OSU women's basketball notebook
OSU women's basketball notebook

"We were maybe a little tired (Monday), but they were really sharp in practice,” said coach Kurt Budke. "I thought Monday might be kind of a down day, but no. They're excited about the next game, the next challenge.”

•Staying put: Earlier this week assistant coach Jim Littell turned down an offer to be a Division I head coach. Budke said athletic director Mike Holder's willingness to give assistant Littell a raise will pay huge dividends for the program.

Littell compiled 628 wins during 25 seasons as a head coach on the junior college, high school and NAIA level in Kansas. He won a national championship at Seward County Community College in 2002.

"Jim Littell is the best associate head coach in America,” Budke said. "Mike Holder stepped up and got this thing done. This says a lot for the future of Oklahoma State basketball.”

All-American point guard Andrea Riley said: "This means a lot. He's like the second dad of this team. He's a great coach. He sees the little things, especially the bad things. He'll tell you what you're doing wrong. He makes everyone so much better.”

•Sounding board: Because of his vast experience, Littell plays a key role. During OSU's semifinal win over Texas, Budke asked Littell to handle a timeout during a critical part of the game when the Longhorns were making a run.

"After being a head coach all those years, he promised me that he'd allow me to coach,” Littell said. "He treats his assistants very well. He was an assistant at one time (at Louisiana Tech). He remembers what it's like.”

•Helping hand: No. 25 Ohio State, the No. 6 seed in Des Moines and possible second-round opponent for the Cowgirls, will be bolstered by the return of junior forward Star Allen, who sat out 18 games due to academics issues.

Allen, who practiced with the team while she sat out the winter semester, was granted eligibility for the NCAA Tournament. Allen will play Saturday night against Florida State. Allen started 10 of Ohio State's first 12 games. She averaged 8.6 points and 7.1 rebounds.

•Big 12 fares well: Ranked the No. 1 conference in the country, based on RPI ratings, the Big 12 landed eight teams in the NCAA Tournament.

The conference has one No. 2 seed (Texas A&M), two No. 3 seeds (OSU, Baylor), a No. 4 (Oklahoma), a No. 5 (Kansas State), No. 7 (Iowa State) and two No. 8 seeds (Texas and Nebraska).

"It's the toughest conference in America,” Budke said. "That's why we're so proud of the step we took this year.”

•Go play: Budke and his players are disappointed they weren't placed in the Oklahoma City Regional but are focusing on winning two games in Des Moines to advance to the Sweet 16 in New Orleans.

"There probably are a lot of other people that are unhappy with where they're going, and there are people unhappy they're not in the tournament,” Budke said. "So you know what? We're not going to complain or whine about it. We're just going to go play basketball.”

By Mike Baldwin

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