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Utah Women's Basketball Notes
3/19/2003 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 19, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY -
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COMING UP:
The eighth-seeded Utes will face No. 9-seed DePaul in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 12:18 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, March 23, at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. The Duke/Georgia State game will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Utah game.
The second-round game time will be announced after the completion of the first-round games.
UTES AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT:
This is Utah's 12th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the most of all four teams in the sub-region, and seventh appearance in the last nine years.
The Utes qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time during the 1982-83 season. Utah was eliminated in the first round in each of its first seven appearances (1983, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1995 and 1996), including a heartbreaking two-point loss to Southwest Missouri State in 1995.
In 1997, the Utes defeated Iowa State 66-57 in the first round to advance to their first-ever NCAA second round.
During the 2000-01 season, the Utes' last NCAA appearance, Utah hosted the first- and second-rounds, winning both games to break through to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. The Utes lost that game to Notre Dame, the eventual national champion.
Just one current Utah player, junior Kelsy Stireman, has played in an NCAA Tournament before. Juniors Carley Marshall and Sarah Wobbe were on the 2001 team, but both redshirted due to injuries.
TEAM TRAVEL:
The Utah women's basketball team will depart Salt Lake City on Thursday, March 20, at 2:50 p.m. (Delta 284) and will arrive in Atlanta at 8:26 p.m. (EST). Utah will then depart Atlanta at 10:10 p.m. (EST) and arrive in Raleigh, N.C. at 11:27 p.m. (EST). The Utes are scheduled to return on Wednesday, March 26.
TEAM HEADQUARTERS:
The Utah traveling party will stay at the Embassy Suites Crabtree, 4700 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh, N.C., (27621). Phone: (919) 881-0000. Assistant Sports Information Director Hope Wagner will accompany the team and will also be accessible via cell phone at (801) 918-6667.
PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Utah will practice from noon-1 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, March 22. This practice is open to the media. Should the Utes win the first round game, the team will practice from 1-3 p.m. on Monday, March 24. That practice is closed to the media.
PRE-GAME NEWS CONFERENCES:
From 1:10-1:40 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, March 22, Head Coach Elaine Elliott and two Utah players will be available for comment at the Utah news conference, which will be held in Room 161 of Reynolds Coliseum, located in the east hallway. Utah players who are not in the interview room will also be available for comment in the locker room area during that time.
If Utah advances to the Tuesday game, the same such news conference will be held from 3:10-3:40 p.m. on Monday, March 24.
POST-GAME INTERVIEWS:
Head Coach Elaine Elliott and at least two players will be available in the interview room, located in Room 161, following the five-minute cooling off period. The winning team will go first, followed by the losing team.
The Utah locker room will be open to the media for 30 minutes following the cooling-off periods, provided media representatives are present.
NCAA TOURNAMENT TELECASTS:
For the first time ever, all 63 NCAA Tournament women's basketball games will be broadcast live on ESPN or ESPN2. ESPN and ESPN2 will offer whiparound-style coverage in the first- and second-rounds for most of the nation, with regionalized/protected coverage in the home markets of participating institutions.
Utah's game against DePaul will air live on ESPN 2 at 12:18 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, March 23. Satellite coordinates for Sunday's game are G11K / 12. The DirectTV channel is 780.
NCAA TOURNAMENT RADIO BROADCASTS:
All of Utah's games in the NCAA Tournament will be broadcast live on KALL 910-AM. The first- and second-round games will be called by Rick Bouillon, who has served as a play-by-play broadcaster for games at the collegiate and high school level for several schools and stations.
A QUICK LOOK AT UTAH:
The Mountain West Conference regular-season champion Utes (23-6) fell to Brigham Young 70-59 in the semifinals of the MWC Tournament on March 14. Utah won its quarterfinal game against Air Force on March 12 by 37 points, 83-46.
The Utes are led by freshman sensation Kim Smith, the Mountain West Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year. Smith is the first player in MWC history to receive both awards in the same year and was the only freshman on the MWC first team. She leads the Utes in scoring and rebounding with 17.0 and 6.6 per game averages, respectively.
Sophomore Shona Thorburn, a MWC second-team pick, adds 14.5 points and a team-high 3.2 assists, while junior Carley Marshall averages 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Marshall was an honorable mention all-MWC selection.
As a team, Utah leads the nation in scoring defense, giving up just 50.1 points per game. The Utes out-shoot opponents 42 percent to 37 percent and have an average margin of victory of 15.7 points per game.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
DePaul - For the second time in three years, the Blue Demons (22-9) were eliminated in the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament by Cincinnati, this time losing 81-64.
Jenni Dant leads four DePaul players who average in double figures scoring with 14.5 points. Also included in that group are Khara Smith with 13.4, Charlene Smith with 11.6 and Ashley Luke with 11.2 points per game averages. Khara Smith also averages a team-high 8.1 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game.
As a team, the Blue Demons average 71.8 points on 45 percent shooting this season. They have win over then-No. 8 Notre Dame (75-59) and No. 21 George Washington (64-46).
