Women's NCAA Tournament

Washington Post staff writer Kathy Orton was online Tuesday, March 18 at noon ET to discuss the pairings for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and the prospects of the Washington-area teams.

A transcript follows.

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Kathy Orton: Hi everyone. Great to be with you this afternoon. I'm here to answer all your women's basketball questions. Let's get started.

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Foggy Bottom, D.C.: Hi -- I think the George Washington Colonials will go deep in the tourney, especially since they have played well out on the West Coast. Your thoughts? Go GW!

Kathy Orton: You might be right, but it's hard to say which GW team will show up in this tournament. The Colonials have a few questionable losses (see St. Bonaventure, Xavier in the A10 semifinals). That said, other than having to go out west, I like their draw. I don't think Auburn should have made the field and Cal can be beaten. That may set up a rematch with Rutgers. GW didn't fare too well against them at Smith Center.

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Herndon, Va.: Losing to Kansas in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament was a disaster for my Huskers -- since we get an 8 seed, start with Xavier, and, if we win there, only have to beat Maryland at College Park. Assuming (a big assume) NU beats Xavier -- any chance against the Terps?

Kathy Orton: Nebraska's early exit in the Big 12 tournament was not a good sign. Plus, the Huskers have lost five of their last 12 games. Not a whole lot of momentum going on here. I think Nebraska has a tough road ahead. Xavier with its 6-5 Amber Harris and 6-6 Ta'Shia Phillips will be a handful in the first round. Might be premature to look ahead to the Terrapins.

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DC 20015: The Terps have as much talent as any team in the nation, with one hopefully small exception: back-up point guard. Kristi Toliver has to play almost the whole game, and she gets pressed a lot. So she gets worn down. Marisa Coleman can handle the ball, but not by herself if Toliver is resting. Is this a problem?

Kathy Orton: Could be. Notice how often recently teams have been pressuring Maryland. Coaches have watched tape and seen how this has been a problem for the Terrapins. I am guessing the coaches are working on ways to overcome this problem.

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Bethesda, Md.: BC Coach Cathy Inglese whined about getting the NIT while 18-13 Florida State got the NCAA. But Cathy, sweetie, you're not Florida State. You're Boston College. A cute school, but really, one that people care about seeing in the NCAA Tournament? Uh, no. I'm glad the Committee used some common sense and chose teams that people would actually want to see play.

Kathy Orton: I don't know what you have against Boston College, but I'm floored that Florida State got in the field. There was no way I thought the Seminoles were going. They had the worst record of any at-large team selected. They went 1-11 against top 50 teams and they had five losses in their last eight games. I just don't get it.

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College Park, Md.: Why does Crystal Langhorne get no love from the national media? She puts up great numbers but we never hear her mentioned as a NPOY candidate.

Kathy Orton: Langhorne's problem is she's an unselfish player playing on an unselfish team. Ask her about her accomplishments and she'll tell you it's all her teammates doing. That's a fabulous attitude to have and one I applaud but it doesn't get you much love from the national media.

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Washington, DC: I so prefer the women's game, but the NCAA tourney leaves a little to be desired since there are so few upsets. Do you think the skill levels between teams will be a little more even this year, providing the opportunity for some close games and maybe even a Cinderella?

Kathy Orton: I would doubt you'd see a lot of upsets this year. This is not a strong year for women's basketball. There are a handful of elite teams then everybody else is just mediocre. Look at the field. Some really bad teams got in this year (see Florida State and Auburn). I expect the favorites to advance.

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Terrapins: Hello and thanks for doing this chat. I'd like to add that I think there ought really to be a more regular chat covering women's athletics in general and certainly women's basketball in particular. We have a wealth of talent in this region and its a shame that there is no outlet as there is for the men's game. Now, as for the Terps, like everyone else that was proud as can be when this team won the national championship, I've looked forward to them competing for the championship again. This year they look great in alot of their games but in games in which they struggle and in those games that they lost (excepting perhaps the UNC game) there have been times when they seem to run out of ideas offensively. Unlike the men's team they aren't as static and predictable in the offensive half, but there are times when I think they are forcing an offensive play instead of working a little deeper for the easier opportunity. I don't know. What do you think? (having said all that you know I'll be screaming for them all through the tourney.)

