As always, lots of interesting stuff over on Swish Appeal.

Euroleague: Week 4 (November 18-19) Games and Upcoming Schedule - Fadeoutin

UConn's Solid Start With Two Guard Front: What's the Verdict After Three Games? - Scotter

The Sacramento Screwjob - Petrel

First Thoughts on a WNBA Relocation to Oakland from a Bay Area Native (A headline I intially read as "First thoughts on a WNBA relocatoin to Oakland Naive) - Q

Michelle's Left Coast Hoops gives us, appropriately enough, The Best of the West Power Rankings.

Helen, the resident women's basketball historian, may have uncovered this before. But the Minneapolis Star Tribune reveals that Amelia Earhart played basketball for St. Paul Central during the 1913-14 season.

On a side note, it is nice to see the article mention Dorothy McIntyre's book - Daughters of the Game.

Congrats to Beth Burns' Aztecs: They've broken back into the AP's Top 25 for the first time in 14 years.

Yeah!

Now they get to play #5 Notre Dame and #20 Oklahoma.

Yeah?

Games that make you go hmmmm.....

1) Notre Dame won, after forcing Iona into 33 turnovers.

2) Georgetown took down #23 Purdue (which seems to be in a bit of a disorganized mess).

3) #22 Georgia used a late 15-pt run to defeat Rutgers by a very Rutgers-like score, 49-48. Of concern: Angel Robinson left the game on a spine board and Rutgers' Khadijah Rushdan left with a knee.

4) Guard Alexis Rack dropped 43 as Mississippi State stomped #20 Maryland, 84-55.

5) The dunk-watch is at 3 games. Meanwhile, in a meeting of cubs, the young #9 Baylor Bears took down the young Cal Bears (#11. Or #17.) handily, 69-49.

6) Drake roared back to upset #24 Iowa State, 78-75.

It's must have been Matt the Stat-guy's inspiration: Marquette's Angel Robinson's earns the program's first triple-double.

Something to lighten the mood: From Ben York at Slam

The W Lists: ‘09 Milestones - The five most significant achievements of the 2009 WNBA season.

and

Why I Love the WNBA - Real talk

What an insider's look at this year's Tennessee team? Check out the "They're Playing Basketball" blog for the Q&A with scout.com reporter Maria M. Cornelius.

Mechelle says: Pick up the Monarchs’ pieces and move on

"Fear the Flyers."

"No Longer Under the Radar."

"Flyers Land Win."

Sorry, just anticipating the headlines being generated in response to Dayton's 56-53 victory over #23 Purdue.

In other upset news, the Musketeers are living up to some of the experts' predictions: #14 Xavier took down #7 ASU, 59-46.

In almost upset news, the Horned Frogs gave the Sooners all they could handle. But #20 Oklahoma prevailed, 74-70.

From Jayda:

Imagine being Sacramento Monarchs forward Rebekkah Brunson (pictured right by WNBA). You log onto the computer today, sign into Twitter and see what your friends are tweeting about. One is that your WNBA team has folded.

"Girl I found out looking at ur tweet.. im floored right now.. mann," Brunson (@twin1532) told former Monarchs center Chantelle Anderson via the social networking site at 11:34 this morning.

From ESPN.com:

Graham on the Rebuilding or Reloading Louisville Cardinals and ASU's New Look Makes the Most of Second Chances.

Mechelle on the Mort or Moving Monarchs.

Some games of interest over that last couple of days.

1) Notre Dame got all it could handle from a (now) shorthanded Michigan State. It took Barlow's free throws to snag the win, 68-67.

2) Don't look now, but Providence, perennial-but-trying-to-end-their-role-as Big East basement resident, upset Hartford (which recently upset #19 Louisville), 66-59. The Friars are now 3-0.

3) Clemson took Dawn Staley's South Carolina team to double-overtime and won. In a losing effort, freshman Kelsey "yah, I know BG and EDD are gettin' all the attention, but Deb and Beth show me some love!" Bone had 32 points, 14 rebounds, 5 steals and one block in 41 minutes.

