The Avenue's Quick Hits

*As much of a savant of women's hoops that I am, I had no idea that WNBA legend and former USC great Cynthia Cooper (now Cynthia Cooper-Dyke) was coaching at the collegiate level. Cooper-Dyke has led Prairie View A&M into the tournament in just her second season. Needless to say, any BCS school would love to have a big name come join their staff as coach and that might be just what happens with all of the openings out there...

*Cincinnati coach Laurie Pirtle saw the writing on the wall and resigned after 21 seasons at the helm. Pirtle never made any significant accomplishments in terms of tournament runs, only advancing to the second round once, but was a mainstay at UC (more of a sign that the administration didn't really care about the state of women's hoops.) Now that UC is in the Big East, though, it seems they might be taking it a little more seriously and might attract someone to build that program up...

As The Coaching Turns

With all the off-the-court happenings, GalHoopsAvenue loves to guess and speculate what might happen in the landscape of college coaching. Here's a road map to see the coaching domino's that might play out following the NCAA Tournament:

#1 LSU (Bob Starkey has said he doesn't want it. No way Carla Berry has a chance. The University will want a fresh start to clear the air. Our guess: Kurt Budke gets the nod thanks to his turnaround in no time at Oklahoma State. Budke is formerly LaTech's coach who left for the BCS, but the Big 12 can't hold a candlestick to the money and visibility of the SEC. Budke is a rising star and would completely provide a fresh look to the LSU program. Let's hope he keeps Starkey on board.)

#2 Florida (Jeremy Foley wants a national title in women's basketball and who wouldn't have thought Carolyn Peck could get it done? So the bar is set pretty high. Our guess: Kim Mulkey will be lured to the bright lights of the SEC and a paycheck between $500-600K.)

#3 Baylor (Since the Mulkster will leave for Florida and all that money, here is another high profile job that will open up. Our guess: Baylor will secure associate head coach Karen Aston before Texas can grab her. She is one of the next coaching greats and will stay put in Waco.)

#4 Texas (With coaching legend Conradt gone and Texas' first choice in Aston staying at Baylor, Texas will still keep it in the family. Our guess: Nell Fortner, who played for Conradt and has big name recognition will leave the SEC for the Big 12, where she will fit in a lot better.)

#5 Auburn (This will open up yet another SEC job. Our guess: Tom Collen will finally get his shot in the SEC. Remember, he was to be Vandy's head coach before a resume gaffe led to his dismissal before he even started. He is one of the coaching stars that can be lured away from the Big East to the powerful SEC.)

#6 Arkansas (Speaking of SEC, the Razorbacks rid themselves of Susie Gardner after four forgettable years and will seek the glory days of the Gary Blair era. Our guess: Pam Borton is sick of the freezing cold in Minnesota and will take her great coaching wiles into the SEC.)

#7 Louisville (Since Tom Cullen is leaving for the SEC, this mid-tier job will be open and is a great starter job for some assistant waiting in the wings to start their career, but maybe Louisville wants to build up women's hoops like they have football and men's hoops. Our guess: Carolyn Peck gets another chance right away. Despite what Florida thinks Louisville believes Peck can challenge Geno and C. Viv!)

#8 Oklahoma State (Back to Budke's old job. He laid the foundation for an upstart program in Stillwater, making the NCAA Tournament in just year two. Our guess: OSU wants consistency and promotes associate head coach Jim Littell.)

#9 Michigan (With Cheryl Burnett's resignation after just four years, this program has yet to live up to its potential. Our guess: Look for the nation's hottest young coach from Bowling Green, a mere 40 minutes away from Ann Arbor, to take over this program. Curt Miller all ready will have a successful recruiting pipeline and it is a perfect fit.)

#10 Minnesota (Since Pam Borton will go to Arkansas to get away from the frigid conditions in Minnesota, this plum Big Ten job will be open. Our guess: Kevin McHuff uses his A-10 championship clout to get a nice, cushy job in a BCS conference. McHuff a coach on the rise will be leaving behind a future superstar in Amber Harris, but maybe she will sweeten the deal by going with him to Minnesota.)

Other coaches who should be snatched up:

Pokey Chatman: Obviously she is scandal-plagued, but the right PR and a mea culpa and everything will be forgiven eventually. She had sex with a player, I know, but it's not like she did something against the law, just against ethical practices, which is different. Chatman is way too young and way too talented not to be given a second chance. While I don't expect a major school to face the media backlash of hiring her, a small school looking for a chance at success might want to consider it after everything dies down.

Gail Valley: Maybe she wants to be an assistant forever and that's fine, but if she doesn't than your program, whatever it is, should try to get her. You don't think that Coach G is personally recruiting all these superstars do you?

Marsha Sharp: She said she wasn't retiring so why don't you offer her a job. She could build something up real nice, y'all.

The grand dame of basketball leaves the court

With Jody Conradt's announcement that she will no longer coach the University of Texas comes the end of an era of one of women's college basketball's great programs. Conradt led Texas to the 1986 championship in undefeated fashion and returned to the Final Four in 2003 for her third time. This year marked the second year in a row that a Texas team has missed the NCAA tournament and for Conradt it was unacceptable. You have to admire Conradt's honesty and recognition that losing is unacceptable and a program not making the NCAA tournament is unacceptable. Conradt took responsibility for this and chose to step aside to allow a new leader to take Texas back to glory.

"I think it is appropriate at this point in time a change be made in terms of coaching. It's not acceptable for me, it's not acceptable for The University of Texas not to be in the NCAA Tournament two years in a row. So, after thinking about it, February was a very hard month because we lost games during that month that probably sealed our fate. It was during that time, that I started to think that Texas needs to be one of those teams challenging. Not only to be in the tournament, but to be a very high seed."

Conradt earned her 900th victory during the Big 12 Tournament before falling to Oklahoma. Her colleagues praised her leadership and her being a pioneer of the sport.

"She's an icon in women's basketball," Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. "Nine hundred wins is mind boggling. As great a coach as she is, she's an even better person. I've admired her and the job she's done. I'm happy for her she's retiring and moving on, but our game will miss her. I only have the ultimate respect and admiration for her. It has to be hard. She's from my era a little bit. You think of coaches around my age retiring -- whoa."

Only one coach in all of college basketball has more wins than Conradt, that being Pat Summitt, a close friend and someone who shares equal admiration along the lines of VanDerveer.

"As I told her, we all appreciate what she's done for this game," Summitt said. "She's been a great friend of mine, a mentor, and we're going to miss her. But she's left her footprints all over the game and all over a lot of us coaches."

Conradt coached for 38 seasons, 31 of those being at the University of Texas. She went to three final fours and won a national title, along with making five Elite 8 appearances and 11 Sweet Sixteens, the last coming in 2004. Conradt says she is going to take some time off, but will not consider anymore coaching opportunities and will likely take on some role with the University of Texas. She says she will not be involved or have any say in who will be the next coach at Texas.

Grace Under Pressure

For Bob Starkey and the LSU Lady Tigers, Selection Monday was finally a chance to show everyone that no, they will not fade away from the NCAA Tournament without a fight. While reports have surfaced that some in their own athletic department want them to lose early so they are away from the media glare and the "bad" publicity that comes each time the Pokey Chatman saga is placed on the news, the Lady Tigers are showing true resiliency and look poised to make another run in the NCAA's.

Three players were made available to the media on Monday and while they didn't have to speak to the controversy at hand, star player Sylvia Fowles made one thing clear: what Pokey did does not involve them and will not affect them in the tournament. She also made it clear no matter what happens, Pokey will still be a part of the LSU program.

"Pokey's always been a great person, she's like my mom and it's going to stay that way from here on out," Fowles said. "No matter what people say, I'm not going to look at her any different."

Fowles said losing Chatman meant losing "her demeanor that she brings to the team, but a lot of people don't know that Bob [Starkey] also brings the same things to the table even though he was always behind the scenes."

Rashanta LeBlanc also made it clear that the team is tight and focused on the goal of making their postseason run count.

"As a team, we've come to the conclusion that's something we're not going to talk about. We're going to focus on playing basketball, hopefully trying to make it to the Final Four. So as long as that's our focus, we have no problem."

For fans of the Lady Tigers, Monday was a good night to finally see how the team was dealing with the scandal, and at least on the surface it appears that it is business as usual for the team, as Coach Starkey has seemingly distanced the team from what Pokey Chatman did and how LSU's administration has bungled the handling of every facet of the public release of the information since the start.

