The Guru Report: Columbia Edged by Vanderbilt in NCAA First Four; Villanova, Saint Joseph’s, Penn State Host WBIT Thursday Openers

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

After overcoming a denied bid by a Connecticut-graduate coached team to make an NCAA debut as an Ivy automatic qualifier when Princeton beat Columbia last Saturday, the 12^th-seeded Lions were felled by another Huskies-grad coached bunch on Wednesday night in Blacksburg, Va., when No. 12 Vanderbilt of the Southeastern Conference held on in a First-Four game to win 72-68.

The Commodores (23-9), whose history in NCAA play is plentiful at 28 appearances to the first time by Columbia (23-7), move on to take the floor at fifth-seeded Baylor Friday night in a first-round Portland 3 sub-regional game in Waco, Texas.

Princeton is coached by Carla Berube, a star on the first UConn NCAA champion in 1995, who has picked up the torch after Courtney Banghart left for North Carolina to keep the Tigers a national force in the Ivies.

Megan Griffith from King of Prussia was part of that Princeton build on Banghart’s staff before returning to her alma mater and steadily built the Lions from the depths of the Ivies to tying the Tigers two straight times for the regular season championship.

Vanderbilt is under second-year coach Shea Ralph, a Connecticut star in the early 2000s in her first program-guiding role, who quickly ended the Commodores’ NCAA hiatus at 10 seasons, last appearing in 2014.

Expect both Berube and Ralph to appear on the successor list in the future whenever Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma, who coached both, decides to move on to his next chapter.

As for the game matters, one of two Wednesday night, the other Presbyterian beating Northeast Conference champion Sacred Heart 49-42 in a matchup of 16 seeds, Iyanna Moore scored 22 points for Vanderbilt and Sacha Washington had a double-double with 16 points on a sizzling 8-9 from the floor to go with 15 boards.

Khamil Pierre scored 11 points and Justine Pissott scored 10.

The loss by Columbia was the second narrow setback to an SEC contingent, having suffered a buzzer-beating defeat to Florida in a Thanksgiving tourney in the tropics.

The Lions joined Princeton as the only two Ivy teams ever given at-large invitations.

The Tigers as a ninth seed in the Albany 2 sub-regional, will meet eighth seeded West Virginia Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN2 in Iowa City, the winner moving on to meet the winner between No. 1 Iowa, the Caitlin Clark-led force, and the winner of Thursday night’s First Four game between 16 seeds UT Martin (16-16) and Holy Cross (20-12) at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.

Though behind 10 points several times and 69-62 with 24.4 left in regulation, Columbia fought back until the last seconds when a pair of foul shots from Pissott with 2.3 left sealed it for Vandy.

“I don't think we played that well tonight, unfortunately,” Griffith said. “And I thought Vanderbilt played well.

“I thought they set the tone early for us and Shea did a great job with her team. I told her that before the game- I told her that after the game- and although it wasn't our best, this is definitely not the last time we will be in this tournament- I can tell you all that.

“It takes time to build something, and I think we've done it the right way. I know the selection committee made the right decision by putting us in this tournament.”

Kitty Henderson scored 20 for the Lions while Abbey Hsu, looking to be drafted or at least signed to a WNBA training camp contract, and Cecelia Collins each scored 13 points.

Hsu became Columbia’s all-time scorer this season for both men or women and with 2,126 points, is the fourth Ivy woman to collect 2,000 points.

“I want to congratulate Columbia on a great season,” Ralph said. “I know we are all really excited as coaches and teams to be in the NCAA tournament. So, congratulations to them.

“Second of all, congratulations to my team, my players, for grinding it out. We are not just happy to be here. We have a purpose. And today was the first step in that purpose,” she continued.

“We prepared all year for this moment. This was our goal from the moment we got together in June and I'm excited for my players that we get to keep dancing.”

The Baylor-Vanderbilt game will be 6:00 PM on ESPNU.

In the other First Four game Wednesday, held at South Carolina’s Colonial Life Arena in Colombia, Presbyterian (21-14), the Big South champion, in its NCAA debut, got 14 points from Mara Neira, including two foul shots with 26.1 seconds left in regulation, in stopping a 15-game win streak by Sacred Heart (24-10), the first NEC team to win an NCAA game a year ago playing in the First Four.

Presbyterian moves on to a Friday afternoon contest (2 p.m., ESPN) at unbeaten South Carolina (32-0), the overall No. 1 seed as well as AP ranked No.1, having already lost 99-29 to the Gamecocks on the road at the arena in December.

Like Drexel in the CAA, the Blue Hose beat three higher seeds in the Big South tournament, though the Dragons had to win four straight contests.

This time, however, Dawn Staley’s squad will be without Kamilla Cardoso, serving a one-game suspension for her role in a fight involving defending NCAA champion LSU in the closing minutes of the SEC title game.

The other First Four game, being played Thursday night at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 in Connecticut’s Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, has 11 seeds Auburn (20-11) and Arizona (17-15) meeting, the winner moving on to a first-round Saturday match (3:30 p.m.) with sixth seed Syracuse (23-7) in the same venue.

UConn (29-5), the third seed, ranked 10^th this week by the AP, will meet 14^th seed and SWAC champion Jackson State (26-6) at 1 p.m. Saturday in ABC in the other game in the Portland 3 sub-regional.

Villanova, Penn State and Saint Joseph’s Launch Inaugural WBIT

It’s not where the two Big Five schools and Penn State were striving to be, but the three local schools will be part of the new NCAA-organized 32-team Women’s Basketball Invitational tipping off Thursday night with all 16 games.

The second round is Sunday, the third is March 28 with the four survivors moving to Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis April 1 and 3.

The NCAA runs the men’s NIT and the women’s event is a creation out of the sought equivalencies after the investigation set up following the common treatment comparisons during the two bubble-format tournaments in 2021caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This caused the long-running WNIT to reduce its field from 64 to 48.

The Ivy League nixed its members from taking part in the WNIT, which hurt Harvard, not taken by the WBIT after Princeton and Columbia landed in the NCAA, and Penn, both of which would likely have been in the field, in which a year ago Columbia advanced to the title round losing at Kansas.

It is believed but not totally confirmed Temple with a strong finish only applied to the WBIT, if not in the NCAA tourney.

The total schedule is below with update results posted here in the Thursday overnight. All first round games will air on ESPN+.

Villanova and Penn State were two of the first four out of the NCAA and were made top seeds in the four quads being able to host the first three rounds if advancing.

Only 16 teams were seeded.

Saint Joseph’s is a third seed in Villanova’s quad.

The Wildcats (18-12) at 7 p.m. will host VCU (26-5), which was the second seed in the Atlantic 10. If they win, they will host the winner of No. 4 Virginia (15-15) and High Point (20-11) Sunday.

It’s going to be a double duty night for Saint Joseph’s coach Cindy Griffin, whose third seeded Hawks (26-5) at Hagan Arena at 7 p.m. host Seton Hall (17-14), which knocked them out of the WNIT opener in the Pirates’ arena last year.

If they win, they go to No. 2 California (18-14) Sunday if the Golden Bears win. Otherwise they’ll host Hawaii (20-10).

After the game Griffin will be scurrying to a TV because daughter Hannah is a freshman on Holy Cross playing at 9 p.m. in the NCAA First Four.

Penn State (19-12) at 6 p.m. hosts George Mason (23-7), which was fourth in the A-10.

A win has the Lady Lions hosting Ball State (28-5) or Belmont (25-8) Sunday. Those two teams open Thursday at 4 p.m. at Ball State.

That’s the report.