While senior star Claire Faucher yelled, "We're not a 16! We're not a 16!" two of her teammates fell over backwards in their chairs out of sheer excitement, while others pumped their fists and shared looks of jubilation mixed with disbelief.
"I don't even know what (the TV) said as far as where (the game) was," coach Sherri Murrell said. "All I saw was 15 seed and I just erupted. Then the girls told me it was in Seattle and I got pretty excited after that."
The women not only avoided landing a No. 16 seed and a dreaded matchup with the likes of Connecticut, Stanford or Tennessee, but they also gained a potential home court advantage by landing a first round game in Seattle.
In an interview on ESPN before the selection show, Murrell had alluded to the nearly impossible task facing her team as a No. 16 seed by joking about devising a game plan for 33-0 Connecticut that involved "holding the ball for 20 minutes and then having Claire shoot." The No. 15 seed and the favorable venue changed her thinking.
"It's actually a situation where we can't just think, hey we're just there to be there. We have an opportunity," Murrell said. "We do have a chance."
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Many commentators, the "experts," are saying Texas A&M is an underrated team who will make the final four, so PSU clearly needs some good fortune, playing a top game while their opponent does not. It will be interesting.
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