Who? The Lady Raiders of Texas Tech.
What? Texas Tech writes lovingly of the Masked Rider, but the face you'll be seeing is the cartoonish Raider Red.
Where? Lubbock, Texas.
When? Saturday the 19th, versus St. John's in Palo Alto.
Why? A strong opening to the season plus Baylor. The six-game losing streak almost put them out.
How? They were an at-large selection out of the Big XII.
Surprise? Well, I was surprised. The win over Baylor probably sealed the deal single-handedly.
Who's driving this thing, anyway? Kristy Curry, since 2006. She's been an assistant in quite a few places.
RPI: 24
SOS: 24
Record: 22-10 (8-8)
Best win: Baylor (H)
Worst loss: Oklahoma State (A)
Notable results: Penn State (L, A, 76-68), Oklahoma (W, H, 61-56)- okay, maybe it wasn't just the Baylor win.
4-7 on the road, even counterbalanced by 3-1 at neutral sites, probably won't help them in the tournament. Junior post Kierra Mallard is the only player averaging in double figures, with 12.1 points per game- but senior post Teena Wickett and sophomore guard Casey Morris aren't far off the pace, and sophomore guard Monique Smalls has been coming on strong in the last few weeks.