2008 Woodie Awards
Women's Tournament
Richard Lowe
Issue date: 2/25/08 Section: Sports
Top 3 seeds:
1. Western Kentucky (East Division 21-7, 14-2 SBC)
2. UALR (West Division 20-7, 12-4 SBC)
3. Middle Tennessee (Next best record 18-10, 13-4 SBC)
One of the excitements of March is the unpredictability of the conference tournaments. Seeing a mediocre team make a run through the conference tournament and earn a bid in the big dance is what makes March Madness so appealing.
With that said, the SBC tournament is not going to have a Cinderella team sneak into the big dance. South Alabama's path is just too favorable. Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, the Jaguars are guaranteed a first round bye, so all their games will be played on their home court. USA's only two conference losses have come on the road, and since every game they play in the tournament will be a home game, it is just too difficult to pick against USA.
Amber Holt (MT)
If you are sitting on this campus and have never heard the name of Amber Holt, you really live a sheltered life. Since the moment she arrived on campus last year, Holt has grown into a fan favorite. Her accomplishments speak for themselves: Leading scorer in the nation, all-time single game points holder, and five-time player of the week. Is a conference player of the year award in her future?
Crystal Kelly (WKU)
As much as Middle Tennessee fans want to throw in her face that she has never beaten the Blue Raiders in the Murphy Center and she has never won a conference tournament title, Kelly has her share of accomplishments. She is the all-time leading scorer in Sun Belt Conference history. If she can lead her team to a tournament title, her legacy will be cemented.
Nikya Hughes (UALR)
The west division race is so cloudy that it is hard to pick one person out as the "star." Even though she leads no categories in the conference, the junior has helped her squad gain the first place position in the west. LaQuetta Ferguson would have easily been in this position but an injury has her sitting out of the tournament this season.
Mary Taylor Cowles (WKU)
This was hard to choose because no one coach stood out over the others. Cowles would win by default because she has the conference's best record. The problem I have with that is the fact that WKU has no significant out of conference wins. Even though MT has the strongest out of conference win (vs. then-#8 LSU), their conference losses prevent Insell from winning the award.
Dark Horse: This might be the year that Joe Foley from UALR, Cindy Russo from FIU, or Brian Boyer from ASU could get their hands on the award.
1. Western Kentucky (East Division 21-7, 14-2 SBC)
2. UALR (West Division 20-7, 12-4 SBC)
3. Middle Tennessee (Next best record 18-10, 13-4 SBC)
Prediction for the tournament
One of the excitements of March is the unpredictability of the conference tournaments. Seeing a mediocre team make a run through the conference tournament and earn a bid in the big dance is what makes March Madness so appealing.
With that said, the SBC tournament is not going to have a Cinderella team sneak into the big dance. South Alabama's path is just too favorable. Regardless of what happens the rest of the season, the Jaguars are guaranteed a first round bye, so all their games will be played on their home court. USA's only two conference losses have come on the road, and since every game they play in the tournament will be a home game, it is just too difficult to pick against USA.
Players to Watch
Amber Holt (MT)
If you are sitting on this campus and have never heard the name of Amber Holt, you really live a sheltered life. Since the moment she arrived on campus last year, Holt has grown into a fan favorite. Her accomplishments speak for themselves: Leading scorer in the nation, all-time single game points holder, and five-time player of the week. Is a conference player of the year award in her future?
Crystal Kelly (WKU)
As much as Middle Tennessee fans want to throw in her face that she has never beaten the Blue Raiders in the Murphy Center and she has never won a conference tournament title, Kelly has her share of accomplishments. She is the all-time leading scorer in Sun Belt Conference history. If she can lead her team to a tournament title, her legacy will be cemented.
Nikya Hughes (UALR)
The west division race is so cloudy that it is hard to pick one person out as the "star." Even though she leads no categories in the conference, the junior has helped her squad gain the first place position in the west. LaQuetta Ferguson would have easily been in this position but an injury has her sitting out of the tournament this season.
Coach of the Year (Regular Season)
Mary Taylor Cowles (WKU)
This was hard to choose because no one coach stood out over the others. Cowles would win by default because she has the conference's best record. The problem I have with that is the fact that WKU has no significant out of conference wins. Even though MT has the strongest out of conference win (vs. then-#8 LSU), their conference losses prevent Insell from winning the award.
Dark Horse: This might be the year that Joe Foley from UALR, Cindy Russo from FIU, or Brian Boyer from ASU could get their hands on the award.
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