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North Carolina, LSU, Oklahoma State and Louisville got through so far unscathed, although the Cowgirls had a close call in overtime in the second round. They needed guard Andrea Riley’s free throw with seven-tenths of a second left to beat No. 11 seed Florida State.
Elsewhere, two No. 3 seeds — Baylor and Cal; it wasn’t a good year for Bears — went out in the second round, as did two No. 4 seeds. Oklahoma and Virginia both lost in overtime, although the Cavaliers had the disadvantage of playing on their opponents’ home court at Old Dominion.
The fact that the 12 of the top 16 seeds are still playing reflects one of the realities of women’s basketball: Virtually all players stay for four seasons. There isn’t the same money lure of the pro ranks. So there’s not anything like the same turnover there is for the men, especially at top programs.
“As you go further into our tournament, everybody you’re playing against has (seniors),” said UConn coach Geno Auriemma, whose team is the No. 1 seed in the Greensboro Region. “Whereas on the men’s side, as soon as a team wins a championship or they go far, and they’ve got a couple of really good players, those guys are gone. Then they’ve got freshmen or sophomores playing against Davidson or Butler or Siena.”
Tennessee’s Candace Parker will be going to the WNBA after this, her junior season. But she’s not leaving “early.” Parker sat out her first season at Tennessee because of a knee injury, so she has spent four years in school and will graduate on time. She chose not to stay a fifth year and use her final season of eligibility.
There have been a few other players in the past who have done that same thing. But almost all the time, women’s players stay in college for every minute of eligibility they have.
So in New Orleans, for example, you have an All-American senior center in No. 2 seed LSU’s Sylvia Fowles who has been to the Final Four three times. You have two outstanding post players for top-seeded North Carolina, seniors Erlana Larkins and LaToya Pringle, who have made two Final Four trips.
Last year, two double-digit seeds, No. 10 Florida State and No. 13 Marist, made the Sweet 16.
But no double-digit seed has ever made the Women’s Final Four. Only six times have seeds below the top four made the Final Four, with the lowest being No. 9 Arkansas in 1998.
“You look at our runs to the Final Four every year — you always have to beat the best teams that are out there,” Auriemma said. “There’s no sneaking in.”
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