Murray State University Athletics
Racers Face Duke In First Step In The Big Dance
3/20/2008 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Murray State women's basketball team takes its first step in the 2008 NCAA Tournament when the Racers take on Duke in College Park, Md. The game will be played on Sunday at 6 p.m. Central Time, and will be shown on ESPN-2 and ESPN-U.
Murray State -- the No. 14 seed in the Oklahoma City Region -- earned the automatic berth into "The Big Dance" by winning the Ohio Valley Conference Championship Tournament on March 8. The OVC title was the first ever for MSU in its 37 years as a league member.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams, with the winner taking on the Arizona State-Temple winner. That game will be played imeediately following Murray State's game.
Murray State (24-7) enters the tournament on a tear, having won its last nine games, with each of the last six being wins by 10 or more points. Duke (23-9) is ranked ninth in the Associated Press writers' poll and 10th in the WBCA/USA Today coaches' poll. The Blue Devils are making their 15th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including each of the previous 13.
"Obviously, the team is excited," said MSU head coach Jody Adams. "They've calmed down, and they're ready to play. There is the preparation that you have to go through to play a team with the caliber of Duke.
"The season has been long; it's been a longer season than it was last year, even though they made it to the WNIT. Those things begin to wear and tear on you. They continue to work hard, though. You just get to a point where you're tired of going against each other. We are ready to go, and the preparation we are doing is very important for us."
Racer NCAA Tournament Central: Click Here
RACER GAME CENTRAL
Murray State Racers (24-7)
vs. Duke Blue Devils (23-9)
Sunday, March 23, 6:00 p.m. CT || Comcast Center (17,950), College Park, Md.
Comcast Center Information: Click Here
ON THE AIR
Radio: WFGE (103.7 FM, Murray): Josh Perigo
TV: ESPN-2 (Channel 25 on Murray NewWave Comm.), ESPN-U (Channel 215 on Murray NewWave Comm.):
Pam Ward, Nancy Lieberman, Holly Rowe
Listen Live: Click Here
Live Stats, College Park Group Info: Click Here
FIRST-YEAR COACHES
Each team has a coach in her first season with her respective team. Murray State's Jody Adams is in her first season as a collegiate head coach, while Duke's Joanne P. McCallie is in her first year at Duke, in her 16th season as a collegiate head coach. Both coaches served as assistant coaches at Auburn, with Adams being there from 1994-96 and McCallie being there from 1988-92.
NCAA EXPERIENCE
Although excited to bring a team to the NCAA Tournament in her first season as a head coach, Jody Adams will be taking part in her 21st NCAA Tournament game as a player or coach. As a player at Tennessee, Adams and the Lady Vols went 9-3 at the Big Dance, winning the 1991 national title. As a student assistant coach at UT, the team went 3-1, and as an assistant coach at Auburn, the Tigers also went 3-1. All told, Adams' teams are 15-5 (.750) in the NCAA Tournament.
PROBABLE STARTERS
Here is a look at the probable starters for both teams, with pertinent statistics:
MURRAY STATE RACERS (WBB Home Page)
F - 23 Ashley Hayes (5-10, Jr., Humboldt, Tenn.; 18.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, .467 FG%, .817 FT%)
C - 54 Angela Brown (6-5, Sr., Albany, Ky.; 7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg; .545 FG%, 1.5 bspg)
G - 5 Amber Guffey (5-8, Jr., Albnay, Ky.; 18.0 ppg, 4.4 apg, .440 FG%, .441 3FG%, .898 FT%)
G - 15 Shaleea Petty (5-5, Sr., Hopkinsville, Ky.; 10.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 4.0 apg, 2.5 spg, 2.40 ast/to, .830 FT%)
G - 20 Alaina Lee (5-3, Sr., Houston, Texas; 11.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .445 FG%, .754 FT%)
DUKE BLUE DEVILS (WBB Home Page)
F - Joy Cheek (6-1, Soph., Charlotte, N.C.; 9.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, .526 FG%)
C - 11 Chante Black (6-5, Jr., Winston-Salem, N.C.; 13.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.3 bspg, .526 FG%, .795 FT%)
G - 4 Abby Waner (5-10, Jr., Highlands Ranch, Colo.; 10.5 ppg, 3.9 apg, 2.6 spg, .726 FT%, 1.6 3FG/g)
G - 5 Jasmine Thomas (5-9, Fr., Fairfax, Va.; 7.8 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.6 spg)
G - 23 Wanisha Smith (5-11, Sr., Upper Marlboro, Md.; 9.1 ppg, .747 FT%, 2.9 apg)
NCAA SCHEDULE (all times are Central Time)
Saturday, March 22
Press Conference, 2:20-2:50 p.m.
Open Practice, 3:00-3:50 p.m.
Sunday, March 23
Shootaround, 7:40-8:00 a.m.
Game, 6:00 p.m.
