SOONERS HAVE SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE: Sophomore guard LaNeishea Caufield gets a hug from OU cheerleaders after the Sooners defeated defending NCAA champion Purdue.
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Player of the day:
Oklahoma's Stacey Dales. The sophomore guard was the first person this season to figure it out: Don't let Katie Douglas drive to her left. End result: Oklahoma 76, Purdue 74. Douglas: four points (she entered the tournament averaging 21.3 ppg).
Sorry to see you go:
That being said, we're already looking forward to seeing what Douglas can do next season as a senior.
Fearless prediction:
Rutgers' defense is about as good as it comes, but it won't be enough to stop UAB and Deanna Jackson (that's right, we've hopped on the Blazers' bandwagon).
Saturday's game to watch:
Iowa State vs. Penn State in a Midwest Region semifinal. Both were their league's regular-season champs and are ranked in the top 10. If that's not enough, tune in to see one of the best backcourt battles the tournament will offer as seniors Stacy Frese and Helen Darling square off.
What you might have missed: Sure, she only scored eight points, but Tennessee's Michelle Snow did slam in a dunk during the Lady Vols' pregame warmup.
Food for thought:
Ten years ago, the powers that be discontinued women's basketball at Oklahoma. After a week of criticism, the program was reinstated.
User Message of the Day:
After we predicted Oklahoma over Purdue in Sunday's version of the Tournament Dish, Kelli9070 wrote: "Michelle Duhart is back, and after Purdue's lackluster play on Saturday, I'm looking for a 20-point victory for the Boilers." Monday night, of course, Kelli9070 checked back in with, "I was wrong. Tournament Dish was right. I don't like TD. ;) Beware TD's predictions." Now, that's what we like to hear.
Leave your own message
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Late call no way to win
 | | Barmore waving 'bye to being the sentimental fave? | |
It's not Louisiana Tech's fault, mind you. Just the way the sports fan's mind works. But either way, the Lady Techsters and their soon-to-be-retired coach Leon Barmore on Monday lost whatever sentimental-favorite role they might have had, writes ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel. After all, no one likes to see a game -- let alone a second-round match in the NCAA Tournament -- decided on a last-second whistle from the referee.
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| ESPN.COM'S MECHELLE VOEPEL SAYS: |
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Voepel has been covering games all weekend in Ruston, La. We asked her to break down the first two rounds:
Best player: UAB's Deanna Jackson, somebody nobody has seen most of the year because not many C-USA games are on TV. But in back-to-back performances on national TV, she has shown she's incredibly talented and is doing it at a time when a lot of players can't play that well. She's playing really loose, and has come up big. To win at Oregon is awesome.
Most surprising Sweet 16 team: UAB is the obvious choice, but Oklahoma fits as well, considering that none of those kids had ever played in an NCAA Tournament game before Saturday. Plus, they had a really tough time in the Big 12 tournament -- they had a game won but let it get away. So who knew if they would have a shaky mindset coming into the tourney, let alone against Purdue in front a packed house? But coming back from 17 down at Purdue, especially for a team with no NCAA Tournament experience, is pretty impressive.
Sorry to see you go: Vanderbilt was terrific. The Commodores showed you never really know how good some of these major-conference teams are until you get to the tournament. The record doesn't always tell the story, especially in the SEC. But they played really well to pull out that first-round game vs. Kansas. And tonight, La. Tech's Tamicha Jackson said she didn't know a zone defense could be so tough.
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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.
• 43. 7 percent picked UConn to win the NCAA title
• Tennessee ranked second at 20 percent
• Georgia followed at third with 9.4 percent
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Bio Rhythms: Nikki Teasley
| |  | | Teasley has helped the Tar Heels reach the Sweet 16. |
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 North Carolina's Nikki Teasley, who someday hopes to become a police officer. And when it comes to the 6-foot guard's favorite pregame meal, she goes for the grease.
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