Two former champs in Pitt’s region

Last year the Pitt women’s basketball team won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first… Last year the Pitt women’s basketball team won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

This year the Panthers were awarded a No. 6 seed in the Spokane region and will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., for their first, and should they win, second round game.

The region’s championship game will be held in Spokane, Wash. Here’s a look at the other teams populating the Spokane regional: No. 1 Maryland: The Terrapins won the 2006 national title, and many of the key members of that team are still playing this year. Junior Kristi Toliver led the team in scoring with 16.8 points per game, with senior Crystal Langhorne right behind her with 16.7 points per game, as well as 9.2 rebounds per game.

No. 2 Stanford: The Cardinal was thought to be in the running for a No. 1 seed but will have to settle with a two. Stanford is led by senior guard Candace Wiggins, who was named to ESPN.com’s All-American first team this season and is also a finalist for the Wooden Award for player of the year.

No. 3 Baylor: Senior guard Angela Tisdale leads the Bears, who won the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Tisdale is Baylor’s leading scorer with 16.2 points per game, with junior forward Rachel Allison averaging 12.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

No. 4 Vanderbilt: The Commodores were knocked off by Tennessee in the second round of the SEC tournament. Guard Jennifer Wirth leads the team with just less than 13 points per game. No. 5 West Virginia: The Mountaineers crushed the Panthers, 56-35, on Feb. 13, but the Panthers upset West Virginia a few weeks later at home, 77-75. Olayinka Sanni leads the team with 16.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

No. 6 Pitt

No. 7 UTEP: The Miners are making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They also had a 23-game winning streak to end the season before losing to Southern Methodist in the Conference USA championship game.

No. 8 Nebraska: The Cornhuskers lost in the first round of the Big 12 tournament to Kansas, but were able to make the NCAA Tournament with wins over Texas and Texas A’M.

No. 9 Xavier: The Musketeers clinched a spot in the Tournament by winning the Atlantic 10 tournament. Center Ta’Shia Phillips is second on the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game and leading the team with 11.1 rebounds per contest.

No. 10 Western Kentucky: Entering the Tournament thanks to winning the Sun Belt conference tournament, the Hilltoppers are led by forward Crystal Kelly, who averaged 22.7 points per game this year.

No. 11 Wyoming: The Panthers’ first-round opponent is the Cowgirls, who lost in the first round of Mountain West basketball championship to San Diego State. Wyoming’s scoring comes primarily from its two forwards: Hanna Zavecz and Justyna Podziemska.

No. 12 New Mexico: For the fifth time in six years, the Lobos won the Mountain West conference tournament, even though they finished fourth in regular season standings.

No. 13 Montana: In the Big Sky conference title game, junior guard Mandy Morales scored 24 points to give the Grizzlies a Tournament berth. She led the team with 16.4 points and 5.0 assists per game.

No. 14 Fresno State: The Bulldogs come into the Tournament as winners of the Western Atlantic Conference Tournament. It’s their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

No. 15 Cleveland State: The Vikings clinched their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after winning the Horizon League Tournament. In the title game, sophomore Kailey Klein scored 29 points and had 13 rebounds.

No. 16 Coppin State: The Mid-Eastern conference tournament champs boast four players who averaged double figures in scoring this season.