March 15, 2001

GAME: No. 16 Wisconsin-Milwaukee (19-10) vs. No. 1 Duke (28-3).
REGIONAL: West, first round.
TIME: Saturday, 1:40 p.m. EST.
SITE: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, N.C.
The Duke men's basketball team isn't the only top seed in Durham.

The Lady Blue Devils earned their first No. 1 seed and will play host to Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the first round of the NCAA women's tournament.

"We felt like we would be a No. 1 seed," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said. "We felt like we have done everything necessary - winning all of our out of conference games, coming through the ACC, which is the second ranked conference in the country, and winning the regular season and then winning the ACC Tournament."

Duke has been led this season by ACC freshman of the year Alana Beard.

"It is exciting being a freshman and knowing that Duke has never been a No. 1 seed before," said Beard, averaging 16.5 points per game. "You can feel the excitement coming from your teammates."

Wisconsin-Milwaukee, making its first appearance in the tournament, will be hard-pressed to keep pace with Duke, which averages 74.7 points.

The Panthers are led by Jessica Wilhite, who is averaging 15.2 points and 4.1 rebounds, and has made 89 three-pointers in 29 games. Freshman center Maria Viall has been an inside presence, averaging 12.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks. She shot 50 percent from the field during the season.

Both Wilhite and Viall were instrumental in the Panthers' 77-62 victory over Wisconsin-Green Bay in the championship game of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. Wilhite had 36 points and Viall grabbed 15 rebounds.

Saturday's game will only be the second meeting between the teams. The two squads met in 1994 at Durham as the Blue Devils routed the Panthers 104-34 in the Duke Women's Basketball Classic in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

"Why not play the best?" UWM coach Sandy Botham said of her team's matchup. "This is why you play college basketball. We've had a tough non-conference schedule, so we should be prepared."

This is the fourth consecutive season that Duke has hosted a sub-regional.

The winner will face the winner of the Baylor-Arkansas game in the second round on Monday.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Wisconsin-Milwaukee - F Holly Tam (6.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg), F Nicole Luchsinger (7.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg), C Viall (12.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg), G Wilhite (15.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg), G Teri Stoltenberg (5.5 ppg, 2.5 apg).
Duke - F Rochelle Parent (5.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg), F Michele Matyasovsky (5.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg), C Sheana Mosch (11.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg), G Beard (16.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg), G Georgia Schweitzer (14.2 ppg, 4.1 apg).

HOW THEY GOT HERE: Wisconsin-Milwaukee - Automatic bid, Midwestern Collegiate Conference champion.
Duke - Automatic bid, ACC champion.

ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Wisconsin-Milwaukee - 0-0.
Duke - 14-7, 7 years.