stanford ready for another long trip to final 4

For the fourth year in a row, the Stanford Cardinal will be playing in the Final Four.

And for fourth year in a row, the Cardinal will be making another long trip.

Out of the four teams competing in this weekend's Final Four in Indianapolis, Stanford will have the longest commute. Indianapolis is 2,336 miles from the Stanford campus.

Players like seniors Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen and junior Nnemkadi Ogwumike are getting used to these long trips. During their trips to the Final Four to Tampa (2008), St. Louis (2009) and San Antonio (2010), the Cardinal logged in a total of 6,967 miles. So after this weekend, Stanford will have traveled 9,303 miles in its four straight trips to the Final Four.

But the Cardinal aren't planning leaving Indy empty-handed like they did in Tampa, St. Louis and San Antonio. Stanford lost in the championship game in 2008 and 2010 and was knocked off by UConn in the semifinals in 2009. The Cardinal haven't won a national title since 1992.

"Yeah, I'm so excited, I really can't even put it into words right now," Pohlen told the Stanford Daily on Tuesday. "Going to the Final Four every year, I mean it's a dream for people, some people don't even get that close."

It's a possibility UConn and Stanford will square off in the Final Four for the fourth straight year. UConn plays Notre Dame in an all-Big East semifinal and that follows the Stanford-Texas A&M semifinal at 7 p.m. EST.

Pohlen and Petersen will play in the Final Four for the fourth straight year. So far, Pohlen is turning in her best college season, winning Pac-10 Player of the Year honors and earning a first-team all-American award. Petersen earned all-American honorable mention honors after averaging 12.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Pohlen and Petersen join Ashley Cimino and Hannah Donaghe as the first class members in Stanford history to reach four consecutive Final Fours.

Stanford advanced to the Final Four by cruising past Gonzaga 83-60 on Monday in the Spokane Regional championship game. The Cardinal had the longest commute among the Elite Eight teams (Spokane is 1,047 miles from the Stanford campus).

By going to Indianapolis for the Final Four, Stanford will be making its third trip east of the Mississippi River this season. This time, the Cardinal hope the third time will be the charm. On Dec. 16, the Cardinal traveled to Chicago to play DePaul and lost 91-71. Three days later, Stanford headed south to Tennessee to play the Lady Vols and lost 82-72. The Cardinal haven't lost a game since.

wnit final 4 is set for wednesday

Now that California is out of the Women's NIT tournament, the USC Trojans are looking to give the Pac-10 another WNIT title.

USC is two wins away from doing just that. The Trojans advanced to the WNIT Final Four by cruising past future Pac-12 opponent Colorado 87-70 in Sunday's quarterfinals. USC is in the WNIT Final Four for the first time in school history and, on Wednesday, will play an Illinois State team that is competing in the tournament semifinals for the third straight year.

USC will be making the 1,986-mile trip to Normal, Ill., for a chance to qualify for the WNIT championship game against either Toledo and Charlotte.

Cal had a similar path in reaching the WNIT championship game last year. The Bears made the 2,128-mile trek to Normal to play the Redbirds in the tournament's semifinals and they not only left Illinois with a win, but they earned a bid to host the championship game against Miami and beat the Hurricanes for their first postseason championship in school history. Cal's bid for its second straight WNIT title ended in the second round with a loss to Colorado.

Now, USC is two wins away from its third postseason title in school history. The Cheryl Miller-led Trojans won NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984.

USC is also playing its fourth straight road game in the WNIT. After starting its tournament play with a win over UC Santa Barbara at the Galen Center, USC picked road wins over Nevada, BYU and Colorado.

On Wednesday, the Trojans will be playing in the Midwest for the first time since December.

So far, junior Ashley Corral has been USC's shining star in the WNIT. She scored 75 points in the four games, including 32 off the bench against the Buffaloes on Sunday.

"She wouldn't let us die," USC coach Michael Cooper told the Colorado Daily on Monday. "Most of the plays were drawn up for her and she was able to deliver."

The Trojans also beat Colorado for the second time this season. USC beat the Buffaloes 68-54 in the Women of Troy Basketball Tournament on Dec. 18.

aggies prepare for elite eight

Gary Blair has been there and done that.

He has been to the Women's Final Four before. In 1998, he coached the Arkansas Razorbacks to their first and, so far, only Women's Final Four appearance. As on Monday, Arkansas is the lowest seed to compete in the Final Four. The Razorbacks were the No. 9 seed.

