By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – Having not played a game in eight days, the University of Washington women’s basketball team has had little to do but practice. And wait. And stew. And worry.
Are the 17-11 Huskies in or out of the NCAA Tournament? Will they have to settle for a berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament?
The waiting and questions end today, when the NCAA Selection Committee names its 64 dancers.
“It’s definitely been tough to sit around and wonder what’s going to happen,” UW coach June Daugherty said.
The Huskies appear to be among the bubbliest of bubble teams. On one hand are this season’s 17 victories and the knowledge that they reached the Elite Eight a year ago.
Those are two factors that Marie Tuite, a selection-committee member who is a UW senior associate athletic director, has mentioned to the rest of the committee. Although Tuite can’t mention Washington by name, she said this week that she would mention the importance of past performance.
“It speaks to the tradition and caliber of the program,” Tuite said.
Going against the Huskies is their Ratings Percentage Index, considered by the NCAA in the selection process, which takes into account Division I winning percentage, schedule strength and opponents’ schedule strength.
Washington’s RPI is 86, which works against it. The Huskies’ strength of schedule, according to the RPI list, was 110th strongest in the nation.
Not good numbers if you want to make the tournament. Neither is the fact that Washington was knocked out of the Pac-10 Tournament in the first round by Oregon.
The Pacific-10 Conference’s RPI isn’t working miracles for the Huskies, either. According to the numbers, the conference was ninth-best in the country, behind traditional non-powers such as the Mountain West Conference, West Coast Conference and Conference USA.
The Pac-10’s rating certainly wasn’t helped by 2-27 Washington State. Only Stanford, the Pac-10 regular-season champion, and Arizona State, the conference-tournament winner, are guaranteed spots in the NCAAs from the Pac-10.
Daugherty, though, objects to the notion that the conference was down in 2001-02.
“If you look at the top half of the Pac-10, you can start with Stanford (30-2),” Daugherty said. “Stanford was so much better this year than they were last year. I think their record indicates that. Arizona State played some incredible basketball this year. Same with USC and Oregon and us. A committee cannot get caught up into the lower part of the league. It’s so unfair to judge us that way. Judge us on our strengths.”
The time off has allowed the Huskies to heal. Center Andrea Lalum, slowed by a sprained ankle, is full strength and has been practicing. Ditto for reserve forward Cheryl Sorenson, who missed the Pac-10 Tournament with a concussion.
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