After posting a win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year, TCU will face No. 1 seed Connecticut on Tuesday night at 9:15 p.m. EST (ESPN). The Horned Frogs defeated Michigan State, 50-47 on Sunday afternoon to earn the right to face the top-ranked Huskies on their home floor on Tuesday.

DID YOU KNOW?
With five bids, Conference USA surpassed only by the Big East (7), SEC (7) and Big Ten (6) in the total number of NCAA teams in this year's field. The Big 12 also placed five teams in the tournament.

CHARLOTTE CAPTURES FIRST-EVER
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
With an 86-80 victory over Tulane on March 2, the Charlotte 49ers captured their first Conference USA regular season championship. Charlotte solidified sole possession of the title, after Cincinnati, who was tied with the 49ers with an 11-2 conference mark heading into the last game of the regular season, was upset by Saint Louis, 69-63.


BALANCED POWER
Charlotte becomes the eighth different school to win at least a share of the regular season championship in the first eight seasons of Conference USA. Here's a look at each regular season champion, along with their final conference and overall record:

2002-03 Charlotte 12-2 21-9
2001-02 TCU 12-2 24-7
2000-01 Louisville 14-2 19-10
1999-00 Marquette 14-2 22-7
1998-99 Cincinnati 12-4 22-9
Louisville 12-4 21-11
Marquette 12-4 21-8
Tulane 12-4 24-6
1997-98 Memphis 14-2 22-8
1996-97 Louisville 12-2 20-9
Memphis 12-2 22-7
Tulane 12-2 27-5
1995-96 DePaul 13-1 21-10

WBCA REGION 4 COACH OF THE YEAR
Charlotte's KATIE MEIER has been named Regional Coach of the Year for Region 4 by Russell Athletic and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. As Regional Coach of the Year, Meier is a finalist for National Coach of the Year honors. The team won its first ever Conference USA regular-season title, going 12-2 in league play after being picked to finish sixth in the preseason. The Niners' turnaround has been remarkable, considering that seven of the 13 players are new to the program.

COLLEN NAMED U OF L HEAD COACH
TOM COLLEN, who won nearly 80 percent of his games in five seasons as head coach at Colorado State, has been named as the women's basketball coach at Louisville. Collen returns to coaching after a year hiatus, serving as a coaching consultant, coaching clinician and television color commentator this past season. While at Colorado State, he compiled an impressive 129-33 (.796) record in his five seasons with the Rams. Collen served as the head coach of the Rams from 1997-2002. His 1998-99 squad finished with a 33-3 record and an appearance in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. In his five seasons at CSU, the Rams made five postseason appearances, four NCAA Tournament appearances and his 1999-2000 squad advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT. The Rams were WAC regular season champions in 1998 and 1999. In 2001, they were crowned Mountain West Tournament Champions and were 2002 Mountain West Regular Season Champions. Collen's winning percentage ranks fourth in the nation behind Leon Barmore, Pat Summit and Geno Auriemma. His winning percentage is tops among coaches with 5-10 years experience.

1996-97 SEASON FLASHBACK
During the 2002-03 campaign, there have been several similarities of the 1996-1997 C-USA season.
- During the 1996-97 season, league teams posted the most wins over nationally ranked non-conference opponents in a season. This year, the conference tied this record.
- In the month of December 1996, C-USA teams upset two Top-10 opponents. This past December, the league also had two wins over Top-10 opponents - DePaul defeated No. 8 Notre Dame, 75-69, on Dec. 11. TCU notched a 70-53 win over No. 8 Vanderbilt, 70-53, on Dec. 28.
- During the 1997 postseason, C-USA had five teams earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament, the most in league history. This season, the league also had five teams earn NCAA berths.

THE 20-WIN CLUB
With a 21-9 record, Charlotte became the 11th Conference USA school to post 20 or wins in season since the league's inception in 1995. The 49ers are joined by Cincinnati, DePaul, Houston, Louisville, Marquette, Memphis, Southern Miss, TCU, Tulane and UAB in accomplishing this feat.

