Cavs happy to be in CBI
Leitao sees no downside to continuing the season in first-year tournament
Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008 - 12:07 AM Updated: 12:45 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- It's not the NIT, and it's certainly not the NCAA tournament. But the new College Basketball Invitational is the only postseason tourney that wanted the University of Virginia, and the interest was mutual, once third-year coach Dave Leitao's veterans assured him they were excited about continuing the season.

"What are the disadvantages?" Leitao said yesterday. "There are no disadvantages, only advantages"

U.Va. (15-15) hosts Richmond (16-14) in a first-round CBI game tonight, and it might not be all-ACC guard Sean Singletary's final appearance at John Paul Jones Arena.

If the Cavaliers beat UR, they would host Old Dominion or Rider in a CBI quarterfinal Monday. ODU entertains Rider tonight in Norfolk.

The CBI has not started auspiciously. On the tournament's official Web site, the headline on the home page over the weekend blared: 2008 BRACKET TO BE ANNOUNCED MARCH 16.

But Sunday came and went, and the 16-team field wasn't announced until about 2 a.m. yesterday, by which time Leitao had turned in.

"I don't last that long," he said around noon yesterday. "I found out first thing this morning, but again, when you're playing in a first-year tournament, there are going to be speed bumps along the way."

As a host team, U.Va. agreed to pay $60,000 to the CBI, a guarantee at which several other schools, including Alabama, Missouri and New Mexico State, balked. That figure is comparable to what Virginia would pay an opponent from a lower-profile league to play in Charlottesville during the regular season.

To break even, spokesman Rich Murray said, U.Va. needs to sell between 7,000 and 10,000 tickets, depending on the cost of staging tonight's game. The Cavaliers have averaged about 12,800 at home this season.

In its most recent game at the JPJ, U.Va. closed the regular season by beating Maryland 91-76. Singletary, a 6-0 senior, had his jersey retired before the game, and he followed that ceremony with a spectacular performance, totaling 27 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

Of Virginia's seniors, Singletary is the only one who has produced consistently, and additional games this season figure to benefit the players around whom Leitao will build in 2008-09, including Jeff Jones, Mike Scott, Calvin Baker, Jamil Tucker, Mamadi Diane and Laurynas Mikalauskas.

Still, Leitao said, "We're not done with 2007-08. . . . The goal is to win the tournament."

Singletary said: "As a player you just want to play basketball, and it feels good to have this opportunity."

 

UR finds measuring stick in Virginia
Tuesday, Mar 18, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JOHN O'CONNOR
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

There was no team party to celebrate the University of Richmond's pairing announcement in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.

After all, it was nearly 2 a.m., yesterday when the Spiders learned they would play at Virginia in tonight's CBI first-rounder. The UR coaching staff sent text messages to players at their living quarters.

"We were actually waiting for the text," said Richmond forward Jarhon Giddings. "We're excited to play in the postseason, and especially because we're playing Virginia."

Hoos envy. Thirteen Division I programs in the state have it, to some degree. The Cavaliers bring a legacy of national success, a home-court palace, and a longtime affiliation with the ACC, commonly regarded as the land's premier league.

The Spiders' enthusiasm regarding tonight's assignment is obviously linked to the fact that UR is in growth mode, with 10 freshmen and sophomores among 13 scholarship players. Here are 40 more minutes to develop. The icing?

"It's Virginia, and that is a big deal," said Chris Mooney, Richmond's third-year coach.

In addition to the presumed motivational edge, short preparation time may supply UR with an advantage. The Spiders operate out of a Princeton-style offense and defend with a matchup zone. On each end, that's a bit unusual.

Said UR guard David Gonzalvez: "We see [the Cavaliers] on TV all the time. Those guys have never seen us, and hopefully, they don't respect us."

According to Mooney, who said he wishes UR could play U.Va. every year, the Spiders will not use this game as a building block for next season. Seniors Gaston Moliva and Oumar Sylla will be involved as they have all season.

