2023 WCC Tournament

DoubleDipper wrote:

Dean Murdoch wrote:New ESPN bracketology was just posted.

https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/30423107/ncaa-women-bracketology-2023-women-college-basketball-projections

Pilots as a 12 seed in here! They'd face 5 seed Lousville in Austin, TX.

Gonzaga still safely in as a 9 seed.

Just for grins, I looked at Louisville's last few games...

In the ACC Championship #4 seed Louisville trounced #12 seed Wake Forest, 74-48 and the next day demolished offense minded #1 Notre Dame, 64-38, before losing to #3 Va. Tech in a 75-67 battle to end.

Looking for a ray of hope if the Pilots were to face the Cardinals in Austin?  On November 19 in the Bahamas, Gonzaga beat Louisville, 79-67 in OT.

The excitement is huge for any team that makes it to the NCAA tournament. But it also means that every one of those teams, except one, is going to end their season with a loss. We'll see what Sunday's announcement brings.

up7587 wrote: We'll see what Sunday's announcement brings.

Come to the Pilot House on Sunday at 4:30 to meet the team and coaches at the watch party for the ESPN selection show that begins at 5pm.



To celebrate the women's 64-60 victory and the program's third WCC Tournament Championship the Pilots will be raffling off three basketballs signed by the team! Make a gift of $64 or more...Here

Interesting third point...

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DoubleDipper wrote:

up7587 wrote: We'll see what Sunday's announcement brings.

Come to the Pilot House on Sunday at 4:30 to meet the team and coaches at the watch party for the ESPN selection show that begins at 5pm.

UPDATE: The event will be hosted at the Pilot House on campus with doors opening at 4 p.m. Free appetizers and refreshments will be provided.

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2023/3/9/womens-basketball-join-the-university-of-portland-womens-basketball-team-for-selection-sunday-watch-party.aspx

Do the at-large bids only get revealed as part of revealing the overall bracket and matchups, or is the full list of teams announced beforehand, then matchups?

Adam wrote:Do the at-large bids only get revealed as part of revealing the overall bracket and matchups, or is the full list of teams announced beforehand, then matchups?

All at once!

The 16 top seeds and the teams that will be playing at the site of the those 16 will be announced along with their respective overall seeding.

Very exciting for those schools that are on the "bubble."

DoubleDipper wrote:

Dean Murdoch wrote:New ESPN bracketology was just posted.

https://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/30423107/ncaa-women-bracketology-2023-women-college-basketball-projections

Pilots as a 12 seed in here! They'd face 5 seed Lousville in Austin, TX.

Gonzaga still safely in as a 9 seed.

Just for grins, I looked at Louisville's last few games...

In the ACC Championship #4 seed Louisville trounced #12 seed Wake Forest, 74-48 and the next day demolished offense minded #1 Notre Dame, 64-38, before losing to #3 Va. Tech in a 75-67 battle to end.

Looking for a ray of hope if the Pilots were to face the Cardinals in Austin?  On November 19 in the Bahamas, Gonzaga beat Louisville, 79-67 in OT.

Both predictions wrong, 5 seed Oklahoma vs 12 seed Portland in LA!

Other notable teams in their half bracket, #4 UCLA, and overall #1 South Carolina.

As far as I can tell, the Pilots and Sooners--who tied Texas for first place in the Big 12--only have BYU as a common opponent. Oklahoma won by 11 in Provo on November 15. UP won by 22 in Portland on December 19 and by 12 in Provo on February 27.

Scott gave us a teaser for the 2023-2024 schedule at the watch party.

U of O and Villanova are on the schedule.
I took it as at the Chiles center.

Another newbie question sorry... what is with the 'First Four' separate thing outside the bracket?

Adam wrote:Another newbie question sorry... what is with the 'First Four' separate thing outside the bracket?

The factual answer is that it's basically a play-in round for four of the lowest-rated 16 seeds and four of the lowest-rated 11 seeds. So the winner of #16 Southern/#16 Sacred Heart plays #1 Stanford, the winner of #16 Tennessee Tech and #16 Monmouth plays #1 Indiana, the winner of #11 Illinois/#11 Mississippi State plays #6 Creighton, and the winner of #11 Purdue/#11 St. Johns plays #6 North Carolina.

The snarky answer is that it's a money grab the NCAA started in the men's tournament a few years ago when they expanded the field from 64 to 68 that allows them to add a couple more mediocre power conference at-large teams to the field that wouldn't have otherwise qualified. This is the first year the women's tournament has used it.

The lowest rated #16 seeds are automatic qualifiers that got in via winning the conference tournament. The big schools don't like those "bid stealers" so they make four of them play for two spots. It basically cheats two AQs from being in the real tournament. Then the play-in #11 seeds are four mediocre Power 5 schools, in this case Big Ten x2, SEC and Big East, that wouldn't be in at all if those two AQs were give spots in the round of 64. Purdue and Illinois finished 6th and 7th in their Big-10 conference, St. John's was 4th in the Big East, and Mississippi St. was 5th in the SEC.

GU got a #9 seed against #8 Ole Miss, with a presumed matchup against #1 Stanford if they advance.

MJ leading the cheers with Mike close behind...

Oklahoma: Did you see there is a "T Rob" on the women's team? She averages 17.2 points. First team Big 12.

DoubleDipper wrote:
MJ leading the cheers with Mike close behind...

I'm somewhere behind Mike's face...I think?

There was a single chance for Q&A with the team before the show started and everyone was quiet. I thought there would've been more chances later, but given how quickly we were revealed the party ended a lot earlier than I expected. Wanted to suggest Haylee very briefly stepping on the court in uniform at some point during a tournament game. Would be a nice gesture, but I understand why they wouldn't.

Oldguyfan wrote:Oklahoma: Did you see there is a "T Rob" on the women's team? She averages 17.2 points. First team Big 12.

First name even close.... Tayler

Another question, Ive seen 'First Four Out' referenced a bit, and then saw this posted.

https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessWBB/status/1635078724843601921?t=g8nM9FYDVEeEIa-NTlImKw&s=19

How are they first four out if they were never in?

“First four out” are essentially teams 69-72. They are the ones who just missed being selected for the Tournament. You are right that they were never in, but it’s out like “just left out” and not out like “eliminated first from the Tournament.”

On  a different topic, linked is the post game press conference of Gonzaga after the loss to the Pilots, with coach Fortier, who refers to Alex's playing style as "roughhouse," suggests the Pilot press got to Troeng at some point and resulted in always having two people on the ball handler(apparently) and also comments on the presence of Lucy Cochrane, shot blocker. The comments about the Pilots take place during the first ten minutes.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYSp2Vl4Gdc

The Pilots game against the Sooners in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday begins at 6pm.

Now that California is on Daylight Savings Time, that will make it a very nice 9am on Sunday morning in Perth, I think...

wrv wrote:On  a different topic, linked is the post game press conference of Gonzaga after the loss to the Pilots, with coach Fortier, who refers to Alex's playing style as "roughhouse,"

In the next breath, she cites that Alex drew 9 fouls….


So who was roughhouse?

Geezaldinho wrote:

wrv wrote:On  a different topic, linked is the post game press conference of Gonzaga after the loss to the Pilots, with coach Fortier, who refers to Alex's playing style as "roughhouse,"

In the next breath, she cites that Alex drew 9 fouls….


So who was roughhouse?

Oddly,  given the expression of coach Fortier, it appears she thinks Alex is, as she clearly states. I do not think Fortier is attempting to compliment Alex's style.

Picture of Coach Fortier at the press conference discussing the roughhouse Fowler.

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