If you've watched any ESPN in the past week or so, chances are you've seen promotions for the "other" March Madness: the NCAA women's basketball tournament. The all-sports network is regionally broadcasting all 63 of the tournament games.
Of course, this is not as much a move to promote women's basketball in a world where the men's game reigns supreme as it is a desperate attempt to compete with CBS, which owns the rights to the men's tournament. The level of interest in the women's field of 64 remains only a fraction of that taken in the men's bracket, no matter how much ESPN and ESPN.com attempt to hype it up.
Virginia fans, however, do not exactly have much of a choice this weekend -- Gillen's gone and the Cavaliers failed to even qualify for the Not Invited Tournament, while Debbie Ryan's women's squad reached the 20-win mark and is headed to the Dance for the 21st time in 22 seasons.
It may be a small sideshow to the main event, but there are plenty of reasons for Wahoo devotees to pay attention to the women's tournament and catch a glimpse of a Virginia team they probably haven't been following at all this season. You'll be surprised to see how much you've been missing.
After a 2003-04 season in which the Cavaliers finished under .500 for the first time since the Carter Administration and graduated three major contributors, including their starting point guard, there were plenty of question marks entering this season. But freshman Sharnee Zoll has done a magnificent job at the point, and several Virginia seniors have risen to the occasion to turn things around and get the Cavaliers back into the tournament.
Forward Jocelyn Logan-Friend had been a solid player on defense throughout her career but was never that strong of a force on offense. She was a consistent contributor for the Cavaliers but not exactly a standout player. Her "Bloomin' Onion" hairstyle was more memorable to me than her play on the floor. This year, however, Logan-Friend has had a breakout season. The senior has surpassed her career averages of 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game coming into this season, registering just under 10 points and seven rebounds per contest this year.
Senior guard LaTonya Blue is another player who has saved her best season for last. Blue has arguably been the x-factor for this year's squad, showing flashes of brilliance when her team needed it the most. She scored 24, 26 and 29 points, respectively, in late-season Virginia wins against NCAA-bound ACC rivals Virginia Tech, Florida State and Maryland. The senior is also an excellent defender and has registered 62 steals on the season.
Forward Kate Kreager transferred to Virginia mainly for academic reasons after playing two seasons at Xavier. It was only after she arrived at the University that she showed up in Ryan's office to find out about open tryouts. She made the team as a walk-on, sat out a year while taking classes in accordance with NCAA regulations and impressed her teammates so much that they elected her team captain before she even set foot on the court in a Cavalier uniform. This season, she has been a solid contributor off the bench, averaging 5.1 points in 14.7 minutes per game.
In addition to being one of the most colorful players on the team, Brandi Teamer is Virginia's leading scorer at 12.7 points per game and one of the top post players in the ACC. A starter since her freshman season, Teamer is one of the most experienced players on the team. Two years ago in a road game against Maryland, Teamer vomited behind the Virginia bench just before tip-off -- eating three banana splits before the game proved to have its consequences. But just five minutes after throwing up in front of the Comcast Center crowd, Teamer entered the game and wound up dropping 23 points in a Virginia victory. How can you not root for a player who can pull off something like that?
In addition to following this cast of characters, another reason to watch the women's team this weekend is that it actually has a chance to make a run in the tournament. Traditionally, the women's game has been dominated by a select few powerhouses. Teams like Connecticut, Tennessee and Duke outplayed their competition year in and year out. This season has been different, as more than half a dozen teams have held the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll, and every team in the tournament has at least two losses. For the first time in a long time, the tournament is wide open, and even a No. 6 seed like Virginia has shown they cannot be taken lightly. Just last week they outplayed No. 1 seed North Carolina for 35 minutes before the Tar Heels squeaked out a victory en route to an ACC title. The Cavaliers have proved they can play with the best and could easily make a run deep into the NCAA tournament.
Tip off for Virginia's first-round game against Old Dominion is tomorrow night at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. Do yourself a favor and tune in. You'll wonder why it took you so long to notice that other basketball team at Virginia.
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