Richmond's 15-man roster includes only three Virginians: Giddings, who spent his first 17 years in Blacksburg before moving to North Carolina, and Richmonders Ryan Butler and Justin Harper. But all Spiders evidently still appreciate that U.Va. is the state program by which others are measured.

"They were disappointed we didn't play [Virginia] during the regular season," Giddings said of the non-Virginians on UR's team. "So I don't think this opportunity is lost on them at all."

 

Cavaliers wake up to Spiders
Virginia's first-round matchup in the CBI isn't a nightmare.
Doug Doughty

By the time Virginia announced its first-round pairing for the College Basketball Invitational, coach Dave Leitao was fast asleep.

At 2:51 a.m., who could blame him?

UVa isn't in the habit of issuing news releases at that hour, but things could be worse. In Leitao's first season, 2005-06, the Cavaliers barely had 48 hours' warning before a first-round National Invitation Tournament game at Stanford.

"Not having to go 3,000 miles and three time zones away is certainly better for us and would be for any team," Leitao said.

It wasn't until he awoke Monday morning that Leitao knew for sure that the Cavaliers (15-15) would be playing Richmond (16-14), but he already knew that Virginia would be playing at home and that tipoff would be at 7 tonight.

That much was clear when the NIT announced pairings that did not include Virginia. On Saturday, the Cavaliers had announced that they would serve as host for a first-round CBI game if an NIT bid did not materialize.

Leitao already had gotten a sense that the Cavaliers wanted to keep playing from their much-decorated senior guard, Sean Singletary.

"If he had said, 'No, I'm done playing; I don't want to play,' I still would have made a decision in agreement or maybe disagreement," Leitao said, "but, I wanted to get their input."

When asked about the advantages of playing in the CBI, Leitao turned the question around.

"The question would be asked back, 'What are the disadvantages?' " Leitao said. "There are no disadvantages. There's only advantages in every aspect of playing, coaching, cheering,"

Tonight's meeting will be the first between the Cavaliers and Spiders since November 2005, when Virginia prevailed 59-43 at Richmond in the second game of Leitao's first season.

That was also the first season for Spiders' head coach Chris Mooney, whose arrival in Richmond was at least partly connected to Leitao's arrival in Charlottesville. After Leitao resigned as DePaul coach to take the Virginia job, the Blue Demons hired then-Richmond coach Jerry Wainwright as his successor.

Mooney is a Princeton alumnus and former player who subscribes to the patterned offense made famous by ex-coach Pete Carril. His 2005-2006 Richmond team led Division I in fewest points allowed, and the Spiders are giving up 66 points per game this year.

Former Blacksburg High School standout Jarhon Giddings, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound junior, has played in every game as a post man for the Spiders, whose most impressive victories have come over Virginia Tech and NCAA invitee Temple.

"In this day and age, it's pretty easy to get your hands on film," Leitao said of the 36-hour turnaround between the time he learned of the pairing and tonight's tipoff. "I've already watched two games [by noon], and we'll watch one or two more."

Virginia saw a Princeton-style offense earlier this season when it played Northwestern, coached by Carril disciple Bill Carmody.

"You have to rely more on the things you try day to day to do well, rather than a specific gameplan," Leitao said. "It's challenging for Richmond, it's challenging for us, it's challenging for any team."

Dan Geriot, a 6-9, 235-pound sophomore, is the leading scorer (14.0) and rebounder (5.5) for a Spiders team that boasts seven players with at least 13 3-point field goals apiece.

Tonight's game will allow UVa fans a second opportunity to bid farewell to Singletary, a three-time All-ACC selection, "but, in my mind, that's secondary to continuing to play and trying to win games," Leitao said.
 

UVa set to take on Spiders
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 18, 2008

If you had told Virginia coach Dave Leitao in November that come March his team would have earned a No. 1 seed in a postseason tournament, he might have kissed you.

