There won’t be a repeat of the matchup from the last two national championship games.
The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee settled that question by placing Tennessee as the top seed in the Philadelphia regional and Connecticut as the third seed in the Kansas City regional for this year’s NCAA Women’s Tournament. If both teams advance, they could meet in the national semifinals.
But the selection committee left just as many questions unanswered.
Despite Tennessee’s 67-65 win over LSU in last weekend’s SEC championship game, the committee elected to ship the Lady Vols out rather than keeping them in-state at the Chattanooga regional. Instead, the Lady Tigers hold that spot as the top seed overall.
“It would have been nice to stay in our own state on the way to the Final Four,” junior guard Shanna Zolman said. “But going to Philly is going to be fun. We’re really looking forward to it.”
2005 will also mark the first time since 1984 that the team ranked at the top of the national polls at the close of the regular season was not awarded a No. 1 seed. Stanford, who moved to No. 1 after LSU’s SEC tournament loss, is the No. 2 seed in the Kansas City regional.
Michigan State (27-3), the winner of the Big Ten tournament, received the top seed over Stanford. The other top seed is North Carolina (27-3).
Because of the way the bracket worked out, a potential rematch between Tennessee and LSU would not take place until the national championship game.
Along the way, however, Tennessee could run into four teams that they have played previously this season before advancing to the Final Four. Of those, only third-seeded Rutgers defeated the Lady Vols.
The Lady Vols open up NCAA tournament play with a first-round matchup against Western Carolina at Thompson-Boling Arena. The Catamounts are coached by former Lady Vol star Kellie Jolly Harper, who helped Tennessee to three straight national championships between 1996-1998.
A potential second round game against the winner of No. 8 New Mexico and No. 9 Purdue could yield Pat Summitt’s 880th career victory, establishing a new record for career coaching wins. The current record is held by former North Carolina men’s basketball coach Dean Smith.
“The timing of this is not the greatest,” Summitt said. “The focus right now is on this team.
“If it happens, it just means we are going to the Sweet 16.”
The NCAA went to a different system this year in women’s basketball postseason action. Instead of 16 campus sites hosting first and second round matchups, there are only eight sites. Each site hosts eight teams, with sites selected in advance of the season.
The new system allowed for a unique situation in its opening year. Both LSU and Tennessee, as No.1 seeds, will play their opening rounds in Knoxville.
“This is a whole new season,” freshman guard Alexis Hornbuckle said. “It’s a whole different atmosphere. We have to start over new.”
With the bracket revealed and a possible path to the championship laid out, the team holds one goal in mind. After six consecutive years without a national title, the Lady Vols are ready to hang another banner in the rafters of Thompson-Boling Arena.
“That’s why we all come here … to win a national championship,” Jackson said. “I can speak for the seniors and say, ‘We don’t want to go out without one.’”