While Skip Bertman, Pokey Chatman and the institution of LSU might be forever damaged from the fallout, it seems clear that the LSU Lady Tiger Program is in good shape and might become the surprise of the tourney.

Bracket Racket: The storylines and headlines that mark this year's field

So the brackets are out and no real surprises. Certainly the biggest storylines might revolve around off-the-court drama involving the Pokey Chatman/LSU scandal that gets more interesting by the day involving sex, lies, cover-ups, power, betrayal and more! Also, the announcement that the game will lose a legend in Jody Conradt after she failed to get Texas into the NCAA again will be a headline, as well as coaching change speculation with numerous BCS conference schools having openings (three in the SEC, two in the Big 12 and one in the Big Ten, so far). Here are storylines, headlines and things to look forward to as the madness begins this weekend!

The What-the-F*%K Award: La-Lafayette? Who? Why? Two bids from the awful Sun Belt conference while South Florida, Montana, Ball State, and many others are left out. Did the committee make a mistake and fail to proofread the final bracket?

Most Difficult Region: Dayton. With Tennessee, Maryland and Oklahoma all vying to get to Cleveland, it is definitely the marquee region.

Easiest Region: Greensboro. Duke has a cakewalk. Arizona State is the next toughest team in that bracket and the Sun Devils, as deep as they are, have no size to combat Bales. Welcome to Cleveland, Blue Devils.

The I-Got-Hosed Award: Rutgers. So you just won the Big East conference tournament and along the way upset #1 seed UConn by 8. The Big East sends 8 teams to the NCAA pool, while the Big Ten sends just three, but yet you get rewarded by having to play on Michigan State's home floor. The committee sure got that one right!?

Best First Round Matchup: Bowling Green vs. Oklahoma State. A team that is completely underrated due to the fact that they play in a mid-major versus a team that did not deserve in the tourney. It's the best because it gives the chance for the BGSU women to live up to the hype and make a statement. Runner-up: Iowa State vs. Washington

Biggest Snub: South Florida. I know it was going to be hard to put 9 Big East teams in, but why did you choose DePaul over South Florida. Awful, awful, awful. Others: Montana gets snubbed in favor of a team like La-Lafayette?

Undeserving of their Bid: La-Lafayette, DePaul, Oklahoma State

Cinderella Teams: Bowling Green, Iowa State, Middle Tennessee

Best Potential Second Round Matchup: Georgia Tech vs. Purdue, with Versyp and Joseph each with Purdue lineage; Michigan State vs. Rutgers, as this is a rematch of an earlier season meeting where Rutgers survived on their home floor. Now, MSU gets a home game vs. the Scarlet Knight.

Best Potential Regional Final: Tennessee vs. Maryland or Tennessee vs. Oklahoma. Either way, it should be a battle featuring some of the nation's best players.

Tourney Coach on the Hot Seat: Pat Summitt. Sure, she is a legend with six titles, but none since 1998. A decade drought will make people start questioning her foothold. Others: Gail Goestenkors is the coach with the most to prove. How many of these great teams can she not have win a national title? Tara Vanderveer is another legend with two national titles, but none since 1992. She hasn't even been to the Final Four since 1997 and she has lost in each of the last three Elite 8's. While most would love to be in that position, for Vanderveer and Stanford, it is unacceptable.

Rising Coaching Stars in the Tourney: Curt Miller, BGSU, should find himself in a high profile job after the tourney ends. Look for Miller to be Michigan's top choice and an excellent fit there in that conference. Joanne Boyle's Cal team would be seeded much higher and have higher expectations, but lost their starting PG to an injury. Watch for Cal to be in those top 16 seeds from now on year after year if Boyle stays put.

Players to Watch: Can Candace Parker finally live up to the hype? Will Courtney Paris dominate her opponents or fall on her face again in this tourney? Will Lindsey Harding play like she is the best in the nation by leading the Blue Devils to that elusive first title?

Best Players You Haven't Heard Of: Chrissy Given, Middle Tennessee; Amber Flynn, BGSU; Jazz Covington, Louisville; Amber Harris, Xavier.

Better Than Seed Reflects: Bowling Green, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Florida State

Worse Than Seed Reflects: Old Dominion, Xavier, Purdue, Ohio State

Weakest #1 Seed: UConn

Strongest #1 Seed: Duke or UNC, equal in my mind.

#2 Seed with Best Chance at Final Four: Stanford

Probable Final Four: UNC, Duke, Stanford, Maryland

Probable National Champion: North Carolina (Duke falls on its face once again, while there rival Tar Heels and Ivory Latta shine leaving Coach G to wait another year for her national title.)

Storylines:

*LSU will be bombarded with media attention. Assistant Coach Carla Berry will be the subject of much scrutiny as she is the one who turned Pokey in and no one knows her intentions. Bob Starkey, a respected but unknown quantity will have the weight of the world on his shoulders. Still, with all that said, many are forgetting this is an LSU team that beat Tennessee, Georgia, Michigan State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, West Virginia and barely lost games to UConn, Tennessee and Baylor. Their bracket is pretty favorable with UConn, Stanford and Rutgers, but it has yet to be seen if they can recover without their leader.

*Will this tourney be the last at Baylor for Coach Mulkey, as she will be offered one of the major jobs either at LSU or Florida?

*Will this tourney be that last at BGSU for Curt Miller? How about the last for Coach McCallie at MSU? The coaching change banter will be in full force.

*Last year Maryland came in as a two seed and shocked everyone by winning the national tournament. Now, flying under the radar again, Maryland won't have the benefit of having a weak one seed in their bracket this year. Last year it was Ohio State, who was ousted in the second round. This year, it is Pat and Tennessee. But even before then, Frese faces the daunting task of playing the Big 12 Champion Oklahoma Sooners and the dominant Courtney Paris.

BREAKING NEWS: Coaching legend Jody Conradt resigns at Texas

As if the world of women's college basketball coaching needed anymore twists and turns, another came tonight as Selection Monday was ending with ESPN reporting that longtime Texas women's coach Jody Conradt has handed in her resignation. Conradt, the second winningest coach of all-time with 900 wins, is a legend in women's basketball and the decision certainly is shocking. Conradt's Texas team, plagued with injuries and departures the last two years is missing the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive time, the first that has ever happened to the stories Longhorn program. Certainly this Texas job will be another highly coveted position that has come open along with the LSU job, Florida job, Michigan job and Arkansas job. More to come...

The Avenue's Final Power Seed Predictions

The 1's:
Duke
North Carolina
Tennessee
UConn
The 2's:
Maryland
Vanderbilt
Oklahoma
Stanford
The 3's:
Purdue
LSU
Arizona State
Texas A&M
The 4's:
Ohio State
George Washington
Georgia
Rutgers
THE NEXT TIER
The 5's:
NC State
Baylor
Middle Tennessee
Iowa State
The 6's:
Michigan State
Bowling Green
Marquette
Louisville
The 7's:
Pittsburgh
Florida State
California
Xavier

BREAKING NEWS: LSU Assistant Carla Berry turned in Chatman

A longtime friend and colleague of Pokey Chatman's reportedly blew the whistle on the alleged inappropriate relationship she was having with a former player, ESPN.com is reporting. Carla Berry, an LSU assistant since 1999 and a former player of Coach Gunter's during Chatman's playing days as well, allegedly reported the incident to non-Athletic Department officials, who confirmed it did not involve any current players on the team. Reports are showing that Chatman might have been seeking counsel from Berry, who then blew the whistle. Only time will tell what the real story is in this case. Hopefully LSU's media relations office will have learned how to handle crisis communications by taking a crash course over the weekend because it has been nothing but a mess of monumental proportions. Now, Coach Starkey and the players, instead of dealing with it last week will be bombarded during the NCAA's.

What was Carla Berry's motivations for turning in Chatman? Did she want the head coaching job? Since Bob Starkey is not seeking the head coaching position, it is my guess the entire staff will be purged as a new, high profile coach comes in to rebuild the program's damaged reputation.

