University Southern California Trojans
NCAA Women's Basketball West Regional Coming Up
June 21, 1999 | Women's Basketball
January 20, 1999
1999 NCAA Women's Basketball West Regional Update
-60 Days and Counting-
Los Angeles Sports Arena, March 20 & 22
THE WAY TO SAN JOSE IS THROUGH L.A. - The road to the 1999 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Final Four in San Jose, Calif. goes through the Los Angeles Sports Arena as the NCAA West Regional hosted by USC will be played on March 20 and 22.
WHO GOES? - The four winners of the NCAA West second round games will advance to L.A. to compete in the NCAA Women's Basketball West Regional. The 16 teams that will play in the NCAA first round contests will be announced on the NCAA selection show on Sunday, March 7. Although there is still a month and a half of the regular season remaining and the NCAA selection committee can place a team in any regional, a look at the AP Top 25 Poll shows such possible West Regional candidates as No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 8 Colorado State, No. 10 UCLA and No. 25 Oregon, in addition to such powerhouses as No. 1 Tennessee, No. 2 Connecticut, No. 3 Purdue and No. 4 Louisana Tech.
NCAA WOMEN'S HOOPS RETURNS TO L.A. - USC and the NCAA team up again to bring NCAA Division I Women's Championship basketball to the fans of Los Angeles. The women's Final Four has been in Los Angeles twice. In 1984 USC took the national title by defeating Tennessee, 72-61, at Pauley Pavilion. The Sports Arena was the site for the women's 1992 Final Four hosted by USC, UCLA and the Los Angeles Sports Council. Stanford defeated Western Kentucky, 78-62, for its second women's basketball championship as more than 12,000 fans attended each session. The NCAA women's basketball West Regionals were held in the Los Angeles area six consecutive years in the 1980s (1983-88). Pauley Pavilion was the site for the Regionals in 1983, 1985, and 1987. In 1986 and 1988 the West Regionals were hosted by Long Beach State, while in 1984 the Los Angeles Sports Arena was the road to the Final Four.
TENNESSEE MAKES RUN FOR FOURTH TITLE - The three-time defending Tennessee Lady Volunteers are making a run for their fourth consecutive championship, after stunning their competition in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The 1999 team is led by senior forward Chamique Holdsclaw and sophomore forward Tamika Catchings. Can head coach Pat Summitt and her Lady Vols make their way to the winners circle once again?
BREAKING INTO THE TOP 10 - There are a few teams among the AP Top 25 that may be a surprise. Under the leadership of head coach Tom Collen, the No. 8 Colorado State Rams have pushed their way into the Top 10. This is Collen's second year at Colorado State and his second year as a head coach. The Rams made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament for just the second time in program history last season. Currently holding the No. 9 spot, Notre Dame is sneaking up on the traditional women's basketball powerhouses. Prior to this season, the only other top 10 ranking for Notre Dame was in December of 1996 when the Irish were seventh in the AP Poll.
REGIONAL SUCCESS - Who will advance to the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four in San Jose, Calif. will be determined by a team's success at the regional sites. The East Regional will be hosted by the Atlantic Coast Conference at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, N. C., the Mideast Regional will be hosted by the University of Cincinnati at the Shoemaker Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Midwest Regional will be hosted by Illinois State University in Normal, Ill.
ON THE AIR - ESPN will air live both NCAA West Regional semifinal matchups on Saturday (March 20) at approximately 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. and the final game on Monday (March 22) at approximately 9 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION - Orders are now being accepted for tickets to the 1999 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball West Regional hosted by USC at the Los Angeles Sports Arena on March 20 and 22. A 3-game ticket package costs $30 for a reserved seat on the lower level and $25 for a reserved seat in the upper level. Youth and group ticket packages are $12. To order tickets, call the USC Ticket Office at (213) 740-4672.
