Rec’ing on…2006 NCAA ABQ Regional – First Session
I go to the Pit a few time a year, but never before with such expectation. Today, for the first time since I left the D.C. area, I got to meet up with women’s basketball fans who, like me, could hark back to when people still debated whether the AIAW or NCAA should control women’s basketball and its championships.
I have a usual place to sit in The Pit–behind the benches (i.e. the section in the arena with chairs), but had trouble getting the tickets I wanted. Of course, that’s where the school allocations were. So, during the game, while the Terrapin fans were yellin’ and cheerin’, I’m doing the same across the arena…surrounded by Baylor fans. I have to admit, it was a struggle for a while. Baylor brought a large contingent of fans, and they were plenty loud. By early in the second half, they’d calmed a bit and weren’t quite so stand-up’y or sign-wavey. That made it way easier for me to enjoy Maryland’s victory.
After the game, I went and visited with the Maryland delegation again, and was happy that knowledge of my quarter-century of women’s sports involvement preceded me. I must confess that I was more interested in catching up with the goings on at UM since I left than I was in the second game between Boston College and Utah. I went through the motions of watching the game, but honestly, I wasn’t paying close attention.
So, the stage is set for Utah to face-off against Maryland on Monday. As long as the Terps done muck it up, I think they’ll still have a game or two left to play in Boston. Here’s hoping that they remember to play as a unit, respect their opponent, and led the ol’ black and gold back to a final four.
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