March Is Only Getting Sweeter

Opening-round excitement makes Madness come alive

March 23, 2007

By Debbie Antonelli

Special to CSTV.com

	DEBBIE ANTONELLI Debbie is an analyst for CSTV basketball and contributes to CSTV.com regularly. E-mail here!

        ---   Column Archive   ---  
1/25: Poll Babies 1/11: No Parity At One Or Two 12/21: Coming Up Little Ten 12/14: More Moore For UConn 12/7: A Living Legacy 11/30: Shocking Prediction 11/23: Going With The Big Names 11/16: Starting The Year Off Right 11/5: Who's The Best Conference? Who Cares? 4/2: Title Talk 3/23: March Is Only Getting Sweeter 3/13: UConn's Yellow Brick Road to Cleveland 3/2: Duke Can't Be Beat 2/23: I Played On Kay Yow Court 2/16: See You Later, Alligator 2/2: OSU Fit For No. 2 1/26: Tortoise Still Faster Than The...Blue Devil? 1/19: Offense Puts Fans In The Stands 1/12: To The Turtles 1/5: Household Names 4/22: Tobacco Triangle Coaches' Rap 4/07: The End Is The Beginning 4/03: Sticking To My Guns 3/30: My Coaches' All-Star Team 3/29: Previewing the Final Four 3/16: Let the Games Begin 3/13: Who's At The Top of the Crop? 2/16: Don't Forget Paris 2/03: Sooners' Streak Comes Later 1/22: Duke-Tennessee Preview 1/18: Approaching Another Summitt 1/11: Around the World In 23 Games  

CSTV Women's College Basketball Expert Debbie Antonelli is one of the most respected analysts in the country. Having played at N.C. State and worked in both radio and television, Antonelli will contribute each week answering questions that matter in and around women's college basketball.

What impact will this multitude of upsets have on the sport of women's college basketball?

A: It exhibits the balance that we always thought we had in the game. We always use that big word parity, yet it never seems to show its face in March.

This year it has, and we have had more upsets and more lower seeds in the tournament than on the men's side, which I don't think that has ever happened. That is what makes the tournament fun, are upsets like that, the David and Goliath-type stories, like Marist.

How has Marist been able to accomplish reaching the Sweet 16?

A: It's phenomenal that you can go with a bunch of hardworking kids in a scheme and system that doesn't turn the ball over and doesn't make mistakes and are having the time of their lives.

They understand the game plan that Brian Giorgis puts in front of them, he's done a fantastic job prepping his team. It's not like all of a sudden he started prepping this team for the tournament. He's a guy that is a basketball junky that gets his team ready in September for an opportunity like this.

What happened to Maryland?

A: Brenda Frese tinkered with the starting line up before their loss to Ole Miss. She took Kristi Toliver and put her coming off the bench and there has got to be a reason for that but I don't know it.

That said, I never felt like Maryland established a defensive stopper personality and they always thought they could outscore people. Well, when they are having an off night that didn't work and I thought they lost their swagger at some point and never regained it.

The two things coming off last year's national championship if you asked Frese what she needed to improve upon, she'd say taking care of the ball and defense and it caught up with them in March because they never did it.

What are Bowling Green's chances of making it to the Elite Eight?

A: They have got to play Arizona State. They have a fairly good shot against ASU. There certainly won't be an intimidation factor. Bowling Green could be saying the same things that Arizona State is saying. Neither team has been very successful before.

I think it will be a very interesting game. Both teams are trying to prove and gain respect on the national scene. The Bowling Green kids have had some success; they won all those games last year. This is a really good matchup because neither team has a dominant low post presence so it will be up to which team's guards play better.

Curt Miller has prepared his team well to know how to play the game right. They can definitely score on Arizona State.

What is your impression of Rutgers right now?

A: This is a typical C. Vivian Stringer teaching/coaching scale. In the beginning of the year they don't play that well. You don't ever see Vivian's teams peaking early. But losing by 40 to Duke was humiliating for them. They took it personally and that means when they bring it on the floor on Saturday, the next 40 minutes will be personal and that is a lot of intensity to match for Duke.

What is the best game out of the Sweet 16?

A: UConn and N.C. State is the best matchup in the tournament.

I don't think there is anybody but the Connecticut fans across the world of women's basketball that won't be rooting for Kay Yow. It's the most unconditional love and support in team sport I have ever witnessed in any place, ever. These kids say they are playing for their coach and she knows they are playing for her and she turns around and tells them, "Thank you, I'm grateful."

Khadijah Whittington has been Willis Reed-like this postseason. She has gone to the locker room five times and come back to play every single time. She's unbelievable. Nobody plays harder than her. I think she is going to be an All-American next year if she expands her game a little further away from the basket.

While all of us are touting all the emotion and the inspiration, that team is actually very good. They take care of the ball, they are physical on defense, they are athletic enough and they can score of the dribble.

When they meet Connecticut they have a very realistic shot at advancing, regardless of the emotional uplift that they will have as well.