Ladies Basketball Update

We haven't talked much about the women's team on here, so I thought some readers might appreciate a look at how their season has played out so far.

Coming into her first season at UVA, new coach Joanne Boyle faced a daunting task of replacing a Hall of Fame coaching legend in Debbie Ryan, who was forced out by the administration* after 34 seasons with the Lady Hoos. I could write all day about the idiocy of this move, but that doesn't mean Boyle is any less of a good coach and certainly was welcomed by the school/team.

After an impressive early season upset of perennial powerhouse Tennessee, the team has done a good job staying in the top half of the extremely-tough ACC. Basically, the ladies have beaten the bad and mediocre teams while failing to pull off any upsets over the elite teams like Miami, Duke, and Maryland. Sitting at 7-7 in the conference, with two very winnable remaining games, the Hoos are in decent shape to make it off the bubble and into the NCAA tournament. Currently ESPN projects them as an 8 seed, which would be an improvement over last year's team and a continuation of the type of moderate success at which Ryan had the team in the 00s. Of course, everyone involved with the program would like to see a return to the late 80s-early 90s type of team, but Boyle should be commended for avoiding even a small regressive step in her first year.

They swept the Hokies, always a good thing (Photo: virginiasports.com)

Assuming they take care of business against Wake and FSU, look for the ladies to finish the season in the NCAAs, where they could easily win a game or two (though being an 8 seed would match them up against a #1 in the second round...). Boyle also has a nice recruiting class lined up for next year, with three highly ranked guards pledged to join the Lady Cavs' roster. Ultimately, the team will be judged more critically in the long-term, you don't fire one of the best coaches the sport and your school have ever seen to maintain "pretty good" status, but for now, things are looking on track for Boyle and the Lady Hoos. Their final home game is Friday evening at 6:30pm, go check them out.

*Note: Officially, Debbie "retired." However, it was a move forced on her by the athletic administration - even if it wasn't public. We trust our sources.