Bad hair day? Maybe, but that's about all that went bad for Shea Ralph & Co. as top-ranked Connecticut topped 100 points for the eighth time this season with a 116-45 victory over Hampton on Friday.
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Player of the day:
Alabama-Birmingham's Deanna Jackson stole the spotlight from Pac-10 Player of the Year Shaquala Williams as the Lady Blazers upset the Ducks at the Pit. Jackson was unstoppable in the first half, going 10-for-14 from the field for 27 points. She ended the night with 32 as UAB posted its first NCAA Tournament victory.
Bracket buster:
Not to take anything away from St. Joseph's, but a lot of folks were counting on an LSU-Xavier second-round game in the East. Instead, the Ladyjacks look for their second consecutive upset.
Sorry to see you go:
Isn't it a shame we have to wait another 12 months to see which NCAA Tournament records Jackie Stiles of Southwest Missouri State might break?
Record watch:
UConn's 65 first-half points in the Huskies' 116-45 win over Hampton tied the NCAA best for most points in a half. La. Tech also poured in 65 (vs. Tennessee Tech) in 1982.
Fearless prediction:
Although the users who wrote in to comment on our Power Rankings say it won't be a surprise, 11th-seeded Vermont could be headed for an upset over No. 6 seeded Tulane, the C-USA tournament champion.
User Message of the Day:
"Coco ... crispies? Montana's Linda Weyler will eat up Georgia's twins. Get ready for some smackdown Montana style." -- sportsphotog on our message boards.
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No more for Barmore
 | | Barmore will retire after 18 seasons. | |
Even before the women's NCAA Tournament tipped off Friday, the women's college basketball world got some shocking news as 18-year Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore announced his impending retirement.
And after watching Barmore fight tears as he announced his decision, ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel ponders the move and puts Barmore's time in Ruston into perspective.
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QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Which is the best game Saturday has to offer? |
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ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel: The Kansas-Vanderbilt matchup (No. 8 vs. No. 9 in Midwest) will be a good game if both teams play well, especially since both teams are evenly matched as far as talent yet have really contrasting styles. Vandy goes into that zone, and Kansas is a really strong player-to-player defense team. Kansas' success will depend on its ability to hit the outside shots, which could wear down Vandy's zone.
Marquette-Western Kentucky (No. 7 vs. No. 10 in East) also could be a good game. Western Kentucky, after taking Louisiana Tech to the wire in the Sun Belt final, comes in really hot. Marquette, on the other hand, lost in the C-USA quarters. The game also offers a really good post matchup, with ShaRae Mansfield leading the way for the Hilltoppers and Abbie Willenborg and Lisa Oldenburg hanging out in the paint for the Golden Eagles.
ESPN's Ann Meyers: Michigan-Stanford (No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed) should be a great game. With Michigan, you've got a good team from the Big Ten. Stanford has a lot of height inside, and Milena Flores has had a good year. Lindsey Yamasaki might also get in and do some good things.
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TOURNAMENT CHALLENGE
Nearly 50,000 folks joined the women's Tournament Challenge. And as we roll out an updated version of the Tournament Dish each game day, we'll continue to provide an inside look at how the users filled out their brackets.
• 36.2 percent picked a UConn-Tennessee final
• 9.4 percent picked La. Tech to win it all
• 63.1 percent picked Stanford to beat Michigan
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Bio Rhythms: Summer Erb
| |  | | Summer Erb and N.C. State went to the Final Four in 1998. |
To give fans an inside look at the personalities behind March Madness, ESPN.com asked more than 20 players to share information about themselves. Look for the Tournament Dish's "Bio Rhythms" -- a fun and humorous look at the athlete by the athlete -- throughout the women's NCAA Tournament.
The series continues with a look at N.C. State senior Summer Erb, who wants to play Dennis Rodman in a game of one-on-one but can't take the court without a good-luck kiss from her mom.
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