These days, it seems every discussion about women's basketball begins and ends with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Last week, the Scarlet Knights downed the UConn Huskies, dethroning them from the unbeaten ranks with a huge offensive output in the second half. Tuesday, Rutgers faced another title contender when it traveled to Knoxville to take on the No. 1 Tennessee Lady Volunteers. However, a controversial call derailed the Knights' chances at their second monumental upset in as many games, as Rutgers fell 59-58.
Like the UConn game, Rutgers started slow, scoring 23 points in the first half and heading into the break down 11, as compared with 24 points and a nine-point deficit against the Huskies. And just like in that UConn game, Rutgers charged back in the second half, using a run toward the middle of the half to win the second frame by 10.
But this time the team's best effort just wasn't enough, as Tennessee senior Nicky Anosike's clutch free throws with 0.2 seconds remaining ruined Rutgers' tremendous effort. Anosike also prevented the Knights from being the first squad in women's basketball history to beat No. 1 teams in consecutive games.
But Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer is stunned Anosike even got the chance to go to the line. When Anosike grabbed a rebound with 0.2 seconds remaining, the game clock appeared to freeze for what ESPN later determined to be 1.3 seconds. That gave Anoskie time to draw a foul on Rutgers center Kia Vaughn and earn a controversial trip to the free throw line, as time appears to have expired long before Vaughn was charged with the personal.
To Anosike's credit, she was unfazed by the situation and calmly sank the free throws. Junior Candace Parker, regarded by most as the best player in the nation, led the Vols with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Rutgers was led by guard Epiphanny Prince, the hero of the UConn game, who scored 21 points.
With the NCAA Tournament just over a month away, it's about time for teams to start putting together résumés for the tournament committee. Unlike the men, where Cinderella teams reach the later rounds of the tournament every year, the women's bracket is usually more top-heavy.
Of the past 13 tournaments, nine have been won by either UConn or Tennessee. By contrast, there have been only three teams, Florida, Kentucky and Connecticut, to win more than one men's championships in that same timeframe.
That being said, it's worth mentioning two semi-sleepers quietly putting together solid seasons and poised to make a deep run in the tournament.
In the women's world, where top teams are constantly squaring off, regular season experience is invaluable in the playoffs. The West Virginia Mountaineers got blown out by both Tennessee and UConn early on but have since reeled off eight straight wins in the challenging Big East, including Rutgers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. At 8-1 in the Big East, West Virginia sits right under UConn and Rutgers and has the magic combination of frontcourt and backcourt scoring necessary for a March run.
Receiving solid production from center Yinka Sanni and guard LaQuita Owens gives the Mountaineers a balance of options not many other teams have. It also doesn't hurt that Owens and Sanni are both seniors, as veteran leadership has time and again proven to be a huge asset come tournament time.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Oklahoma State Cowgirls have put together a solid season while avoiding the national powerhouses West Virginia has faced. And despite a two-game slide in late January, Oklahoma State has put together a very impressive season, sitting at 19-3 for the year while playing out of the Big 12. A convincing Feb. 5 victory over a Baylor Bears team that was eyeing the national title race highlighted their schedule, but conference victories over the Oklahoma Sooners and Nebraska Cornhuskers also proved impressive.
Their strength of schedule, in comparison to teams in the Big East, SEC and ACC, is weak, but one must not forget that Baylor won the national title in 2005. Oklahoma State scores and defends well, and, with a tournament appearance almost a lock, looks to bring their southern game to the grand stage.
