Who? The Hurricanes of Miami.
What? Floridians know exactly how destructive hurricanes can be, so I suppose it makes sense as a fearsome name (though, personally, I wouldn't be inclined to name something I liked after something that could leave my house somewhere in South Carolina, but that's just me). Sebastian is named after the residence hall that created him. He's an ibis.
Where? Miami, Florida. I had a Heat joke here, but it took its talents to South Beach.
When? March 17th, in Spokane, Washington.
How? They were an at-large selection.
Partner: Idaho State, of the Big Sky Conference.
Surprise? No, not really.
RPI: 12
SOS: 49
Record: 25-5 (14-2 ACC)
Good wins: Season sweep of Maryland.
Bad losses: Wake Forest at Greensboro in the ACC tournament. Getting slapped around like a redheaded stepchild at Georgetown isn't pretty, but at least Georgetown is a good team.
Who's running the show? Katie Meier, since 2005. The former coach at Charlotte- what is it about Charlotte that makes its coaches want to go to the Sunshine State?
Extra, Extra! The Miami Herald.
For the Hurricanes, it all starts with the one-two punch of senior guards Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams. Johnson edges out Williams for the scoring lead by 8 total points, 505-497, to average 16.8, while Williams averages 16.6. Together they're responsible for 42.5% of their team's shot attempts. Johnson also averages 4.5 assists, 7.9 rebounds, and over three steals per game. The loss of Morgan Stroman to injury hurts the depth of this team; they're going to need Stefanie Yderstrom's three-point stroke to be firing (which, at 36.2% for the season, is a good bet) and Shawnice "Pepper" Wilson to step up her game in the middle.
The recent news that Riquna Williams is not with the team in Spokane changes things. A lot.