On Tuesday, Blair has another opportunity to go to his second Women's Final Four. His Texas A&M will play Baylor in a Texas-sized Dallas Regional championship game. Texas A&M has never been to the Final Four.

"It's great," Texas A&M senior Danielle Adams said in the Texas A&M Battalion on Monday. "I've never been to an Elite Eight. This is my first one, and I'm pretty sure these girls are happy to get back to the Elite Eight. So it's all a dream come true to us. We just have to keep our focus and keep pushing towards the next game."

Adams is one of 27 seniors who are setting their sights on going to the Final Four in Indianapolis. Connecticut's Maya Moore, Stanford's Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen, Tennessee's Angie Bjorklund, Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot and Baylor's Melissa Jones are among the other star seniors who are playing in the round of eight this week.

UConn is playing Duke in the Philadelphia Regional championship game on Tuesday. The Dayton Regional (Tennessee vs. Notre Dame) and the Spokane Regional championship games will be played on Monday.

The Aggies are looking to prevent Baylor from qualifying for the Final Four for the second straight year. So far, Texas A&M is 0-3 against Baylor, including a loss in the Big 12 championship game in Kansas City.

The Aggies qualified for the Elite Eight by crushing Georgia 79-38 in the Dallas Regional semifinals on Sunday, making it the second time Texas A&M made it to the round of eight. Three years ago, the Aggies lost to Tennessee in regional finals.

The win over the Bulldogs was a historic one for Texas A&M. The Aggies improved to 30-5, guaranteeing their first 30-win season in program history.

Now, Texas A&M is one win away from making more history and helping Blair get back to the Final Four for the first time in 13 years.

Basketball powerhouses look to clear Sweet 16 hurdle

So far, things have been sweet for the Stanford, Duke and Ohio State women's athletic programs in the 2010-2011 school year.

Stanford, Duke and Ohio State are the only schools in the country that have reached the Sweet 16 in three sports -- soccer, volleyball and basketball.

In volleyball, Stanford and Duke were eliminated in the regional finals and Ohio State lost to Stanford in the regional semifinals. In soccer, Stanford lost to Notre Dame in the championship match, Ohio State lost to Notre Dame in the national semifinals and Duke was eliminated in the Sweet 16.

This weekend, the Stanford, Duke and Ohio State women's basketball teams are in regional action and all of them have potential of reaching the Final Four in Indianapolis.

Stanford is two wins away from its fourth consecutive trip to the Final Four. The top-seeded team in the Spokane Regional, the Cardinal will play fifth-seeded North Carolina. With UCLA and Xavier getting knocked out in the second round, Stanford is heavily favored to win the Spokane Regional and head to Indianapolis.

But in order to get out of the Spokane Regional, Stanford may have to get past Gonzaga. The Bulldogs, who beat UCLA in the second round, are playing just 1.3 miles from campus, so they get to sleep in their own beds. Stanford beat Gonzaga 84-78 in a non-Pac-10 matchup earlier in the season.

The Cardinal are making their 18th Sweet 16 appearance. They will be playing a North Carolina team that has caught fire since the ACC tournament. The Tar Heels reached the conference championship game, then beat Fresno State and Kentucky to reach the Sweet 16. Now, they're traveling over 2,600 miles to Spokane to take on a Stanford team that hasn't lost a game since December.

Ohio State is making its second Sweet 16 trip in three years. The Buckeyes will make the 72-mile bus ride on I-70 west to Dayton to play Tennessee in the regional semfinals.

Ohio State is the lone Big Ten team in the Sweet 16. The Buckeyes advanced to the regional semifinals by beating Georgia Tech 67-60 in the second round last week at Columbus.

"I definitely think that game prepared us for anything we could potential face, because I don't think any other team is going to play physical-slash-dirty like that," Ohio State senior Jantel Lavender told the Ohio State Daily Lantern on Thursday. "I think that Tennessee will be physical, and that game definitely prepared us for Tennessee."

The Buckeyes will take an 11-game winning streak into Saturday's game with the Lady Vols. Ohio State hasn't lost a game since Feb. 6.

Duke will be playing in a Big East-dominated Philadephia Regional. The Blue Devils play DePaul in the regional semifinals on Sunday and the winner of that game will take on either UConn or Georgetown in the Elite Eight.

The Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16 by coming from behind to beat Marist in the second round on Monday at Duke.

"That wasn't a great game for Duke, and there was very little emotion after the game," Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie told the Duke Chronicle on Thursday. "I don't believe in the philosophy of survive and advance. I don't aspire to it. I believe in being a powerful team on the floor and going after things, so I can just tell you there was very little celebration."

