Geno's Press Conference

While the Bears were practicing, I sat in on UConn head coach Geno Auriemma's press conference and thought I'd share the Cal references. His thoughts on Cal were pretty much what you would expect - he highlighted Devanei Hampton and Ashley Walker but he was sure to key in on how he was not looking past the other players on the field.

The most quotable part of the interview was when Geno was described how Cal plays and how it reminded him of Joanne Boyle's playing days, when he was coaching at Virginia.

"The team reminds me of her as a player, but more talented that her."

When asked how UConn would have to react to playing a game at 9 a.m. local time like the Bears will do tomorrow, Geno responded with "Game time is when the ball goes up. If you're concerned about game time, then you've already lost."

Geno's key thoughts on Dev and Ash were that they are not one-dimentional. He said they were "active, agressive and difficult to [guard] one-on-one in the lame." He also commented that AGL is the "type of guard you want when you've got two bigs."

More Updates From the Sovereign Bank Arena

Alexis Gray-Lawson, Devanei Hampton, Ashley Walker and Joanne Boyle each participated in the press conferences as well as one-on-one interviews with an ESPN producer for the game tomorrow. The set-up was slightly different with the players doing the ESPN interviews while Boyle was at the press conference, and then they switched.

The Bears took to the floor at the Sovereign Bank Arena for an open practice and we'll soon head to Princeton for a closed, extended practice.

Quick Pre-Press Update

The administrative staffs of the four schools here - Cal, Texas A&M, UConn and Arizona State - have knocked off two meetings before it's 8 a.m. on the West Coast. Cal has got a slew of media tasks up next before heading to practice. The players and Joanne Boyle will be split up into press conferences and then ESPN interviews so we should have some quotes for you later. The Bears will then next hit the floor for a quick practice at the Sovereign Bank Arena.

The Sovereign Bank Arena looks like it will be a great venue for women's basketball tomorrow and Tuesday. The highest seats in the place are not too far removed from the court and the lower decks should bring the fans very close to the court and benches.

In the meantime, here are two pictures from Sovereign Bank Arena.

The press conference dais:

The Cal locker room:

Hello, New Jersey!

We've arrived safely and soundly in the "Garden State." We flew charter from Oakland to Trenton, N.J., with the band and spirit groups. The plane flight was pretty early this morning so everyone's turning in early to try and get acclimated to the three-hour time difference. The team ate at the hotel and watched film before curfew. Tomorrow morning, we're off to a full practice and more preparing.

Thanks to everyone who's voting in the poll to the right! It's nice to get some viewer's input on the blog. You can leave comment on posts you like as well!

Here's a shot of the team acting goofy before boarding the charter. (Photo by Mollie McClure)

How to Get the Game

The Bears will take on the UConn Huskies (35-0, 16-0 Big East), the No. 1 seed in the Trenton Region and the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament on Sunday, March 29. The Cal/UConn game will be the national game on ESPN. It airs live at 9 a.m. Pacific Time (noon in New Jersey).

The game will also be carried on KALX 90.7-FM in the Bay Area and on kalx.berkeley.edu for free anywhere in the world!

Scouting the Huskies/Sun Devils/Aggies

Here's a look at Cal's third-round opponent, No. 1-seeded UConn, and its possible Elite Eight teams of Arizona State and Texas A&M.

A Look at UConn
UConn advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals for the 16th consecutive season and the 17th time overall in the program’s history. The Huskies defeated Vermont, 104-65, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and Florida, 87-59, in the second round.

UConn earned an automatic bid in 2009 after capturing Big East Tournament and Regular Season Titles. The Huskies captured the tournament title with wins over South Florida, Villanova and Louisville following a 16-0 BIG EAST mark during the regular season. Connecticut currently stands at 35-0 overall and has been ranked No. 1 nationally in both the Associated Press and ESPN Coaches polls every week this season.

The automatic berth marks the Huskies’ second consecutive and the 15th in the program’s history. Connecticut has advanced to the Final Four nine times in the program’s history, including six of the last nine seasons overall.

UConn’s 35-0 start marks its best start to a season since finishing a perfect 39-0 in 2002. This season marks the 12th time overall and the third straight season that UConn has entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed. The Huskies boast an overall mark of 47-7 in NCAA Tournament games when playing as a No. 1 seed and have captured four National Championships in those seasons. The Huskies were also a No. 1 seed last season when they advanced to the 2008 NCAA Final Four before falling, 82-73, to Stanford, a team with whom the Bears split the 2007-08 series, 1-1.

