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© St. Petersburg Times, published March 1, 2002
C-USA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT
WHEN/WHERE: Today-Monday, DePaul, Chicago.
FAVORITE: TCU. The No. 1 seed was 12-2 in league play and finished strong, beating Marquette in its final game.
DARK HORSE: Tulane. It's hard to call a team that has won three straight C-USA Tournaments and four of five a dark horse, but the Green Wave was 4-6 in league play until winning its past four and grabbing the No. 5 seed. If Tulane (20-9 overall) gets past No. 12 Alabama-Birmingham in the opening round today, host DePaul, the No. 4 seed, awaits.
LOCKS FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT: No. 23-ranked Cincinnati and No. 25 TCU. The third-seeded Bearcats (23-4, 11-3) and Horned Frogs (22-5) have cracked the national rankings in recent weeks, and Cincinnati has won 10 in a row.
ON THE BUBBLE: Houston and Tulane. The second-seeded Cougars (21-6, 11-3) are almost definitely in, but a couple of tournament wins would clinch it. A run to the title game could get Tulane an NCAA invitation. DePaul, No. 6 seed Louisville, No. 7 seed Charlotte and No. 8 seed Marquette also have shots at winning it all and grabbing an automatic berth.
WHEN/WHERE: Today-Monday, Greensboro (N.C.) Coliseum.
FAVORITE: Duke. The No. 4-ranked Blue Devils were 16-0 in the league, the first undefeated ACC team since Virginia in 1994-95. Only two of those games were decided by single digits. Their average margin of victory in league play was nearly 22 points. Said Georgia Tech coach Agnus Berenato: "Duke is in a class of their own."
DARK HORSE: Clemson. The third-seeded Tigers have won three straight and seven of their past 10. They also nearly stayed with Duke, losing 77-69 on the road Feb. 14.
LOCKS FOR NCAA TOURNAMENT: Duke, North Carolina. Besides the Blue Devils, the Tar Heels have spent virtually the entire season in the Top 25 and are No. 19.
ON THE BUBBLE: Virginia, Clemson. The Cavaliers and Tigers, Nos. 35 and 45 respectively, in the Ratings Percentage Index, probably need one win to secure an at-large bid.
WHAT FSU HAS TO DO: It's been a disappointing season for the Seminoles (13-14), who need to recapture the confidence they had when they were 10-2 and on the cusp of a national ranking. In the first meeting against Duke the Seminoles showed they can score against the stingiest defense in the league (64.2 ppg) and lost 102-80. Only Tennessee, South Carolina and UNC have scored more against the Blue Devils this season. Said FSU coach Sue Semrau: "I know (No. 9) Louisiana Tech played Rice and had a 46-point win (88-42). They played again and Rice beat them by (57-56)." The message: Anything can happen.