Hopefully, Duke will leave Philly on Tuesday with plenty to celebrate. The Blue Devils lost to Baylor in the Elite Eight last year. They haven't reached the Final Four since McCallie took over the program four years ago.

tar heels set for long trip to sweet 16

The North Carolina Tar Heels will be ready for another long trip out West.

Last week, the Tar Heels traveled 1,770 miles to Albuquerque, New Mexico to play in the first and second-round games at the University of New Mexico.

This weekend, North Carolina will be making the longest commute out of all of the Sweet 16 teams. The Tar Heels will make the 2,613-mile trek to Spokane, Wash., to play last year's runner-up Stanford in the regional semfinals on Saturday at Spokane Arena.

Hopefully, all of those long trips will pay off for North Carolina, which is seeking for its first Final Four appearance since 2007. The Tar Heels won their only national championship in 1994.

The winner of Stanford-North Carolina will play the winner of Gonzaga-Louisville in the regional finals on Monday. After its stunning victory over Xavier in the second round on Tuesday, Louisville will make the second-longest commute out of the Sweet 16 teams. Spokane is 2,091 miles from the Louisville campus.

Gonzaga, Ohio State, Baylor and Texas A&M are the only teams that will play in regionals at their home state. Gonzaga, which beat UCLA in the second round on Monday, is just 1.3 miles from Spokane Arena. Ohio State will make the 72-mile trip on I-70 west to Dayton to play Tennessee in the regional semifinals on Saturday. Baylor and Texas A&M are playing in the Dallas Regional and will play Green Bay and Georgia, respectively, on Sunday.

North Carolina is playing in the NCAA tournament at Washington State for the second straight year. Last year's trip to Washington was something the Tar Heels would like to forget.

North Carolina shot 38.5 percent in its first-round game against Gonzaga and lost to the Bulldogs 82-76. The Tar Heels were the No. 10 seed, their lowest seed in school history.

Now, UNC will be playing in a game that will start late at night for those people who are living in the Triangle area. The Tar Heels' game with top-seeded Stanford is scheduled for 11:30 p.m. Eastern/8:30 Pacific. North Carolina will leave for Spokane at 4:45 p.m. Thursday en route to the Raleigh/Durham International Airport.

The New Mexico trip was a good one for the Tar Heels last week. North Carolina beat Fresno State 82-68 in the first round and knocked off Kentucky 86-74 in the second. Senior Italee Lucas scored 22 points in both games.

Lucas, senior Cetera DeGraffenreid and juniors Chay Shegog and Laura Broomfield are among the players who played in last year's game with Gonzaga. All of them scored in double figures. Senior Jessica Breland didn't play while sitting out the season due to Hodgkin's lymphoma.

On Saturday, Breland will get an opportunity to play in the state of Washington. This time, Breland and the Tar Heels want to leave Washington as regional champions and have a pleasant, 2,613-mile flight back to Chapel Hill.

"We worked so hard, and we're playing our best basketball right now," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said in the Daily Tar Heel on Wednesday. "We got it going in the ACC tournament, and they've all stepped it up, doing whatever they can to help out...It's a lot of fun to see them play like this and of course to be doing all of this at the right time."

seniors ready for ncaa tourney

There are 180 seniors who will be playing in this year's NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

And all of them share the goal -- cut down the nets at Indianapolis on April 5.

Four of those seniors have experience of cutting down the nets -- Connecticut's Maya Moore and Lorin Dixon and Tennessee's Angie Bjorklund and Sydney Smallbone.

Moore and Dixon helped UConn win national titles in each of the last two years. When they were freshmen, they were part of a UConn team that lost to Stanford in the national semifinals at Tampa, Fla. Now, they're looking to help UConn complete a three-peat for the second time in program history. The Huskies had a string of national titles from 2002-2004.

Bjorklund and Smallbone are looking to end their college basketball careers the same way they started -- playing on a national championship team. When they were freshmen, Bjorklund and Smallbone helped the Lady Vols beat Stanford in the championship game at Tampa. But they didn't have much luck the next two years. When they were sophomores, Tennessee lost to Ball State in the first round. When they were juniors, the Lady Vols lost to Baylor in the Memphis Regional semifinals.

Bjorklund, Smallbone and the Lady Vols will begin their quest for their ninth national championship on Saturday, when they play Stetson in a first-round game at Knoxville. Tennessee is the No. 1 seed in the Dayton Regional.

