Tough field not worrying the Spartans

By David Norrie
Published March 8, 2007

TAMPA - As the No. 5 seed in this weekend's NCAA Division II South Region Tournament in Fort Myers, the University of Tampa women find themselves in a bracket that includes four of the nation's top 20 teams.

Despite the daunting task his club faces, coach Tom Jessee's speech to the Spartans is along the lines of, "Why not us and why not now?"

"This group of young women here are the first in school history to record back-to-back 20-win seasons, the first to win back-to-back Sunshine State Conference Tournament titles and first to secure back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, and last year they established a new school record for wins (24) along the way," Jessee said.

"So we're not going into this content just to be there. We want to go in and play well and take another step for the program. Let's go set another record. Let's go win the region."

In that light, the why-not-us approach seems valid, especially considering the tear Tampa has been on since early January.

The Spartans (23-7) have won 13 of their past 14 games and, as the third seed in the SSC Tournament last week, knocked off the top two seeds en route to the title.

Now, the level of competition is turned up a notch. When the pairings were unveiled for the South Region Tournament, the Spartans found themselves in a first-round matchup against the second-best defensive team in the nation, No. 18 Valdosta (Ga.) State.

Should UT pull the upset, there is a good chance it will meet the only team with a better defense than VSU, undefeated and No. 1-ranked Florida Gulf Coast, in the next round on FGC's home floor.

Daunting? Yes. Impossible? Not according to Jessee.

To be successful, he says his team has to maintain the level of play it displayed through the SSC Tournament, when it shot 42 percent from the field and 43 percent from 3-point range. Four of UT's starters averaged double figures in the tournament, led by guard DeShaydia Mackey's 19 points per game.

On defense, UT held its opponents to 29 percent shooting, due in large part to the shot blocking of forward Sheena Walton, who accounted for 15 of the team's 17 blocks over three games.

Jessee said he feels if he could pencil in those numbers in this tournament, he likes the Spartans' chances.

"I don't know if there is a region out there with more nationally ranked teams than ours," Jessee said.

"It seems like they put them all on one side to beat up on one another and threw us in there as the guinea pig. But I'm excited about the way we're playing, we just have to keep it up."

Fast Facts:

Tampa (23-7) vs. Valdosta State (23-6)

When: Friday, 5 p.m.

Where: Alico Arena, Florida Gulf Coast University, Fort Myers

Winner plays: Winner of No. 1 Florida Gulf Coast (29-0) vs. No. 8 Benedict (20-10) Saturday at 7 p.m.

Tickets: General admission, $6 single session; students (high school, elementary), $3; all-session pass, $20

Ticket information: Alico Arena Box Office (239) 590-7145)

Directions: Take Interstate 75 South to Exit 128. Turn left on Alico Road, go half mile and make a right on Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. Go 2 miles and turn left on main Florida Gulf Coast University entrance, which is the third stop light.

[Last modified March 8, 2007, 00:17:28]