Return from Madness. Division I schools across the country held Madness events tonight, but at only one did the coach get to enter the arena carrying the 2006 NCAA National Championship trophy. At Comcast in College Park, Brenda Frese emerged from the smoke and lasers holding the Natty high above her head as Queen's "We Are The Champions" blared from the sound system, and walked the Natty around the arena much as Wimbledon champions carry their trophy around Center Court. The BasketCases don't know exactly how they celebrated Basketball Madness tonight in Raleigh, Durham, Knoxville, or Storrs, but we do know that's the one thing the coaches in those towns didn't get to do.

Cram Comcast. Coach Frese announced a new goal tonight, not for the team, but for the fans. Noting that Maryland finished last season second in attendance in the ACC behind Duke (eliciting boos, of course!), Brenda proclaimed, "We want to beat Duke, not just on the court, but in the stands!"

Be Careful What You Wish For. Mel Greenberg , the Guru of women's hoops writers, was in Philly at Temple's Madness (and no, Coach Staley did not enter the Liacouras Center carrying the Natty) and reports in his latest blog that when asked during a Q&A about her team's upcoming out-of-conference game against Maryland, Dawn (never one to shy away from a little friendly trash talkin') answered "Bring 'em on."

Congratulations! Noticeably absent tonight was Assistant Coach Joanna Bernabei. She had a pretty good reason though -- she gave birth yesterday to a baby boy. Coach J, we're told, wanted a point guard, while her husband, Joe, wanted a left-handed pitcher. No word yet on that, but we hear that mom and the little Terp are both doing well.

Photo Credit: The Diamondback