OxfordPress.com

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Miami University women's basketball coach Maria Fantanarosa, on the eve of her team's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, is trying to maintain that difficult balance between self-belief and what she calls "swagger."

And it's easy to understand why. It's an advantage to be in the underdog role, as the 13th-seeded RedHawks surely are. There is no pressure to win, and most fans of the other first-round match-up Sunday, March 23, between Kansas State and Chattanooga will throw their lot in with the more-Cinderella-like RedHawks.

On the other hand, Fantanarosa wants her team to believe, 100 percent, that they're capable not just of staying close to the Louisville Cardinals, but of out-hustling them, out-playing them, out-scoring them. If they don't have that fundamental trust in their own capabilities, most likely the game's lost before it

even begins.

Following her team's practice session on Saturday, March 22, Fantanarosa said she was "thrilled" and "excited" to be here in Bridgeport, Conn., and that "we are not the type of team to show swagger. We are

going to take things being humble and you can see that from my players. We are humble, but I want my players to be confident, too. There is a fine line between confident and cocky."

But the RedHawks are a confident bunch. Miami fans have seen it grow following that painful 98-50 loss to Notre Dame in the season opener. That confidence began to flare with victories over Cleveland State, Robert Morris and especially Temple, all of whom earned NCAA berths. And the 63-60 victory at Bowling Green on Jan. 22 was an early-warning signal to the rest of the Mid-American Conference that there might be a new sheriff on the streets.

"We continued to improve throughout the season," Fantanarosa said, "and the sky's the limit."