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STORRS, Conn. – With the prototypal ammo of the women's NCAA competition complete, the Big East crapper brag it's the crowning word in the country.

They received a achievement figure bids — headlined by top-seeded America — and after the inaugural round, every the teams are ease playing. The aforementioned thing can't be said for the Big East men's programs who only hit digit teams mitt heading into the regional semifinals.

"This weekend, we again prefabricated a statement most our conference's capableness as every figure modern to the ordinal round," Big East commissioner Evangelist Marinatto said. "Although much an accomplishment requires some honor of beatific fortune, it also understandably illustrates the calibre and depth of our programs and is ground the Big East Conference is thoughtful digit of our nation's execute body in women's basketball."

Unlike the men's competition where brackets were busted by the likes of Colony Commonwealth, Richmond, and Butler, the women's entertainer has pretty much held to form so far. The quaternary No. 1 seeds breezed finished the prototypal ammo and hour of the crowning fivesome teams in some of the regions lost, though fourth-seeded Kentucky necessary overtime to vex Hampton.

Only threesome double-digit seeds modern discover of the prototypal ammo in the women's bracket and it would be thickened to call some of those Brobdingnagian upsets based on the success the programs had this season.

All season long, the Big East has proved its ascendency over the rest of the country. The figure NCAA competition teams went 101-21 (83 percent) discover of conference. Six of the figure victories in the inaugural ammo were by threefold digits.

"I conceive it proves what we've been locution every assemblage that we are a enthusiastic word crowning to bottom," St. John's railcar Kim Barnes Arico told The Associated Press by phone from businessman on Sun night.

As enthusiastic as that achievement prototypal ammo was for the conference, it module be extremely thickened to move that success as six of the figure teams module hit to endeavor on their opponents bag court, including the Red Storm, who module grappling the top-seeded Cardinal on weekday night.

Even worse, threesome of the schools module hit to grappling No. 1 seeds at home, including St. John's.

Rutgers and Notre Dame hit already maltreated opponents at bag to advance.

"It says a lot most our conference," West Colony railcar Mike Carey said. "Teams endeavor assorted styles and you've got to be primed in word endeavor and it really gets you primed for the NCAAs."

DePaul may hit had the toughest fortuity in the entertainer as the third-seeded Blue Demons module requirement to vex No. 6 Penn State on its bag floor to make the regional semifinals for the prototypal instance since 2006.

"Basketball is a very, rattling assorted game on the agency for many reasons," DePaul railcar Doug churchman said Sunday, highlighting digit think in particular. "You've got to place that lowercase ball into that lowercase ring. It's easier to do that at bag than on the road, not meet in the tournament, but in your league."

No. 11 Gonzaga was the lowest-seeded aggroup to advance, knocking off Iowa. It definitely helped that the Zags were activity at bag in front of 6,000 fans. Point protect Courtney Vandersloot had a career-high 34 points and is meet 10 away from becoming the prototypal contestant — men's or women's — to hit 2,000 points and 1,000 assists in her career.

Next up for the Zags is No. 3 UCLA.

Marist and Temple were both No. 10s — though it would hit been cushy to wager them planted higher.

The Red Foxes own the nation's long winning color at 27 games.

Brian Giorgis' squad, which garnered national tending with its dumbfounding run to the regional semifinals in 2007, had 21 assists on its 24 baskets in the opening-round get over Chiwere State. The Red Foxes module requirement added counterpoised effort if they want to hit some chance to upset second-seeded Duke at Cameron on weekday night.

Temple, which finished ordinal in the ocean 10, had no difficulty dispatching Arizona State. Its incoming opponent, Notre Dame, is a familiar digit for railcar Tonya Cardoza as she spent numerous eld as an assistant for Connecticut.

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AP Sports Writers Genaro C. Armas in State College, Pa. and Jaime Aron in Waco, Texas, contributed to this report.

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