RPI name of game for Hawai'i women
Advertiser Staff
In a Western Athletic Conference women's basketball world suddenly gone mad, the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine are 6,000 feet up anticipating today's game at Nevada, while Rice is even higher after shocking sixth-ranked Louisiana Tech Thursday.The upset will probably have little effect on seedings for the WAC tournament, which opens March 4 in Tulsa. Tech clinched No. 1 by beating Tulsa yesterday. The Owls and Hawai'i are all but assured 2 and 3, which puts them on a semifinal collision course barring an upset.
That, UH coach Vince Goo insists, is all he asks.
"Before the introductions Thursday we brought the team together and told them about Rice winning," Goo said. "We said you can look at this two ways. You can be disappointed because we're still tied for second, or you can feel pretty good knowing they beat us by one a few nights ago and they are a pretty good team.
"If we win out and end up tied, they get the second seed (via winning the season series). But regardless we could see each other in the semifinals. I don't mind playing them in the semifinals. They will have a good RPI."
RPI — or ratings percentage index — is a coach's best or worst friend in March. The NCAA Committee claims to base its brackets and at-large invitations heavily on RPI.
The women's committee does not make its analysis public, but the independent CollegeRPI.com bumped Rice up nine spots to No. 45 the day after the upset, while Tech dropped five to No. 26. Hawai'i remained at No. 38 by pounding Fresno State.
Numbers aside, Rice's stunning upset put a whole new spin on the WAC tournament. The Owls had lost by 46 in Ruston, La., a month ago. Thursday, they found a way to make a 47-point turnaround, winning 57-56, to end Tech's 77-game conference winning streak. The Lady Techsters helped, going 13-for-30 from the foul line.
Rice coach Cristy McKinney didn't hesitate to call it "the biggest win in the history of our program." LaTech coach Leon Barmore admitted his players "didn't think they could lose this game."
"I don't think it ever crossed their minds, but I knew we could," Barmore said. "You can't win on the road and miss 17 free throws."
Free throw shooting has also become a sore point with Goo. His team has made more free throws than its opponents have attempted (368-295), but is shooting just .680 from the foul line i down 79 points from last year.
But Thursday, Goo was simply relieved his team came back from Sunday's devastating loss to Rice with its "most dominating game ever" in Fresno — a 66-47 victory.
"This team has come back before," Goo said. "In the first half we played very well. It was hard to get it going in the second half, but we played with the flow."
Goo substituted early and often against FSU and expects to do the same today because of the altitude. The Wolf Pack's other most serious threat is junior Kate Smith, who is third in WAC scoring (15.5) and 10th in rebounding (7.1).
Janka Gabrielova, the Wahine's starting point guard, has been cleared to play by the NCAA, according to Goo. UH received a letter Feb. 11 requesting information about Gabrielova, a senior from Slovakia, and Arijana Sijercic, a junior from Bosnia. It was one of 35 letters sent out asking schools to review the eligibility of players regarding amateurism rules.
Goo said Gabrielova was cleared verbally by the NCAA three days later and he is waiting for one more form to clear Sijercic, a little-used post player. She did not travel with the team on this trip.
The Rainbow Wahine close the regular-season with WAC games against UTEP Thursday and Boise State Saturday.