However, back then Leitao would have figured you were talking about the ACC Tournament, the NCAA Tournament, or - at the very least - the NIT.

Turns out, it’s none of the above.

In the wee hours of Monday morning, Virginia received word that it had been tabbed as a No. 1 seed in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational.

“I don’t know how late everyone else stayed up,” Leitao said, “but I don’t last that long.”

Leitao, whose team failed to qualify for the NCAA or the NIT for the first time in his three years, awoke to some pretty good news.

Virginia (15-15), tabbed as the top seed in the CBI’s East Region, hosts Richmond tonight and will not have to leave Charlottesville until next Wednesday’s semifinals at the earliest (provided the Cavaliers make it that far).

In the last few weeks, some fans, basketball pundits and media members have questioned the wisdom of Virginia participating in the little-known CBI - especially after such a lackluster regular season.

However, Leitao sees no reason not to.

“It’s a chance to make the best of an end of a season, which I think is a positive thing for your kids,” Leitao said. “It’s an opportunity for them to continue to play and get better.”

Leitao said he consulted with his team - namely seniors Sean Singletary, Adrian Joseph and Ryan Pettinella - before accepting the bid. “I wanted to get their input,” Leitao said. “It was more a matter of them being excited and wanting to continue to play than anything else.”

Wahoo fans who thought they had seen Sean Singletary play his final game in John Paul Jones Arena get a bonus. Singletary, who had one of the most memorable senior nights in recent memory in the victory over Maryland, will be looking to provide an encore.

The CBI also gives Joseph and Pettinella a chance to end their careers on a better note. Joseph played just seven minutes in the first-round loss to Georgia Tech on Thursday.

Leitao, undoubtedly, will be looking for a better performance by his team on the defensive end. Virginia allowed Tech to shoot 58 percent from the field (54 percent from 3-point range).

Fourth-seeded Richmond (16-14, 9-7), which finished fourth in the Atlantic-10 this season, certainly poses some challenges - namely a Princeton-style motion offense that has been known to cause opposing teams headaches.

During the 2005-06 season, Leitao’s first season at the helm, Virginia had to scrap its way to a 59-43 win at the Robins Center over Richmond.

However, this season, Virginia faced Northwestern - which features the same style - and had one of its strongest offensive performances.

“With one-day preparation, it becomes difficult,” said Leitao, when asked about taking on the Spiders. “You have to rely more on the things that you try day in and day out to do well than a specific gameplan.

“They have the rookie of the year in [Kevin] Anderson who has added a lot. It’s made them much more competitive. They have a winning record in the Atlantic 10, which has proven to be - with three teams in the NCAA Tournament - to be a high quality league.”

After finishing 10th in the 12-team ACC and bowing out early in the league tournament, Virginia was a long shot to make the NIT. But, truth be told, UVa could be better off in the CBI. When the Cavaliers made the NIT two years ago, they had to fly 3,000 miles and across three time zones with just one day’s notice before losing to Stanford in the first round.

On Monday, Leitao didn’t seem embarrassed in any way by having his team play in a tournament that, until just recently, nobody had ever heard of.

“If you have any competitive bones or spirit in you,” Leitao said, “and they tell you that there are practices to go through or games to play, then that is excitable - or should be anyway - to our coaching staff, players, fans or whoever’s interested in that particular team or school.”

Dunks

The winner plays the ODU-Rider winner in the quarterfinals on Monday, March 24. … Virginia leads the all-time series, 51-36, including a 30-15 mark in Charlottesville. The Cavs have won the last three meetings. … Leitao on “The Battle of the Commonwealth”: “I think it could put some added enthusiasm into the arena,” he said.

…On the school’s web site, University of Richmond coach Chris Mooney said his team was looking forward to the matchup: “We will be playing a very talented Virginia team in a great environment for college basketball,” he said, “so that can only help our younger guys while giving our seniors a chance to play more basketball in a Richmond uniform.”


