DAYTON, Ohio — Oklahoma women's basketball coach Sherri Coale said that as soon as she knew the Sooners would be heading to Dayton for the Sweet 16, she went looking for a weather report, saw that it was going to be cool and was very happy. Friday in Dayton, though it didn't stick, it was actually snowing when the Sooners walked into the arena.

"I'm thrilled with the weather report," Coale said. "I'm not big on snow, but I like it when I'm here."

Coale's penchant for frostiness when in Ohio goes back to the NCAA tournament of four years ago, when the Sooners advanced to the Sweet 16 through Oklahoma City.

More a halfcourt team at the time, with the Paris twins, Courtney and Ashley patrolling the paint, the Sooners next stop was here in Dayton to play Ole Miss. There is no air conditioning inside University of Dayton Arena and, with it around 90 degrees outside, it was almost as warm inside. That, matched with OU's halfcourt ways and the Rebels' frenetic full-court pressing defense, made for a bad combination.

"I remember ESPN had a thermometer at courtside … they were pressing every moment of the game," Coale said. "It was the worst possible collection of factors for the type of team we had at that given time."



No history for Hand

The recent history between OU and Notre Dame is a popular storyline, with Saturday making three NCAA tournament games played between the Irish and Sooners the last four season.

Notre Dame beat OU in the round of 32 in East Lafayette, Ind., 79-75, in overtime in 2008. Last season, in the round of 16 in Kansas City, OU topped Notre Dame 77-72 in overtime. There was also another game played last season that isn't being talked about much. The Irish beat the Sooners 81-71 on Nov. 28 at the Paradise Jam at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. It was only the day before Whitney tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee against San Diego State.

"I've actually never played agains them," said Hand, who has scored 51 points in her last two games.



Diggin' Diggins

Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins is the most important player among the Irish, averaging 14.4 points, 16.3 over her last 12 games, as well as 4.6 assists and four rebounds per game. She's also a hometown hero, who started attending Irish games when she was 10, before going on to star at Washington High School in South Bend, Ind. And, if basketball doesn't work out long term, she would appear to have options.

"My dad was a DJ. He ran our local reared store, so he was always putting on sock hops and birthday parties, weddings, stuff like that," she said.

By the time Diggins was a teen, she had picked up the skill as well, and went on to perform at "middle school and high school parties, then I got asked to do wedding receptions and birthday parties."

Diggins also has a way, when answering a question, to speak long and fast, eventually finding a rhythm in which she appears very close breaking into a rap.



More history

Should OU win today's 1:30 p.m. matchup with the Irish, it would face the winner of today's 11 a.m. game between Tennessee and Ohio State, two more teams OU has some history with.

Last season, Pat Summitt brought the Lady Vols to Oklahoma City to meet OU at the Ford Center, while needing one win to reach an unprecedented1,000 victories over her career. Bobby Knight, the winningest career coach in the men’s game, was even brought in to do color commentary for ESPN. OU won that game 96-75 after falling behind by double digits early.

Also, OU played Ohio State at Columbus this season, losing 95-84.



Paris picked up

Former Sooner Ashley Paris, who has played internationally but never in the WNBA, has signed a training camp contract without he Atlanta Dream, the WNBA's reigning Eastern Conference champion.

Sister Courtney Paris has the same deal with the Los Angeles Sparks after not playing in the WNBA last season. Courtney played her 2009 rookie season for the Sacramento Monarchs, playing in 33 games and starting six.

— Clay Horning, CNHI