FRESHMEN LEADERS
Several of the top newcomers have made their presence noticed this season. Currently, DePaul's KHARA SMITH, who was redshirted last season, leads the freshmen class in scoring (13.4 pg) and rebounding (8.1 pg). Marquette's CAROLYN KIEGER leads the newcomers with 4.21 assists per game, and ranks second behind Smith in scoring (11.2 pg).

NO SOPHOMORE JINX
This season, two of the top five scorers in C-USA are sophomores. Cincinnati's DEBBIE MERRILL ranked second with 18.1 points per game, while East Carolina's JENNIFER JACKSON nabbed fourth place with 17.1 points per game. SANDORA IRVIN of TCU leads the second-year class with 9.6 rebounds per game to rank third overall, while Merrill follows in sixth (8.4 rpg).

AROUND C-USA...

CHARLOTTE (21-8, 12-2 C-USA)
Charlotte wrapped up the 2002-03 season with its first trip ever to the NCAA Tournament. The team travelled to Georgia for its first-round game, where it lost to the Bulldogs, 80-61, at Stegeman Coliseum. KRYSTION OBIE and MONICA LEAGUE led the 49ers with 12 points each, while ALICIA ABERNATHY added 10 in her final collegiate game. The team's 21 wins this season are the most for the program since winning 23 in 1990-91. The team claimed its first ever Conference USA regular-season title. Head coach KATIE MEIER was named C-USA Coach of the Year and Region 4 Coach of the Year by Russell Athletic and the WBCA.

CINCINNATI (23-8, 11-3 C-USA)
Cincinnati suffered a 71-57 loss to No. 7 Arkansas on Sunday. Cincinnati was led by senior CAROLYN ALEXANDER with a game-high 19 points in her final game as a Bearcat. DEBBIE MERRILL added 16 points and 12 rebounds, marking her 12th double-double of the season. Merrill also scored in double-figures for the 31st straight time and 53rd time in 62 career games. UC is now 30-3 at home in the last two years.

DE PAUL (22-10, 10-4 C-USA)
Making their 16th postseason appearance in school history, the DePaul Blue Demons lost to No. 5 seed Georgia, 80-61, on Saturday. C-USA Freshman of the Year KHARA SMITH led DePaul with 24 points. The Blue Demons conclude the 2002-03 season with a 22-10 overall record and ranked third in the conference with a 10-4 league mark. DePaul's 22 wins this season is the most since the club posted a 22-10 mark during the 1989-90 season. They also set the single-season team three-point record with 233 this season. Head coach DOUG BRUNO is only one win away from becoming the first C-USA coach to reach 300 wins at one school. He currently has a record of 299-198 in 17 years at the Blue Demon helm.

EAST CAROLINA (12-16, 4-10 C-USA)
East Carolina fell to No. 5 TCU, 54-44, in the first round of the C-USA Tournament. JENNIFER JACKSON earned C-USA All-Conference third team honors after leading ECU in points (17.3) and rebounds (7.8) this season. The Pirates finished with a 12-16 overall record under first-year head coach SHARON BALDWIN-TENER, six wins more than last season when East Carolina finished 6-21.

HOUSTON (15-13, 6-8 C-USA)
CHANDI JONES scored 27 points to become Houston's all-time leading scorer as the Cougars dropped a heartbreaker to Southern Miss, 71-69, at the C-USA Tournament. Jones (27.5 ppg), the nation's 2002-03 scoring leader and 2003 C-USA Player of the Year, surpassed Sharion Higgins' 1,957 points to become the school's all-time female scoring leader and fourth on the overall list. SHONDRA BUSH added 15 points and KIKI HARRIS fell just short of a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Collectively, the scoring tandem of Jones and Bush accounted for 42 of Houston's 69 points.

