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With no Olympics in sight, Stanford's standout shortstop, Ashley Hansen, is opting to walk away from softball and jump into her career at a technology firm in Silicon Valley.

Baylor is the top seed but might have the toughest road to the Final Four.

Is it better to build a team around one star (see: Maya Moore, Danielle Adams) or around a talented team (see: Notre Dame, Stanford)? The Final Four might give us the answer.

When the Sweet 16 gets under way on Saturday afternoon, some of the biggest stars on the court will be the smallest players on the court, the point guards.

A spot in the Sweet 16 is at stake for the teams in Monday's second-round matchups.

Whether they are around one game or there April 5 to hoist the NCAA trophy, here are 15 players to watch in the women's NCAA tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners' resilience during this year's NCAA tournament is well documented. But the journey might have all started on a wintry night in New York at Marist.

This might be portrayed as the Final Four of foregone conclusions. But for as much as Connecticut arrives in St. Louis as the heavy favorite, the three challengers are as complete as it gets.

When is it almost a disadvantage to be a No. 2 seed? Will UConn meet its archrival in St. Louis? Who else will be there? More predictions for the 2009 NCAA tournament.

Even if Tennessee can slow down Candice Wiggins, it still faces a big challenge in getting past the Cardinal. Two big challenges, actually, as underclassmen Jayne Appel and Kayla Pedersen have combined to make an unstoppable force in the post.

You can break the women's NCAA tournament field into two groups: Seven powerhouses ... and 57 other teams.