Marist 'a Tough Out' For Ryan's Cavaliers

When the NCAA women's basketball tournament bracket was unveiled last night, Virginia Coach Debbie Ryan was pleased the Cavaliers were seeded fifth in the East Region. Then she saw which team they were paired against.

The No. 24-ranked Cavaliers will play No. 12 seed Marist in Saturday's first round in Los Angeles. More than the long trip out west or the late game time (approximately 10:30 p.m. Eastern time), Ryan was concerned about Virginia's opponent.

"I thought the number five seed was great," Ryan said. "I think playing Marist is tough. I know they're a tough out. I know that's for sure."

Marist (29-3) is a treacherous first-round opponent for Virginia. The Red Foxes, who won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament and regular season titles, are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. They have won back-to-back first-round games, and two years ago they advanced to the round of 16 before losing to Tennessee.

Led by 6-foot junior forward Rachele Fitz (20.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg), the two-time MAAC player of the year, and 5-foot-7 senior guard Julianne Viani (15.2 ppg), the MAAC tournament most valuable player, Marist has won nine in a row entering the tournament.

"They play a fairly good schedule coming into their conference," Ryan said. "Every year, they've won a kabillion games before they come to the NCAA tournament. Part of their success is just knowing how to win."

Virginia (23-9) is playing in its 23rd NCAA women's tournament, which ties the Cavaliers with Stanford and Texas for the third-most appearances in the event. Yet the Cavaliers' back-to-back trips are the first since they went to 20 consecutive tournaments from 1984 to 2003. This is just the second time they are a No. 5 seed. In 1984, its first year in the tournament, fifth-seeded Virginia lost to No. 4 seed North Carolina in the first round.

It's hard to know what to make of this Virginia team, which started the season winning 14 of its first 16 games, including knocking off two-time defending national champion Tennessee in Knoxville, before a late-season swoon. Given their tumultuous roster changes, it is all the more impressive that the Cavaliers enjoyed their best start since the 1991-92 season, when they last went to the Final Four.

Paulisha Kellum (McNamara), who was expected to replace Sharné Zoll, the ACC's career assist leader, at point guard, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in October. Then starting center Aisha Mohammed missed four games following arthroscopic knee surgery in December.

Just about the time Lyndra Littles was returning from an academic suspension, Enongé Stovall was suspended for academic reasons. Through it all, Monica Wright, a three-time All-Met from Forest Park, kept Virginia from falling apart.

But then the same team that beat Maryland and Florida State, the top two teams in the ACC this season, lost to North Carolina State (13-17) and struggled against Virginia Tech (12-18). The Cavaliers went 5-5 in their last 10 games, losing to Duke, 76-53, in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. After rising to No. 14 in the Associated Press poll, they dropped to No. 24.

Despite her team's recent struggles, Ryan indicated she isn't worried entering the tournament.

"I feel good about them," she said. "They've had to endure me for the last two weeks."

Since Virginia lost to Duke in the ACC tournament, Ryan has put the players through rigorous practices, including what she termed "boot camp."

"Last week wasn't much about practice, it was about defending," she said. "They didn't really get to do much with the ball."

Virginia had the third-most prolific scoring offense in the ACC, scoring 73 points per game, but Ryan said it will take defense and rebounding to go far in the tournament. The Cavaliers have failed to advance past the second round in their last three appearances.

"Defense and rebounding, that's where we're anchored," Ryan said, "where we're supposed to be anchored."