By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru
VILLANOVA, Pa. — Arriving from Drexel and writing the earlier report off the CAA title game, it was obvious some changes had been made to create the scene for the Villanova women to learn their postseason fate involving the NCAA tournament.
In 2018, the women still had their own night on a Monday 24 hours after the men’s squad had gone through their annual Selection Sunday ritual. There was never a question where former longtime coach Harry Perretta’s squad stood in terms of being in the field, being labelled “a lock” by all the speculators.
It was just a matter of enjoying the party atmosphere in a room nearby and wanting to know who’s the opponent and when and where the game’s being played.
Having been privy to a peak from a source on the way out to the campus that year, there was a glee knowing what the reaction was going to be when Notre Dame coach Muffett McGraw would learn that for the first time since the Irish had left for the Atlantic Coast Conference, a potential matchup in round two in her building existed with her former Big East rivals and tormenters guided by Harry Perretta.
This year, however, the women’s show was moved to Sunday night following the men and the Wildcats in forecasts leading up to the show were all over the map.
“Last week they were trending up, this week nothing very much,” said Perretta, who joined us down at Drexel earlier in the day on press row.
Part of that was ESPN’s Charlie Creme not giving much credence down the stretch to a Villanova season that he discounted until they finished second in the standings, but also not thrilled with the Wildcats’ performance in their second meeting with a healthier UConn squad in the Big East title game.
The fact that the athletic department was going to have a watch party and invited the media should be a sign officials were confident the team had made the field and, hey, their own women’s administrator Lynn Tighe, a former player, had been selected this season to begin serving a stint on the committee.
And besides, there were years when the Wildcats were called a bubble team that they watched in private, then emerging with a sense of relief that they were picked or when not gave counter arguments why that was wrong and then talked optimistically about doing well in the WNIT.
But no, nobody had heard anything from Lynn.
When yours truly entered the building the men’s event was gone, and Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright was in the front lower cocnession area being interviewed by remote on one of the men’s shows.
The head of the ushers pointed the way into the arena where the women were seated on the court facing the cameras to be shown to react by the ESPN cameras when their name would be noted on the bracket board.
Shortly before going on the air they were asked to give a big cheer ahead to be taped by the cameras.
“Don’t tell this thing gets scripted now and the moment of genuine celebration is less spontaneous,” I said to one of the student media members on the scene.
“Guess they know they’re in and just waiting for the other piece of the mystery to be learned.”
But no, looking at the faces there seemed to be no knowledge of anything though right as the show came on, the bracket that a few of us get to use in the post-announcement call with committee chairs over the years dropped into our emails.
Ah, it’s the Wichita Regional and they will be at Michigan for the opening rounds, but only letting a few photographers from The Inquirer know for the purpose of letting them be ready to catch the react when the word “Villanova” would be heard.
However, the reveals were not done in the orderly fashion of the past and so as the the show continued section by section, there was no “Villanova,” and the faces of worry began to appear.
But finally, they got mentioned as the 11th seed playing 6th seed at-large BYU, which is ranked and led the West Coast Conference all year but fell to Gonzaga in the title game, and a huge roar went up from the team and crowd.
Michigan, third seed and one of the top Big Ten teams, will play Patriot League tournament champion American U. In the other game on Saturday, the winners to meet on round two next Monday. The broadcast times are coming Monday morning.
Coach Denise Dillon, who earlier in the day had the bittersweet experience of seeing her former Drexel team lose to Delaware, first addressed the crowd before she and the team gave interviews to the media.
So, in a sense, as she said, the night was a reflection of the season, beating Oregon State while they were still ranked “to get ourselves in the conversation.” Then coming together and getting on a run oncer star player Maddy Siegrist returned from missing six games with a hand injury when the Wildcats incurred most of the losses.
Then the run that took off, beating the Providence and Creighton squads they fell to in the first meetings.
Followed by the highlight of any season, winning in the big arena in Hartford, ending UConn’s 169-straight wins in conference competition.
Beating DePaul to then make every Big East opponent fall at least once. Helpful, likely was with Creighton and DePaul also joining the automatic qualifying Huskies in the field, giving ‘Nova bonus weins in the behind-the-scenes committee deliberations the last several days.
“We gave ourselves every chance to do what was needed to get here, and so, here we are,” she told the fans.
And then to us, so, what was the last hour like, as opposed to other teams who knew their fates quickly?
“Absolutely,” as to having the minutes flying by become excruciating. “Absolutely thrilled to see DePaul get in there, four Big East teams, that’s tremendous.
“Just proud of this group, what they did to get in this position, and going into Ann Arbor.”
Ah, Ann Arbor.
Like Muffet in 2018, forget the seed number, Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico can’t be thrilled potentially facing a Wildcats operation she knows too well from her previous years coaching St. John’s against them.
