College basketball

Underdogs seen as equalizers

Minnesota coach Pam Borton had a tough time believing it. In fact, she needed to see the result staring her in the face.

"I think it sunk in when I opened the morning paper and saw that we really did beat Stanford," she said. "But this is what we're striving for."

The sixth-seeded Golden Gophers had beaten No. 3 Stanford on the Cardinal's homecourt, adding to the unprecedented number of underdogs advancing to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. Minnesota is among seven teams, seeded five or lower, still playing.

"The game has really grown," Borton said Wednesday. "There's a lot of teams that have the ability to get to the Final Four."

High school and AAU feeder programs turn out more talent to build solid programs, Borton said.

"Coaches are doing a better job of recruiting," she said. "You still have your elite kids going to the same schools, but the key is to surround your (top) recruit with other good role players."

The 68-56 upset over Stanford in the West Region landed the Golden Gophers in the round of 16 for the first time.

Other underdogs advancing to region semifinals: No. 6 Colorado in the Mideast, No. 5 Georgia and No. 6 New Mexico in the Midwest. Louisiana Tech, No. 5 in the West, also advanced. No. 5 Boston College and No. 11 Notre Dame are still in the East.

The Fighting Irish, two years removed from their only national championship, knocked off No. 3 Kansas State on the Wildcats' homecourt in one of several predetermined sites used for the first time in the tournament.

"We're peaking at the right time," Irish coach Muffet McGraw said. "Our guard play has been spectacular."

Freshman guard Megan Duffy helped keep the pressure on the Wildcats. Her 3 with 7:45 left gave the Irish enough of a cushion to hold on for the 59-53 win.

The Big East has four teams remaining, the most of any conference. That's one more than the perennially powerful SEC and possibly another measure of overall progress.

"Our league has obviously gotten better and better every year," Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said.

He said UConn coach Geno Auriemma has helped set the standard with three national titles, forcing others to catch up. But Tranghese isn't quite ready to proclaim a level playing field.

"I don't know if there's more parity," he said. "I think that still remains to be seen."

McGraw said joining the Big East seven years ago was the turning point for her program.

"It gave our program credibility. Coming into the conference with a No. 1 team in the nation, there's a lot of respect," McGraw said.

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