Tournament Storyline Volume 1

With just one day before Selection Monday, the conference tournaments are over, and it shouldn't be too surprising to figure out who is in, who is out and who are the one seeds. Here are some interesting storylines and notes of interest to consider for this year's tournament:
*Oklahoma's push through the Big 12 Tournament and the emergence of their frosh Jenna Plumley as a legitimate star as brought the Sooners up to a likely two seed and playing extraordinarly well. They may be able to be this year's Maryland or last year's Ohio State...
*The one's are certain: Duke, North Carolina, Tennessee, UConn...
*The pressure is once again on Duke and Coach G to seal the deal and win the national title. The loss to NC State was just one loss, but it showed vulnerability that hasn't been shown by the Blue Devils yet this season. For Coach G to blow this opportunity would be devasting and unexcusable...
*Mid-majors ready to make some noise in this year's tournament include Bowling Green, Wisconsin-GB, Middle Tennessee and Xavier...
*Out of the one seeds, probably the most vulnerable for an upset before the final four would be UConn, although there is something about Tennessee that seems very beatable...
*Watch for the committee to put together some made for television potential pairings in the tournament by putting a #8 Cal squad in the same bracket as #1 Duke. Joanne Boyle, Cal's coach, used to be an assistant for Coach G at Duke. Also watch for a potential #5 BGSU vs. #4 Ohio State in a battle of Ohio schools or a #5 Middle Tennessee potentially getting to the sweet 16 to battle #1 Tennessee. You might see a #7 Iowa State paired with #2 Maryland since Brenda Frese used to assist Bill Fennelly at ISU...

BREAKING NEWS: Starkey will not seek to become permanent head coach

Long-time LSU assistant coach and now acting head coach, Bob Starkey, made it clear to the media that he has no intention or desire to become at the head coach at LSU or at any program. Starkey made the statement that a program like LSU needs someone with head coaching experience. This almost guarantees that LSU will look to start over and bring in a big-name coach to help rebuild the program's image that will likely suffer damage the next few years as the tawdry details of popular LSU figurehead Pokey Chatman continue to come out. The first question will be how will this LSU team, capable of making a long run in the tourney, responds to losing their head coach and facing media scrutiny. Will it be an early exit or an inspired run to great heights? The next question is will Pokey speak to the media and come clean about everything following the NCAA Tournament? Hopefully Chatman, who has certainly had her poor judgment lead to an incredible downfall usually reserved for politicians, will speak up and try to explain her actions, though likely she will ever be able to restore her damaged reputation. Another question is what will the fallout be within the program. Every player on the roster returns for next season, along with a top recruiting class, but will that change with transfers due to the coaching changes and dark cloud that will settle over the program? Will Starkey and the others on the staff remain, including Carla Berry, a former teammate of Chatman at LSU and Christie Sides?

Then, of course, will come the speculation and rumors leading to the hiring of a new coach and an entirely new face to lead LSU women's basketball for the first time in three decades. Hopefully it will be someone who can sustain the program, while honoring Sue Gunter's legacy. Names surfacing all ready are Kim Mulkey, a Lousiana native, and Kristy Curry. My guess is neither will take the job. For Mulkey she says she has no intention of leaving Baylor, for Curry it would look bad to leave Tech after only one season. Others who may come into play could be Dawn Staley, who has to be one of the top candidates for every job, Kurt Budke, who formerly led LaTech before going to Oklahoma State and beginning their resurgence, and Tom Cullen, Louisville's head coach.

What Falls Away: Gunter's beloved program becomes scandal-plagued

Whatever reasons Pokey Chatman had for her lack of judgment when she decided to pursue a relationship with one of her players have yet to be made transparent. So I am hard-pressed to change my opinion of Chatman, one of my favorite coaches of one of my favorite programs. Obviously she made a bad decision, one that has likely ended her career, (although I hope with time she will be able to resurface because she has way too much to offer) but it isn't like she did something as awful as it is going to be made out to be. That's why I wish she would talk, come clean, tell her side and end all the wild speculation and bashing. Before her image is painted by the media into that of a sex-starved lesbian who preyed upon her players and used her power to gain a sexual advantage, Pokey needs to speak up and tell us all why. In my heart of hearts I truly believe it is as simple as two grown adult women (yes, college-aged female students are women) were attracted to one another and acted on it. Yes, it was improper for her to get involved in the aspect that she was the coach and that was her player, but in all reality it isn't like she committed a crime.

The way Chatman and the University has handled the whole matter is a PR nightmare. Why would Pokey panic and resign when she wasn't asked to? Why right before the tournament? Why did Skip Bertman go along with this idea of "other career opportunities?" Whoever is in charge of LSU's media relations, they need a refresher course in the basics. Being forthright, contrite and transparent is always better than keeping hush, hiding behind press releases instead of facing the media live, making up other reasons instead of saying what the real reasons are. Were we really to believe Chatman, an LSU staple, was going to leave LSU right before the Tournament without a live press conference? Were we to believe that if one of your most popular coaches was leaving for another job you wouldn't have spoken to her in person? The whole thing was poorly handled, managed and now has left what is really important, an LSU program full of promise, tainted and getting more tainted by the day as the University hides from speaking the truth about their role and their information and Pokey Chatman refusing to come clean with her side of events.

This is what truly bothers me about Pokey's handling of all of this: you are disrespecting the legacy of Sue Gunter, the woman who trusted you to carry on the torch of a program she loved so dearly, and if not for losing her battle with a lung infection, would have still been by your side fighting for you and your reputation. Sue Gunter coached at LSU for 22 years and for 40 years total. She was a pioneer of the sport and suffered through the days of no budgets and total disregard for the women's game. Gunter coached Chatman and loved her and respected her. She became Gunter's trusted assistant and help propel the program to elite status with her unbelievable recruiting skills. Sadly, as LSU got Seimone Augustus to come play for the Lady Tigers and bring national notoriety to Baton Rouge, Gunter's health would begin to fail. Sadly, she would have to step aside due to those health concerns and Chatman was her first and only choice to take over. I always was saddened that Gunter didn't get to coach at the Final Four or get to see a heavily-favored LSU team win the national title in 2005, months before she would pass away. I was saddened that she didn't get to be there in person for her Hall of Fame induction. I don't think she was saddened by it, however, because she loved seeing her trusted Pokey lead the way. It was Pokey she trusted as her point guard in the late 80's and early 90's, it was Pokey she trusted to bring in the recruits, it was Pokey she trusted to take over the program and lead it to new heights when she no longer could and it was Pokey there that day in 2005 accepting Gunter's Hall of Fame honor. One might say that Pokey was the daughter Gunter never had. Now, with every hour and day that passes with Pokey Chatman not coming forward with the truth and being transparent, the LSU program is suffering. It's image is being harmed and the program Gunter toiled on for years and wanted Chatman to take to new heights may be unable to ever be what it could have been.

I hope that Pokey will speak up, take responsibility for her actions, explain her thinking and help LSU move on and move forward with whomever they decide to take over. I hope that Pokey won't let the media and the public fill in the blanks and paint a negative picture of her and of Gunter's beloved Lady Tigers. I would think that Chatman, who received so much from Coach Gunter, would want to honor Sue's memory by helping clear up what has been a harmful blow to the LSU program.

BlogOpinion: Baylor's Mulkey a true no class act

"We have a national championship, and they don't" Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah...

Sound like something that could be heard on an elementary school yard during recess? To me it does. Yet, this childish and immature statement filled with conceit and "sour grapes" were the words spoken by the obviously full-of-herself Kim Mulkey following her loss (again) to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Semi-Finals Thursday night. It was Baylor's sixth consecutive loss to the Sooners since Courtney Paris arrived in Norman. When asked if the Sooners have a "hex" over Baylor, Mulkey scoffed and said, "I don't know they have a hex on us...we have a national championship and they don't."

Of course this isn't the first time the great Mulkster, coming off of her national title season, has seemingly taken her arrogance public. Last season she created a very public feud with the now former LSU coach Pokey Chatman because Pokey got a recruit that Mulkey wanted and also, very likely, because she couldn't deal with the fact that her team had just gotten thumped by nearly 30 points to LSU.

Listen, Kimmy, we know you have a national championship and we don't, but Pat's got six and you don't and Geno's got five and you don't...so there, take that! Is this the kind of argument this woman is going to make for everything?

"Coach Mulkey, are you going to Florida or LSU?"

"I have a national title and they don't"

"Coach Mulkey, what do you think your team's chances are in the NCAA's?"

"Well, since we have a national title and lots of the other teams don't, I think we have a good chance."

"Coach Mulkey, why did you get a divorce?"

"I have a national championship and he doesn't. It just wasn't gonna work, y'all."