 

Cavs ready for Spiders in CBI play
By Andy Bitter
Published: March 17, 2008

Dave Leitao was not one of the few people who stayed up until Monday’s early-morning hours to find out Virginia’s first-round opponent in the College Basketball Invitational.
“I don’t last that long,” UVa’s coach said.
When he awoke several hours later, he found out his Cavaliers will host Richmond today at 7 p.m. in the opening round of the inaugural 16-team event.
Virginia (15-15) found out late Sunday night that it would not be part of the National Invitation Tournament, its preferred choice of possible postseason events. That left the newly formed CBI, a tournament created by the New Jersey-based Gazelle Group, which didn’t publicize its matchups until well after midnight.
UVa received the top seed in the four-team East bracket. The winner of today’s game will play the winner of Old Dominion and Rider next Monday.
Some schools — including Wake Forest, Texas Tech, Alabama, Missouri and New Mexico State — declined invitations for the tournament, which offered bids to teams spurned by the NCAA Tournament and NIT. A few athletic directors had issues with having to guarantee a reported $60,000 to the CBI to host one of the eight first-round games.
There is also the stigma attached to what is perceived as a third-tier tournament. But Leitao canvassed the opinion of the players — especially seniors Sean Singletary and Adrian Joseph — and came away with one response.
“It was more a matter of them wanting to play and being excited than anything,” Leitao said. “There are no disadvantages (in postseason play). There are only advantages in every aspect of playing, coaching (and) cheering.”
The Cavaliers met for a practice Sunday, two days after their opening-round ACC Tournament loss to Georgia Tech. They only had Monday’s afternoon practice to prepare specifically for Richmond (16-14), which lost its first game of the Atlantic 10 Tournament to St. Joseph’s.
“With one day of preparation, it becomes difficult and you have to rely more on the things you try to do well day-in and day-out, rather than a specific game plan,” Leitao said.
Richmond’s methodical Princeton-style offense isn’t completely unfamiliar to UVa. The Cavaliers beat the Spiders two years ago in Leitao’s second game as coach. Earlier this season, Virginia played Pennsylvania and Northwestern, two teams whose offenses have many of the same back-cut principles.
Whatever the obstacles in having a short turnaround may be, they pale in comparison to the logistics of Virginia’s postseason appearance two years ago, when the Cavaliers traveled across the country to Stanford on one day’s notice for a first-round NIT game.
“If we were playing at home tomorrow against the Houston Rockets it would probably be better than if we had to go on the road 3,000 miles away to do anything,” Leitao said.


 

Cavaliers, Spiders clash in first round of CBI
Inaugural College Basketball Invitational features 16 teams in four divisions
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

"I'm sure I'll play somewhere else," senior Sean Singletary said following a 94-76 loss to Georgia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament. "It's tough not playing in a program and a family that we built for these three years."

Beginning tonight, however, Singletary will get at least one more opportunity not only to put on a Virginia jersey but to perform in front of his home fans. At 7 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena, Virginia (15-15, 5-11 ACC) hosts Richmond in round one of the new College Basketball Invitational.

In its inaugural season, the CBI is a third-tier postseason tournament, inferior to both the NCAA and NIT Tournaments. Established by the Gazelle Group, the CBI contains 16 teams and is divided into four regions, each of which contains four teams seeded 1 to 4. Like the NIT, in which the higher seed plays at its home site in every round, the higher-seeded team will serve as host for the first two rounds of each region and the semifinals of the tournament.

Virginia is the top seed in the East region, which also contains Old Dominion, Rider and Virginia's first-round opponent Richmond -- the second, third and fourth seeds, respectively in the East. John Paul Jones Arena will be the host arena for the Cavaliers' game against the Spiders, and Old Dominion will host Rider at 7 p.m. tonight.

Other teams to receive top seeds include Washington (West region), Bradley (Midwest) and Texas-El Paso (South). The four teams that advance from each region will be reseeded 1 through 4 for the semifinals, and predictably seeds 1 and 4, and 2 and 3 will square off, with the higher seed hosting at its home site for each semifinal.