“Looking at the team (waiting), I was running out of things to say,” Dillon related. “It felt like one of those media timeouts. I think that’s how it’s suppose to be, especially this group, this season, the unknown. It happened a lot. But we did what we needed to, but even tonight, being impatient, waiting to see what was going to happen.”
There was no question, that a big positive factor was having a player like Siegrist, who became named the Big East player of the year, (Dillon was coach of the year), who showed star quality just in the difference of Villanova with her in the lineup compared to those days without.
“What Maddy did was remarkable,” Dillon said. “Just watching her growth from last year to this season, just taking gthe reins of responsibility of becoming more comfortable as a player, but I think she impacted the game, even when she was out. She found a way to impact at each practice and each game, added to her development as a player.
“We’re on a mission to make this happen with this team, extremely happy we’re here. Definitely anxiety, but felt we had a shot and trying not getting overwhelmed this week, hearing our name so often.
“I appreciate they’re awareness as the show went on,” Dillon said. “Maddy kept saying, `Well, this is left, and this is left. Aw right, aw right. We’re in good shape. Just shows they’re commission to the sport.
“This year was so good, (getting somewhat back to normal from the pandemic restrictions.). The crowds we had at the games and the good games they played.”
Briana Herlihy is the one player with experience, being a rookie on the last Wildcats NCAA squad that won its opener and then after a competitive first half, fell to the Irish down the stretch in Game 2.”
As for BYU, Dillon said, “I know they’re a good five-out sort of team. Like the shooters, mobile posts, so I feel the matchup of style play and players is similar, so we’re familiar with that.
Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes not. But in a short period of time, it will make more sense to the players when they see the scouting report. I know they’re a good team. They’re disciplined, so everybody at this point is really good.”
Ironically, last week at the Big East tournament after Villanova had eliminated Seton Hall in the semifinals, Pirates coach Tony Bozzella went off (with merit) about the disrespect his team and the conference was getting in NCAA talk.
In noting some other mid-majors being cited with two team reps, he said, “I’d like to see what would happen when a team like BYU would play Villanova,” he said.
“I think we’re going to see some good matchups,” Dillon said of other squads from the Big East. “Creighton-Colorado. Similar styles, good matchups. We got some teams in. Now we have to represent.”
As for being a former player for Villanova on NCAA teams and now coaching the Wildcats: “Every day here, it’s an absolute trip. I feel that this is where I belong and doing what I love with some amazing young women. So when you succeed, it’s extra special.”
Said Siegrist, “I was pretty confident we were going to get in, but I sweated it out, toward the end. I kept thinking, maybe it’s nine, ten, eleven, twelve (the seeds), Oh well, maybe it’s this one, alright maybe it’s this one. I was following the predictions. But I couldn’t be happier. I didn’t hear we were in it till last week, so that’s good, but I was pretty confident in our ability all year. There was a time we were 3-5, 3-6. It didn’t look so good. Well, all right we’re going to take it one game at a time. We’ll put ourselves in position.
“It’s so excited to achieve one of our goals. I have never been to the NCAA tournament. Brianna was on one a long time ago. The goal is always to get there. Once there, the goal is win as many of your games as you can,” Siegrist continued. “As a little kid, I remember you’d watch the Selection Show and you always want to be in it. I think the WNIT was great. We got to play in it last year (made a run) but now that we’re in the NCAA tournament, you don’t want to go back. Now, I’m just excited to get a chance to win a national championship.”
The sixth seed is the best ever for BYU, topping a seven, while in 2003 when the Wildcats ended UConn’s then 70-game national record win streak in the Big East title game, they earned a two-seed and advanced to the Elite Eight, losing to Tennessee in Knoxville.
“We knew that through our hard work during the whole season, we made ourselves get into a good position to have this opportunity,” longtime Cougars coach Jeff Judkins told his media in Ogden, Utah.
“I’m just excited that we’re in a bracket where we can do some damage if we play our game and do the things that we need to do,” Judkins said.
The squad went through the same anxiety as Villanova, waiting to hear their names.
“Everyone was a little nervous,” guard Tegan Graham said. “My hands were sweating a bit, but everyone’s super excited.”
Added BYU guard Paisley Harding, the seed “doesn’t really matter, honestly. What it comes down to is, it’s what we really do on the day of the game that matters.”
Noted that the Selection Show commentators noted Villanova could make a deep run, BYU’s Graham said, “If I’m being honest, I feel this whole season, I don’t want to say disrespected because I don’t think that’s the right word, but we’ve been forgotten a little bit.
To their style, she noted, “…we should have a little more hype, but I’d rather be on a team that has that performance than a team that gets all the hype and then doesn’t make it.”
