A Look at South Florida’s NCAA First Round Foe Miami
By Joey Johnston
When Coach
Jose Fernandez's USF Bulls open play in Friday's NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Columbia, S.C., they will face a true team of destiny.
Make that a team of Destiny.
As in Destiny Harden, the catalyst behind the No. 8-seeded Miami Hurricanes (20-12) and a player who should create some concern for the Bulls (24-8).
For now — and maybe forever — Harden will be known for her spectacular showing in a 61-59 ACC Tournament quarterfinal upset of the Louisville Cardinals, who wound up with a No. 1 seed.
With 5:45 remaining, Louisville assumed a 15-point lead (59-45) against the Hurricanes. That was that. Or so it seemed.
Harden quickly zoomed into a zone all her own. After a teammate scored a bucket, Harden went on a personal 15-0 run, going 6-for-6 from the field, including a made free throw, while grabbing three rebounds. Her 3-pointer tied it in the final minute, then she made the winning basket as well.
"I watched the game,'' Fernandez said. "It was pretty amazing.''
"That's the kind of game that doesn't happen very often,'' Bulls senior forward
Bethy Mununga said. "She (Harden) got very hot and their team fed off her energy.''
On paper, it still seems like an anomaly. Harden's 27-point effort against Louisville more than doubled her previous high-scoring game (13 points) this season and she averages just 8.1 overall. But according to UM coach Katie Meier, Harden's game typified the Hurricanes' season.
"Whatever it takes,'' Meier said.
In February, the Hurricanes were 12-10 overall. They had just been defeated 85-38 at North Carolina — and outscored 28-2 in the first quarter — so they hardly had the look of an NCAA Tournament team.
But they reached the NCAA field after winning eight of their final 10 games.
After trailing against Duke in the fourth quarter of their ACC Tournament opener, the Hurricanes suddenly played their best basketball of the season, toppling the Blue Devils, upsetting Louisville and Notre Dame, then falling 60-47 in the championship game against NC State (another NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed).
"I think playing South Florida is going to be just like the ACC Tournament — win or go home,'' Harden said. "Having that moment (beating Louisville) was surreal, but we earned it. We want to have more moments like that. I think we finally showed what we're capable of. Instead of 'almost' beating someone, we actually beat someone.''
Meier, who was the head coach at Charlotte and competed against Fernandez's early USF teams (2001-05) in Conference USA, said UM's stunning ACC run has provided big dividends.
The Hurricanes have a pair of key Miami area guards in leading scorer Kelsey Marshall (14.0 points per game) and Ja'Leah Williams. There's also a mix of international transfers in 6-4 Lola Pendande (Utah transfer from France), 5-10 Karla Erjavec (Wyoming transfer from Croatia) and 6-4 Maeva Djalkdi-Tabdi (Syracuse transfer from France).
And, of course, there's Destiny Harden, a 6-foot forward from Chicago.
"All I ever wanted for our program was to be a household name and have everyone see the passion and love that our players have,'' Meier said. "We did not shoot well (through much of the season). That little round thing (basketball) wasn't going through that bigger round thing (rim). We're taking the same shots, but now they're going in. Our defense has held the same throughout.
"A whole lot of people saw our game (against Louisville). You can't help but fall in love with the way we play. But we've got to have that same kind of effort — and more — to advance in the NCAA Tournament. We've got all the respect in the world for South Florida. They are as tough as nails.''
The Bulls or the Hurricanes? Which team is better positioned to advance and likely face the home-standing South Carolina Gamecocks, the NCAA Tournament's overall No. 1 seed?
Will it be USF's destiny?
Or UM's Destiny?