Sophomore guard Maya Moore, who is a national player of the year candidate, leads the Huskies, averaging 19.0 points per game and 9.1 boards per game. Also averaging in double digits are Tina Charles (16.7 ppg) and Renee Montgomery (16.1 ppg). The undefeated Huskies are winning each game by an average scoring margin of 31.6 points.

The two teams share three common opponents in 2008-09 in Rutgers, Oklahoma and Washington. Each squad has defeated Rutgers – Cal once and UConn twice – while the Huskies hold the advantage against Oklahoma. The Bears beat Washington three times this season while the Connecticut Huskies beat the UW Huskies once.

Cal-UConn Series History
The Bears are 1-1 in the all-time series with the Huskies. The last game was Dec. 28, 1994, when UConn beat Cal, 99-52. In their first meeting, the Bears dropped the Huskies, 76-60, on Nov. 24, 1991. This will be the first postseason meeting between the two teams.

UConn Postseason History
The Huskies, who have claimed three of the last seven NCAA titles (a total of five in the program’s history), their last coming in 2004, are making their 21st consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Huskies have advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 15 seasons (1994-present). They are currently 67-15 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and they have won 32 of its last 35 NCAA Tournament games overall.

Head Coach File
Geno Auriemma is in his 24th season at the helm of the Husky program, which he has led to five national championships, nine Final Fours and 32 Big East titles. He was named Big East Coach of the Year for the eighth time in 2008-09 and was recognized as the 2008 WBCA, Associated Press, USBWA and Naismith National Coach of the Year in 2008.

Probable Starters
No. Name Pos. Yr. Ht. ppg rpg apg
3 Tiffany Hayes G Fr. 5-10 7.9 4.2 2.5
20 Renee Montgomery G Sr. 5-7 16.1 2.0 5.2
23 Maya Moore F So. 6-0 19.0 9.1 3.4
31 Tina Charles C Jr. 6-4 16.7 8.5 1.0
32 Kalana Greene G Jr. 5-10 8.6 4.5 1.9

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.UConnHuskies.com

A Look at Arizona State
Arizona State will be playing to advance to the regional final for the second time in three years under coach Charli Turner Thorne, after reaching its first Elite Eight in 2007. The Sun Devils (25-8, 15-3 Pac-10) improved to 6-1 in NCAA Tournament first round games under head coach Arizona State is making its 10th all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and its seventh in the last nine seasons. ASU's overall record in the NCAA Tournament is now 11-9, including an 9-6 record under Turner Thorne.

The Sun Devils were ousted in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 Tournament by tournament runner-up USC. ASU received an at-large bid an a six seed into the NCAA Tournament. The Sun Devils defeated No. 11 seed Georgia, 58-47, in first round action. They went on to upset third-seeded Florida State, 63-58 in the second round thanks to Danielle Orsillo's 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining gave the Sun Devils a 57-54 lead.

Head coach Turner Thorne is in her 13th year at the helm in Tempe, Ariz. She became the all-time most winningest coach at ASU, and her seven NCAA appearances are four more than what ASU had in the 15 years prior to Turner Thorne's arrival in Tempe.

Cal-Arizona State Series History
The Bears and the Sun Devils are tied in the all-time meetings, 27-27. This season, the teams split the two meetings with ASU getting a 63-41 upset on March 5, 2009, in the last game. The Bears beat the Sun Devils, 54-53, on Jan. 4 in Tempe, Ariz. This would be the first meeting between the two teams in the NCAA Tournament.

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.TheSunDevils.com

A Look at Texas A&M
The No. 2-seeded Aggies are making their second-straight appearance in the Sweet 16 and their sixth all-time trip to the NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M earned a 73-42 win over No. 10-seed Minnesota in the second round and an 80-45 victory against No. 15-seeded Evansville in the opening round. With the win over Minnesota, the Aggies claimed their 27th overall victory of the season, which now stands alone as the second-most wins in school history behind its 29-8 run to the NCAA Elite Eight a year ago. They are now 8-5 in the NCAA Tournament.