Puh-leeze. I wasn't impressed with her classless spectacle she created last season and now with such arrogance as that of a 10-year-old boy losing in kickball that leads to statements claiming that she and her program are better than another because of a trophy and banner they have is the surest sign that Coach Mulkey is what I sensed from her all along: a self-centered, arrogant and holier-than-thou college basketball coach. I take back what I said before, Florida, you can do better than her! Oh wait, she has a national championship and you don't so maybe I am wrong...

The Avenue's Power Seeds

With only the Big 12 Championship left in doubt, which may have little effect on the top 16 teams, here are where I think teams will be placed:
The 1's:
Duke (The overall one seed and favorite to win it all, even following the loss to NC State, which did, however, show chinks in the armour.)
North Carolina (ACC Tourney Champs playing well entering the tournament.)
Tennessee (Loss to LSU in SEC Tourney where Parker scored only four points shows some problems, but their entire body of work is just too good.)
UConn (Yet another top seed who lost in their league tournament, but still a solid one.)
The 2's:
Maryland (The defending champions are the two seed none of the one's want to see in their bracket. Basically, they are the fifth one seed.)
Stanford (Looking solid, healthier and playing like the Final Four contender they were expected to be.)
Vanderbilt (This team won the SEC Tournament and worked there way up to the two line.)
LSU (Certainly with all the drama going on surrounding Pokey Chatman this team will either fall apart or band together. They have the talent and just beat Tennessee.)
The 3's:
Oklahoma (Improved since their midseason slump. Will drop if they lose to Baylor in semis)
Purdue (Big Ten Tourney Champs)
Arizona State (Dangerous team that just could never prove it, especially against Stanford. Still solid)
Texas A&M (Big 12 Co-Champs. A loss to Iowa State tonight would likely drop them to a four.)
The 4's:
Ohio State (Poor Buckeyes are suffering from injuries and because of it, lost the Big Ten Tourney and have dropped fast.)
NC State (A dangerous and inspired team that knocked Duke from the unbeatens. Hottest team right now.)
Rutgers (Second hottest team that knocked UConn from the Big East Championship foothold.)
George Washington (Colonials could have been a solid three, then blew it to Saint Joe's.)

BREAKING NEWS: Pokey had inappropriate relations with players

Nola.com is reporting that it has been confirmed that Pokey Chatman did, in fact, have inappropriate sexual relations with one or more players. It is not known whether it is recent, in the past or on-going. Skip Bertman, LSU Athletic Director, who earlier denied any wrongdoing, did somewhat confirm that something occurred though stopped short of saying what it was. The link is below:

http://www.nola.com

More to come on this shocking revelation that will likely end the coaching career of Chatman, one of the most promising young women's coaches in the game.

SPECIAL REPORT: A Storm is Brewing

As the Pokey Chatman story gets stranger and more complex by the minute, the implications of a top five women's basketball program having an unexpected coaching vacancy will start a chain of events of tornadic proportions. Something like this has not happened in women's college basketball. Sure, there have been coaching changes, but nothing so severe. This can be compared to the chain of events that caused chaos throughout the men's coaching world when Roy Williams left Kansas for UNC. That, in turn, led to Bill Self heading to Kansas, Bruce Weber to Illinois to replace Self and lots of college programs like Marquette having to ante up coaching salaries to keep their program leaders in place. The LSU job, if they don't keep it in the family with Bob Starkey, could lead to a coaching tidal wave like the women's college world has likely never seen.

Perhaps it all began when Florida A.D. Jeremy Foley fired the first shot creating a new reality in the women's game: Win, win fast, win big or you're out, no matter who you are. Foley gave national championship winning coach Carolyn Peck just five seasons before ridding of her. Foley wants the women's program to contend and he just isn't going to be patient with mediocrity. This will set the standard, especially in the SEC, which has seen the Arkansas program make a similar move with relative unknown head coach Susie Gardner after just four seasons, despite having an overall winning record.

Now, there are three major jobs open in the powerful SEC conference, with the LSU job the highest profile. Regardless of what Chatman's reasons might have been, she is gone, and the names of Kim Mulkey and Kristy Curry are all ready being bantered around because of their obvious coaching successes and because of their ties to Louisiana (Tech). So imagine that Pokey, is, as is rumored, going to Florida to build the Gators into a power and getting a lot of money in the process. How much will LSU pay to get Mulkey or Curry to keep the LSU Lady Tiger program within the top 10 year after year? And then, when one of them leaves for LSU, how much will Baylor or Tech have to pay to bring in a big name? It is going to begin a massive coaching hurricane that could wipe out many coaches looking to make a move to another school, for more money and better opportunities to win the national championship. It is a new level for the women's game. It could lead to major financial increases in salaries for women's coaches, media notoriety for all the changes and higher stakes for coaches who will no longer be allowed to just "get by," but rather have to consistently have their programs ranked and in the NCAA's fighting for at the very least a Final Four. Yes, the women's game is evolving and it all began with the shocking firing of Carolyn Peck and the shocking resignation of Pokey Chatman, both coaches in their primes. A storm is definitely brewing that could change the landscape of women's college basketball for years to come.

BREAKING NEWS: Chatman steps down immediately, won't coach in tourney

After she shocked everyone and said she would leave LSU at the end of the NCAA Tournament, Chatman has now said she will step aside immediately. Long time LSU assistant coach Bob Starkey will lead LSU in the tournament.

“My resignation yesterday has prompted speculation and rumors that far exceeded my expectations and it is clear that my presence would be a great distraction during the NCAA Tournament,” said Chatman. “I believe it is in the best interests of the team that I step away from my coaching duties immediately. I want the players and staff to have the best chance to maximize the opportunities we’ve earned. I have every confidence in the young ladies and the remaining coaches that they will have success in the NCAA Tournament.”

The decision comes after speculation has run rampant about her surprising resignation. Everything from rumors of going to Florida to the WNBA to questions about her sexuality and impropriety with players or anger with the LSU administration over money. It seems Chatman is doing the best thing to keep from being a distraction to the team in the NCAA's, however, in my opinion she should just give the reason why she is leaving and all the rumors would come to an end and no longer prove a distraction. This move only adds more suspicion to an all ready strange and bizarre turn of events for one of the top 5 women's program in the nation.

More to come...

Source: Pokey visted Florida campus

While Skip Bertman made the statement that Florida had not contacted him regarding Pokey Chatman, perhaps an A.D. who hasn't even had the gull to make a phone call to his outward-going head women's basketball coach isn't always in the know. Consider he just made the statement regarding a replacement search, "Typically you have a list of names in your right-hand desk drawer for when this type of thing happens, but I don't have such a list for THIS sport." Basically, Bertman admitted he doesn't spend much time thinking about women's basketball. Not surprising since he was a highly successful baseball coach at LSU and likely spends most of his days fawning over his football program.

With that said, it might not be surprising that the Florida rumors are heating up and a source with the AP reports that a coach within the industry made the statement that Pokey did, in fact, visit Gainesville. Also, it has been reported that Jeremy Foley, Florida's A.D., is willing to spend whatever to bring in a coach who can make the Lady Gators into a household name. Reports are swirling that a package anywhere between $600-800K has been offered. Even for an alumnus of LSU and someone who has lived and breathed LSU for two decades, Chatman might have been hard pressed to turn down a package that would likely double what she made at LSU. It is, after all, a business, and Chatman is young and perhaps wanted a new challenge.

In the meantime, Kim Mulkey has been bombarded by the media with questions of her interest in any of the SEC jobs, which Mulkey didn't deny, but danced around. This is going to be an interesting off-season and NCAA tournament filled with gossip, speculation and drama.

Pokey leaves behind a puzzle

Speculation is what the news media does in this age of 24/7 information. They especially have to when the target of their stories aren't talking. Such is the case with the suprise resignation of Pokey Chatman from LSU. Why is it a surprise? She is young, vibrant, went to the past three final fours, spent her entire life in Louisiana, played at LSU, is a Hall of Famer at LSU, was an assistant at LSU and was to carry on what the legendary Sue Gunter could no longer do when her frail body gave out in 2005. What would be so moving as to want to make her leave all that she has ever known?

Athletic Director Skip Bertman left some clues in an interview today, ruling out the possibility of Chatman being under investigation by the NCAA or the University for something dirty. He also offered that no other A.D. had contacted him about Pokey, say like the University of Florida, which is rumored to have wooed the coaching star away to build them a national women's basketball powerhouse. Bertman also offered that money was not the issue and there were no known riffs between administration and Chatman. While he was saddened and surprised, the oddest statement he made was that he had not spoke with her personally and did not follow-up. Seems odd that the LSU A.D. would not at least try to talk her out of it or speak with her in person?