We'll learn more about the Tigers after their next game (Kennesaw State). They're heading to Storrs, CT for the WBCA Classic where they'll face Hofstra, Richmond, and UConn in the three-day tournament.

A big, huge shout out to "Friend of the Blog" author Peggy V. Beck.

Her book, "Sweet Turnaround J" has been published by "Friend of the Blog" publisher Bedazzled Ink. (Here's a review and you may recall Steve mentioning he was reading it.) From the flyleaf:

Sweet Turnaround J is sixteen-year old Janey Holmes’s account of her sophomore basketball season. An all-state player, Janey Holmes is devastated, her dream shattered, when her old high school suddenly closes over the summer and she finds herself at a new school, on a basketball team that hasn’t won a game in over three years. As the Riverside Ravens climb from a hopeless start to challenge the best teams in the district, Janey learns what happens when her passion for the game and loyalty to her team is threatened by her explosive temper and the free-fall desires of first love

Well, Peggy's been interviewed by yet ANOTHER "Friend of the Blog," Pat Griffin, Director of It Takes a Team!

PG: How did you decide to write a young adult novel about a high school lesbian basketball player?

PVB: The project began as my “what might have been” fantasy. As a kid I played every sport, ran track, and swam, but basketball was my passion. Unfortunately this was at a time when there were very few high schools with organized sports for girls, including my own. Being gay was not even on peoples’ radar screens. So I wanted to write about a girl, who like myself, was a basketball fanatic and who was also dealing with other issues that ultimately had an impact on her game and her dreams.

When I actually began writing the book it quickly became Janey Holmes’s story, not mine. Also, during the early phases of researching the novel I had watched high school girl basketball players trying to come to terms with their feelings towards other girls as well as kids’ and adults’ prejudices about being gay. I identified with these girls and wanted to turn their struggles into a dramatic sports novel. In the novel the players deal with abusive and over-zealous parents, jealousies over boys, homework anxiety—and face the unique problems of young lesbians.

There won't be Monarchs in Sacramento next year, but they might still be playing somewhere in the Golden State: the league has been feeding rumors of a WNBA team in Oakland, maybe as early as 2010.

If Golden State Warriors owner Chris Cowan decides to sell his team to Oracle zillionaire Larry Ellison, and/or to George Lucas (yes, the George Lucas), the Bay Area will have new NBA owners who can easily afford the likely annual losses for a WNBA team, and who might be interested in acquiring one. (And if not, then probably not.)

Maggie Dixon.

It's a story worth telling. And retelling. And retelling.

The Maggie Dixon Story: An Inspiring Legacy

With the first Maggie Dixon Classic at DePaul tipping off at 5:30 p.m. Friday in McGrath Arena, we take a look back at the Maggie Dixon story---one that comes straight from the heart.
**
"The magic she worked at Army is the same magic she worked on every person in her life," said Hays-Fort. "She made the cadets want to attend women's basketball games. She was such a leader of young people. She was trying to change the environment there."

That moment came just six months later when Army edged Holy Cross 69-68 to win the Patriot League Conference Tournament and secure the Academy's' first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Several hundred cadets, led by the football players, stormed the Christl Arena court and carried Dixon off---a memorable scene telecast to a national audience on ESPN's "SportsCenter."

Rebkellians vent and mourn.

And wonder about a team and league that let players discover they no longer have a team via press releases and twitter.

Damn, you've got to love professionalism, dontcha?

Holy crap: The Monarchs fold.

Bad news for Michigan State: Courtney Schiffauer will miss the remainder of the season after tearing her ACL.

From Ben York at Slam: "Heart, Personified - Tamika Catchings captures the essence of the WNBA.

From Hoopfeed.com: Tragic loss for a young player in San Antonio, South Texas Hoyas spearhead support

While the nation’s top women’s basketball teams prepare for a showcase at San Antonio’s AT&T Center, a young player in the city is coping with the loss of her biggest fan.

Saturday morning, the mother of an 11 year-old player for the South Texas Hoyas, an AAU girl’s basketball team in San Antonio, died in a fatal domestic violence incident.

Charde Houston is looking to help:

As you know, I have been organizing a fundraising drive to to raise $3,288.00 for a family in San Antonio who's mother died in a domestic violence incident.