For the second consecutive year, the ninth-ranked Texas A&M women's basketball team tied a program-best by earning a No. 2 seed. The Aggies boasted the fifth-toughest schedule in the nation this season. A&M earned an at-large bid after falling to Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament championship game.

Head coach Gary Blair has now led seven all-time squads to the Sweet 16 in his 24-year coaching career at Stephen F. Austin, Arkansas and A&M combined. He also picked up his 20th all-time NCAA Tournament game victory versus Minnesota.

Cal-Texas A&M Series History
Cal holds the all-time advantage, 1-0, against the Aggies. The teams have not met since Jan. 4, 1982, when the Bears defeated Texas A&M, 85-55

For more information: http://www.blogger.com/www.AggieAthletics.com

Mooch on ESPN.com!

I was checking out the headlines at ESPN.com and there is a great picture of Mooch aka Rachelle Federico. Making history!

Post-Game Q&A With Shantrell Sneed, Lauren Greif and Natasha Vital

During the open locker room period following the victory over Virginia, I had a chance to talk with senior Shantrell Sneed, juniors Lauren Greif and Natasha Vital about their thoughts on the game and setting Cal records.

CalBears.com: The first Sweet 16 appearance in California program history…what’s on your mind right now?
Lauren Greif: This is just exciting for the team. We had such high goals this year, and we get to keep going after them.
Natasha Vital: We’re excited. Especially to get over that hump of losing in the second round. We finally got there to the Sweet 16.
Shantrell Sneed: We’re still dancing for the first time in Cal history. We are just continuing to write our own history. We’re playing some of our best basketball at the perfect time.

CalBears.com: L.G, you had nine assists, which was a new career high. Were you aware of how many you were dishing out during the game?
LG: I was just trying to move the ball. We’ve been doing a lot better with ball movement. If someone had told me that I have nine, I would have passed to someone for a double-double.

CalBears.com: What was the key in stopping Virginia?
LG: Their transition. The first five plays of the game we didn’t do a good job of it. But then we really hunkered down.
NV: We had to stop their scorers. I think we did a pretty good job on No. 1 and No. 33. Monica Wright is a great player and she was really hard to guard.
SS: We were able to contain their big three players. They made their little run, but we came back and played great defense.

CalBears.com: What was the key for the Bears?
NV: Running our plays. Putting the ball in transition. Early in the game, we got a lot of give-me baskets. We moved the ball really well. We’ve been working on that in practice. We were also looking for the open man.
SS: Just staying poised and composed, and sharing the basketball. We found the open person. Despite them making a run, we never lost our poise or composure.
To see the Q&A on CalBears.com, click here.

How To Get Tickets to the Sweet 16

Fans wishing to purchase tickets for Cal's Sweet Sixteen game in Trenton, N.J., will have a limited time to order tickets through the school. After March 24, they must contact the arena for tickets.

On Tuesday, Mar. 24 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Cal fans can call (800) GO BEARS to order their Cal Women's Basketball Sweet Sixteen tickets.

Cal will stop selling tickets through (800) GO BEARS on Tuesday, March 24 at 4:30 p.m. They will not be available for purchase online.

After Tuesday, Mar. 24 fans can contact Sovereign Bank Arena for tickets at (800) 298-4200 or by visiting www.comcastTIX.com.

There is no limit for these tickets and all sales are final.

Tickets will not be mailed. They must be picked up at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J., will call window by the account holder only, picture ID required.

If Cal wins and advances to the Elite Eight, your credit card will automatically be charged for Elite Eight tickets.

Staff Feature: It's the Shoes

The California women’s basketball team has been stirring a lot of buzz recently, but it’s not just about their game and the best season in program history. It’s about their shoes.

During the regular-season Pac-10 trip to Oregon in February, a Nike representative approached the Golden Bears about designing their own shoes. The Nike rep selected just four schools in the entire nation to have the opportunity to have one-of-a-kind kicks for the NCAA Tournament, an honor that the Bears do not take lightly.

“She thought we were one of the four that were going to last the longest into the NCAA Tournament,” freshman Casey Morris said. “It meant a lot because of all the respect that went along with it. It also gave us confidence.”