Or will Moore and Dixon end their college careers by helping UConn tie Tennessee for the most national titles with eight? The Huskies begin their quest of a three-peat on Sunday, when they play Hartford in a first-round game at UConn. The Huskies are the No. 1 seed in the Philadelphia Regional.

Stanford's senior duo of Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen hopes the fourth time's the charm for them this year. They played in the Final Four in each of the last three years, but they didn't celebrate a national championship.

It's been 10 years since Notre Dame last won a national championship. Seniors Becca Bruszewski, Mary Forr, Brittany Mallory and Devereaux Peters are setting their sights on helping the Irish end that drought.

The Baylor Bears were the Queens of Indianapolis when they won their first national title there in 2005. Melissa Jones and Whitney Zachariason will look to help Baylor leave Indy with another crown.

After the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl last month, Wisconsin-Green Bay seniors Heather Golden, Celeste Hoewisch and Kayla Tetschlag will look to help the Phoenix bring another championship to Titletown.

After seeing her big brother Ben lose in the Super Bowl, Oklahoma senior Carlee Roethlisberger hopes to make up for it by helping the Sooners win their first national championship. It's her last chance.

On March 5, Alecia Weatherly celebrated her 23rd birthday by cutting down the nets in the Ohio Valley championship game. On April 5, Tennessee-Martin's lone senior would love to cut the down the nets at Indy. But first, her team has to get past Duke in the first round.

After spending last year in the hospital bed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, North Carolina's Jessica Breland wants to help the Tar Heels get back that national championship magic just like in 1994, when Charlotte Smith hit a buzzer-beater against Louisiana Tech.

Xavier's Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris will look to celebrate a national championship in their hometown of Indianapolis. Last year, they came up one win short of going to the Final Four.

Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot won the NCAA assist title after averaging 10.2 assists per game. Could she add a national title to her resume?

This could be a year where no seniors will celebrate a national championship. Maryland was the last seniorless team to win a title. This year, the Terrapins are seniorless. Will they do it again?

Last year, Tina Charles, Kaili McLaren, Kalana Greene, Meghan Gardler and Jacquie Fernandes ended their college careers as national champions as they helped UConn beat Stanford in the national title game in San Antonio.

Who will be this year's lucky senior group? Or will there will be any seniors standing on the championship podium at all? We'll find out on April 5.

notre dame, purdue aim for short trip to indy

In 2001, Notre Dame and Purdue squared off in the championship game in St. Louis.

It turned to be one of the best championship games in women's basketball history as Ruth Riley hit two free throws in the closing seconds to help Notre Dame knock off Purdue 68-66.

Also that year, Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) played in the Women's Final Four in St. Louis. It was the last time a school played in the Women's Final Four in its home state.

This year, Notre Dame and Purdue will look to end that drought. If both teams win their first four games, they will be playing in the Women's Final Four in Indianapolis. Notre Dame is three hours from Indy, while Purdue is just an hour away. The Irish and Boilermakers are the only Indiana schools in the 64-team tournament.

Notre Dame is the No. 2 seed and travels to Salt Lake City to play No. 15 Utah in the first round on Saturday.

"We're excited about being a No. 2 seed in the tournament," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw told the Notre Dame Observer on Monday. "We knew there were six teams in contention for the No. 2 spot and we were rewarded for a great season."

Purdue is the No. 9 seed and will play eighth-seeded Kansas State in a first-round game on Sunday at the University of Connecticut.

Purdue has been successful in first-round games, going 16-1, with its only loss in 1996.

The road to the Final Four will not be easy for Notre Dame and Purdue. The Irish are in the Dayton Region and have to get past teams such as Tennessee, Ohio State, Miami. Purdue is in the Philadelphia Region and has to get past teams such as two-time defending champion UConn, Duke and DePaul.

The Irish will take a 26-7 record into Saturday's game with Utah. Last year, Notre Dame reached the Sweet 16.

Purdue returns to the Big Dance after a year hiatus. The Boilermakers will take a 20-11 record into Sunday's game with Kansas State.

If Notre Dame and Purdue win their respective regional tournaments, they will face each other in the national semifinals at Indianapolis. Notre Dame and Purdue haven't played in the Final Four since that classic championship game 10 years ago.

cal shoots for another wnit title

Cal Poly will accomplish some history on Thursday.

The Mustangs will be playing in their first postseason game in program history. They will play California in the first round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament at home.

Cal Poly hopes its first postseason game will be a memorable one. With a win over the Bears, the Mustangs not only pick up their first postseason victory, but they also will knock off the defending WNIT champions.