The most unique aspect of this tournament in comparison to the other two is in its finals. Unlike the NCAA or NIT tournaments, the CBI Championship is determined by a best-of-three series between the two finalists. The higher seed, as determined by the reseeding in the semifinals, will host game one and game three, if necessary, and the lower seed will host game two.

Virginia's first-round opponent, in-state rival Richmond (16-14, 9-7 Atlantic 10), finished sixth in the Atlantic 10 and lost in the quarterfinals of its conference tournament to eventual Atlantic 10 Tournament runner-up St. Joseph's. The only 2007-08 opponents that the two teams have in common are Virginia Tech and Xavier. The Spiders defeated the Hokies 52-49 in January, while the Cavaliers were edged by Virginia Tech twice in overtime. Both Virginia and Richmond were blown out by No. 10 Xavier; Richmond 86-61 March 8 and Virginia 108-70 Jan. 3.

Virginia's loss to Xavier and its most recent defeat by Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament are two of many examples of poor defensive efforts on the Cavaliers' part. Georgia Tech shot a whopping 54.2 percent from the 3-point line and 57.9 percent overall Thursday while getting numerous open looks inside, on the perimeter and in transition.

To start the game, "we gave up 24 points in about eight minutes," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "We were playing uphill from there mentally."

The Spiders have three players who average in double figures scoring, two of whom received All-Atlantic 10 honors. Sophomore forward Dan Geriot is Richmond's leading scorer (14 points per game) and received third-team All-Atlantic-10 honors, and freshman guard Kevin Anderson was named the conference's Rookie of the Year after scoring 10.7 points per game and leading the Spiders with 3 assists per game.

 

Weymouth's leadership shines
Despite numerous accolades and awards, junior praises teammates, coaching staff
Ryan Williams, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Accolades and honors come through hard work, aspirations and sometimes a little luck. They also bring responsibility and put leadership on that person's shoulders. Quiet and unassuming yet confident and competitive, Virginia women's lacrosse junior midfielder Blair Weymouth has excelled both on the field and as a team leader.

Entering the season, Virginia coach Julie Myers said Weymouth is "good for a lot of goals and is considered one of the best players in the country."

That assessment has proven true, both during Weymouth's first two years and this season. As a freshman, Weymouth was named to All-American squads of several national publications, on either the second or third teams. Also in that 2006 season, she was named the consensus national Rookie of the Year, as well as being honored as ACC Rookie of the Year and earning a spot on the All-ACC Team. Starting all 19 games that season, Weymouth finished second on the team with 70 points, tallying 49 goals and helping on 21 assists.

During her sophomore campaign, Blair was able to improve upon her impressive rookie season. She finished second on the squad again in points with 86, finding the net 58 times and assisting her teammates 28 times. This performance was sufficient enough to earn her a spot as a First-Team All-American for several national publications and on the All-ACC Team again. Starting all 23 games for her team, Weymouth tallied eight hat tricks for the second consecutive season. This included a season-high five goals in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Princeton, highlighting a clutch performance.

The All-American is quick to deflect these honors away from herself and toward her teammates and coaches.

"You can't really put those awards on me in particular," Weymouth said. "I've played three years now with some phenomenal lacrosse players, so to take the credit for those awards is not something I'm going to do or would do. So I think it reflects the type of people that I've been playing with and how well we've worked together."

Meyers noted Weymouth deserves the honors she has received and has handled the praise well.

"She's done a lot in just two years of college to actually earn those awards," Myers said. "She's a phenomenal player and she leads by example. She just makes things happen and helps people play better. She's a huge piece of our team."

Weymouth, however, considers herself lucky to be able to play at Virginia. The junior first played lacrosse competitively during her freshman year at The Holderness School in Holderness, N.H. She was recruited by Myers after attending a lacrosse camp at Virginia before her senior season.

