NCAA Women's Tournament Bracket: Albany Great Danes preview

Who? The Great Danes of Albany- even more precisely and more persnickety, the State University of New York at Albany.

When do they play in the first round? They play Duke on Friday, March 20 at 12 p.m. ET.

What? Scooby-Doo was not an inspiration for choosing the name Great Danes. Their mascot is Damien, which... is actually a little scary.

Where? Albany, New York, home to the New York State Museum.

Why? They won the America East conference tournament.

How? Hartford was gritty, even after injuries to two starters, but Albany's Shereesha Richards was too much for the Hawks to handle, notching 28 points and six rebounds in the Great Danes' 84-75 win.

Surprise? Predicted to finish first in the conference, they tied with Maine for first, four games ahead of Stony Brook.

RPI: 83

SOS: 234

Record: 23-8 (14-2 America East)

Good wins: At Penn State, I guess.

Bad losses: Hofstra.

Who's running this show? Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, since 2010, thrice the America East coach of the year.

Extra, Extra! The Albany Times-Union.

Junior forward Shereesha Richards is the powerhouse for the Great Danes, at 21.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game. Sophomore guard Imani Tate adds 14. Senior guard Sarah Royals and sophomore guard Zakiya Saunders split playmaking duties, at over 100 assists each on the season.

Stat that pops out to me: freshman post Tiana-Jo Carter's 10 foulouts- almost a third of Albany's games.