last four of the at-large teams will compete in the First Four, the NCAA release said. There will be two games played on Wednesday, March 16, and Thursday, March 17, with the winners playing in first round games on Friday, March 18 and Saturday March 19.

The Final Four will be held at the Target Center in Minneapolis on April 1, a Friday, and April 3, a Sunday.

UTSA athletic director Lisa Campos, who chairs the Division I Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee called this season “a transition year” for the tournament with strong consideration given to improving other areas such as opening round games played at predetermined sites.

Additionally, ESPN announced the selection show will move one day back to Sunday, the same day the men’s field is announced.

Nick Dawson, now vice president, ESPN programming and acquisitions, following Carol Stiff’s retirement in July, said, “… we look forward to highlighting even more student athletes and teams in pursuit of their championship dreams as part of this expansion of March Madness.”

And that’s the special report.