There are two children that have lost their mother, an 11 year old, who plays AAU girl's basketball and her 8 year old brother. The coach of the Hoyas, Theresa Nunn, and one her colleagues are seeking help from the community to provide shelter and funds. If you can donate $2, that would help! Please feel free to donate more.

I may have missed it during ESPN's double-header, but if it wasn't mentioned, I wished it had been....

From Yaniv Orgad at Haaretz.com, Basketball / Sister act moves from Oklahoma to Israel

A few moments after Courtney Paris sealed Maccabi Ashdod's 84-82 win in the Winner Cup final from the free throw line, her twin sister Ashley felt her throat choke up. Ashley explains that it was weird enough playing against Courtney, since that had never happened before, but watching her twin celebrate taking "her cup" was just too much.

The Naismith "Watch List" has been announced.

Good news for the educators amongst us sports fans:

Division I graduation rates reach all-time highs

According to the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate data, 79 percent of Division I freshmen student-athletes who entered college in 2002 earned their degrees, matching last year’s rate. The average Graduation Success Rate for the last four graduating classes is 79 percent, one percentage point higher than last year.

DII graduation rates continue impressive pace

Division II’s latest Academic Success Rate results show that graduation rates for Division II student-athletes continue to significantly exceed those of the general student body.

Student-athletes in the entering class of 2002 posted a six-year graduation rate of 71 percent as calculated by the Academic Success Rate, far above the 55 percent using the federal graduation-rate methodology that does not take transfers or nonscholarship athletes into account.

Tough news for Walz's Cardinals: Byrd's out.

Morris Phillips of East Bay Express does a really nice piece on Cal coach Joanne Boyle: A Coach's Job Begins Off the Court : Coach Joanne Boyle has built the Cal women's basketball program by treating team members as people as well as players.

It was Boyle's big break — if only she could find common ground with a close-knit and probably skeptical group of players. But the situation was difficult, Barbour said. "She recognized the dynamic right away," the athletic director recalled, "and then she did all the right things."

Lindsay Gottlieb, Boyle's top assistant at Richmond and also for her first three years at Cal, remembers a rougher transition. "That first year was unlike anything else we had experienced," Gottlieb said. "Those players looked at us like aliens from another planet. But Joanne worked day after day to gain their trust."

Boyle stood by a simple pitch, and made it stick in her daily interactions with the team: "I know how to do this. We can do it together."

Beth and Debbie's latest once a week, half-hour podcast is up and their guest is Baylor coach Kim Mulkey.

Check out the podcast and/or take a peek at the "Companion Blog", which'll tell you what in the current podcast as well as outline what you've missed on previous ones.

A little Pre-Season WNIT update:

Semifinal games
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Oklahoma State 70, New Mexico 56
Thursday, Nov. 19
West Virginia at Ohio State, 7 p.m. ET

Championship
Sunday, Nov. 22
Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia-Ohio State winner, site/time TBA

Consolation Rounds 1&2
Friday, Nov. 20
North Carolina A&T vs. Chicago State at Towson, 5 p.m. ET
Eastern Illinois vs. UTEP at Arkansas-Little Rock, 6 p.m. ET
Winthrop at Towson, 7:30 p.m. ET
Northern Colorado at Arkansas-Little Rock, 8:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, Nov. 21
NCA&T-Chicago State loser vs. Towson-Winthrop loser at Towson, 5 p.m. ET
Eastern Illinois-UTEP loser vs. UALR-Northern Colorado loser at UALR, 5:30 p.m. ET
NCA&T-Chicago State winner vs. Towson-Winthrop winner at Towson, 7:30 p.m. ET
Eastern Illinois-UTEP winner vs. UALR-Northern Colorado winner at UALR, 8 p.m. ET

Consolation Round 3 games
Saturday, Nov. 21
Bowling Green at Marist, 1 p.m. ET
Florida Gulf Coast at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m. ET

ESPN's got some follow-up to yesterday's Texas double-header and a Connecticut upset.

Mechelle: Routs remind us of the way we were: Does women's hoops need UConn-Tennessee? No, but matchup is greatly missed.

