So it probably didn't take an expert to predict this year's four No. 1 seeds in the women's NCAA Tournament. But that doesn't mean the road to the Final Four will be a walk in the park.
In fact, of the tournament's four top seeds - North Carolina, Duke, Connecticut and Tennessee - only one has avoided a major hit to its confidence over the past week or so, and the Big Dance hasn't even begun. The nation's top team, Duke dropped its ACC semifinal match-up to NC State on March 3, while UConn fell to tournament four-seeded Rutgers in the Big East final on March 6, and the Lady Vols similarly succumbed to SEC foe LSU on March 3.
These losses, however, did not prevent the 2007 NCAA selection committee from penciling in these perennial powerhouses at the top of their respective regions.
Sailing through the regular season with 30-consecutive wins and receiving their 13th-straight NCAA tournament bid, the Blue Devils set themselves up for success in the postseason, having virtual home court advantage throughout the Greensboro Regionals. But for a team that has historically been unable to win the big game - epitomized in last year's title-game loss to Maryland - Duke could be its own worst enemy.
And although it is not in the toughest region, an award reserved for the Dayton bracket, it could have a date with a red-hot No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt club straight off an SEC tournament championship win over No. 3 seed LSU. Unfortunately for LSU, its bid for a No. 3 seed in the Fresno region will be lost amidst the controversy surrounding coach Pokey Chatman's March 7 resignation after the surfacing of allegations involving her sexual relationship with a former player. The postseason burden now falls on the shoulders of assistant coach Bob Starkey.
Lurking in the shadows of that league is an arguably underrated Rutgers team, coming from a Big East conference that boasts eight teams in the tournament, the largest number of invites from any league.
Still the face of the Big East despite finally succumbing to the Scarlet Knights in the championship game, UConn heads the Fresno region, but could be challenged by No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 LSU, or No. 4 NC State - all teams familiar with the tournament scene. Interestingly, Connecticut's trademark over the past few years has been its lineup of seasoned veterans, and this season it is the team's inexperience that has perhaps been its major flaw, most evident in its mid-season loss to the Lady Vols.
Without a senior on the roster, the Lady Huskies will look to sophomore point guard Renee Montgomery, who led the team on a 15-game winning streak following an 82-76 Jan. 15 loss at the hands of UNC.
After winning the ACC Tournament, the Tar Heels are rolling, but Ivory Latta will need the support of her teammates if they are going to race through the Dallas bracket. If last year's Final Four appearance serves as any indication, the team has the talent to go all the way, as Latta's teammates are chipping in on the offensive side more effectively than last season.
With wins against Tennessee on Dec. 3, UConn on Jan. 15 and Maryland on Jan. 28, the Heels have shown they're not intimidated by strong competition, and they hope that this year's No. 1 seed, their third in a row, will not go to waste.
Of all the No. 1 seeds, Tennessee has the toughest road to the final weekend in Cleveland, Ohio. With reigning champion and No. 2-seeded Maryland, No. 3-seeded Oklahoma, which returned all five starters from last year's Big 12 champion squad, and 2006 one-seed Ohio State, the Dayton region is stacked.
But Candace Parker and Sidney Spencer lead a multi-pronged Tennessee attack that handled Stanford, UConn, Vanderbilt, Arizona State and LSU on its way to a 28-3 record and a perfect regular season conference clip. If any team knows how to win, it's coach Pat Summitt's team, which has captured a record six NCAA titles and has appeared in all 26 Div. I women's basketball tournaments.
Although the women's bracket is never quite as upset-filled as the men's tournament, 60 teams will still be looking to dethrone the top four, who do not look as infallible as in past years.
First-round tournament action will start Saturday, with the four regional winners meeting on April 1 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
