Region Preview: Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX)

Bridgeport region

It seems the road to the Final Four always goes through some town in Connecticut, and the UConn Huskies are always playing there. Connecticut is a No. 2 seed this season, but it potentially will have the chance to play in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in Bridgeport. If it progresses, No. 1 Duke would have the task of facing Connecticut for a trip to the Final Four.

"We may be a little more prepared to face whatever might happen in this tournament than we maybe were last year," said UConn coach Geno Auriemma, whose team lost to Stanford in the Sweet 16 last season.

No. 9 South Florida against No. 8 USC looks like a great game, too, with the Bulls playing in their first NCAA Tournament.

Star-Telegram pick: Connecticut. The Huskies don't lose too often that close to home, and Duke has been underachieving in the tournament for years.

Final Four dark horse: Georgia. The Lady Bulldogs are a hard matchup with their speed. Georgia has a great inside-out game with Tasha Humphrey being complemented by several guards. Five of Georgia's eight losses were to Tennessee and LSU.

First-round upset: No. 11 Hartford over No. 6 Temple. You never know which Temple team is going to show up. Temple has beaten Georgia and Rutgers this year, but it also lost to Stony Brook.

Best coach: Geno Auriemma, Connecticut. It wasn't that long ago that Auriemma and the Huskies won three consecutive titles, and the seniors on this squad already have title rings.

Best scorer: Jessica Dickson, South Florida. Dickson has been the catalyst for the Bulls' success this season. She's averaging 22.1 points per game, which is third-best in NCAA Division I this year.

Best defender: Sherill Baker, Georgia. Baker, a 5-foot-8 guard with quick feet, led NCAA Division I with 4.6 steals per game. She's Georgia's all-time career steals leader.

Best rebounder: Traci Edwards, Wisconsin-Milwaukee. A freshman, Edwards had more than 300 rebounds this season and averaged 10.1 per game. She's 11 shy of the school record.

Best 3-point shooter: Cori Chambers, Georgia. Chambers, a junior, has quite a range and shot 43.8 percent from beyond the arc this season. She made 74 3-pointers.