Perhaps there are folks who could look at the doubleheader held here in what will be the 2010 Final Four city and not think, "Wow, they had the wrong matchups." Not sure who those people are, though.

But, alas, there was no other way to do it. Not with these four teams. Texas and Texas Tech will face off once the Big 12 season arrives. And UConn and Tennessee will …

Well, we all know that story, huh? They won't meet unless it happens in the NCAA tournament. And judging by the way both played Tuesday, that meeting most likely would be at the Alamodome in April.

More Mechelle: Tennessee (2-0) tops another Big 12 foe

Well, right now it certainly appears that Tennessee would be the Big 12 favorite … were the school not in the SEC, of course.

Pat Summitt's crew has faced two Jumbo Dozen schools to open the season, Baylor and Texas Tech, and dispatched of both. Two more Big 12 teams -- Texas and Oklahoma -- are on the schedule for Tennessee. Not sure it looks good for either the Longhorns or the Sooners; both those games are at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville.

Graham got a look at the Louisville/Hartford game:

Jeff Walz will take Louisville anywhere to play any team any time. As he said at a practice Thursday night, fresh off the plane in the midst of a season-opening road trip, if you're going to try and win on the road at places like Marquette during Big East play, it doesn't make sense to duck the Daytons and Hartfords of the world beforehand.

Still, I wonder if he might soon consider tearing the Connecticut page out of his atlas.

And Mechelle adds a little somethin'-somethin' from her blog.

Not a good night in San Antonio for the Lone Star State teams. I wrote about the UConn-Tennessee now-phantom rivalry for ESPN.com, a topic that will no doubt irritate some folks.

I’ve written about a million stories that don’t involve UConn or Tennessee over the last 13 seasons for ESPN.com … but some people still insist I don’t write about anything except the Huskies and the Vols. All I can say to that is it’s not my doing that those two programs have combined to win 14 NCAA titles in the last 22 years.

You write a lot about who wins a lot – and they’ve both won a lot.

That said, what about the Raiders, who fell 91-53 to Tennessee, and the Longhorns, who lost 83-58 to UConn? Both programs looked overmatched by their respective opponents.

Congrats to coach Doug Bruno.

DePaul figured out a way to repay Doug Bruno for the last 24 years as one of the top women's basketball coaches in the country and an inspirational mentor to several hundred players.

Athletics Director Jeanne Lenti Ponsetto carefully orchestrated a Kodak moment that left even the normally loquacious Bruno virtually speechless.

At the end of the annual Doug Bruno Challenge Dinner fundraiser Monday night at the Cubby Bear, Ponsetto announced that next season, the floor at McGrath Arena will be formally named Doug Bruno Court.

Bruno stared straight ahead, then used a blue cloth napkin to stem the tide of emotion streaming down his cheeks.

"He was so shocked," said his wife, Patty Bruno. "First came the tears, then his body started quivering. Nobody said anything about the surprise, and nobody slipped up.

You can hear various coaches sighing, "Dang, but I miss those dang seniors."

1) Hartford upset #19 Louisville, 62-50.
2) #11 Cal squuuuuueaked by St. Mary's, 68-65.
3) #10 Florida St. barely took down in-state rival Florida, 66-62.
4) Temple defeated Auburn, 66-52.

On the flip side, many teams took care of business.

1) #25 Pittsburgh over North Florida, 61-35.
2) #9 Baylor over Tennessee Tech (2 blocks away from a triple-double, but no dunks), 100-55.
3) #5 Tennessee over Texas Tech, 91-53.
4) #3 Ohio State over UAB (Lavender for 30), 88-55.
5) #1 Connecticut over Texas, 83-58.

The WBCA's podcast, Shootaround with Beth and Debbie, now has a "companion blog." Looks like a slightly detailed recap of the show.

Check it (and the show, which you can download from iTunes if you'd like) out.

The Chicago Sky have a catchy new advert spot on YouTube.

Keep an eye out on your local PBS station for Playing for the World: The 1904 Fort Shaw Indian Girls’ Basketball Team.

