Let the madness begin. Almost.
With the exception of the No. 20 Georgia Bulldogs in the SEC, the Big 12 is the only power conference with significant games remaining in regular-season play. With conference tournaments set to begin this weekend, seedings are almost set in stone, and while some teams' bubbles are starting to burst, others' are only getting bigger.
A standout showing in a conference tournament can serve to either solidify a team's postseason status or bring a team playing on the bubble into the NCAA Tournament.
Monday night's matchup between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and UConn Huskies had none of the suspense of their first contest, as the Huskies buckled down on defense and stifled the Scarlet Knights 66-46. Epiphanny Prince, who played brilliantly in the first game, shot 2-of-12 from the floor and scored only five points in a losing effort this time around. The loss marks Rutgers' fifth of the year, dangerous territory for a team seeking a No. 1 seed come tourney time.
Yet while the rematch between the best of the Big East was one of the most important games of the year, it was hardly the only important game in a busy week of women's college basketball. As most teams closed out their regular seasons, a few squads showed their true colors.
The Duke Blue Devils simply are not that good. Duke's 31-point loss on the road to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Sunday reinforced the fact that there is nothing special about the Blue Devils this season. This 21-8 squad has done a great job against teams it should beat, but time and again the team has failed to win games against more challenging opponents.
With the exception of an early December victory over Rutgers, Duke has lost every contest against a Top 10-ranked opponent. This includes a combined 0-4 mark against the Maryland Terrapins and UNC, to go along with losses at UConn and the Vanderbilt Lady Commodores and at home against the Tennessee Volunteers. The Blue Devils also dropped a fluke on the road at the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Thus, their No. 12 ranking is arguably inflated, as they have not sufficiently proven they can compete with top teams. Bracketologists might be well served predicting a Sweet 16 exit this season for the Blue Devils.
The Old Dominion Lady Monarchs rode a 19-game winning streak, the longest in Div. I at the time, to the fringe of the Top 10. But their cupcake schedule remained a factor, and Sunday's 13-point loss at the James Madison Dukes proved that the doubters of Old Dominion had a valid argument.
Since their Dec. 30 victory over Vanderbilt, their most impressive of the year and only triumph over a ranked team, the Monarchs have not faced a single team in the Top 25. Marginally impressive victories over teams like the Kentucky Wildcats, Purdue Boilermakers and Michigan State Spartans mean that Old Dominion is not afraid to go toe-to-toe with teams in the traditional power conferences, but the Monarchs' 25-4 record is just not as impressive once one realizes the relative weakness of their schedule.
Things look brighter for the Stanford Cardinal, a team that could legitimately make the Final Four. The Pac-10 hasn't produced a national champion since the Cardinal won it all the way back in 1992, but Stanford looks ready to challenge for the title this year.
Riding a 15-game conference winning streak, Stanford avenged back-to-back losses at the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans with double-digit victories over both teams. The 27-3 Cardinal's only other loss was at powerhouse UConn.
With the lethal combination of senior guard Candace Wiggins and sophomore center Jayne Appel, Stanford has an inside-out game that perhaps only the Huskies can challenge. Wiggins, an All-American candidate and Wooden Award finalist, is one of the nation's best all-around players, and Appel is the reigning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
The two are complemented by freshman forward Kayla Pederson, a player in the mold of Appel, averaging 12.6 points and 8.2 boards per game.
The only other team of note in the Pac-10, the California Golden Bears, ended its season by losing at the Washington Huskies, which is a damaging loss since the 24-5 Golden Bears have very few quality wins under their belts.
