TULSA, Okla. >> So what are the chances that three teams from the Western Athletic Conference will reach the NCAA Tournament? WAC makes bids for NCAAs
By Grace Wen
gwen@starbulletin.comAbout as good as getting three coaches to agree on who's going to go.
Hawaii coach Vince Goo said "three definitely" in the press conference following the Rainbow Wahine's 59-36 semifinal rout of Rice. But Goo backtracked a little and said a lot would depend on the criteria being examined by the selection committee.
"Objectively we've done what we wanted and got into the championship game. We've done what we needed to do," Goo said. "Subjectively, I can't comment on that. If you look at the RPI we were 46th, Rice was 41.
"I don't think Rice got hurt very much by losing to us. I think Rice was 68th when they beat us and they jumped up to 52. Louisiana Tech should be in. Look at the teams Rice has beat. They beat Notre Dame, they beat George Washington. They beat Louisiana Tech. They have some good wins, I think they deserve to be in the tournament."
But Rice coach Cristy McKinney sees things a little differently. Following Hawaii's win, McKinney said that the Owls' chances were not good. While Rice has had quality wins, it has also had bad losses, including on the road to San Jose State (120 RPI) and Nevada (180 RPI).
"We're not getting our hopes up," McKinney said.
Before the WAC tournament, Goo said the Wahine would need to reach the championship game and get a win specifically against Rice in the semifinal to boost their RPI. Hawaii got all of that and may have lifted itself into contention for a spot in the tournament.
"Going into it I thought Rice had the opportunity, but they were going to have to get to the final," Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore said. "But now Hawaii may have flip-flopped this thing. It's going to be hard to get three teams in. I think we're going to get two, Louisiana Tech and one more.
"Hawaii has put themselves in position, certainly if they win they're in. And now they've gotten to the finals and it's a close call. Hawaii stepped past Rice today. I think Hawaii deserves to be in the tournament, absolutely."
The NCAA will announce the 64-team field tomorrow at noon Hawaii time.
Since joining the WAC for the 1996-97 season, the Rainbow Wahine have been invited once, in 1998. Hawaii lost in the first round to Arkansas, 76-70 at Stanford.
The only time the WAC has had three teams in the NCAA Women's Tournament was 1998 when Hawaii, New Mexico and Utah were invited. The WAC had two teams in the 1999 and 2000 tournaments and one last year.