Kathy Orton: Thanks for your kind words. I agree that Maryland can be a tough team to figure out at times. The Terrapins have loads of talent, but sometimes that talent doesn't produce as expected. They have gotten better at adjusting when teams take away certain things from them. At times, though, you know they know what to do, but they just don't do it. I'm sure the coaches are scratching their heads too. Can Maryland win it all again this year? Sure. Will they? I don't know. But I wouldn't bet against them.

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Charlottesville, Va.: Good news or bad news for UVA to be placed in Norfolk and Greensboro? Certainly a bigger challenge to have to play ODU on its home floor to advance, and then all bets are off if they have to face UConn.

Kathy Orton: I was surprised when I talked with Sharnee Zoll last night by phone and she sounded so happy about Virginia receiving a No. 4 seed. I thought they'd be upset about having to play fifth-seeded Old Dominion on its homecourt. And the Cavaliers got blowout earlier this year by U-Conn., a game tape I doubt they'll want to watch again. I think Virginia is just so happy about being back in the tournament they could care less about seeding and site.

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Rutgers: While I have deep respect for Coach Vivian Stringer, aren't the Scarlet Knights just a tad over-seeded?

Kathy Orton: I don't think so. I had Rutgers as a two seed. The Scarlet Knights were the only team to beat Connecticut this season and they played a tough schedule. They also were in the second toughest conference in the country. That said, I'd love to know why the committee hates C.Viv. I mean what did this woman ever do to them? Five times in the last six years Rutgers has had to play in the home state of its first or second round opponent. This year, for the first time, the committee puts two teams from the same conference in the same region, and guess who gets the short end on that one: Rutgers. Not to make this into a conspiracy theory, but one of the first things I do each year when I get the bracket is to see how the committee blasted Rutgers.

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Washington, DC: Re: "Langhorne's problem is she's an unselfish player playing on an unselfish team. Ask her about her accomplishments and she'll tell you it's all her teammates doing. That's a fabulous attitude to have and one I applaud but it doesn't get you much love from the national media."

It's pretty sad when a player has to be selfish and concerned with individual stats in order to get "love" from the media. But I guess it's a reflection on what the media believes people want to see and hear.

Terps title chances?

Kathy Orton: I posted this earlier but I'll say it again. Maryland can win it all this year. The Terrapins have a favorable bracket -- aside from that trip to Spokane, which I am not looking forward to. But Brenda Frese was positively giddy last night when she saw Maryland's path to the Final Four. Of course, with this team, you never know which one will show up. However, I do think the seniors are determined to win another title before they leave Maryland.

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Prescott, AZ: Can I give a shout out to my Wyoming Cowgirls for their first NCAA berth ever?

Watch for them as a dark horse. They won the NIT last year (beat Kansas State) and played a grueling non-conference schedule (again beat Kansas State).

Kathy Orton: Don't sleep on the Cowgirls. They faded down the stretch but I wouldn't be surprised to see them knock off Pittsburgh in the first round. (I know. I know. I said there wouldn't be many upsets this year. But if there are going to be some, this might be one of them.)

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Union Station, DC: Can you give any insight as to why the NCA schedules game times for when they do? It seems like 2:30 in the afternoon is a lousy time for a marque match on a team's home court.

Kathy Orton: As someone who HATES writing 9 p.m. game stories, I am all for early game times. That said, you're right. That time slot isn't great. Though, it isn't bad for families who want to bring their kids to a Sunday afternoon game.

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Omaha, Neb. : Eight Big XII teams made the NCAA tournament. Do you see any of them making the Final 4, or going all the way and cutting down the nets?

Kathy Orton: I'd like to see Texas A&M go far. The Aggies are on a roll, having won their first Big 12 tournament title and 13 of their last 14 games. The Big 12 was a killer conference this year. A couple of teams have been hurt by injuries, most notably regular season champion K State. That might prevent a few of the conference's teams from advancing far.

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Columbia, Md.: Who would you rather have on your team, Candace Parker or Maya Moore?

Kathy Orton: Tough call. But I am taking Maya Moore. She just plays so hard. I think Candance has been taking plays and/or games off this year. I think she's lost interest in the college game.