Other pieces of the puzzle make no sense as well. The SEC Championship was in a suburb of Atlanta last week, the same city that is making a push for a new WNBA franchise. A few days later, Chatman is resigning. Could officials have spoken with her about leading an Atlanta WNBA organization. Perhaps Pokey would have wanted this opportunity for the challenge, but what a tremendous paycut she would be facing by going to the WNBA. Maybe it is as simple as she is tired of coaching all together, which would be sad because she has much to offer, but it is a realistic consideration. She has been around hoops her whole life and maybe, though difficult to wrap our heads around, she just wants to try something completely new.

The fact is, leaks will likely occur in the next few days to give us some insight, but we just aren't going to know the full story until Pokey speaks, which won't happen until the Lady Tigers fall in the NCAA Tournament, which doesn't even begin for another week. I like Pokey Chatman and like the LSU program. I always was a supporter and fan of Sue Gunters and I am as curious as the rest of the women's college basketball world to find out who, why, when, what, how? I just hope it all ends in good things for Chatman and for LSU.

BREAKING NEWS: Pokey to Florida?

Sources close to the Gainesville Athletic Department on the campus of the University of Florida are reporting that it was about to be leaked in the Gainesville media and then, ultimately the national media, that Pokey Chatman, LSU's head coach who resigned today from the highly successful Lady Tigers program, would take the high-profile Florida job. While it was to be announced following the NCAA Tournament, it is believed that Chatman wanted to make sure to be able to announce she was leaving before it was leaked in the media.

Other rumors circulating have Chatman pursuing a non-coaching career altogether, taking a job in the WNBA or building up another hoops program from scratch. It is hard to believe that Chatman would leave LSU, a school she graduated from and was an assistant at for 18 years prior to taking over, for another school in the SEC, thereby basically ruining her reputation amongst Tiger supporters.

Other reasons circulating have to do with reasons of inpropriety or her sexual orientation. Let me be the first to say that GalHoopsAvenue will not entertain these harmful rumors as fact until they are just that, fact.

More to come...

BREAKING NEWS: Pokey Chatman resigns at LSU

In what is certainly the biggest jolt to come in the world of women's college basketball coaching in years, LSU Head Coach Pokey Chatman announced her resignation from the SEC program effective at the end of the NCAA Tournament season. Chatman is in her third full season as head coach and her 18th season overall with the Tiger Program. She played for the late Sue Gunter and then served as Gunter's assistant before taking over for the ailing Gunter in 2004. Gunter passed away in 2005 shortly after the Tigers made their second consecutive NCAA Final Four.

"I have notified the university today that I will step down as head coach of the women's basketball program in order to allow me to pursue other career opportunities," Chatman said in a prepared statement that did not give details about those other opportunities.

The resignation came as a surprise to Athletic Director Skip Bertman, but thanked Chatman for her years of loyalty to the school and to the women's basketball program.

"We respect the decision that Pokey Chatman has made regarding her future career opportunities," athletic director Skip Bertman said in a news release. "On behalf of LSU, I thank her for her athletic accomplishments as a player and as a coach, and for the community service work she has performed for Baton Rouge and Louisiana."

Chatman has a record of 105-19, including the wins and losses from her season as acting head coach in Gunter's absence. She was known for her feisty sideline behavior and meticulous coaching. Her recruiting efforts are said to have brought in LSU's most notable players including Marie Ferdinand, Sylvia Fowles and the two-time Player of the Year Seimone Augustus. She led the Lady Tigers to the final four the past three seasons, each time losing in the semi-finals. This year, LSU stands at 26-7 overall and recently upset Tennessee in the SEC semi-finals before falling to Vanderbilt in the championship game. Chatman is a native of Louisiana, which makes the decision that much more unexplainable. Stay blogged-in and up-to-date on the situation here on galhoopsavenue.blogspot.com and email us your thoughts on this big story at galhoopsavenue@gmail.com.

The Bubble Has Burst!

For these teams, unfortunately, the season will end in the WNIT or in no postseason at all, as the bubble has officially burst:

Oklahoma State (While Coach Budke's team managed a .500 league record, I think they needed a conference tournament victory in order to secure their first bid in years. Too bad their hopes were dashed when 11-19 Kansas upset them in the first round last night.)

Illinois (Another team with a .500 conference record and only one marquee win over a ranked team in Michigan State. Theresa Grentz' team needed at the very least to win their first round Big Ten Tourney game against Penn State in order to have a chance and they failed to do so.)

USC (Mark Trakh was plagued by injuries to some superstar players this season so I don't think anyone expected them to make it. He did a great coaching job even getting them in the discussion and a win over Stanford in the Pac-10 Tourney would have locked it up, I believe. It just wasn't to be, but watch out next year!)

Seton Hall (Even at 9-7 in the league, the Pirates needed to make a run in the Big East Tourney for any hopes. Another WNIT appearance for the Hall.)

Others: Auburn, Hofstra, DePaul, Ball State, Kentucky, Wisconsin

Hype Boulevard: Coaching carousel begins

Why Cheryl Burnett left SW Missouri State (now Missouri State) for the Michigan job is beyond my comprehension. She was much more successful at her former haunt (two final four appearances and 10 NCAA's). Now, with her "retirement" (a nice way of Michigan allowing her to leave with her dignity) from the Wolverine Program, she leaves to her legacy four straight losing seasons and completely destroying any progress Sue Guevera (now Nell Fortner's assistant at Auburn) made while in Ann Arbor. Michigan, in my mind, has the capabilities of being a great place to build a women's program. Certainly they can't cheer about football or men's basketball much any longer. What a perfect opportunity for someone to come in and take advantage of the athletic apathy residing in the quaint and historic Ann Arbor college town.

This is just one major BCS job opening up in women's college basketball so far as the season winds down. Earlier this week it was announced that Arkansas, a program that Gary Blair had built into a contender before leaving for Texas A & M, was moving in a new direction. The Arkansas program had become so obsolete in the powerful SEC that I can't even remember the name of the woman who was the coach and why even waste the time looking it up. It wouldn't surprise me if her profile is all ready gone from the athletic website anyhow! Of course, life isn't easy in the SEC (even in a considerable down year overall for the usual top league in women's hoops). If you need proof of that just ask Carolyn Peck, the now-former head coach at Florida and former head coach at Purdue. Yes, she is the one who won the national championship for the Boilermakers. These three jobs are the first, I am sure, among many that will lead to coaching dominos.

Florida's A.D. has all ready made a promise to hire a coach who can bring Final Four appearances and the ability to win national titles to Gainesville to compliment powerful football and men's basketball programs. Needless to say, rumors are swirling about who it might be. Names have ranged from the never-have-a-chance-in-hell variety (Geno, Brenda Frese) to the obscure (Lin Dunn). Some realistic mentions (including who I think they should chase) would be Kim Mulkey at Baylor. This, of course, would lead to someone else at another high profile job leaving for Baylor, which can't pay as much as Florida, but with a national title banner would attract mid-tier candidates to keep the momentum going in desolate Waco, Texas.

What about Arkansas and Michigan? These programs will be coveted jobs as well. Some possibilities might include Curt Miller at BGSU heading just a half and hour up the road to Ann Arbor to build there what he has built in little 'ol Bowling Green, OH. To me, that one is a no-brainer. Another candidate, even though she couldn't get it done at Florida, is Carolyn Peck. Peck, seemed to be unable to find her place in the SEC, but it is my belief that she could in the Big Ten, which needs to attract big name coaches to rebuild their image (Hello? Three teams in the NCAA's this season for a BCS conference?! Yikes!). As for Arkansas, I believe you will probably see a mid-major head coach step in or perhaps a well-known assistant. What about Ashley McElhaney, former Vandy star and current assistant at Alabama? Or, coming back full circle, why not bring Sue Guevera out of exile as an assistant at Auburn and give her the reins at Arkansas? Looking back on her 123 wins (the most in Wolverine history) at Michigan, I guess she didn't do so bad after all.

