Orlando Comets

(KB - 03/23/09)  As we'd predicted, tonite's March Madness matchup between Vandy and Kansas State will be the first ever Comets vs Comets matchup.    Jordan Coleman and Jelana Childs will don adversarial uniforms tonite, both girls seeking the right to advance to the Sweet 16. 

The Orlando Comets began sending girls off to D1 colleges in 2006.     In 2009 seven of the sixty four NCAA teams featured Comets players.    That's more than any travel organization in Florida.

Thus far, the games have gone pretty much as expected.   Alexa Deluzio's Florida State Seminoles(26-7) rumbled past North Carolina A&T on Saturday, 83-71.     North Carolina(28-6) had an unexpectedly tough time with Aisha Patrick's UCF Knights but ended up with an 85-80 win.    Kansas State trampled Drexel, 68-44.      Vanderbilt(25-8) crushed Western Carolina, 73-44.

On the second day of competition, Krystal Thomas and the Duke Blue Devils beat Austin Peay, 83-42.    The Maryland Terrapins eliminated Jacky Nikic and the Dartmouth Greenwave, 82-53.      The Oklahoma Sooners started slowly but rebounded to down Prairie View A&M, 76-47.

In the NIT tournament, Wake Forest was eliminated in the first round after losing to Georgetown, 72-61.

That leaves four Comets teams in the Round of 32.     One of those teams is certain to lose tonite.    The Commodores matchup with the Wildcats features two teams with similar styles and capabilities.    The 'Cats will try to use their size advantage (six players over six feet tall) to offset the Commodores quickness.    When comparing common opponents we see that Kansas State is 1-1 against Iowa State this year.     ISU beat Vandy 55-51 back in December.     Both the Wildcats and the Commodores have wins over Arkansas this year.

Also on Monday, Florida State will take on Arizona State.    Tuesday, Duke will take on Michigan State.

The most surprising outcome in Sunday's games was Ball State's domination of Tennessee.    The Volunteers had never lost a game in the NCAA tourney short of the Sweet 16.    But Ball State held them at bay in the first half, then went to town on them after UT center Kelly Cain went down with an injury.

This outcome was certainly surprising.     Tennessee is loaded to the gills with youthful McDonald's All-Americans.     I've seen their freshmen girls play and can't imagine them not being a dominating force.     This loss goes to show how talent and coaching sometimes cannot overcome chemistry.    Every player on Tennessee's team is a superstar in her own right.      But the sum of all these superstars wasn't enough to overcome a confident TEAM of middle-stars.    Ball State's Portia Green dominated play in the second half with her speed and fearlessness.     How many of you people heard of Portia before yesterday?     I'm willing to submit that she never once was ranked by Hoopgurlz or Scout.com.    And yet, here she is on the fat end of the whipping stick against Pat Summit.

In other games, Florida got past Temple, but for their sins were awarded a date with UConn.     The Huskies put up triple digits in their opening round win over Vermont.    After starting the season 22-2, the Gators have cooled off some.     They've only won 2 of their past 7 games, a record which dropped them to a #8 seed in the NCAA tourney.

We've been hearing grumblings from the teams who were bracketed with UConn.    A number of those teams--Stanford, Duke, Cal, Texas A&M--feel they could finish higher on the totem pole if not for having to face UConn so early in the brackets.    Truly, the Huskies dominance this year is legendary.     Even the teams on the opposite side of the brackets feel that a second place finish in St. Louis is the equivalent of a national championship any other year.

For my part, of course, I am rooting for Vanderbilt.     I've been a closet fan long enough.    I went to school at Florida, but for the next four years, at least, I have to root for Vandy.    I would like to see the Gators put it on the Huskies.    But it ain't gonna happen.     I just think the Commodores are playing well right now.     I certainly agree with the coaching moves made by Melanie Balcomb.

But I'll tell ya....I watched the UT/Ball St. game last night.     I think that was a once in a lifetime game for the Cardinals.    I think they might have given UConn a run last night, what with the way they were shooting and defending.

So you never know.

Anyway, I want to point up something that didn't enter into our original calculations for choosing a college.     All of this NCAA March Madness stuff is bonus.      Honestly, none of this was a factor in choosing a college.     But now I can't see how it was left off the list.    It's exciting.     The tournament has become a huge part of the college experience, both for the families and the players.

I went and checked several of Jordan's final choices from last year's recruitment.     Memphis?  NIT.   Georgetown?    NIT.    Fordham?   1-13 in the A-10.    Louisville?    A #3 seed in the Raleigh Division.

The question is, would it have been more fun to go 1-13 and be a starter as a freshman?     Or is it more fun to put in your time on the bench and win most of your games?

Being a part of a winning program at a top academic school eases the pain of playing off the bench.    Plus it's clear that playing off the bench is a temporary thing.     Vanderbilt's offense is so complex that its impossible to learn in a single season.     All of the current seniors spent their freshman year on the bench.    It's a rite of passage.

When choosing a school, don't forget to consider the March Madness angle.     I did.    I didn't consider this tournament for a single moment.    But I've been glued to the tube all weekend.    And I wasn't watching the men's tournament, either.    It's exciting being able to identify players from all over the nation that we've seen on the AAU circuit.    Lynetta Kizer.    Whitney Hand.     Arrianna Moorer.   Emily Clarke.

Don't get stuck at East Bumfluck U. if you're good enough to get your grades AND go dancing.