Wichita State women play at California in NCAA first round Friday
The Wichita State women’s basketball team thought its program-best 29 wins and RPI of 40 made up a resume strong enough to avoid a true road game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The selection committee did not agree, however, as they assigned the Shockers a No. 13 seed and a matchup with No. 4 seed California in Berkeley on Friday.
It was a minor disappointment in a major celebration for Wichita State, as the team celebrated with around 100 fans that gathered in the Champions Club inside Koch Arena to watch the selection show.
“At the end of the day, the seeding isn’t up to us,” WSU senior Alex Harden said. “We put in our resume and we did what we were supposed to do to get back this season. If they think we deserve a 13, then we’ll just have to play our way into where we want to be.”
Wichita State will be making its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. In 2013, its first year making the tournament, it lost at Texas A&M 71-45 as a No. 14 seed. Last season, the Shockers took Penn State down to the final minute as a No. 13 seed and eventually lost 62-56.
The progression is obvious. Wichita State expects to take the next step this season and it didn’t matter who showed up on the television screen Monday evening.
“We need to get past that first round,” WSU senior Kelsey Jacobs said. “I think it’s very doable this year.”
Coach Jody Adams doesn’t hesitate in calling this team the best product she has put out at Wichita State. Harden, the Missouri Valley Player of the Year, is at the height of her power, Jacobs and Jamillah Bonner have taken steps in their senior seasons, and Alie Decker and Michaela Dapprich both have the capability of leading the team in scoring.
It’s a starting five that Adams has relied heavily on this season – all five average more than 30 minutes – and a unit that she thinks can compete with any team, as evidenced by a convincing win over Ohio State (a 5-seed) and a close loss at Tennessee (a 2-seed) this season.
“You’ve seen it in this non-conference season,” Adams said. “How we played Ohio State, how we played Kansas State, how we played Tennessee. How we played against all of those big-five (conference) schools. We showed we can do what we do against them and win.”
It will also be another homecoming game for Jacobs, who grew up in Fortuna, a small town about an hour from Berkeley. The senior said many of her closest friends still reside in the area, including her two best friends who attend the graduate program at Cal.
Jacobs said she expects them in attendance on Friday – and not in California’s yellow.
“We’re going to have to get them to change into some Shocker gear, but that’s definitely not going to be a problem,” Jacobs said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
WICHITA STATE VS. CALIFORNIA
When: About 6:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Haas Pavilion, Berkeley, Calif.
Records: WSU 29-4, Cal 23-9
Radio: None
TV: ESPN2
Three things about California
▪ California is making its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament after finishing 23-9, including a tie for third place finish in the Pac-12 conference. The Bears have 15 wins against top-100 competition.
▪ Wichita State was always going to be at a height disadvantage, but California doesn’t offer up as much of a mismatch as Penn State and Texas A&M did in the past. The Bears’ frontcourt does go 6-foot-2, 6-3, and 6-3, but not any 6-7 or 6-8 giants WSU has seen in the past.
▪ California is powered by the senior duo of Brittany Boyd (5-9 guard) and Reshanda Gray (6-3 forward), who go by the nickname “Corn Flakes and Milk.” Both are among the best players in the nation, as Boyd averages 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 3 steals and Gray adds 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds.
This story was originally published March 16, 2015 at 7:10 PM with the headline "Wichita State women play at California in NCAA first round Friday."