In 1902, a unique combination of Native women came together at a boarding school in Montana. They used the new sport of basketball to help them adjust to a rapidly changing world. Their travels and experiences led them to places they never imagined. Ultimately, these women played for something much larger than themselves.

If the story sounds familiar, you may recall Full Court Press was recently published covering the same story, and the both authors were interviewed for the Montana-based project.

Over a 10-year period, authors Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith dug deeply into tribal, state and federal records, period newspapers and journals and personal papers and family records, supplied by descendents of the team, their classmates and the Fort Shaw faculty and staff. Their remarkable sleuthing has shaped a book that’s both thorough and engaging.

Lots of press on tonights double header: TN v. Texas Tech, UConn v. Texas

Big 12 teams trying to elite status enjoyed by Tennessee, UConn, RedRaiders.com
Lady Vols Minus Brewer, Williams At Texas Tech, The Chattanoogan
Lady Vols take on Texas Tech, Maryville Daily Times
Lady Vols leave pair in Knoxville, GoVolsXtra
Tennessee to take on Texas Tech, InsideTennessee.com (subscription)
Texas Tech's Roberson is home on the road, San Antonio Express
Game day: No. 10 Texas vs No. 1 UConn, Post
Return trip to Texas the goal for UConn women, Courant
Preview: UConn women vs Texas, Courant
Auriemma, UConn welcome early test, Register
Doty, Hayes sharing duties at point guard, Day
Texas will provide UConn with some tougher competition tonight, Republican
Huskies get Final Four venue preview, Daily Campus
Brash Auriemma favored to win it all, San Antonio Express
Horns hope UConn matchup will be must-watch TV, Austin American Statesman
Texas-UConn preview, American Statesman
Texas renews series against top-ranked Connecticut, UT The Daily Texan

From the WBCA:

The Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) So You Want To Be A Coach Program is a program designed to increase the amount of minorities in the coaching profession, by providing a workshop based on educational and professional principles to help those interested in the field. Following its seventh year, the program has reached 330 student-athletes who have aspirations to go into the coaching profession.

The WBCA has tracked 170 of the 330 former student-athletes who have completed the program. Of those 170 former student-athletes, 121 of them have landed coaching positions, showing that 71% of those who go through the program continue on in the profession. Click here to see where the participants are now coaching.

"The WBCA strives to ensure the future of women's basketball by offering opportunities to student-athletes who are interested in the coaching profession," said WBCA chief executive officer Beth Bass. "Each of the participants in the So You Want To Be A Coach program have the potential to be the next leaders of our sport. It is vital that we all continue to mentor and support these young, aspiring coaches."

The WBCA will host the eighth annual So You Want To Be A Coach program, a two-and-a-half day workshop, at the 2010 WBCA National Convention on April 2 - 4 in San Antonio, Texas. For qualification, the potential candidate must have exhausted her final year of basketball eligibility at a four-year institution or have graduated within the past year. In addition, the candidate's head coach has to nominate them and must be an active WBCA member. Each participant is selected based on their academics, contributions to women's basketball on and off the court, professional resume and a written recommendation from their head coach.

This program is made possible through the NCAA Matching Grants for the Advancement of Minority Women Coaches. For more information on the So You Want To Be A Coach program, click here.

A WHB shout out to Midland College (TX) head coach Ron Jones who recently notched his 400th win.

His record record stands at 402-100.

Not bad. Not bad 'tall.

So, I've been keeping track of the WBCA's Coaching Changes to see if I can cull some candidates for the race to the second annual WHB-MD-RCOY (That would be the WHB Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year award, Ball State's Kelly Packard being the first honoree).

Hmmm.... shall we just give it to Michael Cooper (who earned his first college victory over Fresno State.)?

Wait, is he eligible? Dang, the conundrum set up by the criteria for the WBCA MDRCOY award may run into the snag I anticipated: a reaaaaally limited field of candidates.

Criteria (In Priority Order)
1. Must be a current Division I head coach in his/her rookie season
2. Qualification/Advancement in NCAA Tournament or NIT
3. Qualification/Advancement in conference tournament
4. Success in conference during the regular season
5. Team success during the regular season
6. Team improvement from previous season
7. Regular season conference record
8. Awards/Honors

Tennessee and UConn are playing tomorrow in the Alamo Do... I mean the AT&T Center and Mechelle's going to be there.