This year’s large bid to the NCAA Tournament is the seventh overall and fourth straight trip for the first time in school history. Monday evening’s 99-73 win over No. 5 seed Virginia was the first second-round victory ever for Cal women’s hoops. For the seniors, getting to design their own shoes was further proof that their four years of building the program had not gone unnoticed.

“I think it means that we came into our own,” redshirt junior Alexis Gray-Lawson, who has been at Cal for four years, noted. “People are definitely starting to recognize what Cal basketball is all about.”

To design the shoes, the Cal team of 11 student-athletes were split into two groups and each set used a Nike program to select the features for the sneakers. Although, the coaches selected the final winner, the two groups created shoes that were remarkably similar.

The tongues of the shoes are individualized for each player with Cal and the number on the one and a moniker on the other foot. Some went with their last names while Lexi chose AGL instead.

“We wanted to make it look like our own style,” senior Shantrell Sneed said. “We also wanted to make a statement about Cal basketball.”

The shoes and the Bears made a statement about Cal basketball at the Galen Center last weekend, earning a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever at Cal. Now the team will pack its bags, and shoes, for Trenton, N.J. with hopes of a Final Four trip in their minds.

Here's the rest of my Q&A with several of the players about the shoes:
CalBears.com: What does it mean to you to be one of only four schools in the entire country with personally designed shoes?
Alexis Gray-Lawson: I think that it means that we came into our own. It means a lot because of all of the work that you put in over the years. People are definitely starting to recognize what Cal basketball is all about. It’s a high honor to be able to make our own shoes. We worked together as a team and coaching staff. The shoes are cool! Some of us will play professionally after college, and I feel like these shoes set us up for the future.
Shantrell Sneed: Personally, I feel like it’s a testament to the hard work that we’ve put in, day in and day out, since our last tournament game and in the off-season. It’s nice to receive that kind of national recognition.
Casey Morris: When we first found out that we were going to get to design the shoes, the woman who selected the teams picked the four teams that she thought were going to last the longest into the NCAA Tournament. It meant a lot because of all the respect that went along with it. It also gave us confidence.

CalBears.com: How did the design process work?
AGL: We were in two separate groups and we kind of had a race to see who could come up with the best shoe. It was me, Devanei, Casey, Tasha and Ashley and Kevin and everybody else in the other group. We wanted to come up with something that showed our personalities. We wanted to go bright. We wanted to make sure that nobody could touch them.
CM: We wanted to make sure that the shoe wouldn’t be something that you would find in a store, but that it would be an original. We wanted it to the stand out.
SS: We wanted to make it look like our own style, and to make a statement about Cal basketball. We were split into two groups, and they two sat down at a computer and went online to a Nike Web site to see what parts we like. At the end, the coaches decided on which shoe they wanted to go with. Casey, Nei Ash Lei and Tasha.

CalBears.com: What’s your favorite part about the shoes?
SS: We like the fact that we have black in our shoes. We also really liked that we got to put our names and numbers on our shoes.
CM: I like how the bright yellow stands out.
AGL: My favorite part of the shoe is on the side with the stripes. I also really like that we have Cal and our number on the tongue. I got AGL on the other shoe tongue.

SWEET 16!

The Bears are going to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history!

Here are some of the links on CalBears.com for you:

Recap

Notes

Prelim Game Notes

Cal vs. Virginia Game Notes

With the win over No. 5-seed Virginia, No. 4-seed California earned its first trip to the Sweet 16 in program history.

California made its seventh overall and fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Cal posted its fourth NCAA Tournament win in school history and third since 1993 to improve to 4-6 all-time in NCAAs.

Cal head coach Joanne Boyle won her third NCAA Tournament game and her first second-round game (3-4 overall: 3-3 Cal; 0-1 Richmond).

The Bears tied the program record for most victories in a season with 27, which was set last year when the Bears posted a 27-7 mark. They are 27-6 in 2008-09.

Cal improved to 6-1 at the Galen Center overall and 4-1 this season. The Bears’ only loss at the arena was the 69-67 Pac-10 semifinal game against USC on March 14, 2009. The Virginia game was the fifth time this season that Cal has played on that court.

The Bears are now 1-2 against Virginia and 7-9 in program history against ACC schools. Cal’s last victory over an ACC school came Dec. 21, 1993, when they defeated Duke, 72-66. Joanne Boyle was a first-year assistant coach for Duke at that time.

