Last Season: 22–10, Sweet 16

	Stephens can bang the boards with the best of them.

If the Big 12 is the nation's toughest conference, then the Longhorns are the league's Sydney Bristow. Like the Alias badass, they got a lot goin' on. Soph F Mercedes Williams balances schoolwork, practice and raising her 2-year-old son. Junior F Annissa Hastings has battled back from a nasty ACL tear. And junior G Jamie Carey has resumed her career (she was Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in '99-00) after concussions forced her to miss the past two seasons. UT's on-court grit is best personified by 6'1" junior C Stacy Stephens (14 ppg, 9.8 rpg), who battles taller foes on a nightly basis. Tough matchups? Try guarding 6'2" soph wing Heather Schreiber (13.6 ppg, 6 rpg, 40% 3PT). If she gets more scoring help on the perimeter, Texas just might be tough enough for Atlanta.

One Step Ahead: Try 15 years ahead. You want versatile players and matchup menaces? Centers who can run? Guards who can post? Jody Conradt (788 career wins and counting) saw these trends developing way back in 1986, when Texas won it all behind 6'1" gazelle Clarissa Davis. Good luck beating the Horns at their own game.

One Step Behind: Conradt's talented but young squad was maddeningly inconsistent a year ago, especially on D, where Texas had trouble slowing opponents' go-to gals. Soph wing Kala Bowers (9 ppg) came to Austin as a defensive stopper. It's time for her to prove that rep and set the tone for her mates.

2002-2003 NCAA PREVIEW
WOMEN
1. Duke Blue Devils	5. LSU Tigers
2. Tennessee Volunteers	6. Texas Tech Red Raiders
3. Kansas State Wildcats	7. Texas Longhorns
4. UConn Huskies	8. Stanford Cardinal

This article will appear in the November 25 issue of ESPN The Magazine.