Cal certainly has other ideas. The Bears are looking to win the WNIT for the second year in a row. Last year, Cal beat Miami 73-61 in the WNIT championship game at Berkeley.

Five players from last year's championship team -- Rachelle Federico, DeNesha Stallworth, Talia Caldwell, Eliza Pierre and Layshia Clarendon -- are on this year's squad that will take a 17-15 record into Thursday's game with Cal Poly.

Federico said experience will help her team in this year's WNIT.

"It gives us tremendous confidence going into the tournament again, seeing what it feels like to do it and seeing that we have done it," Federico told the Daily Californian on Thursday. "The preparation and the mental, quick turnaround games is something that we're used to. Against a team like Cal Poly, it's almost like the first NCAA tournament round."

Cal's hopes of going to the NCAA's were diminished last week, when it lost to UCLA in the Pac-10 tournament semifinals in Los Angeles.

California started its season with a win over Rutgers, which is playing in the NCAAs this week, and was 8-3 going into Pac-10 play. But the Bears struggled in conference play, going 7-11, including a six-game losing streak. Cal beat Washington and Arizona State in the first two rounds of the Pac-10 tournament before losing to UCLA in the semifinals.

Stallworth and Clarendon are the Bears' top two scorers. Stallworth is averaging 13.6 points per game and Clarendon is averaging 12.8. Caldwell is Cal's top rebounder at 8.4 boards per game.

Federico and Rama N'Diaye are the Bears' only seniors. Federico has been with the program since her freshman year and N'Diaye returned to the team this year after redshirting last year due to knee problems.

Thursday, Cal is playing a Cal Poly team that won its first-ever share of the Big West Conference regular season championship and earned Big West Player of the Year (Rachel Clancy) and Coach of the Year (Faith Mimnaugh) awards.

The Cal Poly-Cal winner plays the winner of Colorado and UC Riverside in the second round.

home sweet home for 12 teams

The Maryland Terrapins had a pair of reasons to celebrate on Monday.

First, they're back in the Big Dance after a year hiatus. And they also found out they will be playing their NCAA tournament games at home.

Maryland is the No. 4 seed and will play St. Francis (Pa.) on Sunday in College Park. The Terrapins are one of 12 teams that will play their first and second round games at home.

If Maryland wins its first two rounds, it will possibly play two-time defending national champion Connecticut in the Philadelphia Regional semifinals.

"To be able to sleep in your own bed, to not have to travel -- we hope it gives us an extra push," Maryland coach Brenda Frese told the Diamondback on Wednesday. "But it's the NCAA Tournament. You're going to get any team's best shot."

UConn also will play its first two rounds at home. The Huskies open tournament play against Hartford, the No. 16 seed, on Sunday. Hartford is coached by former UConn standout Jen Rizzotti.

Baylor, Tennessee, Stanford, Penn State, Gonzaga, Xavier, Ohio State, Utah, Duke and Louisiana Tech are also hosting first and second-round games.

Louisiana Tech is playing its opening games at Shreveport, which is an hour from campus. But the Lady Techsters are playing the host of the first and second-round games. Louisiana Tech, the No. 10 seed, is playing seventh-seeded Rutgers in the first round on Sunday.

Penn State will play Dayton in a first-round game on Saturday in Happy Valley. It's a rematch of the Nittany Lions' season opener against the Flyers. Penn State knocked off Dayton 112-107 in two overtimes.

If the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions get past the first two rounds, they'll travel east to Philadelphia for the regional tournament. Penn State played in the Final Four at the City of Brotherly Love in 2000.

"It's a tremendous advantage to play at home the first two games. Then, we'd be playing in Philadelphia," Penn State senior Julia Trogele told the Daily Collegian on Tuesday. "A lot of us are actually from Pennsylvania, so I think we'd still have a lot of support coming out to those games."

Xavier will play South Dakota State in the first round on Sunday in Cincinnati. The Musketeers, who are seeded second, came up one win short of a trip to the Final Four last year.

Gonzaga, which is the No. 11 seed, will play sixth-seeded Iowa in the first round on Saturday. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet 16 in 2010.

In order for top-seeded Baylor to get to the Women's Final Four, the Bears must win all four of their games in Texas. If it survives its first two rounds in Waco, Baylor qualifies for the regional tournament in Dallas.

Senior Melissa Jones will be ready for the NCAA tournament as her vision continues to improve. She suffered a head injury on Feb. 27 against Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament, causing problems for her to see out of her right eye.