This is DePaul's first trip to the NCAA Tournament since making seven appearances in the 1990s. Overall, the Blue Demons have played 10 games in their seven trips with a 3-7 record. DePaul has reached the second round three times, but has never advanced to the Sweet 16.
Duke - Duke (31-1) claimed its fourth consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference Championship March 10, with a 77-59 win over No. 11 North Carolina. The Blue Devils trailed 31-25 at halftime, marking the first time Duke has trailed at the half since losing to Connecticut on Feb. 1.
Junior Iciss Tillis was named tournament MVP, while Alana Beard, Lindsey Harding and Sheana Mosch were selected to the all-tournament team.
Beard had a career-high 20 rebounds in the game, missing the ACC Tournament record by one. She also posted her seventh double-double (16 points, 20 rebounds). Tillis had her ninth double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds) of the season in the victory. She scored all 21 of her points in the second half. The win was Duke's 43rd consecutive victory over an ACC opponent.
On the season, No. 1 Duke is led by Beard, who averages 21.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 blocks, and Tillis, who boasts 14.8 and 7.6 points and rebounds per game averages, respectively.
Duke has made nine previous appearances in the NCAA Tournament. In 1999, the Blue Devils lost in the national championship to Purdue, 62-45. Last year, the Blue Devils advanced to the Final Four for the second time in school history, losing to Oklahoma 86-71.
Georgia State - The Lady Panthers (20-10) enter the NCAA Tournament riding a 10-game winning streak that includes three wins in the Atlantic Sun Tournament, where they defeated Central Florida 80-63 to claim the championship, their third straight. Leading the way for Georgia State was tournament MVP Evita Rogers, who had 22 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
Junior Holly Coates collected a season-best 16 points and hauled down a game-high 12 boards, while all-tournament selection Patechia Hartman came off the bench to contribute 15 points, seven rebounds and a game-best six assists. Senior Angelina Miller, another all-tournament pick, added 10 points in the win.
On the season, Georgia State is led by Rogers, who averages 15.7 points, and Miller, who adds 13.5 points per game. Coates leads the team in rebounding with a 6.1 per game average, while Patechia Hartman dishes out a team-high 4.0 assists per game.
CONFERENCE COMPARISON:
Of the four conferences represented in Utah's sub-regional, DePaul's Conference USA is sending the most teams to the NCAA Tournament with five. The Atlantic Coast Conference, to which Duke is a member, has four teams involved, while the Mountain West has three. Georgia State is the lone member of the Atlantic Sun participating in the NCAA Tournament as an automatic selection.
Based on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) RPI, the four conferences are ranked as follows: ACC (second), C-USA (eighth), MWC (ninth), and Atlantic Sun (29th).
SERIES SHORTS:
Utah has never faced any of the three teams it will or may face in the first- and second-round games.
QUOTING ELLIOTT:
"We are thrilled to be in the NCAA Tournament and very excited to play. We'll be going 3/4 of the way across the country, but it's a long week, so we'll have time for that. North Carolina State's arena has a great feel. It should provide a great tournament atmosphere."
NEW MWC FRESHMAN SCORING LEADER:
In Utah's win over UNLV on Feb. 22, freshman Kim Smith became the Mountain West Conference freshman scoring leader. She now has 485 points on the season, just 20 away from the all-time Utah freshman scoring record. Smith, who leads the team in several statistics categories, including scoring and rebounding, set an MWC record with 28 consecutive games in double figures scoring. It was snapped in the team's semifinal loss to BYU.
RANKING NATIONALLY:
Utah, currently ranked 29th in the WBCA RPI, leads the nation in scoring defense, and ranks 13th in scoring margin and 15th in average margin of victory. Individually, freshman Kim Smith ranks ninth nationally in three-point field goal percentage in statistics through March 10.
RECORD SETTERS:
This year's Utes have already set new Utah single season records for three-point field goals made (204) and three-point field goals attempted (588). The team currently ranks first in the Ute season record books for fewest disqualifications (3), second in free throw percentage (75.8) and fifth in steals (295).
In addition, the team set single game records for three-pointers made (13 vs. Montana Tech and Western Carolina), three-point field goals attempted (33 at. New Mexico) and free throw percentage (96.3 at Wyoming).
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE:
Utah has held all but five of its opponents this season under 60 points. The Utes, who are shooting 42 percent from the field this season, have only allowed six opponents (New Mexico State, Mississippi State, Weber State, New Mexico, Wyoming and Brigham Young) to reach that mark.
HOME SWEET HOME:
The Utes, which boasted a perfect 13-0 record at home this season, have the longest home winning streak in the Mountain West at 16 straight. The last time Utah lost in the Huntsman Center was Jan. 31, 2002, when the team fell to UNLV 79-71.
THORBURN MWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK JAN. 12-18:
Sophomore Shona Thorburn was named MWC Player of the Week for Jan. 12-18, marking her first career award. In wins over Wyoming and Colorado State, Thorburn averaged 24 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field (15-of-30) and 42 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-19).
UP NEXT:
If the Utes defeat DePaul, they will play the winner of the Duke/Georgia State game at a time yet to be determined on Tuesday, March 25, at Reynolds Coliseum.
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