LOUISVILLE (15-14, 5-9 C-USA)
Louisville defeated Saint Louis, 86-59, but fell to DePaul, 66-57, in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. LORI NERO captured a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds against DePaul. In the first round game versus Saint Louis, Nero also set a Conference USA Tournament record for field goal percentage by hitting all nine shots from the field. TOM COLLEN, formerly the Colorado State coach, was named the head coach as MARTIN CLAPP, the head women's basketball coach at Louisville for the past six seasons, resigned his position with the Cardinals.

MARQUETTE (16-14, 6-8 C-USA)
Marquette suffered a 76-63 setback to Iowa in the second round of the WNIT on Sunday. KELLY SCHWERMAN recorded 19 points to lead the Golden Eagles, including a 5-of-8 effort from the three-point line. CAROLYN KIEGER added 14 points, four assists and four rebounds, while KATIE ALSDURF chipped in 12 points. The Golden Eagles conclude the 2002-03 season with a 16-14 overall record and 6-8 league mark.

MEMPHIS (13-15, 6-8 C-USA)
The Tigers fell to Marquette, 79-64, in the first round of the C-USA Tournament. Senior SHANNON HAMP kept the Tigers close most of the way, leading all scorers with 20. VICTORIA CRAWFORD added 16 for Memphis. Hamp earned third-team All-Conference honors after leading the Tigers in points (16.1 pg) and rebounds (5.6 pg).

SAINT LOUIS (17-14, 8-6 C-USA)
In their first postseason appearance, the Billikens fell to Iowa, 93-64, on Thursday in the first round of the WNIT. ANGIE LEWIS led SLU with 15 points, while SHANDRA GREER and STAR JACKSON both added 10. The Billikens closed out the season at 17-14 and finished tied for fifth in Conference USA with an 8-6 record. The Billikens recorded their most wins during the Pizzotti era with 17 this year. The school record for wins in a season is 18 set in 1978-79 and duplicated in 1979-80. SLU won a school-record eight league games. The previous best total was six conference wins set by the 1998-99 team and matched last year.

SOUTH FLORIDA (7-20, 2-12 C-USA)
South Florida closed out its 2002-03 season with a 74-57 loss to TCU on March 2. Sophomore ALANA TANKSLEY led USF with 14 points, while senior AIYA SHEPARD finished out her career at USF with 12 points for the game. Junior SARAH LOCHMANN also chipped in 10 points for the Bulls to round out the teams' double-digit scoring. Shepard finishes her four-year career, ranked second on C-USA's all-time career theft list with a total of 306.

SOUTHERN MISS (14-15, 6-8 C-USA)
Southern Miss notched a 71-69 win over Houston, before falling to Cincinnati, 61-42, in the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament. DANA JONES scored a career-high 28 points for the Golden Eagles against the Cougars. She followed with a team-high 13 points versus the Bearcats. The Golden Eagles finished the 2002-03 season with a 14-15 overall record.

TCU (19-14, 8-6 C-USA)
Earning its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament second round, TCU defeated eight-seeded Michigan State, 50-47, on Sunday. The Horned Frogs will now face No. 1 Connecticut on Tuesday. GRACE GANTT led TCU , scoring seven of her 15 points in the final eight minutes. TCU has now for the third consecutive year, defeated a Big Ten school in the first round.

TULANE (19-10, 10-4 C-USA)
Tulane lost to Minnesota, 68-48, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tulane is one of just 11 schools to have appeared in the last nine NCAA Tournaments. KELLY NADEAU was the lone Tulane player in double figures with 11 points, while TEANA MCKIVER added nine points and five rebounds. Tulane ends the year with a 19-10 record, ending the Green Wave's streak of seven consecutive seasons with 20 wins or more.

UAB (8-19, 4-10 C-USA)
UAB ended the 2002-03 season with a 8-19 overall record and 4-10 conference mark. NATASHA THOMAS earned All-Conference honors after leading the conference with 13 double-double performances this season. MICHELLE SMITH also added 11 double-doubles on the year.