"I don't know why I wake up randomly in the middle of the night, but every time I do, I just kind of look. It was a shock, like, 'Whoa, there's actually something there,' " Jones told the Baylor Lariat on Tuesday. "I can see things right now, but it's really blurry."

Tennessee plays Stetson in the first round on Saturday in Knoxville. A win qualifies the Lady Vols to the second round against either Marquette or Texas on Monday.

Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt's alma mater, Tennessee-Martin, will be in the tournament for the first time. The Skyhawks play Duke in the first round on Saturday.

Duke drew the No. 2 seed and if it gets past Tennessee-Martin, it will play either Iowa State or Marist in the second round on Monday.

"You can't let what other people think get to you, and I think this team will only go as far as we motivate ourselves to go," Duke senior Jasmine Thomas told the Duke Chronicle on Tuesday. "We can't rely on people to try to fire us up or people that doubt us, so we're excited to prove ourselves."

After winning the Big Ten tournament, Ohio State earned a No. 4 seed and will play Central Florida in the first round on Saturday. The Buckeyes were eliminated in the second round last year.

By winning the Mountain West tournament, Utah earned a No. 15 seed and will second-seeded Notre Dame on Saturday. If the Utes pull off the gigantic upset, they will play either Arizona State or Temple in the second round.

"They are hosting, so we get to play them on their home court in more of a tournament atmosphere," Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw told the Notre Dame Observer on Tuesday. "We like playing in front of a crowd, and they're coming off a win (in the Mountain West tournament). They're going to be a challenge."

Stanford plays UC Davis in the first round on Saturday. If they win, the Cardinal will play either Texas Tech or St. John's in the second round on Monday. Stanford is setting its sights on winning its first title in almost 20 years.

"I'm really excited for our team to be selected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer told the Stanford Daily on Tuesday. "As a team, we know we can only play six more games together, and do the absolute best that we can."

Maryland, which participated in the WNIT last year, is looking to win its first championship in five years. But first, the Terrapins have to get past a St. Francis team that won the Northeast Conference this year. If they do that, they likely will play Georgetown in the second round on Tuesday. Maryland lost to the Hoyas 53-45 at Georgetown in November.

Maryland is also one of four teams (the others are Purdue, Rutgers and Miami) that don't have any seniors on their roster. The Terrapins have four juniors, four sophomores and six freshmen on their team.

ncaa tourney moves on without four teams

After 34 years, Debbie Ryan is stepping down as Virginia coach.

But she will not celebrate an NCAA appearance in her last year with the Cavaliers. Still, Ryan will get a taste of the postseason as Virginia plays Morgan State in a first-round Women's NIT game at 7 p.m. EST Thursday at home.

Virginia is one of four teams that are hosting first and second-round NCAA tournament games, but are not participating in NCAA play. The others are Wichita State, New Mexico and Auburn.

Wichita State, which lost in the Missouri Valley Conference semifinals, plays at Kansas on Wednesday in a first-round WNIT game. The Shockers (17-14) are playing in the WNIT for the first time in 10 years.

"Even through the losses this year, we are still a great team," Wichita State coach Jody Adams told the WSU Sunflower on Monday. "We have great talent. We have just got to grow, and that is what you saw in this long run was some growth; some youth blown away."

Auburn travels to Tennessee Tech to play the Ohio Valley Conference regular season champion Eagles in a first-round WNIT game at 8 p.m. EST Thursday. Auburn is 15-15.

New Mexico will not be playing in the postseason. The Lobos' season ended at 13-18 with a 61-40 loss to TCU in the Mountain West semifinals last week at Las Vegas. New Mexico's only chance of getting to the NCAAs was to win the Mountain West tournament.

The Cavaliers will come in Thursday's game against Morgan State with a 16-15 record. The 94-92, quadruple-overtime win over North Carolina State on Feb. 10 was the main reason Virginia's season -- and Ryan's coaching career at Virginia -- continue on Thursday. Had the Cavaliers lost, they wouldn't be playing on Thursday.

Virginia will be playing a Morgan State team that is making its first postseason appearance in the NCAA Division I level. The Bears, who lost in the MEAC semifinals, will take a 17-14 record into Thursday's game with the Cavaliers.

Ryan began coaching in Virginia in 1975 and took over head coaching duties two years later. She has posted a 736-323 overall record and led the Cavaliers to 24 NCAA tournament berths, including last year's first-round exit. Led by Dawn Staley, Virginia made three straight appearances in the Final Four from 1990-92, including a trip to the national championship game in 1991.

