Murray State University Athletics
NCAA Sunday: Countdown To Game TIme
3/23/2008 5:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Perhaps it's appropriate that the Murray State women's basketball team plays its first-ever NCAA Tournament game on Easter, a holiday that celebrates new beginnings and optimism for the future.
All of the practices, all of the previews and reviews, all of the scouting reports, all of the instruction and all of the games have led up to this tournament. One of the greatest challenges of any team making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament is to overcome the newness, the greatness of the tournament and focus on the game.
For Murray State (24-7), success can be measured in many different ways this year: a 20-win season, a second-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference standings, several individual honors, winning the OVC Tournament and taking part in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. The extent of this season's success is still to be determined, based on Murray State's performance in this tournament, starting tonight.
The Racers -- the No. 14 seed in the Oklahoma City region -- faces third-seeded Duke (23-9) tonight at 6 p.m. Central Time at the Comcast Center in College Park, Md., the home arena for the University of Maryand. The winner of that game wil play the Arizona State-Temple winner on Tuesday for a spot among the Sweet 16, playing in Oklahoma City for the regional championship. Arizona State plays Temple 30 minutes after the Murray State-Duke game tonight.
Since the end of last year's OVC Tournament in March 2007, the Racers have worked hard to bring themselves to this point. Regardless of the outcome, it heralds a new beginning for Murray State with promise for the future of Racer women's basketball.
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.),
featuring 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)
