It was no secret that Baylor is the top seed
ESPN bracket blunder steals a little thunder from No. 1 Lady Bears, Aggies, Longhorns
Even though the anticipation and mystery were missing after the field for the NCAA Women’s Tournament was revealed early because of a production error by ESPN, there still was plenty of merriment to go around for Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas as they began their preparations for the postseason.
“I can’t quit laughing, to be honest with you,” Lady Bears coach Kim Mulkey said of the network’s dropping the ball on what is supposed to be must-see TV for women’s college basketball fans. “I do feel sorry because somebody might get fired over this. But it doesn’t take away the joy for me — this is the most exciting time of the year.”
Mulkey’s 31-1 Baylor team is the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed — the sixth time the Lady Bears have been top seed under Mulkey. They will host the first two rounds Saturday and Monday at the Ferrell Center in Waco.
Baylor faces No. 16 seed Abilene Christian (23-9), which won the Southland Conference tournament title, at 5 p.m. Saturday. Eighth-seeded California (19-12) and No. 9 seed North Carolina (1814) play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The two first-round winners play Monday, with that winner advancing to the Greensboro Regional for the right to play in the Final Four at Tampa, Fla.
The Aggies (24-7) are a No. 4 seed and will host the first two rounds. They will play No. 13 seed Wright State (27-6) at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Fifth-seeded Marquette (26-7) and No. 12 Rice (28-3) play at 1 p.m. in the other first-round game, with the winners facing off Sunday for the right to advance to the Chicago Regional.
The seventh-seeded Longhorns (23-9) hit the road to Eugene, Ore., to face No. 10 seed Indiana (20-12) at 6 p.m. Friday. Second-seeded Oregon (29-4) and No. 15 seed Portland State (25-7) meet in the other game, with the two winners playing Sunday with a trip to Portland, Ore., on the line.
Texas A&M gave out a collective sigh of relief Monday — but not because of who they would play or where they would be in the first two rounds. The Aggies, who are playing in their 14th consecutive NCAA postseason under coach Gary Blair, got the good news earlier that point guard Chennedy Carter would be returning for the NCAA Tournament from a pinkiefinger fracture that sidelined her for the Southeastern Conference tournament.
Carter, who leads the SEC in scoring with 22.5 points per game, was back at practice Monday.
“I was able to make some good shots, good passes, good reads and just gelled with my teammates,” Carter said. “I feel like my game is still there. Right now, I have some surgical tape on it just to protect the scar. For the game, I’ll just have a little tape on the pinkiefinger.”
The Texas women are competing in their sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament. They were the third seed in the Big 12 tournament and fell to second-seeded Iowa State in the semifinals.
“It’s not really a seed I’m surprised by,” UT coach Karen Aston told reporters in Austin. “We probably made our bed as far as the seed that we are.”
Unlike Mulkey, who had a good chuckle over the ESPN blunder, Aston and Blair had a little different take on their teams being deprived of the experience that an NCAA Tournament watch party brings.
“I’m disappointed for our players,” Aston said. “Every year, it’s a very big event, and it’s something you look forward to, and in particular the freshmen who’ve never experienced it before.”
Said Blair: “To teams that are (in the NCAA Tournament) for the first time or for the first time in 20 years, a selection show is everything. As much as winning a conference championship or winning a conference tournament. Those teams know they’re going to get in, but the at-large teams and the bubble teams … there was a screw-up by ESPN, and it was unfortunate for all of those teams that wanted that celebration.”
The Lady Bears will be going for their third national title after winning championships under Mulkey in 2005 and 2012. The Aggies won a national title in 2011 under Blair before they exited the Big 12 for the SEC. The Longhorns won a national title in 1986 under thencoach Jody Conradt and last played in a Final Four in 2003.
Baylor is are trying to get back to a Final Four for the first time since winning it all seven years ago.
“It’s just a number,” Lady Bears forward Lauren Cox said of the No. 1 overall seed. “We could be No. 1 or No. 2 — it doesn’t really matter. We’ll be prepared for whoever we play.”