Bowling Green got an outstanding draw for its first and second round NCAA games to be
played at the Stroh Center.
Baylor, undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the nation, Ohio State, Florida, and UC Santa
Barbara will be playing at the Stroh Center with two games Sunday and the
second-round game next Tuesday.
“This is what we’ve talked about all year, these six basketball games,” Baylor head
coach Kim Mulkey said. “Everybody’s healthy today and you’re headed in with a
focus like none other than I’ve seen in a while. It’s reflected in how we’re
playing right now, and we just want to continue it.”
Standing in the way could be the other No. 1 seeds — Stanford, Connecticut and Notre
Dame, dominant all season long. The Huskies and Irish both lost competitive
games at Baylor this season.
“We started hearing about that, and it’s never been a goal of ours,” Mulkey said of
winning 40 games. “Our simple goal is to win a national championship.”
Baylor is the overall No. 1 seed and will face No. 16 seed UC Santa Barbara in the
Sunday’s second game at approximately 2:30 p.m. Ohio State, the No. 8 seed, will
face No. 9 seed Florida at 12:15. The winners will play next Tuesday, in the
Stroh Center at 7 p.m.
Baylor enters the NCAA tournament with a record of 34-0 and would become the first
team in NCAA history to win 40 games if it would run the table. The Bears are
led by Brittney Griner, who averages 23.3 points and 9.4 rebounds, while
blocking 175 shots. The 6-foot-8 junior is the favorite for national player of
the year honors and has 2,289 career points, 907 career rebounds, and 568 career
blocked shots. She ranks second in NCAA history in rejections. Mulkey has a
career record of 332-79 in 12 seasons leading Baylor.
UC Santa Barbara, enters the tournament with a record of 17-15 overall after going
8-8 in the Big West Conference. The Gauchos won their 14th Big West title as the
No. 6 seed in the league tournament and carry a four-game winning streak to
Bowling Green. UC Santa Barbara ranks seventh in the nation in scoring defense,
allowing only 51.6 points per game. The Gauchos have no players averaging in
double-figures but six players average at least 6.0 points per game. Sweets
Underwood averages 7.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest. Head coach Carlene
Mitchell is in her first season leading the Gauchos after serving 10 years as an
assistant coach at Rutgers.
Ohio State went 25-6 on the year and 11-5 in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes lost to
Nebraska in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament after opening the year with
15 consecutive wins. Ohio State is an efficient offensive team, ranking seventh
in the country in field goal percentage and 15th in three-point percentage. The
Buckeyes have a lethal duo in Taylor Hill (20.3 points per game) and Samantha
Prahalis (20.1 points per game). Those two have combined to make 141
three-pointers and have attempted 321 free-throws, with each shooting over 76
percent from the stripe. Head coach Jim Foster is in his 34th season as a head
coach and 10th at Ohio State. He is 261-68 with the Buckeyes and a remarkable
765-293 overall.
Florida enters the tournament at 19-12 on the year and 8-8 in the Southeastern
Conference. The Gators will be playing in an NCAA Tournament game in Bowling
Green for the second time after beating BGSU 69-67 in Anderson Arena in the
first round of the 1993 tournament. Florida lost to Kentucky in the SEC
Tournament quarterfinals and is 3-4 in its last seven games. Jennifer George, a
6-foot junior, dominates inside and is averaging 13.0 points and 9.0 rebounds
per game, while shooting 55 percent from the floor. She is eighth in the country
in field goal percentage and 15th in double-doubles. Head coach Amanda Butler is
97-66 in five seasons at Florida and 137-88 in seven years as a head coach.