LEADER OF THE PACK
Houston's CHANDI JONES has claimed the conference scoring title for the second year in a row with a current average of 27.5 points per game. It marks only the second time in C-USA history that a player will lead the league in back-to-back seasons. Memphis's TAMIKA WHITMORE (1996-99) ranked first among C-USA scorers during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons. Jones also leads the nation in scoring and could possibly become the first C-USA player to finish first among the national scoring leaders.

DID YOU KNOW?
Charlotte's KATIE MEIER becomes the second coach in league history to earn C-USA Coach of the Year accolades in only her second season as a head coach. Marquette's TERRI MITCHELL also claimed this honor in her second year after leading the Golden Eagles to a 22-7 overall record and 13-3 conference mark in 1998.

BLOCK PARTY
C-USA has three players ranked in the top 10 of the NCAA's top blockers. TCU's SANDORA IRVIN currently leads the league and ranks second in the nation with 3.9 per game, while Southern Miss' SONJA BROWN (3.2) and Tulane's TEANA MCKIVER (2.8) follows in sixth and ninth, respectively, on the NCAA's block list. As a team, TCU is ranked third nationally with 6.5 blocks per game.


LUCKY NO. 8
For the first time since 1996, C-USA teams have upset two Top-10 ranked opponents. On Dec. 28, TCU defeated No. 8 Vanderbilt, 70-53. It marked the program's first-ever win over a Top-10 team. Earlier in the season, DePaul posted a 75-69 victory over No. 8 Notre Dame at the DePaul Athletic Center on Dec. 11. The Blue Demons' last win over a Top 10 opponent was Dec. 14, 1996, when they toppled No. 3 Louisiana Tech, 70-67 at Alumni Hall. Here is a look at Top-10 upsets by C-USA schools in league history.

Dec. 28, 2002 TCU def. (8) Vanderbilt, 70-53
Dec. 11, 2002 DePaul def. (8) Notre Dame, 75-69
Dec. 20, 2000 Houston def. (9) Louisiana Tech, 71-52
Feb. 18, 1997 Charlotte def. (6) Alabama, 69-67
Dec. 20, 1996 Louisville def. (7) Penn State, 68-58
Dec. 14, 1996 DePaul def. (3) Louisiana Tech, 70-67
Dec. 16, 1995 Southern Miss def. (10) Texas Tech, 79-76

AGAINST THE RANKED
This season with six victories, C-USA teams have tied the record for most wins over nationally ranked non-conference opponents in a season. During the 1996-97 season, the league also had six victories. In 2002-03, five different teams have posted a victory over a top-ranked non-conference opponent. Here is a look at C-USA wins against ranked teams.

Dec. 11 DePaul def. (8) Notre Dame, 75-69
Dec. 20 Houston def. (20) Georgia, 81-78
Dec. 22 DePaul def. (21) George Washington, 64-46
Dec. 28 TCU def. (8) Vanderbilt, 70-53
Dec. 29 Tulane def. (19) Boston College, 69-50
Jan. 2 Louisville def. (11) Vanderbilt, 92-82

RECORD ATTENDANCE
This season, four schools have already broken their single-game attendance records. In front of the largest crowd in the history of USF women's basketball, South Florida lost a tough 72-56 decision to the defending National Champions, the University of Connecticut Huskies on Dec. 28. The Bulls shattered the record with a total of 3,072 paid attendance against No. 2 Connecticut. The previous record stood at 837 on Jan. 14, 1992. On Dec. 31, Marquette fell to No. 12 Notre Dame, 75-68. The attendance was 3,686, the largest home crowd for a regular-season game in Marquette history. Saint Louis defeated DePaul on Jan. 24 in front of the largest crowd of 1,796. Charlotte defeated Saint Louis, 70-58, in front of a crowd of 2,786, which was the largest ever for a women's game at Halton Arena (Feb. 2).