Post by elp525 on Mar 20, 2011 6:49:08 GMT -5
March 19, 2011
By Staff, wire reports
The Charleston Gazette
WACO, Texas - After posting a 16-0 record in Conference USA this season, Houston lost to Tulane in the tournament semifinals.
Thus, the No. 8-seeded Cougars (26-5) begin NCAA Tournament play against No. 9 West Virginia (23-9) at 5:10 p.m. today on a one-game losing streak.
Did the tournament loss remove any pressure?
"I got asked and I am sure the kids got asked many, many times, 'Did you think getting beat ... was maybe a blessing in disguise?' No, I don't believe that is ever a good thing,'' Houston coach Todd Buchanan said. "Now having said that, I think with the things that we were going through as a basketball team, basketball family, trials, tribulations, etcetera, I think it could have been a blessing in disguise to get us back to Houston and get our hearts right and our minds right.''
With All-Big East guard Liz Repella among four senior starters, West Virginia peaked at No. 6 in the AP poll in mid-December and stayed there for a month before the slide that had them unranked by the end of February.
"That one stretch, I didn't like going into games. I enjoyed practicing because we practiced well and were focused, and then we got into the games and it seems like we lost focus and intensity and that type of stuff,'' coach Mike Carey said. "Since the Big East tournament, I thought we've been practicing very well and staying focused.''
Carey sees one possible Houston weakness.
"They have a good post and are very physical. They also get up and down the floor,'' said Carey. "But they do have a tendency to turn it over so I think if we can get up into the passing lanes and create some turnovers maybe we can get some easy shots down at the other end."
In today's other game in Waco, Baylor (31-2) will face Prairie View (21-11) at about 7:45 p.m.
Baylor went to the Final Four last season when Brittney Griner was a freshman. This time, the Lady Bears are a No. 1 seed for the first time with freshman starting point guard Odyssey Sims.
The Big 12 champions are very good - and still very young.
The 6-foot-8 Griner is among seven sophomores for the Lady Bears (31-2), who open the NCAA tournament against SWAC champion Prairie View (21-11) on Sunday night at home, where they are 19-0 this season.
The only of their top seven scorers who doesn't have at least two seasons left after this is starting guard Melissa Jones, their only senior who plays significant minutes.
By Staff, wire reports
The Charleston Gazette
WACO, Texas - After posting a 16-0 record in Conference USA this season, Houston lost to Tulane in the tournament semifinals.
Thus, the No. 8-seeded Cougars (26-5) begin NCAA Tournament play against No. 9 West Virginia (23-9) at 5:10 p.m. today on a one-game losing streak.
Did the tournament loss remove any pressure?
"I got asked and I am sure the kids got asked many, many times, 'Did you think getting beat ... was maybe a blessing in disguise?' No, I don't believe that is ever a good thing,'' Houston coach Todd Buchanan said. "Now having said that, I think with the things that we were going through as a basketball team, basketball family, trials, tribulations, etcetera, I think it could have been a blessing in disguise to get us back to Houston and get our hearts right and our minds right.''
With All-Big East guard Liz Repella among four senior starters, West Virginia peaked at No. 6 in the AP poll in mid-December and stayed there for a month before the slide that had them unranked by the end of February.
"That one stretch, I didn't like going into games. I enjoyed practicing because we practiced well and were focused, and then we got into the games and it seems like we lost focus and intensity and that type of stuff,'' coach Mike Carey said. "Since the Big East tournament, I thought we've been practicing very well and staying focused.''
Carey sees one possible Houston weakness.
"They have a good post and are very physical. They also get up and down the floor,'' said Carey. "But they do have a tendency to turn it over so I think if we can get up into the passing lanes and create some turnovers maybe we can get some easy shots down at the other end."
In today's other game in Waco, Baylor (31-2) will face Prairie View (21-11) at about 7:45 p.m.
Baylor went to the Final Four last season when Brittney Griner was a freshman. This time, the Lady Bears are a No. 1 seed for the first time with freshman starting point guard Odyssey Sims.
The Big 12 champions are very good - and still very young.
The 6-foot-8 Griner is among seven sophomores for the Lady Bears (31-2), who open the NCAA tournament against SWAC champion Prairie View (21-11) on Sunday night at home, where they are 19-0 this season.
The only of their top seven scorers who doesn't have at least two seasons left after this is starting guard Melissa Jones, their only senior who plays significant minutes.