It will be interesting to see what happens with these jobs and who might want to make a change from there current situation, which would lead to even more openings. As the season winds down for each team, more and more jobs will come open. Here is a list of jobs I think will eventually come open and which coaches will be coveted to rebuild:

Programs That Might Make a Change:

UCLA

Arizona

Illinois

Wake Forest

Washington State

Cincinnati

Iowa

South Carolina

Hot Coaches to Grab:

Curt Miller, BGSU

Sharon Baldwin-Tenor, East Carolina

Marsha Frese, Illinois Assistant

Chris Daly, UConn Assistant

Carolyn Peck, Former Florida Coach

Gail Valley, Duke Assistant

Charly Turner-Thorne, Arizona State

Joanne Boyle, California

Kevin McHuff, Xavier

Dawn Staley, Temple

Jen Rizzotti, Hartford

MaChelle Joseph, GaTech

Sue Semrau, Florida State

Marsha Sharp, Former Texas Tech Coach

The Prescription: Women's Hoops Analyst of the Year

Yes, I've polled many college basketball savants throughout the nation on who and why they feel is #1 in the business...the votes have been tallied---Without further adieu, I present this award to Doris Burke. Not surprising for those who know her or follow the game. She is, by far, the most respected, most knowledgeable female basketball analysts in all of the land. Most would agree, there is no better feeling than watching a game while listening to Doris Burke. It's like whip cream with pumpkin pie. She is truly the whip cream to watching college basketball. Burke has always captured the attention of her audience whether it be via commentating or by her stellar play as a standout point guard for Providence College in the 80s.

Not many fans know that she has a strong playing background. In fact, she currently holds many records at Providence, specifially the leader in assists and free throws. She also is a Providence Hall of Fame Inductee.She had a brief stint as the assistant coach for the Friars in the 1988-1990 seasons, before moving on to radio broadcasts of many east coast men's and women's college basketball games. She joined ESPN in 1991 and has continually improved and expanded her horizons.Her abilities for timing and understanding of the game in addition to charisma made her one of the nation's best up and coming talents. The NBA took notice, and she landed the radio broadcast for the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Radio Network becoming the first female ever to cover the Knicks---a huge accomplishment for any commentator especially at the world's most famous basketball venue.In combination to the above, Burke also covers games for CBS Sports and the WNBA. She now does a vast majority of sideline work for ESPN men's college basketball, recently covering the Duke-Maryland men's ACC game last evening in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.I had the opportunity to meet Doris in person last year while I was at Duke.

Let me just say she has a great aura about her, very well spoken, cordial, and seemed very humble for all she has accomplished. Not many times do we hear compliments being casted to commentators and analysts. Instead, we hear a lot of bickering and see a lot of eye rolling about certain analysts. Doris Burke is definitely one of a kind. She deserves props for her work and that is why she has won the inaugural Galhoopsavenue Analyst of The Year Award. Congrats Doris!

Other analysts who tallied votes (% of votes):

Debbie Antonelli--32%

Stacey Dales--25%

Beth Mowins--18%

Nancy Lieberman--14%

Dr. Anthony Smith, a native of Convoy, Ohio, currently resides in Perrysburg, Ohio as a physician, and is a regular contributor for Galhoopsavenue.blogspot.com. He can be reached at anthonysmith101@msn.com

Conference Tourney Preview: ACC and SEC

30th Annual ACC Women's Basketball Tournament
Thursday: Game No. 1 - Seed No. 5 Florida State vs. Seed No. 12 Wake Forest, 11:00 a.m. (RSN)

Game No. 2 - Seed No. 8 Virginia vs. Seed No. 9 Clemson, 3:00 p.m. (RSN)

Game No. 3 - Seed No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. Seed No. 10 Boston College, 6:00 p.m. (Webcast on ACC Select)

Game No. 4 - Seed No. 6 Georgia Tech vs. Seed No. 11 Miami, 8:00 p.m. (Webcast on ACC Select)
Friday: Game No. 5 - Seed No. 4 NC State vs. winner of Game 1, 11:00 a.m. (RSN)

Game No. 6 - Seed No. 1 Duke vs. winner of Game 2, 3:00 p.m. (RSN)

Game No. 7 - Seed No. 2 North Carolina vs. winner of Game 3, 6:00 p.m. (Webcast on ACC Select)

Game No. 8 - Seed No. 3 Maryland vs. winner of Game 4, 8:00 p.m. (Webcast on ACC Select)
Saturday: Game No. 9 - ACC Semifinal 1, 2:00 p.m. (FSN)

Game No. 10 - ACC Semifinal 2, 4:30 p.m. (FSN)
Sunday: Game No. 11 - Championship Game, 1:00 p.m. (FSN)

Predictions: NC State will play FSU, Clemson will be led into slaughter vs. Duke, BC will upset VaTech and face UNC, and Maryland will get a chance for revenge against GaTech. The semi-final will look like this: FSU vs. Duke, UNC vs. Maryland. The finals will be a battle between Duke and Maryland with Duke easily defeating Maryland for the third time this season.

2007 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament

First Round - Thursday, March 1
Game 1
#8 S. Carolina vs. #9 Auburn
1:00 p.m. RSN
Game 2
#7 Kentucky vs. #10 Arkansas
3:30 p.m. RSN
Game 3
#5 Ole Miss vs. #12 Alabama
7:00 p.m. RSN
Game 4
#6 Miss. State vs. #11 Florida
9:30 p.m. RSN
Second Round - Friday, March 2
Game 5
#1 Tennessee vs. G1 winner
1:00 p.m. RSN
Game 6
#2 Georgia vs. G2 winner
3:30 p.m. RSN
Game 7
#4 LSU vs. G3 winner
7:00 p.m. RSN
Game 8
#3 Vanderbilt vs. G4 winner
9:30 p.m. RSN
Semifinals - Saturday, March 3
Game 9
G5 Winner vs. G7 Winner
6:45 p.m. RSN
Game 10
G6 Winner vs. G8 Winner
9:15 p.m. RSN
Finals - Sunday, March 4
Game 11
G9 Winner vs. G10 Winner
7:30 p.m. ESPN2

Predictions: Auburn will face Tennessee, Kentucky will play Georgia, Ole Miss will play LSU and Mississippi State will play Vandy. The semi-finals: Tennessee and LSU/Georgia vs. Vandy. The finals will be between Tennessee and Georgia with Georgia upsetting the Lady Vols in Duluth!

The Avenue Top 25

Top 25 Rankings 2.28.2007

1.)Duke

2.)Tennessee

3.)UNC

4.)UCONN

5.)Maryland

6.)Stanford

7.)Oklahoma

8.)Arizona St

9.)Vanderbilt

10.)Ohio St

11.)LSU

12.)George Washington

13.)Middle Tennessee

14.)Georgia

15.)Purdue

16.)Texas A & M

17.)Bowling Green

18.)Baylor

19.)NC State

20.)Marquette

21.)Rutgers

22.)Wisconsin-Green Bay

23.)Michigan State

24.)California

25.)Louisville

Bubble:Florida State, James Madison, Montana, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Delaware, Notre Dame, Iowa State

Conference Tourney Preview: Big East

2007 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Championship Field - Presented by Aéropostale
Saturday, March 3 - First Round (BETV & BIG EAST All-Access)

Noon - No. 5 Louisville vs. No. 12 St. John's

2 p.m. - No. 8 USF vs. No. 9 Seton Hall

6 p.m. - No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 DePaul

8 p.m. - No. 6 Pittsburgh vs. No. 11 Cincinnati
Sunday, March 4 - Quarterfinals (ESPNU)

Noon - No. 4 West Virginia vs. No. 5/No. 12 winner

2 p.m. - No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 8/No. 9 winner

6 p.m. - No. 2 Rutgers vs. No. 7/No. 10 winner

8 p.m. - No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 6/No. 11 winner
Monday, March 5 - Semifinals (ESPNU)

6 p.m. - Quarterfinal afternoon winners

8 p.m. - Quarterfinal evening winners
Tuesday, March 6 - Championship (ESPN2)

7:00 p.m. - Championship game (semifinal winners)

Predictions:

Louisville will play West Virginia, USF will play UConn, Notre Dame will play Rutgers and Pitt will play Marquette. Louisville vs. UConn in semifinal #1, while Rutgers and Pitt will play in semifinal #2. UConn vs. Rutgers in the final. UConn wins the Big East Tournament.

