COLLEGE PARK - A hush fell over the crowd of roughly 200 people inside Heritage Hall in Comcast Center last night as the women's NCAA tournament selection show began. The Maryland players - who sat in the front row, with family members, friends and fans gathered behind them - already knew that they were in the tournament, having won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, and they had a good idea that they would receive a No. 1 seed for the second straight year. But there was still a bit of suspense.
"I think we totally expected to get the 1 seed in Raleigh, but I was still holding my breath. You never know what the committee wants to do," senior Kristi Toliver said. "I think we were just really looking forward to see who we're going to play."
They didn't have to wait long to find out; their match-up was the first one revealed: No. 1 seed Maryland against No. 16 seed Dartmouth (18-10), the ACC champions versus the Ivy League champions. The crowd cheered. The Terrapins would play their first two games in College Park, and if they continue to win, they would move on to the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C.
"Best-case scenario, you're playing at home, you hope you can take care of business," coach Brenda Frese said. "It's one game at a time, but I just love the fact that if we're able to take care of that, we'd be able to travel to a location where the best fans in the country can follow this team."
Joining Maryland (28-4) as the top seeds are Connecticut (33-0, Trenton region), Oklahoma (28-4, Oklahoma City region), and Duke (26-5, Berkeley region). Two-time defending champion Tennessee (22-10) is the fifth seed in the Berkeley region - its lowest seed ever - and will open with MAC champion Ball State.
UConn is the tournament's overall top seed and, after winning their regular season games by an average margin of 31.5 points, the Huskies are the overwhelming favorites. ESPN host Trey Wingo opened the selection show by asking whether the Huskies' undefeated regular season will end with its sixth national title; the Heritage Hall crowd shouted "No!" Analyst Kara Lawson said that the gulf between UConn and the rest of the field "is as wide as I've ever seen"; the crowd booed.
With the way the brackets are set up, Maryland can only meet UConn. in the national final. The Terrapins were the tournament's second overall seed, according to tournament committee chair Jacki Silar.
