Blogging wimmens basketball

a shot of us leaving for San Antonio yesterday:


Sooo... are you boys staring at Carlee's weird expression, or Whitney Hand's behind? Either way, there's a big burly quarterback out there who wants to kill you, so it's best that you just look away and pretend you didn't see anything.

 

Looks like we had some fans there to see them off!

 

All right people, time for your usual booster shot of "Hatestanforditis"

 

One thing in our favor is our female coach actually looks like one.

 

In addition to picture boosters, I also offer your quota of Hatestanforditis quotes:

 

Crypt Keeper.

 

now badg, you know that quote was taken out of context...you sure you dont work for the Orlando Sentinel

 

You fail yesterday's lesson of hating Stanford. Let's hope you can pass by game time...


I haven't mentioned yet why I chose Top Dawg and the tree to feature this week. Quite simply, the best little mascot rivalry I've seen and heard about during this Renaissance of OU womens basketball. Back in the NCAA tourney game (that OU won) in 2001, I heard from upper classmen (who hated Stanford a lot even after one season) that the tree actually tied Top Dawg up. In retalliation, Top Dawg did the leg lifting motion. Anyone who has a dog knows what that means

In 2004, I mentioned this story to the current Top Dawg. She said she'd probably get in trouble with Joe C. if she did that, but she thought it was hilarious. Mascots are restricted to opposite corners during tourney games to avoid fights or something, so it was unlikely to happen.

Then, the first OU timeout, our band is playing some random tune while Top Dawg dances... the Stanford tree wanders over to Top Dawg. Top Dawg immediately gets on all fours and tributes the 2001 incident. The fans applaud and we're all laughing. Top Dawg then proceeds to grab its ears and prance circles around the tree. Everyone's loving it.

...except the NCAA b!tch (every tourney site has one). She points the tree back to its corner, and Top Dawg back to its corner, but not before getting a standing ovation in Tempe... Top Dawg, not the b!tch.

We went on to lose that game. Stanford indeed is at what could be called a different level than our program. Nine Final Fours, yes, as well as two titles. However, they haven't had a title since 1992

 

The final edition of Top Dawg and tree till after the game. No more joking around, down to business. It's put up or shut up time. Yes, we had an unbelievable season. Yes, we've accomplished so much considering our losses to graduation and injury and a few transfers. But, we've already got that. Why not go for the icing on the cake Easter Sunday? Why not shut Stanford up finally after their complete pwnage since the 2000-01 season? Why not have our postseason go the same way it went for football - FINALLY a win, and over Stanford.

Preview coming tomorrow. Beat the rush, hate Stanford now.

Boomer!

 

Badger be sexy

 

I understand the Roethlisberger part, but what about Hand?

 

ive been checking out Whitneys behind

 

Which is why I'm concerned about the big burly quarterback about to kill me.

 

She's dating Landry.

 

BOOMER..............

win or lose - GREAT SEASON!! proud of the girls!!

almost forgot - stanford SUCKS!

 

About today's game:

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball/preview?gid=201004040545

Oklahoma enters the Final Four with a 27-10 record.

The Sooners got here a year after graduating one of the best players in school history, Courtney Paris, and after losing its expected top player, Whitney Hand, to a knee injury five games into the season. They overcame the nation’s toughest schedule—Stanford is the only No. 1 seed they haven’t faced — and their tournament run has been boosted by the emergence of Abi Olajuwon, the daughter of Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, who worked her way into the starting lineup as a senior.

Point guard Danielle Robinson was named a third-team All-American, but that’s it for headliners. So it’s only fitting that the first thing you see walking into the OU locker room at the Alamodome is a big, handwritten sign that reads, “Talent wins games, but teammates win championships,” with the names of every player and coach surrounding the phrase.

They’re not simply happy to be here, either. They made that mistake last year, letting a 12-point halftime lead turn into a 2-point loss to Louisville.

“Last year, we settled,” Robinson said. “We know how hard it is to get here, especially back to back, so we’re just going to go out there and fight like we have for our whole season.”

Oklahoma also has its own UConn-framed, claim-to-fame: The Sooners were the only team this season other than Stanford to lead the Huskies in the second half.

The Xs and Os make this a classic matchup of size (Stanford) vs. speed (Oklahoma). Point guards Robinson and Pohlen have been going against each other since they were kids in northern California, having met in a high school championship game in 2007 and having spent last summer together on the U.S. team that won gold at the World University Games.

Stanford has won the last three meetings, but both coaches downplayed any talk of a rivalry, noting that most of their meetings were in the NCAA tournament. The last one was in San Antonio, in a Sweet 16 game in 2006.

There’s also a cool bit of ancient history: When VanDerveer coached Stanford in the Final Four for the first time, in 1990, she wore a ribbon that represented the fight to keep Oklahoma from dropping its women’s basketball program.

“Thank goodness they didn’t because look at what (coach Sherri Coale) has done and look at what a great program they have,” VanDerveer said.

As great as Coale has done, she’s the only coach at this Final Four without a national championship.

“I’m younger than the others, so write that, please,” Coale said, laughing.

Go Girls, Go!

 

I don't think I could do a better job than Jacie's preview, so here's a Cliff's Notes version for those of you just joining us:

Previewing the Enemy:

If you don't hate Stanford enough from football season and past womens basketball seasons, gee tee eff oh.

The rotten appel:


The target for your wrath that is not targeted at any of the others listed below. Jayne Appel, Stanford's star player.

The crypt keeper:

The only person that can make Skeletor look passable when juxtaposed to. Tara Vanderveer (the one in the middle - the left is Duke's coach, Skeletor's to the right), who in the past accused OU of purposely injuring their star player, who has had Sherri's number more than Iowa State in the past 10 years. If you're just joining us, that's saying something. Any who look directly at her will turn to stone, or a pillar of salt.

The nerd herd:

The tree is a student-crafted mascot costume that really doesn't do much except distract. The band is a bunch of attention whorns who really doesn't do much except annoy. Together, an annoying distraction. Avoid.

The verdict:
If you don't hate them like I do, you will by the end of the game. It really doesn't take much to despise Stanford.

The prediction:
You probably don't believe me. You probably think that Stanford's rep is based on rumors, bias and legend. You probably think that in a non-major sport like women's anything, basketball included, that a fanbase and team can't be worthy of getting upset over in collegiate sports.

I once thought like you do. I got my pic taken with the tree in 2002 after Colorado ousted them in the Sweet 16 in Boise. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. NEVER. AGAIN.

 

That has got to be the worst court I have ever seen. I changed the damn channel. I'll keep tabs

 

no ****.

this is the final 4 - wtf, San Antonio?

 

That's no woman...that's a MAN, baybeeeeeeeeeeeeee