The Avenue Power Seeds

After a week in which Duke stayed dominant, LSU lost to Vandy, Baylor lost to A&M and UConn and Maryland looked good, much has changed within the top 16 seeds of the NCAA tourney. Here are the predictions prior to conference tourney's which start this weekend:

The 1's
Duke (The national title is their's to lose. No one else should touch them.)
Tennessee (The second best team, and probably the only one with a chance as of now to upset Duke.)
North Carolina (Ivory Latta isn't the same as she was last year and neither is Larkins. Wouldn't want to be playing them if they go back to playing like they did last season.)
UConn (Quietly moving up to the level of play that could surprise everyone.)

The 2's
Maryland (Playing better as of late. Duke and UNC fans would hate it if they win the ACC Tourney and go on another tear.)
Ohio State (They get the two nod simply because they did dominate the Big Ten. However, they are no where near the top level teams.)
Stanford (Even without Wiggins they have managed to get the job done. With Wiggins back they might be the tourney sleeper.)
Oklahoma (They hit a rough patch, but are still favored for the Big 12 Title. How can you not give a team with Courtney Paris the two nod?)

The 3's
Arizona State (If they win the Pac-10 Tourney they could be the two and Stanford the three.)
Georgia (If this team comes together they have enough talent to play with the 1's.)
Texas A&M (Looking good late in the season.)
George Washington (Undefeated A-10 season impressive considering Temple was better than expected and Xavier is an NCAA team as well. Will be threatened in the A10 Tourney on Xavier's homecourt. If they lose there, they fall to a 4.)

The 4's
Vanderbilt (Impressive win over LSU and they were a 3. Embarrassing loss to Tennessee and they are a 4.)
LSU (It pains me to put them this low because I think they are much better, but two losses in a row to Tennessee and Vandy leaves me no choice.)
Purdue (If they can win the Big Ten Tourney, they could go to a three.)
Baylor (Kim Mulkey's team should be a four even in winning the Big 12 Tourney, which I think is unlikely anyhow. They are young and inconsistent.)

Main Street: Big East brawl in Jersey tonight

For UConn it's about locking up another undefeated conference season and making sure they get that one seed in the NCAA tournament. For Rutgers it's about playing spoiler, protecting their homecourt and raising their stock for the NCAA seeding process.

The Summary: After a horrid start, the Scarlet Knight have come on strong. For awhile, it didn't seem that they were going to be playing in any post-season tournament. They started off 2-4, including getting blown out by 40 to top-ranked Duke. Then, they went on a tear, going 17-3 in their last 20 games. UConn is UConn, but no one expected them to be as good as they have been this season. Tina Charles, the #1 recruit last season, has been as good as advertised.

The Stakes: UConn already has the league title, as they are 15-0 in league play and three games ahead of Rutgers so there is no threat there, but it would be nice to run the gauntlet and almost ensure the one seed in the NCAA. Rutgers has done well in their last 20 games and have won five in a row. Coach Stringer knows if she can get the upset than she can get a higher tourney seed. UConn is 26-2 overall, with losses to Tennessee and UNC. Rutgers is 19-7 overall and 12-3 in the conference.

The Series: UConn won earlier this seasonin Storrs, 60-50, but Rutgers has won two of the last three meetings. UConn leads the overall series 19-4.

The Say: If Matee Ajavon plays like she did against their last opponent, Notre Dame, Rutgers might be able to pull off the upset. UConn is good, but this isn't UConn of old and I believe we will see them get upset in Rutgers tonight. Final Word: Rutgers pulls off the upset in a thriller!

Airs on ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

TourneyBuzz: Life on the Bubble

Aw, life on the bubble. Constant uncertainty, stress and pressure. These teams have played themselves on the bubble. Whether by playing bad or by making a late-season run to put them in contention for the NCAA's. Let's take a look at the bubble as it stands one week before conference tournaments begin:

ACC

Georgia Tech (18-10, 9-5 ACC)

RPI: 48

SOS: 31

Key Wins: Maryland, NC State

Key Losses: Georgia, Temple, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State

Status: Good. While the ACC isn't as strong as last season, Georgia Tech has earned nine wins in the league, including big wins over Maryland and NC State. Their numbers are just good enough to get in.

Big 12

Oklahoma State (19-9, 7-8 Big 12)

RPI:69

SOS:81

Key Wins:Iowa State, Nebraska, Texas (twice)

Key Losses: Arkansas State, Oklahoma (twice), Baylor (twice), Texas A&M (twice)

Status: Iffy. While no one is going to be disappointed with a WNIT bid after being in the cellar for so long, Kurt Budke's squad is on the cusp of breaking through. They must defeat K-State on the road for any chance and then win a game or two in the Big 12 tourney.

Texas (17-12, 6-9 Big 12)

RPI:31

SOS:6

Key Wins: Purdue, Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Key Losses: Duke, Tennessee, Kansas

Status:Iffy. Great RPI numbers, played a tough schedule. However, Texas should not be in this position. Injuries or no injuries, Texas has let their program slip and now will likely miss the NCAA's again this year. A five-game losing streak, broken last night against Tech, is not something the committee is going to look favorably upon. Good wins and computer numbers are keeping their slim hopes alive.

Big East

Seton Hall (18-9, 9-6 Big East)

RPI:64

SOS:60

Key Wins: Marquette, Pittsburgh

Key Losses: UConn, Kansas, Virginia, Rutgers

Status: Iffy. Computer numbers are low, but the Pirates might have a chance if they can upset South Florida on the road and get to 10 Big East wins. Might also have to get a win in the Big East Tournament.

Big Ten

Illinois (18-9, 8-7 Big Ten)

RPI: 76

SOS: 98

Key Wins: Michigan State

Key Losses: Indiana (twice), Ohio State, Purdue, Mississippi

Status: Bursting. While the Illini will finish in the top five of the Big Ten, a spot that would typically get you in, the league is down big time and Illinois needed to not lose to the likes of Indiana and Minnesota to up their league record. They will need to upset Purdue today at home and likely win a game in the Big Ten Tourney or maybe more in order to get in. A .500 league record won't do the job with that bad RPI and only one marquee win.

Pac-10

Washington (18-11, 11-7 Pac-10)

RPI:41

SOS: 21

Key Wins: Texas A&M, Gonzaga, Florida State, USC, California

Key Losses: Ohio State, Marquette, Stanford (twice)

Status: Good. Quality wins, good computer numbers, a fourth place finish in the Pac-10. All signs point to a bid for Washington. Winning their first round league tourney game will solidify.

USC (16-11, 10-7 Pac-10)

RPI:67

SOS:70

Key Wins: Notre Dame, Washington

Key Losses: South Dakota State, Stanford, Cal (twice), Arizona State (twice)

Status: Bursting. A few weeks back they weren't in contention at all after injuries depleted four of their top players. A win over Cal earlier this week would have gone a long way to improving their chances, but they lost in OT. Today they have a long-shot chance of upsetting Stanford on the road. A win there and their status is better. Right now, they are likely a WNIT team.

SEC

Mississippi State (17-11, 7-6 SEC)

RPI: 66

SOS: 46

Key Wins: Ole Miss, Georgia Tech

Key Losses: LaTech, Purdue, Tennessee, LSU

Status: Iffy. Typically, a .500 record in the SEC is good enough. Like so many of the other power leagues this season, the SEC is not as strong and might only get five teams. MSU needs to finish at 8-6 in the league and I think they are good, although their RPI is bad and they really have no marquee wins.

The Prescription: Falcons Soaring High

Balance and Miller key BG success

Folks, take notice.