"This has been a great ride for me," Ryan told the Cavalier Daily on Tuesday. "It's been really fun; it's been the best years of my life."

Now, the Cavaliers are setting their sights on giving the longtime coach a nice send-off present and that's a WNIT championship. Virginia played in the tournament's quarterfinals in 2006 and 2007, but never won it.

wichita state looks to shock the valley

For the first time, Women's March Madness will hit Wichita.

Wichita State will host the first and second round games of the NCAA women's basketball tournament at the all-new Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita. The $205-million building opened on Jan. 2, 2010 and is the largest indoor arena in state of Kansas. First-round games will be played on March 20 and a second-round game is scheduled for March 22.

The new building hopes the Shockers will be playing in the tournament. If that happens, it will Wichita State's first trip to the NCAA tournament in program history.

But right now, the Shockers' chances of going to the Big Dance are slim. They have a 16-13 record with a 122 RPI.

So in order to go the tournament -- and to get a chance to play in front of their home fans -- Wichita State has to do one thing -- win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this week.

The Shockers will play Creighton at 2:35 p.m. Friday in a first-round game at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. Wichita State, the No. 5 seed, has to win the MVC tourney in order to get its first NCAA automatic bid.

New Mexico, Ohio State, Duke, Tennessee, Utah, Gonzaga, Stanford, Penn State, Auburn, Virginia, Xavier, Maryland, Louisiana Tech, Connecticut, Baylor also are hosting first and second-round games. Ohio State, Duke, Tennessee, Gonzaga, Xavier and UConn will get to play their NCAA tournament games at home as they won their respective conference tournament championships. Even though it lost in the Big 10 finals, Penn State will likely play its NCAA tournament games at home. Maryland, which lost in the ACC quarterfinals, will likely get an NCAA at-large bid. Louisiana Tech, New Mexico, Utah, Stanford, Baylor are in tournament action this week. Virginia (16-15) and Auburn (15-15) will not play in the NCAAs and are likely headed to the WNITs.

The Shockers also are looking to win the MVC tourney for the first time. They haven't been to the conference finals since 1997.

The MVC women's tournament has a history of upsets. Just ask Northern Iowa (2010), Evansville (2009), Drake (2007), Missouri State (2006) and Illinois State (2005). During the last six seasons, the No. 1 seed won the MVC tournament only once and that was in 2008, when Illinois State placed first in the tournament's first year at the Family Arena.

Last year, Northern Iowa won the tourney as the No. 5 seed. The year before, Evansville won the championship as the No. 9 seed.

On Friday, Wichita State will play a Creighton team that lost the MVC tournament final in three of the last four years. Creighton is the No. 4 seed.

The two teams split their two meetings this season. Creighton beat Wichita State 50-48 on Jan. 29 in Omaha and the Shockers beat the Bluejays 60-51 on Feb. 25.

Wichita State will enter the tournament on a roll. The Shockers have won their last five games, four of those wins were by double digits.

A trip to the NCAA tournament will be a good way to end Morgan Boyd's college basketball career. The only senior on the Wichita State roster, Boyd originally signed with Arkansas before a coaching chance forced her to sign with Middle Tennessee State. But after playing just one game at MTSU as a freshman, Boyd transferred to Arkansas-Fort Smith, where she earned honorable mention NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore. She joined the Shockers last winter and played in all 33 games.

This year, Boyd is part of a Wichita State team with eight freshmen and sophomores and three juniors. Junior Haleigh Lankster, who is the Shockers' leading scorer at 12.9 points per game, earned all-MVC honors.

Big jump: North Carolina came up short of an ACC tournament championship as it lost to Duke 81-66 in the finals on Sunday.

But the Tar Heels have the biggest jump among the top 25 teams this week, moving up five spots from No. 19 to No. 14. North Carolina beat Clemson, Florida State and Miami in the first three rounds before losing to Duke in the ACC tournament and will take a 26-8 against Kennesaw State on Sunday as a tune-up game for the NCAA tournament next week.

Welcome aboard, Buckeyes and Jackets: After winning the Big Ten tournament title last week, Ohio State received another reward -- a spot in the top 25.

The Buckeyes are 22-9 after beating Iowa, Michigan State and Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament. It's Ohio State's third consecutive Big Ten tournament championship.

Joining the Buckeyes in the top 25 is Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are No. 24 after reaching the semifinals of the ACC tournament. They beat Virginia Tech and Maryland in the first two rounds before losing to eventual champion Duke in the semifinals. Georgia Tech will enter the NCAA tournament with a 23-10 mark.

women's basketball celebrates seniors

Senior night can be emotional.

