Wisconsin vs. Vermont

By SCOTT NOVAK

Niles Daily Star

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The NCAA Tournament will tip off its first round games at approximately 12:21 p.m. today with Wisconsin taking on Vermont in the opener.

The Badgers (21-10) are making their seventh trip to the NCAA tourney. Wisconsin hasn’t received a bid since the 2002 season.

Here are some other notes:

* With 21 wins, Wisconsin marks the eighth time the program has won more than 20 games and the second time under coach Lisa Stone.

* The Badgers are 12-5 away from home, inlcuding 3-1 on neutral sites.

* When Rae Lin D’Alie takes the floor today as a starter for Wisconsin, she will tie the Big Ten Conference record for games started.

* The Badgers are averaging 71.3 points per game over the last six contests. Wisconsin is also shooting 46.7 percent from the field.

Vermont

*The Catamounts are 26-6 on the year and won the American East Conference with a 13-3 record.

* Vermont’s No. 10 seed is its highest since 1993 when it was a No. 8 seed. It’s also the highest seed for an American East team since the team expanded to 64 teams.

* The Catamounts were a No. 16 seed last year and drew eventual NCAA champion Connecticut on the Huskies home floor in Storrs.

* Vermont enters today’s game having won 10 of its last 12.

*May Kotsopoutos was named the American East’s Defensive Player of the Year. She was also the league’s leading scorer.

* Courtney Pilypaitis is the only player in American East history to score more than 1,000 points, grab 500 rebounds and dish out 500 assists. She is also the only active player in Division I to score more than 1,900 points, grab 900 rebounds and hand out 600 assists. She also is one of two players currently in the top five in scoring, rebounding and assists.

* The Catamounts won a school record 17 games away from home.