Judkins was surprised to be playing a team like the Wildcats.
“I thought we’d be playing Missouri. It was kind of surprising that Villanova was there, but I think it’s fair. We’re going to have to play well. If we’re fortunate enough to win that, then probably Michigan. It will be tough playing them on their home court, but that’s the way it will be. We look forward to it, that’s for sure.”
As for playing the Wildcats, Judkins said, “They’re a very controlling team that holds the ball and really works it. It will be a big challenge for us that way. We haven’t seen a lot of that. Maybe Portland gave us a little bit of that.”
“They play in Connecticut’s league and I know how Geno plays. I’ll be able to get a good feel with that, I think.”
Short Road Trip for Delaware
Several hours after Delaware topped Drexel to win the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, the Blue Hens learned they would make the short trip to play fourth-seeded Maryland in College Park on Friday. Virginia Tech and Florida Gulf Coast are the two other teams in the bracket.
The Blue Hens and Terrapins met in the past when Elena Delle Donne starred for Delaware.
“We haven’t even had time to sit down and digest this,” Delaware coach Natasha Adair told the Delaware Wilmington News-Journal. “I’m sure when I get home this evening it’ll all sink in and probably the waterworks will come.”
Maryland is 13-0 in the lifetime series with Delaware, most recently winning 99-55 two seasons ago.
“I think energy’s a big thing for us,” said Jasmine Dickey, the outstanding player of the CAA tournament and two-time conference player of the year. “We could see it when we played (at Drexel). We just gotta take that with us at Maryland.”
The teams are part of the Spokane Regional.
“For us to be hosting the tournament for the first two rounds, I’m really thrilled,” said Maryland coach Brenda Frese, who led the Terrapins to the 2006 NCAA title over then ACC-rival Duke in overtime in Boston.
“Delaware is very good and well-coached,” Frese said. “But at this time of year, anyone that’s in the NCAA tournament is a legit team. You’ve got to be playing your best basketball.”
A year ago in the bubble in San Antonio, Maryland a two-seed got upset by sixth-seeded Texas 64-61. The Longhorns on Sunday upset Baylor, fourth ranked, to win the Big 12 title.
“There’s nothing we haven’t seen,” said Maryland’s Angel Reese. “I think we have more of a chip on our shoulder going into the tournament.”
Princeton Headed to Kentucky
The Ivy-winning Tigers got a tough draw, being 11th and sent Saturday against 6th-seed Kentucky, which upset overall No. 1 seed South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference title game.
The other side of the bracket where the four teams will play has third-seed Indiana meeting 14th-seed Charlotte out of Conference USA, which is a former Atlantic 10 squad.
The two teams played in a recent NCAA tournament, the Wildcats winning 82-77.
Princeton is bringing a 17-game win streak into the tourney, expanded to to 68 teams by four this year to match the men’s field size.
The Regional is in Bridgeport, where second-seeded UConn, the Big East champions landed under top-seed NC State.
Should the Tigers survive this weekend, coach Carla Berube would be going against her alma mater, which will open at home this weekend in Storrs playing Mercer, and then, if advancing, either American champion UCF or Florida.
UConn and UCF met twice annually when the Huskies were in the American Conference winning every game until leaving for the Big East last season.
Defending NCAA champion Stanford is the top seed in Spokane, while Louisville, which seemed set to lose its status, is over Wichita, restored when fourth-ranked Baylor fell Sunday to Texas.
“Princeton is a really good team,” Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy said. “It was a dogfight the last time we played them and I don’t see that changing. Everybody wants to win in March.”
Elzy was then an assistant to Matthew Mitchell, while Princeton was then coach by Courtney Banghart, who is now coaching North Carolina, which is the fifth seed in the Greensboro Regional and will be playing in Tucson, facing Western Athletic Champion Stephen F. Austin, while Mountain West champion UNLV will face host Arizona, which last season, lost in the NCAA title game to Pac-12 Stanford on a missed shot at the finish.
Since 2010, Princeton has been to the Big Dance nine times, with the 2020 event cancelled because of the pandemic and a year ago the Ivy presidents closed down the season for the Ancient Eight.
Princeton’s Abby Myers was the player of the year in the Ivy League.
With an expansion to match the men’s field, the women will play a first four, which allowed DePaul and regular-season champion Dayton to get picked and will meet each other at Iowa State in Ames, on Wednesday, the same day that MEAC champion Howard and Southland champion UIW meet at South Carolina in Columbia.
On Thursday, Missouri State, which got eliminated in the Missouri Valley tourney, will meet Florida State at LSU in Baton Rouge, and conference winners Longwood and Mt. St. Mary’s will play at NC State in Raleigh.
And that’s the report with much more ahead this week.
