Stanford, Cal seek end to West Coast futility
STANFORD, Calif. - Candice Wiggins is fully aware of the West Coast's futility in the NCAA tournament. The Stanford star grew up in San Diego closely following the Cardinal and college basketball as a kid.
She is all for changing that this year as she ends her remarkable run on The Farm.
No school west of the Rockies has won a national title since Stanford did so in 1992 and none has even advanced to the Final Four since the Cardinal's trip in '97. If that drought is going to be snapped this year, Stanford and Bay Area rival California have the best chance of doing it.
"We're usually underrepresented in the first place. It's important we all are successful," Wiggins, the three-time Pac-10 Player of the Year said before Stanford's practice Friday. "It's amazing. It's kind of hard to believe this is my last one."
No. 2 seed Stanford (30-3) faces NCAA first-timer and No. 15 Cleveland State (19-13) in a first-round game on its home floor in the Spokane Regional on Saturday. Cal (26-6), the third seed in the Greensboro Regional, takes on No. 14 San Diego (19-12) earlier in the day at Maples Pavilion.
The Golden Bears, who only had to drive about an hour from nearby Berkeley, are seeking their first NCAA victory since 1993 and just the second in school history.
"If we come out and showcase our talents, it's like, 'Hey, we have some teams out here on the West Coast," forward Ashley Walker said. "This is something our program hasn't done. This group of girls has done so much for the program and it's something we want to accomplish."
The other first-round games at Maples feature seventh-seeded UTEP (27-3) against No. 10 seed Western Kentucky (26-7), and sixth-seeded George Washington (25-6) versus No. 11 seed Auburn (20-11).
Before Stanford and Cal can start thinking about traveling to Tampa, Fla., for the Final Four, both programs have more immediate hurdles to clear.
The Cardinal, riding an 18-game winning streak and fresh off their fifth Pac-10 tournament title, have failed to make it through the first weekend the last two times they've hosted - including a second-round loss to Florida State last March that still stings. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of top-seeded Stanford's NCAA loss to No. 16 Harvard at home.
"It's been a fast year," Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer said from the interview podium. "My memory of this specific spot is not a good one, and we're going to try to change that - and have a great tournament here at Maples."
This March, Stanford lost out on a top seed to Maryland despite an upset of No. 1 Tennessee back in December and a deeper, more talented team featuring posts Jayne Appel and Kayla Pedersen to complement Wiggins. The Cardinal will try to avoid becoming the first No. 2 seed to lose a first-round game since the tournament expanded to 64 teams.
Cleveland State may be new to all this fanfare, yet VanDerveer knows the athletic Horizon League champion Vikings are dangerous.
"They're fun," VanDerveer said. "When I watch them play, they remind me of the Phoenix Suns. They run and they shoot and it's fast."
Cal, meanwhile, has said since before the season began that it believes the Bears have the talent to at least get through two rounds and reach the regional.
"Win!" Cal coach Joanne Boyle said of what it would take to make an NCAA statement.
When Boyle toiled for a week last year about leaving Cal for her alma mater Duke, she ultimately decided she had unfinished business with the Bears: namely, winning an NCAA tournament game.
The Bears lost in the first round last year to Notre Dame, 62-59. This time, Cal should be fresh to face West Coast Conference champion San Diego.
"Our first year we didn't know if we were going to make the tournament and we made it," said guard Alexis Gray-Lawson, who missed much of last season following knee surgery. "I think we were just happy to be there. Last year, I think we didn't come in focused. I think this year we broke all the barriers we possibly could break. For us this is one of those things where we have to nip all of this in a bud."
The upstart Toreros are making their first NCAA trip in eight years after a 70-66 upset of Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference tournament championship. That's after they bounced back from an 0-5 start in conference play. San Diego expects a physical game against Cal in the paint with Walker and Devanei Hampton, last season's conference player of the year.
"It's important for us to attack them and not be intimidated by their size," San Diego forward Morgan Henderson said.
Auburn is making its first NCAA appearance since 2004, when the Tigers lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in the second round on the Huskies' home floor.
The Tigers and George Washington met during the regular season, with the Colonials winning 68-66 at Auburn on Jan. 3 thanks to a 3-pointer by Lisa Steele with 1.1 seconds left. George Washington leads the all-time series 2-0 and is making its sixth straight NCAA appearance.
Like Cleveland State, UTEP is making its NCAA tournament debut. The Miners received an at-large bid after losing to SMU in the Conference USA tournament to have their 23-game winning streak snapped.
Western Kentucky, winner of the Sun Belt Conference tournament, has won seven straight games heading into its 16th NCAA tournament and first since 2003.
For Cleveland State, playing on Stanford's home floor with a size disadvantage will be a daunting task. Coach Kate Peterson Abiad wants her players to enjoy the ride.
"We could have played in Russia, we really didn't care," Abiad said.