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Yes, it’s a tough draw for the Rutgers women, but as
, in the first round of the
Saturday night, C. Vivian Stringer isn’t intimidated by the notion that a first-round win would set her team up for a second meeting with No. 1 seed Stanford on the Cardinal’s home court.
“I know now, enough to know that you shouldn’t ever count the Scarlet Knights out,’’ Stringer said Monday night after she and her team gathered in the Hale Center to watch the selection show. “You don’t know what we’re going to do. We’re as unpredictable as anybody else. And when you think about last year, Auburn was the best team in the SEC, and we had them here and just about blew them out (an 80-52 win at the RAC). So, I think if we’re in tune, we could be okay.’’
The key to being in tune, Stringer said, will be whether the team’s guards — Brittany Ray, Khadijah Rushdan, Nikki Speed, April Sykes and Erica Wheeler — play well and don’t turn the ball over.
“I think the posts (Chelsey Lee, Rashidat Junaid, Monique Oliver and Myia McCurdy) are going to be able to represent,’’ Stringer said. “And so that’s where I’m concerned. And I think that we can do it, but we just can’t turn that ball over, as you know. If Brittany’s not hitting shots, then, come on, somebody — somebody’s got to hit shots.’’
Perhaps the best sign of all was the huge 3-pointer that Speed hit with 2.2 seconds left in the first overtime in the
. That shot tied the game and forced the second overtime in a must-win game for Rutgers. And while Stringer was reluctant to say that one shot got the Scarlet Knights into the NCAAs, she did admit, “That, for sure, helped.’’
A sort of Homecoming:
While Northern California is nearly 3,000 miles away from Piscataway, it’s a lot closer to home for Speed and Oliver. Speed is from Pasadena and Oliver from Long Beach. Both will have family in attendance over the weekend.
“I forgot about that,’’ Stringer said. “That could be dangerous, because, let me tell you something — I’m serious —Mo (Oliver) plays very well when her mom’s here. That girl will play well for her mom. And her dad’s going to able to see it? That’s going to be good for us. ... And then, Nikki, she’s a happy camper too, when her mom’s here, too. So it is nice.’’
“It’ll probably be a little more cold than in Pasadena, but it is California, so I’m happy,’’ Speed said.
Four trips for Ray:
Ray was happy to make it to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four years, especially since it wasn’t a certainty this season.
“I didn’t want to be the team that didn’t make the NCAAs,’’ she said. “It’s definitely one of the things I wanted to leave as a legacy.’’
And Ray doesn’t believe Stringer will be any harder on the team as she prepares them to face Iowa, whom she guided to the Final Four in 1993, two years before coming to Rutgers.
“You know, Coach Stringer usually doesn’t discriminate,’’ Ray said. “She’s Coach Stringer all the way, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing. I really don’t think she’s going to change her approach or anything. She may not tell us; she keeps to herself most of the time, so I don’t know what emotions she would have just playing Iowa, but she’s Coach.’’
Colin Stephenson may be reached at cstephenson@starledger.com