Having Tennessee and UConn in the same place without having them meet on the court is like inviting two people who can't stand each other to a dinner party and forcing them to pretend the other isn't there.

Great fun, isn't it?

Some fabulous, fabulous history from North Carolina's News & Observer

At 92, Vivian Sansom recalls when women played basketball on a half-court. They couldn't dribble more than twice at a time. Nobody dunked. Nobody got on television.

It was a different world in 1940, when she coached her first squad. When she took a teaching job at N.C. College for Negroes - now N.C. Central University - the president asked her why a woman would want to work at all. Once hired, if she needed so much as a basketball, she had to ask the president to fetch it out of a locked closet.

But tonight, Sansom will sit down front at a Shaw University tournament named in her honor, watching women who play on scholarships and dream of a spot in the WNBA. Here, the hoop dreams reach across five decades, and the inspiration comes from a great-grandmother who played golf into her late 80s.

What is it about being on a ranked team and partial/full game suspensions? First it was Ohio State, then Texas, now it's Tennessee: No Brewer or Williams in San Antonio.

Mechelle writes about the Griner vs. Ten... I mean, the Baylor/Tennessee game.

Mulkey knew the stars probably were not aligned for Griner to come away with a victory in her first college game, seeing as it was at Thompson-Boling Arena on the court named after Tennessee coach Pat Summitt, who, to the surprise of many, got this bee in her bonnet: begin the game with a zone defense … and mostly keep it.

"That's the first time ever, in 36 years, that we started in a zone and played it throughout the game," Summitt said. "How about that?" Pretty stunning. Some folks might have shaken their heads and rubbed their eyes to be sure their vision was clear. However, it's just a rumor that one older Tennessee fan, after watching that many minutes of orange zone, was heard exclaiming, "Good Lord, you can take me now, because at last I've seen it all!"

(Speaking of "Good Lord!" can someone take away the t.v. announcers and their All-American/Hall of Fame Annointing Oil? Sheesh, B.G. is JUST a freshman!)

Graham checked in on the Cardinal/Scarlet matchup and says "Nice guards, Stanford," and "Keep your head up, Rutgers!"

'Cause it's much easier to give the writing assignment to someone else (Oklahoma upset by Georgia, Duke upset - nay stomped - by Texas A&M, Baylor upset by Tennessee, Dayton gives Louisville all it can handle), Graham asks: What does weekend of upsets really mean?

Despite a weekend full of upsets, I'd say we know exactly what we knew Friday morning. Namely, Connecticut is in a league of its own, Stanford is pretty darn good and anyone who assures you they know what's going on after that is delusional.

The WNIT's chugging along, and there are some good matchups in the not too distant future:

Second round games
Sunday, Nov. 15
Ohio State 91, Bowling Green 72
Oklahoma State 70, Georgia Tech 64
New Mexico 80, Florida Gulf Coast 64

Monday, Nov. 16
Marist at West Virginia, 7 p.m. ET

Semifinal games
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Oklahoma State at New Mexico, 9 p.m. ET

Thursday, Nov. 19
Marist-West Virginia winner at Ohio State, 7 p.m. ET

Consolation Round 3 games
TBA
Bowling Green vs. Marist-West Virginia loser, site/date TBA
Florida Gulf Coast at Georgia Tech, date/time TBA

As the hype-lights follow Brittney Griner, Kevin Tresolini of Delaware online tracks the return of another women's basketball prodigy.

Elena DelleDonne has truly come full circle.

She has taken her roundabout route, through personal strife and rumination, with the brief and pleasant detour across the volleyball court, and arrived back where she always belonged.

Now, a basketball season beckons and the woman who was once the most sought after college recruit in her sport is absolutely delighted to be a part of it.

As I've said before, it's wonderful that DelleDonne the person has found her way back to DelleDonne the player of the game of basketball. Some may wonder how much she can grow as a player in the CAA, but Ticha did okay.

