News

Anyone wondering why NCAA Tournament time is called March Madness would have found the reason by watching the Portland State women's basketball team erupt in celebration Monday afternoon when seedings for the women's NCAA Tournament were announced.

By the time the ESPN announcer reached the final pairing of the No. 2 and No. 15 seeds in the first of the four brackets, most of the players who had gathered downtown at Buffalo Wild Wings had returned to eating their wings.

After all, as a first-time tournament participant that had finished fifth in the Big Sky Conference, a No. 16 seed seemed all but assured. It took a second, but when the graphic revealed Portland State as a No. 15 seed against No. 2 Texas A&M, the madness ensued.

While senior star Claire Faucher yelled, "We're not a 16! We're not a 16!" two of her teammates fell over backwards in their chairs out of sheer excitement, while others pumped their fists and shared looks of jubilation mixed with disbelief.

"I don't even know what (the TV) said as far as where (the game) was," coach Sherri Murrell said. "All I saw was 15 seed and I just erupted. Then the girls told me it was in Seattle and I got pretty excited after that."

The women not only avoided landing a No. 16 seed and a dreaded matchup with the likes of Connecticut, Stanford or Tennessee, but they also gained a potential home court advantage by landing a first round game in Seattle.

In an interview on ESPN before the selection show, Murrell had alluded to the nearly impossible task facing her team as a No. 16 seed by joking about devising a game plan for 33-0 Connecticut that involved "holding the ball for 20 minutes and then having Claire shoot." The No. 15 seed and the favorable venue changed her thinking.

"It's actually a situation where we can't just think, hey we're just there to be there. We have an opportunity," Murrell said. "We do have a chance."

Like the Vikings, the Aggies can thank a strong showing in their conference tournament for their high seed. Texas A&M finished fourth in the Big 12 regular season and then rode the hot hands of junior forward Danielle Adams and sophomore guard Tyra White to three wins in the conference tournament, including a 74-67 win over Oklahoma in the championship game.

Adams was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Year after leading the team in scoring with 16.0 points per game. She was one of three Texas A&M players to earn all-conference honors.

Faucher said the magnitude of the situation still hadn't fully sunk in but she was glad to have the guessing over about who the team will play. "Now we can buckle down knowing that we play Texas A&M, knowing that we play in Seattle," she said. "I don't even know which day we play on, but it's kind of coming together."

Murrell marveled at how quickly things have changed.

A week ago, Portland State was facing the uphill task of winning three games in three days in the Big Sky tournament. In four days they will be playing on the nation's largest stage for the first time.

"It's just all happening too quick," Murrell said. "It's not settling in yet, but it will."