Credit: Jason Koski/University Photography

Credit: Jason Koski/Univeristy Photography

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- It's beautifully simple: 64 teams, neatly arranged on a wall-sized, canvas bracket now hanging in several arenas across the nation.

But as any of the players or coaches will tell you, getting your name on that bracket means a lot more than the words on paper. What it took all season to get there is what really makes the story.

"We've done quite a lot this season, and we have worked too hard to come in here and just ... say we have nothing to lose," said Cornell head coach Dayna Smith at a March 22 press conference.

At 7 p.m. March 23, the Big Red women's basketball team will play in its first-ever NCAA tournament game at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. The game will be telecast live on ESPN2.

The women earned the chance by finishing their season 20-8, tying for the Ivy League championship, and beating Dartmouth (who beat Harvard) in a mini-playoff March 16. That victory propelled them to an automatic bid in the Big Dance.

Many of the teams they face in this tournament are rugged veterans -- most notably, the No. 1-seeded University of Connecticut Huskies, whom the Big Red must battle in round one. The Huskies are a powerhouse at 32-1 this season, and they have claimed three of the last six NCAA titles. They will make their 20th consecutive tournament appearance when they play Cornell.

The Big Red, on the other hand, are the classic underdog, seeded No. 16, and loaded with younger players, including Ivy League Player of the Year Jeomi Maduka, a junior.

But until the buzzer sounds, every team has its day at the Big Dance, and the two-day lead up to the first-round game is about as frenzied as the game itself.

Credit: Jason Koski/University Photography

Credit: Jason Koski/University Photography

Leaving from Ithaca Friday morning, the Big Red were bused to their hotel in Bridgeport, where they spent a quiet evening before a full slate of media-oriented activities on March 22, the day before Game Day.

Navigating the media circus was in itself a challenge, especially with the attention UConn has inevitably received as the No. 1 team in the country. Cornell had a closed practice at the University of New Haven in the morning, and spent the rest of the day at various events, including open locker room time for media, a required news conference for some players, and an afternoon open practice that all media and fans were invited to attend.

As expected, the players faced many questions about their long-shot bid.

Some referenced the storied 1998 upset of 16th-seeded Harvard over No. 1 seed Stanford. Maduka admitted that such stories give her a heightened confidence that anything can happen.

"I think for any team there is always the possibility that there is going to be an upset," said sophomore guard Lauren Benson.

Smith said she allowed a few jokes about the Cornell-UConn matchup right after the March 17 selection show, but come the next morning, such jokes were prohibited.

"Yes, we will respect them, but we will also respect ourselves and what we've done this season," she said.

Asked about playing Cornell, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma had this to say:

"They can probably take comfort in knowing that ... all of my post players couldn't get into Cornell. So they certainly have an advantage there." He added that was a "slight exaggeration."