For four of her elementary school years, Weymouth lived in Virginia, where she first learned of the University.

"I had always heard about U.Va. and it's been a pretty dominant lacrosse school," Weymouth said. "To be honest with you, I had no expectations of going here, so I was really lucky and it all worked out."

Since Weymouth attended school in New Hampshire, where she said, lacrosse isn't very popular, Weymouth's blood may also explain her skills on the field.

Weymouth's father played collegiate lacrosse at the University of New Hampshire, her brother played for one year at Bates and her sister ­-- whom Weymouth said was the person she admired most in the sport -- played at Middlebury College.

The political science major has already made an impact on the field this season despite battling a bad deep-bone bruise on her left ankle. After missing the team's first two games of the season, Weymouth came off the bench to score five goals in a victory against Syracuse. She then racked up four goals and two assists in the team's win against Penn State and netted four goals and three assists in this past weekend's victory against North Carolina after resting against William & Mary.

"She took a few days off last week and we need to really be conservative with her, mostly in practice, so she can go all out in games," Myers said.

Weymouth has done just that so far this season in the games she has played, scoring 13 goals and adding five assists to tie for second on the team in points.

According to Myers, Weymouth, when healthy, is a key piece of this team's performance, and her experience will be very valuable in the homestretch of the regular season.

 

Cavs are Norfolk-bound
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
March 18, 2008

It almost seemed too good to be true.

Just minutes after the selection show for the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament was underway on ESPN, Old Dominion was flashed onto the screen as a fifth seed in the Greensboro (N.C.) regional.

That revelation - at least for a split second - appeared to eliminate any chance Virginia had of squaring off against its lengthiest in-state rival during the opening weekend at a facility located just over 150 miles from Charlottesville.

But the selection committee threw a pro-Cavalier curveball.

In shocking fashion according to earlier projections, Virginia (23-9) was given a No. 4 seed in the Greensboro regional, earning a bus ride to Norfolk for an opening round game Sunday against 13th-seeded UC Santa Barbara (23-7).

Should the Cavaliers win and Old Dominion upend 12th-seeded Liberty in its opener, the two teams will meet inside the Ted Constant Convocation Center on Tuesday.

Recognizing the friendly logistics of the bracket sent the smattering of fans inside the John Paul Jones into a roar and left coach Debbie Ryan clapping.

“I was a little bit surprised, but when I looked today at the RPI, which was 15, and our strength of schedule, which was 11, I knew the committee had to take a clean look at us,” Ryan said. “I am just really proud of this team and what we accomplished. God willing we put the best foot forward when we get down to Norfolk.”

Ryan, back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005, admitted that the trip to Norfolk and perhaps a spot in nearby Greensboro in the Sweet Sixteen was near perfect.

“I don’t know that you can have a better situation in terms of our fans and everybody being able to be a part of what is going on for us,” she said. “I think it is great. We have played in Norfolk before - not this whole crew - but we are familiar.”

Most of Virginia’s players are stepping into a new atmosphere having been sent to the Women’s NIT the past two years.

“It will probably hit me that we are in the NCAA Tournament when we get there and I am like, ‘Wow, NCAA’s,’” said Virginia forward Lyndra Littles. “But I am very excited. It is a great change from being in the NIT every year that I have been here.”

Tara McKnight, a former walk-on, and point guard Sharnee Zoll are the two players left with the program that played in Virginia’s last appearance in the NCAA, a journey that included an easy win over ODU and a loss to Minnesota, which hosted the regional.

“It is much more exciting this year,” McKnight said. “We got a great seed, it was a little unexpected, and we are looking to do some damage.”

Ryan is hopeful that an outpouring of support from Virginia fans will help negate the Monarchs’ home-court advantage. Tickets for the entire weekend, which also includes four other teams, including top-seeded North Carolina, are available for $40 at www.coxtixx.com or by calling (800)-3COX-TIXX.


