2013 Women's Basketball NCAA Guide

Frank: Expect The Bob to be a big boost Written by MARTIN FRANK COMMENTARY Mar. 18 delawareonline.com NEWARK —The loud cheering in the large atrium packed with about 500 fans ground to a sudden halt when the Delaware’s bracket in the NCAA Tournament showed a possible second-round matchup against No. 3 seed North Carolina. It’s not that the University of Delaware women’s team, which was given a No. 6 seed, doesn’t think it can win.

Far from it. It’s just that nobody expected such a difficult road, beginning with the Hens’ first-round matchup against 11th-seed West Virginia.But really, there might just be a method to all of this madness.

If there’s one thing about the women’s NCAA Tournament, it’s that you don’t see nearly the amount of upsets that you do in the men’s tournament. For example, you can pretty much pencil in top seeds Baylor, Notre Dame, UConn and Stanford in the Final Four right now.

So in a way, giving UD a No. 6 seed makes perfect sense. The Hens will be at home at the Bob Carpenter Center, which is a huge advantage in itself, and there will be a chance for an upset, something the women’s tournament craves.

Do you think North Carolina wants to face Delaware in a potential second-round matchup in front of a sold-out crowd next Tuesday?

“We’re going in as the underdog,” UD senior Lauren Carra said. “But it’s going to be a tough place for anyone, any visitor, to come in and play. We’re very excited to be at home.”Look at it this way: Last season, UD was a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and was sent to Little Rock, Ark., and lost in the second round to No. 6 seed Kansas. This season, with every starter back, with a school-record 25-game winning streak, with a 42-game winning streak in the Colonial Athletic Association, the Hens are a No. 6 seed.

The Hens have a worse seed on a team that has seven seniors, including Elena Delle Donne, who got valuable experience from going through the NCAA Tournament last season.

The only difference was that last year, the Hens went into the tournament with just one loss. This season, they have three, but two of those losses came early in the season when Delle Donne was sitting out while suffering from symptoms of Lyme disease.

So that shouldn’t count against them.

The fact is that the Hens are better than they were last year. But as a No. 6 seed, the tournament gets a strong team playing at home with a chance for an upset, a chance to add some much-needed spice to the tournament. It’s not that the players care.

Minutes after the bracket was revealed, UD coach Tina Martin got up and told the hundreds of fans gathered at the Embassy Suites: “Honestly, I actually like our bracket.”

Of course she does. The Hens are at home and that counts for a lot.

“Our fans are crazy, they’re awesome and they’re going to be absolutely nuts,” Delle Donne said. “They’ve been nuts all year, but I’m ready for them to be even crazier. I’m far ... happier with a [No. 6] seed playing at The Bob than a [No. 3] seed playing out in Arkansas.

“Our fans at our court is far more important than any seed.”

Is that homecourt advantage enough against tested teams from BCS conferences like West Virginia from the Big 12, which played Baylor twice (and lost badly to each time)? Or an ACC team like North Carolina that played Duke twice (lost both) and Maryland three times (won twice) this season? Maryland also beat Delaware at The Bob this season.

“Once the ball is tossed up, it’s not an advantage,” Martin said. “That kind of goes out the window once the game starts. It helps in late-game situations because [the fans] can give us some added adrenaline .“Between the lines, it comes down to who’s focused, who’s executing?”

That will ultimately determine the Hens’ success.

But make no mistake, as Martin put it: “I’m really, really happy that we’re at home.”

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com.