Fifth-seeded Virginia marked the highest seeded team that the Bears had defeated in program history.

Virginia earned an at-large berth after finished tied for fifth in the ACC (8-6) and advancing to the quarterfinals of the league tournament. Virginia defeated 12th-seeded Marist, 68-61, on Saturday evening in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The second-round match-up marked the third meeting between the two teams. The two squads played each other last Nov. 28, 1998 in Charlottesville, Va., where the Cavaliers defeated the Bears, 70-55.

All of the squad’s 11 student-athletes saw playing time today.

Walker has been the Bears' leading scorer five times in six NCAA Tournament games.

With her 22 points, Devanei Hampton moved into sixth place in career points with 1,573. She surpassed Karen Smith, who scored 1,559 points.

Hampton had 11 rebounds to take over fifth place on the all-time list with 865 boards. She passed Cynthia Cooke, who had 855 career rebounds.

Ashley Walker had 10 points in the first 12 minutes of play.

With 53 first-half points, it was 2nd time in the 2008-09 season that Cal had scored 50 or more points in a half and the sixth time this season that the Bears had scored 40 plus points in a half.

Cal only had one turnover in the first half, which was the lowest of this season.

With four straight free throws in the first half, the Bears had made 14 straight free throws, with 10 coming in the Fresno State game.

Lauren Greif’s nine assists were a career high. Her previous career best was six, which she set Feb. 21, 2009 against Oregon State.

Ashley Walker’s 32 points against the Cavaliers were a personal best in an NCAA Tournament game. Her previous best was 21 against Fresno State this year and also against St. John’s in 2006.

Alexis Gray-Lawson’s 22 points against Virginia set a new career high in an NCAA Tournament game. Her former high was 17 points, which she set against St. John’s in 2006.

Cal’s final total of 99 points is a new program high in the NCAA Tournament. The previous record was 84 points, which the Bears scored against Long Beach State on March 14, 1990.

The Bears’ final total of 99 points was also a season best. The previous high was 85, which was achieved twice but last versus Saint Mary’s on Dec. 29, 2008.

Cal: 85, UVa: 66 - 4:42 Second Half

The Bears are breaking down records, one basket at a time!

As of right now:

Lauren Greif’s nine assists were a career high. Her previous career best was six, which set set Feb. 21, 2009 against Oregon State.

Ashley Walker’s 30 points against the Cavaliers were a personal best in an NCAA Tournament game. Her previous best was 21 against Fresno State this year and also against St. John’s in 2006.

Alexis Gray-Lawson’s 20 points against Virginia set a new career high in an NCAA Tournament game. Her former high was 17 points, which she set against St. John’s in 2006.

Cal’s current total of 86 points is a new program high in the NCAA Tournament. The previous record was 84 points, which the Bears scored against Long Beach State on March 14, 1990.

More first-half analysis:

The 'Hoos had a strong defensive presence in the paint at the beginning of the period. Despite the heaving guarding down low, the Bears still scored 32 points in the paint.

Cal outrebounded UVa, 19-17, with Hampton pacing all players with seven boards.

The three Cal steals and 19 rebounds seem like far too little for the amount of power they exhibited in the first 20 minutes. I suppose Virginia's seven turnovers help explain why it seems that Cal was so dominant in the first half.

Coming into the game, Virginia was attempting an average of 66 shots per game. If you figure that they're attempting roughly 33 per half, then they were within that average exactly with 33 attempts in the first half. However, for the amount of time that Cal was possessing the ball or playing stellar 'D,' that 33 seems very high.

FG
UVa: 16-33, 48.5 %
Cal: 23-42, 54.8 %

3-Pointers
Uva: 1-7, 14.3 %
Cal: 3-13, 23.1 %

First-Half Notes

Devanei Hampton moved into sixth place in career points. She surpassed Karen Smith, who scored 1,559 points.

Hampton had seven rebounds in the first half to take over fifth place on the all-time list. She passed Cynthia Cooke, who had 855 career rebounds.

Ashley Walker had 10 points in the first 12 minutes of play.

With 53 first-half points, it was 2nd time in the 2008-09 season that Cal had scored 50 or more points in a half and the sixth time this season that the Bears had scored 40 plus points in a half.

The Bears have now made 14 straight free throws with four coming today and 10 in the Fresno State game.