 

Cavaliers earn surprise seeding
Thrilled with her No. 4 seed, UVa coach Debbie Ryan brings her team back to the NCAAs.
By Katrina Waugh
981-3127

The Cavaliers are back.

Virginia was left out of the women's NCAA tournament field the past two seasons, but this year the resurgent Cavaliers won their way to a fourth seed in the NCAA tournament field.

"It's been a great day," said Cavaliers coach Debbie Ryan. "I wasn't really expecting a four, not because I didn't think we deserved it. I think we got it because of our RPI and strength of schedule."

The Cavaliers ranked 15th in the women's RPI and their strength of schedule was 11th, thanks in part to playing in the ACC.

Two ACC schools, Maryland and North Carolina, earned No. 1 seeds in the NCAAs. Tennessee and Connecticut were the other top seeds. Duke, a third-seed, Georgia Tech, a 10th seed, and Florida State, an 11th-seed, were the other ACC teams to earn an NCAA bid.

Virginia Tech, which finished 10th in the ACC, did not get a WNIT bid.

"It just means the 2008-09 season starts tomorrow," Tech coach Beth Dunkenberger said.

The Hokies went 15-14 overall this season, 2-12 in the ACC. They lost to Boston College in the first round of the ACC tournament.

"We went 7-12 against teams that are playing in the postseason," Dunkenberger said. "We've got to get a few more wins."

Liberty and Old Dominion, host of the Cavaliers' subregion, were the other Virginia schools in the NCAA field.

Radford will play James Madison on Thursday in the opening round of the WNIT, which had not announced all of its pairings late Monday. Virginia Commonwealth earned an at-large bid.

The Hoos will play 13th-seed Cal-Santa Barbara at 9:30 p.m. at the Ted Constant Center in Norfolk on Sunday.

No. 12 seed Liberty will play fifth-seeded Old Dominion in the same bracket. The winners of those games will meet in Norfolk on Tuesday. A win on Tuesday would mean a trip to Greensboro and a likely meeting with top-seeded UConn.

Huskies coach Geno Auriemma was once an assistant to Ryan at Virginia.

But Ryan wasn't ready to think about a possible matchup with her friend.

The Cavaliers scored their first 20-win season since 1999-2000 this year and played their way into the Associated Press's Top 25 poll by the end of the year. Virginia went 22-8 overall and it's 10-4 record in the ACC was good for fourth place in the league and a bye in the ACC tournament. Virginia beat Georgia Tech in the second round, then lost to eventual champion North Carolina, 80-65, in the semifinals.

Radford, which lost to Liberty on a last-second shot in the Big South tournament championship game, earned the league's automatic bid to the WNIT. The Highlanders (23-11) are led by former Northside standout Corrie Fertitta and Kelli Darden.

James Madison won the Colonial Athletic Associations's automatic bid as the second place team in the regular-season standings. The Dukes (22-9), led by Tamera Young's 19.3 points and 10 rebounds a game, lost to VCU in the CAA semifinals.

Liberty (28-3, 11-1 Big South) is led by Big South player of the year Megan Frazee and by point guard Allyson Fasnacht, who starred at Glenvar.

The Cavaliers scrimmaged Liberty earlier this season and played ODU last year.

"The team we know least about is the one we're playing," Ryan said. But she already had two DVDs of Gauchos games and is familiar with coach Mark French. "By tomorrow, I'll have a lot of film," Ryan said.

The Gauchos (23-7) made the NCAA tournament field for the 10th time in 12 seasons, winning their last five games and 19 of their last 20 to capture the Big West Conference championship.

Senior point guard Jessica Wilson was named the Big West Player of the Year and was also the MVP of the Big West tournament. Wilson led the Gauchos in both scoring (12.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg).

Junior forward Kat Suderman was also a Big West first-team selection.

"This was as good as we could have expected," said Ryan, who confessed to being "a bit of a bracketologist." "But one thing I've learned is that every moment you've got a chance to play, you'd better make the most of it, because everybody is good and there's no tomorrow."