Just ask Ohio State senior Jantel Lavender. She was in tears after she was recognized in a brief ceremony before the Buckeyes' regular season finale against Wisconsin last week. But they later became tears of joy as Ohio State cruised to an 80-47 victory over the Badgers.

Senior night also can be an joyous time, even if she doesn't play. Just ask Baylor senior Melissa Jones. Jones sat out in the Bears' regular season finale against Missouri on Wednesday due to a head injury she suffered against Oklahoma that resulted in a loss of vision in her right eye. But she remained upbeat as she saw Baylor clinch the Big 12 regular season championship from the bench.

There were numerous senior night ceremonies around the nation in the last several days. Among the top seniors who played their last home games were Connecticut's Maya Moore, Stanford's Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen of Stanford, Duke's Jasmine Thomas, Krystal Thomas and Karima Christmas, North Carolina's Jessica Breland, Tennessee's Angie Bjorklund, Kentucky's Victoria Dunlap, Oklahoma's Carlee Rothlisberger, Danielle Robinson and Lauren Willis, Xavier's Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris, James Madison's Dawn Evans, Iowa's Kachine Alexander, Michigan State's Kalisha Keane and Gonzaga's Courtney Vandersloot.

When her college basketball career career ends, Robinson isn't planning on giving up on basketball.

"I plan to go pro, play in the WNBA and overseas, do that for a couple of years and hopefully get into coaching," Robinson said in the Oklahoma Daily on Wednesday. "As far as the WNBA, it's always been a dream. I think that I've worked in such a way to get myself there."

Alexander will finish as one of the top players in Iowa basketball history. She passed the career 1,000-point, 800-rebound and 300-assist marks this season.

"It's meant a lot to be here," Alexander said in the Daily Iowan on Feb. 23. "If you ask any alumni who have come through this program, they would say the same thing. It's an honor to be coached by the coaching staff that we have and also to wear the Iowa uniform and be proud of it."

Bjorklund, who is Tennessee's all-team leader in 3-pointers, turned in a strong effort in her final home game on Monday against LSU, scoring 17 points, including 12 in the first half.

"Angie, there's no doubt she's a difference maker," Tennessee coach Pat Summitt said in the University of Tennessee Daily Beacon on Monday. "A lot of energy."

This weekend, several more seniors will be recognized, including Colorado's Brittany Spears.

Brittany Spears? Who the Buffaloes will have next? Jessica Simpson? Christina Aguilera?

Like the pop star Britney Spears, Colorado's Brittany Spears has been a big name. She's scored 20 or more points 42 times in her career and scored in double figures 26 of 28 games this season. With 2,031 points, Spears is 37 points away from tying Colorado's all-time career scoring mark. Spears and the Buffaloes play Baylor on Saturday in Boulder.

Also, Yale senior Mady Gobrecht will celebrate her senior night on Saturday, when her team plays Cornell. Her mother, Chris, is Yale's head coach.

"I grew up thinking I was definitely not going to play for my mom," Mady said on NCAA.com. "I didn't think I could play on one of her USC or Washington teams, especially because I was pretty scrawny back in the day."

Finally, there's Texas A&M's Danielle Adams, who's in the top five in the nation in scoring at 23.3 points per game. Adams and the fifth-ranked Aggies will play Nebraska on Saturday to wrap up their regular season.

Big jump: Marquette and Kentucky tied for the biggest jump among the top 25 schools this week. Both teams moved up four spots from last week's rankings.

Kentucky ended its regular season last week with wins over Arkansas and Auburn and is ranked No. 16 this week after being No. 20 last week. The Wildcats beat LSU 60-58 in the SEC quarterfinals on Friday.

After beating Providence and DePaul last week, Marquette moved up to No. 20 this week. The Golden Eagles dropped to 22-7 with a 65-62 loss to Cincinnati on Monday. They will play Pittsburgh in a second-round game of the Big East Tournament on Saturday.

Welcome aboard, Hawkeyes and Cougars: Iowa and Houston enter this week's polls at No. 24 and 25 respectively.

Iowa earned a top 25 spot after beating Illinois and Indiana last week. The Hawkeyes took a 22-7 record into Friday's Big Ten quarterfinal game against Ohio State.

Houston is in the top 25 for the first time after beating Marshall and Rice last week and has clinched the Conference USA regular season title. The Cougars (24-4) will play Tulane in their regular season finale on Saturday.