There were far more cheers and sighs of relief than gasps when the Oregon women’s basketball team was chosen as the No. 10 seed of the Tempe region for the 2005 NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon.
The NCAA selection committee’s decisions were presented at a
Pairings Party at McArthur Court that featured two large projection screens for a congregation of about 300 faithful Duck fans to view as they enjoyed free popcorn and soda.
The team had a front-row seat for all the action, and each player held her breath while ESPN announced the bracket placements for the Chattanooga and Philadelphia regions before calling out Oregon’s name.
Oregon had to sacrifice a possibly higher seed than it received in order to be rewarded with the comfort of staying close to home at Bank of America Arena in Seattle, Wash.
“A lot of us thought we were going to be a six or seven (seed), but I think we’re just excited that we got picked,” said Oregon’s Cathrine Kraayeveld, who is a native of Kirkland, Wash. “We’re really excited to be in Seattle. We feel like it can be potentially a home court for us because it’s so close, and hopefully we’re going to get a lot of fans up there.”
While the players were just glad to end a three-year absence from the Big Dance by being selected, the coaching staff was more thrilled about the traveling situation.
“I think the NCAA and their wisdom was very appropriate this year,” said Oregon head coach Bev Smith, who has never appeared in an NCAA Tournament as a coach. “There will be a lot of interest in going to Seattle because we know the gym, and we know the area.”
The Ducks (20-9 overall, 12-6 Pacific-10 Conference) learned that their first round opponent will be Texas Christian, which earned a seventh seed after finishing its season with a 23-9 record. The Horned Frogs were ranked No. 25 in the latest Associated Press poll once they claimed the Conference USA Tournament championship. They finished the regular season tied for third in the conference (10-4 C-USA) and entered the showdown as a No. 4 seed.
“A couple of us have played TCU, so that will be fun, and it gives us a chance to play them again,” said Kraayeveld, who led Oregon in scoring and rebounding this season. She reached the NCAA Tournament her freshman year but did not play.

Kraayeveld is the only Oregon player to have prior experience in the tournament other than senior point guard Corrie Mizusawa, who attended with St. Mary’s.
The work will be cut out for Kraayeveld and her front-court teammates as TCU’s Sandora Irvin will be battling them in the paint.
“(We) don’t know much about them, but they have Sandora Irvin,” Mizusawa said. “She’s the leading shot blocker NCAA history, so that’s going to be a tough matchup for us, especially our post players and our strong inside game.”
Irvin became the NCAA record holder for blocked shots in a game with 16 against UAB on Jan. 16. The senior forward has accumulated 474 blocked shots throughout her career; the previous mark was 428.
This season, Irvin earned C-USA Player of the Year honors by averaging 20 points, 12 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots per game. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds in the two games of the C-USA Tournament. Her average of 3.5 blocked shots per game was two blocks better than any other player in the tournament.
Oregon’s Andrea Bills has a hunch about what she is in store for with Irvin.
“I have my work cut out for
me down low,” the senior center said, though she is still looking
forward to her first NCAA
Tournament appearance.
“It’s something I’ve waited for over the past four years,” Bills said. “Finally it’s happening, and I can’t even speak on it right now, but I’m just glad to accomplish something like this.”
The Ducks are 1-1 all-time against the Lady Frogs. TCU is 6-0 this season at neutral locations.
“We played them two years ago at the Papï