Clemson is feeling the stress going into the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Stress fractures, that is.
The Tigers are so beaten up that coach Jim Davis is wondering how they'll get through their first-round game today against Chattanooga in the Mideast Regional at Cincinnati.
Senior Andrea Gaines has three stress fractures, one in each foot and one in a leg. Junior Krystal Scott has a stress fracture and freshman Julie Aderhold is being treated for an Achilles' tendon problem.
Sophomore Heather Crowe has a bulging disk in her back and is not expected to play in the tournament.
"We're a little beaten up right now and I don't know why, because we gave them almost all week off," said Davis, whose team is the No. 5 seed in the region. "We had one practice last week. You'd think those injuries would heal, but they haven't done so."
Clemson-Chattanooga is one of 16 games being played at eight campus sites today as the race for the national championship gets under way, a three-week run that might be a little more wide open than originally thought. Sixteen more games will be played Saturday.
Clemson (20-9) had every right to anticipate a strong tournament run after finishing second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers are ranked 22nd nationally and were one of just three teams to beat Duke, the ACC champion and No. 1 seed in the West.
The injuries leave Davis concerned about his team's preparation. He said the team had its worst practice of the season Monday, "simply because we didn't have enough players to compete five-on-five."
Tennessee will be the only No. 1 seed playing today. The Vols, the top seed in the Mideast, play at home in Knoxville against Ohio Valley Conference champion Austin Peay.
Defending champion Connecticut does not play until Saturday, when the Huskies, the No. 1 seed in the East, meet Long Island.
Connecticut began the season as a prohibitive favorite to repeat, but a loss at Notre Dame showed that coach Geno Auriemma's team could be beaten. Injuries to stars Svetlana Abrosimova and Shea Ralph also have weakened the Huskies, although they haven't lost since Abrosimova went down on Feb. 1.
Tennessee, which lost to UConn in the championship game last year, also isn't the team it was at the start. The Vols lost Tamika Catchings, last season's national player of the year, to a knee injury Jan. 15.
All of which gives hope to others.
"I think it gives it a little more parity," said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, whose team is seeded No. 1 in the Midwest. "I think teams when they get to neutral floors feel they have a chance to beat some teams.
"Before you could pretty much write in the Final Four teams. I don't think that's the case this year."
Notre Dame hosts Alcorn State on Saturday. Duke begins its title quest Saturday against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Florida State is making its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1991, and it comes after a season of firsts.
The Seminoles, who play Tulane in the Midwest Regional at Ames, Iowa, beat Virginia for the first time in school history and finished over .500 in the ACC for the first time. They also won at Duke, handing the Blue Devils their only loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
"That was a huge confidence boost," guard Lakesha Springle said. "We were able to weather the storms. They went on a 13-0 run at the start of the second half and we found a way to win. We still look back on that and think if we can handle that, we can get through anything."
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