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Washington, D.C.: Assuming that ODU wins its first game and UVA wins its first game, who wins the match up? Where will they play?

Kathy Orton: UVA will play ODU on ODU's home court. Yeah, I know. Why in the world would the lower seeded team get to host the higher seeded team? Welcome to women's basketball. This system we've been under the past few years has made for some unfortunate competitive imbalances. Hopefully that'll be corrected one day soon.

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Tom Turtle, Comcast Center, University of Maryland: Kathy,

How has covering Maryland women's basketball changed in your time on the beat? Could you have seen this coming?

When I look at the current core group of players, they are like the Mt. Rushmore for this new generation. We've already>seen Doron and Langhorne's names and numbers raised to the roof and I suspect we'll see Harper, Toliver and Coleman join them as well. Quite an amazing group.

Kathy Orton: I was talking about how Maryland basketball has changed just last night. I remember covering games at Cole Fieldhouse when hardly anybody showed up. (I started covering the team long after the No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup with Virginia). Maryland's resurgence has been remarkable. You have to credit Brenda Frese for going out and getting the players to make it happen. Doron was the first to make Maryland legitimate, but it was really this senior class -- Crystal Langhorne, Laura Harper, Jade Perry and Ashleigh Newman -- who put Maryland back on the map.

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College Park, Md.: What do the Terps have to do to make it to Tampa?

Kathy Orton: Play defense. This team can score. That's never been their problem. What they have to do is stop people. And rebound. In the games they lost this season, they did a poor job going after missed shots on the offensive and defensive ends. Also, they can't have a repeat performance of the Duke loss in the ACC semis. I've never seen the players get so down or act so tentative. That can't let that happen again.

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Omaha, Neb.: If Nebraska plays Maryland in the second round, what would be the keys to a Husker victory?

Kathy Orton: I'd worry more about Xavier in the first round, Omaha. The Huskers will have their hands full with 6-5 Amber Harris and 6-6 Ta'Shia Phillips. But if Nebraska gets by Xavier, I'd say slowing down Maryland would be key. Make them work in the half court and limit their transition opportunities. When Maryland starts running the floor and scoring, the Terrapins are hard to beat.

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Alexandria, Va.: The men's tournament seems to benefit from upsets and Cinderellas, in terms of viewer interest. Can the same be said for the women's tournament? Or does it benefit more from having the powerhouse teams and name players advance?

Kathy Orton: Good question. Many of us who follow this sport have this argument every year: Is it better to have the Connecticuts and Tennessees of the world continue to dominate the sport because the average sports fan recognizes them and will take an interest or is it better to have Cinderellas knocking off the top teams? I'd much prefer to see the underdogs win. I always have a soft spot for the underdog. But what I prefer and what gets good ratings -- which is what really drives the world -- are two separate things. I'm guessing if you asked someone at ESPN they'd prefer to have Connecticut and Tennessee meet in the final every year.

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Washington, DC: So, given their losses to Rutgers, Maryland, Connecticut, and Tennessee (once only) this season, what do you see for LSU in this tournament. Do they have a realistic chance to go to the Final Four again this year, and might their performance be better against one of the teams that they lost to earlier in the season?

Kathy Orton: For the past few years, I've been down on LSU. I've always thought they were an underachieving team. Four Final Fours in a row and no title? That's weak. But I've come around to the Tigers this season. I think some of their early losses were because they were adjusting to a new coach. The loss to Connecticut in February was by five points. The loss to Tennesse in the SEC tournament was by six points. I think they can may another strong run again this year. They've got to be happy they get to play North Carolina in New Orleans. I think they can beat North Carolina and Tennessee, should it come to that.

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Any Cinderellas: More than the men's tournament, the women seem to revert to form.

Are there any seeds higher than six that have been hot lately and could make the Great 8 or Final 4?

And why is women's basketball so top heavy?

Kathy Orton: I don't see that happening, especially this year. There is just a lot of mediocrity in the women's game this year.

As for why women's basketball is so top heavy, it is because the women don't have nearly the broad base of talent that the men do. All the great players go to a handful of teams. On the men's side, the talent is more spread out. Until there's more talent on the women's side, the same teams are going to be on top year after year.

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Kathy Orton: Thanks everybody for your questions. Enjoy the tournament.

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