And, if you'll remember, Erin Buescher (Perperoglou) had a nice little WNBA career after she transferred from UCSB to NAIA's The Master's College.

Whatever her future, I can't imagine anyone begrudging DellaDonne her joy. (Actually, I can, but that's just so very sad for them.)

If you get the chance, catch a Blue Hens game. They start with 7 road games (ouch).

As 5pmEST nears, Mechelle writes

Four years ago, a question went around about the Big 12 concerning Oklahoma freshman Courtney Paris. How in the world was anybody going to stop her?

Sure, Paris took some criticism about her fitness as her career progressed. But the bottom line is that she still finished with more points than anyone in Big 12 history and more rebounds (and double-doubles) than anyone in Division I history.

Which brings us to the player who'll make her official college debut Sunday on a stage that for women's basketball is akin to what the Grand Old Opry is for country music.

Graham had such a good time at the South Dakota State/Gonzaga game that he wrote more.

Hmmm... so maybe I shouldn't be whispering.

Forget those D-II teams. Ignore those NAIA teams. It's those dang Ivies you've got to watch out for! (Were you not paying attention a year ago?)

So discovered the Boston Eagles as they were stunned by their Cambridge rivals, Harvard, 82-81.

Speaking of the Eagles, Fairfield made sure Cathy Inglese's return to the sidelines was an unpleasant one: the Stags stomped Rhode Island 74-48.

Illinois State made sure UCLA Bears started the season off on the wrong foot, 61-55.

And, while the Harper era started out rather nicely for the Wolfpack, they had a close encounter with a Catamount and did not emerge unscathed: Vermont defeated NC State, 52-47.

By the way, Courtnay "no you didn't just Honorable Mention me" Pilypaitis added 15 points, four rebounds and five steals and, in the previous game, was one rebound shy of her third career triple-double in Friday's game (21 pts, 9 reb, 10 asst). Oh, and fellow Canadian May Kotsopoulos was no slouch neither, earning MVP honors at the Sheraton Raleigh Wolfpack Invitational.

So, don't ask me how I know, but there's going to be an illustrated coffee-table companion to SuperFreakonomics. And it's going to include a small section on the WNBA and male/female coaches.

Mechelle apologizes to Coach Merchant for making her cranky this AM:

Mel Jackson, my editor at ESPN.com, cheerfully pointed out the season is only a day old, yet “Vojo” has already struck once. Friday morning, she posted my story on Michigan State and the Spartans’ hopes to build on the success of last season.

Friday evening, in its season-opener, No. 10 Michigan State lost 77-74 at Dayton.

While coach Merchant may be a tad cranky this AM, several other coaches may be shaking their heads or wiping their brow:

1) Temple roared back from 16 to defeat Illinois. (As a friend pointed out, a mini Geno v. CViv game)

2) The Jackrabbits had to pull themselves out of a hat to get a win in overtime over Gonzaga, and Graham was there:

From the old main street free of national chains to the farmland that frames its borders, Brookings has the friendly, casual feel of a city comfortable with its place in the middle of nowhere. Yet it was anywhere but the middle of nowhere in the basketball world Friday night, playing host to a game that threw down a challenge to the rest of the nation.

3) Xavier tempted Michael Cooper with his first win as a women's college basketball coach, but then swiped it away in overtime.

4) With Raven missing the first half because she overslept and missed a class, UT San Antonio tried to make the Texas opener a nightmare. The Longhorns woke up, though, and escaped with an 11pt win.

WNIT update:
First round games - Friday’s results
Ohio State 91, Eastern Illinois 68
West Virginia 79, Towson 42
Florida Gulf Coast 66, UTEP 54
Oklahoma State 67, Arkansas-Little Rock 58
Georgia Tech 63, Winthrop 30
Bowling Green 76, Chicago State 41
Marist 80, North Carolina A&T 64
New Mexico 81, Northern Colorado 59

Second round games - Sunday, Nov. 15
Bowling Green at Ohio State, 2 p.m. ET
Georgia Tech at Oklahoma State, 3 p.m. ET
Florida Gulf Coast at New Mexico, 4 p.m. ET

Monday, Nov. 16
Marist at West Virginia, 7 p.m. ET