Enough with the bracket sturm und drang... let's talk actual basketball...

Well, boom! Down goes Seattle Pacific (sorry to alum who emailed me some weeks ago).

The University of Alaska-Anchorage punched their ticket to the D-II Elite Eight by ousting #2 (and formerly undefeated) SPU, 50-44. The Seawolves worked to control the tempo throughout the game and never let Seattle get into their running game.

"The kids did great," UAA head coach Tim Moser said. "That was a big-time victory against a big-time program."

A parallel article notes that, with a victory last night, the UAA men's team advancing to the E8, and now the two programs

...are playing a friendly game of departmental one-upsmanship these days over at UAA, where the stakes, and the rewards, have risen from intramural to inconceivable.

When the score of the women's game came over the speakers,

[the] announcement brought forth the loudest roar of the evening to that point from the standing-room-only crowd of 1,160 inside the little band box that is UAA's Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

Advancing to their first Elite Eight in school history, the Seawolves will face 18th-ranked Franklin Pierce on March 26 in Kearney, Neb.

Franklin-Pierce (27-5) upset top seed (and no longer undefeated) Holy Family (32-1) 88-71.

Honestly, I don't know who to root for -- the place I went birding a year ago, or the little school in New Hampshire where I dropped off summer stock lighting equipment to 20 years ago... When in doubt, cheer for offense, I say.

California (PA) defeated Shepherd, 86-71, earning the Vulcans their third trip in the past six years under head coach Darcie Vincent (and making reader and friend Sheri a very proud alum).

The Lady Statesmen of Delta University are the Vulcans' next opponent. The team of Wade-Harris' legacy remain undefeated after a 62-44 victory over Valdosta State University. DU earned their twelfth NCAA regional crown and the first trip to the NCAA Elite Eight since 2000.

“I don’t have the words to describe how happy I am of my girls,” stated an ecstatic Sandra Rushing, head coach of the Lady Statesmen. “It feels great to claim the region championship after coming so close the last two seasons. My girls have worked so hard and I am so proud of them. They deserve it.”

Led by a career-high 21 points from Shannon Daly, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, the University of South Dakota defeated Minnesota State University, 61-49.

“There were two teams that scored a lot of points this year, and it comes down to defense, which for both teams was outstanding,” said USD head coach Chad Lavin. “Tonight it came down to who had the biggest run, and we were able to have that. Our defense is outstanding, they (USD players) tell me what they see is going on, and I tell them what I’m seeing and they go out and they get it done.”

Next up for USD, the Lady Blues of Washburn, who romped over Emporia State, 73-58.

In the final pairing, Northern Kentucky, who squeezed out an eight-point win over Missouri S&T will face top-seed Wingate, who rallied to defeat Clayton, 82-72.

“We have been a team of runs all year – those we have suffered through and those we have gone on,” said first-year Wingate head coach Barbara Nelson. “We talked about that fact in our morning meeting. I was a little worried when we were down eight, especially since we have not shot the ball well in this building. But then Kate (Edwards) got open for a couple of threes. All year our offense has gone through Anna (Atkinson) (12 assists, 12 points, 1 turnover, 39 minutes and MOP) as it did tonight.”