Easy As One, Two, Three???
While it only took three wins in three days for UMBC to earn its first-ever trip to the NCAA tournament, the road to the title could not have been more difficult. The Retrievers became the first team in conference history to beat the one, two and three seeds. The feat has not been duplicated on the men’s side either.
Save the First Dance for MeHead coach Phil Stern helped lead UMBC to its first-ever trip to the NCAA women’s basketball tournament at any level. The Retrievers are in just their fourth season in America East.
Lucky Number Seven
UMBC became the first seven seed to win the America East conference title. However this seed is no stranger to upsets. Prior to this season, the seventh seed has been the biggest spoiler in the tournament winning 12 times and advancing to a pair of America East finals. UMBC made its first-ever appearance in the seven spot.
Nothing or All
While the Retrievers were 0-3 in the first three trips to the America East tournament, UMBC ran the table and improved to .500 with three wins in three days to earn the crown.
16::1
UMBC becomes the fourth team in conference history to play as the 16 seed. In two of three previous meetings those 16 seeds played top-seeded UConn. In 1995 Maine lost to UConn 105-75, while Boston U. lost to the Huskies 91-44 in 2003. The only other time America East appeared as the 16th seed was in 2002 with Hartford lost to Oklahoma 84-52.
Good Old Fashion Dog FightWhen the Retrievers and Huskies meet this weekend, it will mark the first-ever meeting between the two. Overall, America East teams were just 2-8 against the Big East this season with Hartford and Boston U. both defeating St. John’s in non-conference play. This will be UMBC’s first action against the Big East this season.
Hartford or BustMarch Madness brings great college basketball all over the country with NCAA regionals and NIT sites. It is a bit ironic that all the America East postseason action in this first weekend will take place at the insurance capital of the world, Hartford, Conn.
Home Sweet Home for HawksOn Thursday Hartford won its first-ever game in the Postseason WNIT. Hartford improved to 26-1 at home over the past two seasons. The Hawks became the third America East team to host a game in the WNIT. In 2002, Vermont hosted two rounds, winning both, at Patrick Gym, while Maine lost to Creighton in 2003 at Alfond Arena.
Back-to-BackWith its win over Bucknell on Thursday, Hartford became the first America East team to win postseason games in consecutive seasons.
Nit: Pre and Postseason
Hartford becomes the first America East team to participate in the Preseason and Postseason WNIT in the same season. Earlier this year, the Hawks defeated Dartmouth in the opening round of the Preseason WNIT before falling to eventual champion Purdue.
UMBC's Top Dog
Fifth-year head coach Phil Stern led the Retrievers to a 15-13 mark in 2005-06, the program’s best record since joining America East. After a slow start in conference play to open last season, UMBC rattled off six-straight wins over America East foes in early February and earned a fifth-place finish in the regular season. This year, he led the Retrievers to a 16-16 overall record and wins over the one, two and three seeds to earn the conference title and NCAA berth.
A Champion at Every Level
Hartford’s eighth-year head coach Jen Rizzotti is no stranger to success, having won championships at every level she has competed at. Most notably, Rizzotti was a member of University of Connecticut’s 1994-95 35-0 National Championship team, where she earned first-team all-America honors. But her championships did not end there, as she was a member of the WNBA champion Houston Comets in 1999. As she has moved on to the coaching ranks, her knack for winning championships led her to Hartford, where she coached the team to the University’s first ever women’s basketball conference title in 2002 and back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006. This season Rizzotti has guided the Hawks to their third straight 20-win season and second-consecutive regular-season crown.
Here’s to you Ms. Robinson
UMBC’s Amanda Robinson (Lusby, Md./Patuxent) won the 2007 America East Women’s Basketball Championship Most Outstanding Player. The junior forward led the Retrievers to upset wins over the one, two and three seeds and averaged 15.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 1.3 bpg. She netted 15 points in a quarterfinal win, 21 points in a semifinal win and closed out the tourney with 10 points in the title game.
Rohde is Paved in Black and GoldSharri Rohde (Indianapolis, Ind./Franklin Central) was named to the All-Tournament team at the 2007 America East Women’s Basketball Tournament. She averaged 12.3 ppg including 17 points in a quarterfinal win over Stony Brook. In addition, she netted 12 points and pulled down nine boards against No. 3 Vermont. The 5-11 senior was a second-team all-conference selection in each of the past two seasons and ranked in the top 15 in scoring, rebounding, assists, and blocked shots. On Jan. 7, Rohde became the 15th player in UMBC women’s basketball history to score 1,000 points.
You Can Feel Good About HoodHartford's Danielle Hood (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Walter Panas), an America East first-team all-conference selection, led the Hawks averaging 13.3 ppg in this season. The junior forward averaged 14.0 ppg in this year’s America East Championship, including netting a game-high 17 points in the finals. Hood was also a member of the all-tournament team.
RPI: UMBC Makes Largest Rise in the NationAmerica East remains locked into the #16 slot in the March 12 version of the Collegiate Basketball News (CBN) women’s college basketball ratings percentage index (RPI). Conference champion UMBC jumped 44 spots (210-to-166), the most of any team in the nation over the past week and the most by any team in the conference all season. All and all, four of the league’s nine teams improved its standings from week 11. Hartford boasts the league’s best RPI at 47, while Vermont, Binghamton and Albany made improvements. All and all, six of the nine teams ranked in the top 200.
School 3/5 3/12 Diff.
UMBC 210 166 +44
Binghamton 240 228 +12
Albany 261 251 +10
Vermont 151 150 +1
It’s Happened BeforeWhile a 16 seed has never defeated a one-seed on the men’s side, it has happened before on the women’s side. The only 16 seed to beat a one seed occurred in 1998, when Harvard defeated Stanford 71-67 at Stanford.
Giant "Owl" KillersLast season, Hartford earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Championship, America East’s highest seed since 1999, and promptly upset Temple, 64-58, in the First Round. The Hawks’ bid for a Sweet 16 appearance came up short in a 73-54 loss to Georgia. Both of Hartford’s NCAA games were televised by ESPN.
Retrievers Scoring Well-BalancedUMBC is the only team in the America East with four players ranking in the conference’s top-20 scoring leaders.
Player PPG Rank
Sharri Rohde 13.7 7th
Brittnie Hughes 11.4 11th
Amanda Robinson 10.3 17th
Kristin Drabyn 9.7 18th
Hartford Defense Third NationallyHartford has established itself as one of the top defensive teams in the nation. Spending most of the season in the top five in defense, the Hawks rank third nationally as they are allowing just 52.5 ppg. The Hawks have allowed under 50 points on 14 different occasions this season.
UMBC Not in the Giving MoodThe Retrievers have been very protective of the ball this season. They lead America East and rank 20th in the nation in turnovers at 14.4 per game. In addition, they boast a league-best 0.99 assist/turnover ratio.
Even Stevens for Only the Fourth TimeThe Retrievers are only the fourth team in NCAA history to enter the tournament at actually .500 (16-16).