Who? The Lady Lions of Penn State. This is the definition of insistent terminology, but don't click that link unless you want TV Tropes to ruin your life.
What? The Nittany Lion is a mountain lion, and it should always wear that nifty scarf.
Where? State College, Pennsylvania. A shocking place indeed to find the main campus of the state's university system.
When? March 18th, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
How? They were an at-large selection.
Partner: Texas-El Paso, of Conference USA.
Surprise? Since they were in the running for the Big Ten title for most of the season, I'd say no.
RPI: 20
SOS: 62
Record: 24-6 (13-3 Big Ten)
Good wins: At South Carolina, at Purdue.
Bad losses: At Texas Tech.
Who's running this show? Coquese Washington, since 2007. One of your intrepid blogger's favorite former Liberty players, and arguably the only true backup Teresa Weatherspoon ever got.
Extra, Extra! The Patriot-News.
If Maggie Lucas, the team's leader in scoring with 19.1 points on 41.1% 3-point shooting, gets hot, Penn State can beat anyone in the country. She has to not completely depend on her three-point shot, though, or if it abandons her, her team is in trouble. (She's also a dead-eye free throw shooter. Important for the end of the game.) But they don't have to completely depend on her- three other players average in double figures: junior Alex Bentley at xx.y, senior guard Zhaque Gray at xx.y, and junior post Nikki Greene at xx.y. Greene's come on strong at the end of the season; she and junior Mia Nickson are both tough on the boards. But they all seem to take their cue from Lucas.