The 2007-08 NCAA women's basketball season has cranked up. As usual Tennessee and Connecticut are not only running 1-2 in the national rankings, they are both undefeated and are favored to win their respective conferences. The Lady Vols have seven players, including all-world junior Candace Parker back to help them defend their national championship.
But as we recall a few months ago, the Lady Vols winning that seventh NCAA title was overshadowed by Don Imus' derogatory comments about their opponents, the Rutgers women's team, that generated a firestorm of controversy and cost Imus his radio gig.
The class that the Rutgers women exhibited in responding to the idiotic comments was memorable. But now those returning players have an opportunity to play ball, go through a tough Big East schedule and try to get back to the Women's Final Four in Tampa, FL. Coach C. Vivian Stringer's Scarlet Knights started the season picked to finish second in the Big East and ranked #3 in the AP and ESPN/USA Today college rankings. A heartbreaking 60-58 home loss to Stanford that was nationally televised on ESPN dropped them to #7.
They've won 4 straight ballgames since to climb back to the #5 ranking and play #3 Maryland on ESPN2 tomorrow night.
Considering all the drama these ladies went through last year, it would be poetic justice if they did get to not only make it to Tampa, but ended up cutting the nets down as national champions. But they have a lot of basketball to play to get to that point.
5 comments:
Not discarding statements made by a radio talk host, who babbled on beyond good judgement, I have to ask what may have been said in regard to him. I wonder what could have been said had those who were called a bad name, had resonded to the radio host with reason and their honest understanding. It is a thought?
Estelle : )
That's exactly what happened in this case. The Rutgers women's team press conference was devastating to him.
He was further embarrased when the accomplisshments of these young women in terms of their public service, scholastic records and the quiet elegancemade them more human than the idiot making the comments.
Hi,
Sorry to bombard an irrelevant post - but I wanted to inform you of a video that was recently posted on YouTube.
It is of a few young men in New Zealand who are harassing and assaulting a trans woman of color for being transgendered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v0DYUcatUs
I wanted to bring it to your attention as I am sure it is of interest.
Hi Monica,
Here is what I don't get; Rutgers made it to the championship game last year so how is it that they were not ranked number 2 to start this season?
That just seems wrong to me.
Ms deux,
I guess the peeps that do the voting for the rankings felt that UConn's 8 juniors and seniors outweighted Rutgers juniors and seniors who made a Final Four appearance.
Rutgers was picked to finish second in the Big East behind UConn.
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