KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The SEC is flexing its muscles in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
This is the first year the SEC has sent at least five teams to the Sweet 16 since six of its schools got there in 1997, with Tennessee winning it all that year.
“I’m happy for our conference,” Texas A&M Coach Gary Blair said. “I think it’s back. The SEC is back.”
The SEC can really show it’s back by sending a team to the Final Four for the first time since Tennessee won the championship and LSU reached the semifinals in 2008, although Texas A&M captured the 2011 title as a Big 12 member. Before this five-year drought, the SEC had failed to reach the Final Four just twice since the NCAA started running the tournament in 1982.
South Carolina (29-4) and Tennessee (29-5) are No. 1 seeds, although they may have to beat regional hosts to make the Final Four. Kentucky (26-8), LSU (21-12) and Texas A&M (26-8) also remain alive.
“It’s a testament to the commitment the SEC and the member schools make to women’s basketball and the quality of players we have in the league,” Tennessee Coach Holly Warlick said. “It’s the most athletic and physical conference in the country, the teams are very well-coached and there’s an extreme amount of talent from top to bottom.”
LSU exemplifies the SEC’s depth.
The Lady Tigers went 7-9in SEC competition and had eight losses in their last 10 games - all against league opponents - before beating NCAA Tournament opponents Georgia Tech and West Virginia. LSU withstood injuries to starters Jeanne Kenney and Raigyne Moncrief.
“It’s a tough conference,” LSU Coach Nikki Caldwell said. “You don’t really get a full view of it unless you play in it. … (At) the bottom of our conference, Ole Miss took us to the wire. Alabama beat us. So you can’t just walk into an SEC game and say that that’s going to be a win.
“It’s so competitive, and obviously it’s helped us prepare for NCAA, and that’s a reflection of why we have so many teams that have moved on.”
What the conference has lacked is the elite player who can carry a team to title contention, but it’s made up for that with an abundance of promising underclassmen. Only two of the AP’s seven first-team All-SEC selections were seniors. SEC coaches named South Carolina sophomore Tiffany Mitchell player of the year.
“I think it was deeper this year,” said ESPN analyst Carolyn Peck, who played and coached in the SEC. “I think a lot of it has to do with the young talent that is being brought into the SEC. … The talent is coming back into the SEC, and the success is showing up on the court.”
LSU, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas A&M benefited from playing their first two rounds at home. They won’t have that luxury anymore.
The Lady Tigers play Louisville on the Cardinals’ home floor in the Louisville Regional semifinal. Tennessee could face the same challenge in the Louisville Regional final. South Carolina might play Stanford at Maples Pavilion in the Stanford Regional championship. Kentucky could meet Notre Dame on the Irish’s home court in the Notre Dame Regional final.
Regional rounds return to neutral sites next season.
“When it’s the Final Four at stake, I think it should be at neutral sites,” South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley said. “I think it should be in a position where it equals the playing field for all competitors.”At a glance All times Central LINCOLN REGIONAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS At Lincoln, Neb.
SATURDAY Connecticut vs. BYU (28-6), 3:30 p.m.
DePaul vs. Texas A&M, 6 p.m.
STANFORD REGIONAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS At Palo Alto, Calif.
SUNDAY Stanford vs. Penn State, 3:30 p.m.
South Carolina vs. North Carolina, 6 p.m. NOTRE DAME REGIONAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS At South Bend, Ind.
SATURDAY Kentucky vs. Baylor, 11 a.m.
Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma St., 1:30 p.m. LOUISVILLE REGIONAL REGIONAL SEMIFINALS At Louisville, Ky.
SUNDAY Tennessee vs. Maryland, 11 a.m.
Louisville vs. LSU, 1:30 p.m.
Sports, Pages 21 on 03/28/2014