39 Consecutive Mid-American Conference(MAC) Victories.

18 Straight wins

29 Straight Home Wins making it the longest active home winning streak in the country

17 Straight MAC road wins

Currently, 25-2 with losses to Notre Dame in OT and a nine-point loss to #1 Duke

Three Consecutive Regular Season MAC titles

Just another walk in the park for the Falcons of Bowling Green and head coach Curt Miller as the Falcons come into this weekends game against Ohio University ranked #16 in the latest USA Today/ESPN poll. Are we seeing the a new ODU or La Tech in the making? Time will tell. BG has extremely high hopes this season after two very tough losses in the NCAA tournament. In 2005, the Falcons lost to Deb Patterson's highly ranked Kansas St program in a nail biter after the Falcons lead most of the 2nd half. In 2006, the Falcons were disrespected in the bracketing and had to battle five seed UCLA and Kathy Olivier in the first round before falling in the waning moments of the game. The Falcons finished 28-3 last season. The BG program and fans felt short handed and wanted to prove something to the NCAA tournament committee. Curt Miller improved his non-conference schedule by playing Notre Dame, Indiana, Temple, Duke, Temple, and Delaware. BG won all but two of them, and in fact embarrassed Temple by nearly 20, Indiana by nearly 40 and only lost to #1 Duke by nine...only two teams in the country have been able to keep it in single digits against Duke.The Falcons have many attributes that have contributed to their success, but balance is their #1 weapon. Bowling Green brings five different players averaging in double figures. They are led by Ali Mann's 15.8 ppg, followed by arguably the best guard in the Midwest in Kate Achter at 11.4 ppg, Carin Horne's 11.1 ppg, Liz Honneger's 10.3 ppg, and Amber Flynn's 10 ppg. Not many teams in the entire land can boast that stat line. It doesn't just stop with the offense as the Falcon's defense is spectacular considering they hold their opponents to a dismal 38% field goal percentage and a staggering 28% from long range. Lindsey Goldsberry, sophomore from the national power Dayton Chaminade-Julienne fame, comes off the bench and averages just over two steals per game.BG has overwhelmed their opponents this season with their offensive balance as most have learned they are unable to focus on one certain player. Kate Achter may be the most fluid guard in the Midwest and is impecable at setting the offense and tone. She can finish when taking the ball to the rim, has improved her outside shooting, and has eyes in the back of her head. If she is struggling, super soph Jasmine McCall takes the lead. The starting five for Coach Miller is as versatile as any team in the country as Honneger, Mann, Thorburn, and Flynn can all step outside and knock shots down. This was very successful against Duke as 6'7" Ali Bales had to roam the 3 point line chasing the quicker player of BG.While the Falcons have been ranked all season long in the top 25, they know their tournament seeding will be key for them to make a long tournament run. The Falcons deserve a #4 seed and they should finally be rewarded for their accomplishments instead of some overdone SEC or Pac-10 team. Note to all other 63 teams in the NCAA tournament---the Falcons are for real and pose a huge threat to all.

Dr. Anthony Smith, a native of Convoy, Ohio, currently resides in Perrysburg, Ohio as a physician, and is a regular contributor for Galhoopsavenue.blogspot.com. He can be reached at anthonysmith101@msn.com

Hype Boulevard: Programs Rising, Programs Falling

Top 10 Programs on the Rise:

10. Xavier (Kevin McGuff benefitted from Kristy Curry's exit from Purdue when he snagged one of the top five players in the class of 2006 from the exodus that followed her leaving. Amber Harris is an impact player who will return the Musketeers to the NCAA's year after year.)

9. Bowling Green (Perhaps the new ODU, the new LaTech. A consistent mid-major program that can compete with the BCS schools? Curt Miller, if he sticks around, will welcome a great recruiting class and has three NCAA appearances in a row to keep the flywheel spinning with momentum.)

8. Wisconsin-Green Bay (The Phoenix are another mid-major making noise with top 25 appearances and a reputation for being a team no one wants to face in the NCAA's. Kevin Borseth, who almost left last year for Colorado, is a great coach who will keep them in contention.)

7. Kentucky (Mickie DeMoss is having a rough go this season after big expectations following an NCAA appearance last season. She is pulling in a top 20 recruiting class and will make Kentucky a contender in the SEC. After all, she did help Pat win all those national titles!)

6. Florida State (Sue Semrau brought in a top 25 recruiting class of six this year and they will make FSU a contender in the ACC and in the NCAA's. Speaking of which, the Seminoles will enjoy their third consecutive bid this year.)

5. Oklahoma State (Coach Budke kept LaTech relevant and most thought there was no way he could do it at OSU. Now, in just his second season in Stillwater, Budke has the Cowgirls at 18-9 overall and within striking distance of a .500 finish in the tough Big 12. In the coming years, the OSU vs. Oklahoma game will be a great rivalry in women's hoops.)

4. Georgia Tech (MaChelle Joseph is almost there. In her fourth season she has won nine games in the ACC, a school record, and she beat Maryland this season. She has a top 10 recruiting class coming in next season with a top 10 player. Watch out for them in the coming years. They should get an NCAA bid this season to start a trend.)

3. Middle Tennessee (What started with Stephany Smith, now at Alabama, is going to the next level with former high school coach, Rick Insell, who brought in a top 10 recruiting class at a school that no one knows a lot about. They are definitely the new LaTech or ODU. They are small, small school competing with national powers and it looks to become a trend. They have already proven themselves with a win on the road at Georgia and a near-upset of Maryland.)

2. California (Joanne Boyle benefitted from inheriting a great recruiting class, but next year she'll bring in her own top 20 recruits to keep the momentum going in Berkely. She is building a program that will be able to compete with Stanford and for long runs in the NCAA tournament. Look for their second straight NCAA appearance this season in just two years for Boyle.)

1. USC (Mark Trakh will bring in another blue chip class next season and will finally have all the peices of his 2006 recruiting class, including one of the top three players in Jackie Gemelos, who Geno wanted real bad. If they can finally get healthy, USC will be a top 10 team next season and into the future with the potential to contend not only for the Pac-10, but also for the final four and maybe even the national title. Yes, Gemelos is that good and so are the rest of players he is bringing in.)

Top 10 Programs Falling From Grace:

10. Arizona (Coach Bonvincini has allowed her once powerful Pac-10 program to fall apart.)

9. Colorodo State (This MWC program used to be a top 10 national power under now-Louisville coach Tom Cullen. Now, it's in the cellar.)

8. Alabama (Hopefully Stephany Smith can pull it together and she deserves time, but 'Bama used to do quite well under Rick Moody.)

7. Arkansas (Another SEC program that was powerful under now-A&M coach Gary Blair, but has since fallen and can't get up!)

6. Clemson (Coach McKinnon needs time, but Clemson has gone from the top of the food chain in the ACC to bottom feeders.)

5. Colorado (The legendary Ceal Barry left with a bad taste in her mouth and I am sure McConnell-Miller will turn it around, but this is a program that used to be one of women's college basketball's best.)

4. Penn State (Time to go, Rene...time to go!)

3. Virginia (Wow, how powerful they used to be, then they went to mediocre, now they don't even make the tourney.)

2. Old Dominion (Even Wendy Larry couldn't keep this program relevant. Yes, she dominates her league, but she can't contend with the national powers anylonger. It's sad to see ODU lose their commitment towards their nationally known women's basketball legacy.)

1. Louisiana Tech (Perhaps the most disappointing is LaTech, probably one of the top five women's programs of all time. Kurt Budke kept them in contention, but it hasn't been the same since Leon Barmore left and now they look like they will miss the NCAA tourney for the first time ever!)

Main Street: Weekend matchup showcases important Pac-10 finale

Talk about being riddled with bad luck. USC is a program on the rise, but four redshitrs have hampered Mark Trakh's Women of Troy from excelling this season and now they lay on the bubble. Stanford hasn't exactly been lucky either after losing JJ Hones to an ACL and now All-American Candace Wiggins is recovering from a hamstring injury. This game is important for both teams for very different reasons.

The Summary: Stanford was a preseason pick for the final four, but they started out rough. Besides a flub up at Cal, the Cardinal are once again dominating the Pac-10. Without Candace Wiggins in the lineup, though, the Cardinal are vulnerable and USC has been playing well of late. Coach Mark Trakh is building a program at the once powerful USC campus. Three years on the job and the last two have ended with NCAA appearances. Anyone remember in just his first year that he nearly upset eventual national runner-up, Michigan State, in the second round? Injuries have plagued him this year, but once again, USC can increase their NCAA chances with a big road win over the Cardinal.

The Stakes: Stanford holds a one-game lead over Arizona State in the league and will win the conference outright by defeating USC on Sunday. They are 23-4 overall. USC is 16-10 overall, but they have gone 10-4 in their last 14 games and nearly upset Cal in OT at Berkeley last night. They are well-coached and can be dangerous. USC is obviously trying for their third consecutive NCAA appearance, but they will definitely need this one over Stanford for any chance. Stanford is obviously in, but they don't want to share the Pac-10 title.

The Series: The last game saw Stanford defeat USC by 16 points. Trakh has yet to get his first win against the Cardinal.

The Say: Next season USC will be a thorn in Stanford's side for years to come as Coach Trakh will hopefully be healthy with Jackie Gemelos and other star players plus a top 20 recruiting class. I think USC will give Stanford a run on Sunday, but in the end Stanford gets the last word and another Pac-10 title. Final word: Stanford, minus Wiggins, still has enough to oust USC and send the Women of Troy to the WNIT.