Hilfestellungen » potential tiebreaker Monday, if needed.

So when was the last time a team generally regarded as unexpected won the NCAA womens basketball title? That would be 2011, when Texas A&M beat No. 1 seeds Baylor and Stanford, and then fellow No. 2 seed Notre Dame on the way to claiming the championship.The Aggies had a very good team that year, obviously, and you can hardly call a No. 2 seed a Cinderella. But Texas A&M had never won a title before and wasnt a popular pick to win that year.Since then, though, Baylor won as a favorite in 2012, and UConn did the same in 2013-16. When those outside of womens basketball inquired about a dark horse in that time span, it was hard for any of us who follow the game to really believe there was one. (Although No. 5 seed Louisville made a run for it in 2013, with defending champ Baylor its biggest conquest on the way to losing the title game to UConn.)But what about this season? Weve already examined how projections for the national player of the year award and All-American teams might look one way now and rather different when we get closer to seasons end.?Is it a similar scenario for the teams themselves? As the season gets underway Friday, that sense of possibility is in the air more so than has been the case for a while. Or at least everybody is telling themselves that. Well have to see if its actually true.This year is wide open, because you look and say, Who is going to be No. 1? said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw, whose team has that distinction in the Associated Press preseason poll.You look at South Carolina, Baylor, Ohio State, Louisville -- theres so many good teams. And obviously, Connecticut, having won four in a row, theyre always in the conversation. But I think youre going to see that No. 1 moving around a little bit, and thats going to be a good thing for the game.UConn coach Geno Auriemma appears to agree with all that.This is a much more realistic picture of what its like in the world of team sports and coaching, Auriemma said of his Huskies being among the teams that have the potential to be champions, not the prohibitive favorites.Weve lived in a world that very few people get to live in. And they may get to live in it once in their careers. Some people, twice. But never in a row, 1-2-3-4.Never except for UConn. Yet could the Huskies national-championship string extend to five? Of course it could. UConn, which has won 75 consecutive games, still has a lot of talent, despite losing players who went first-second-third in the WNBA draft. Weve seen UConn rise to the occasion too often to not strongly consider the Huskies as contenders.?Still, the Huskies four-peat last year didnt prevent several other interesting storylines from getting noticed. Perhaps the most gratifying for the participants was the surge in the Pac-12, which got two teams -- Oregon State and Washington -- into the Final Four and felt that, as a conference, it finally got its due.I feel theres a level of responsibility to keep it going, said Cori Close, whose UCLA squad is picked to win the conference this season. Not only to think about our own growth, but how to continue to think strategically about the growth of the conference.And, by extension, the growth of the game nationally.Im not one of the UConn haters in terms of thinking it was bad for the game that they won so much. I dont think so, Close said. I think theyve set a bar thats gotten peoples attention. Like, Wow, the womens game is being played at such a high level.But I also think we need this next phase with other people stepping up to that standard that UConn has done such a great job setting. I think theres this optimism this year, and theres going to be drama in the NCAA tournament. Its an important year to grow the game.Thats a phrase that has been used for a long time, and it can seem trite. Plus, the fact is, other than UConns inevitability, there actually was pretty big drama in the postseason last season, too, with three of the No. 1 seeds -- South Carolina, Notre Dame and Baylor -- all losing before the Final Four.But this season, there does seem a chance that the final page of the script isnt already written. So as we get started, thats something to whet everyones appetite for what were about to see. 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DETROIT -- Miguel Cabreras fifth-inning homer might as well have come in the ninth.Cabrera hit a tiebreaking three-run shot moments before the game was halted for good, and the Detroit Tigers came away with a rain-shortened 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night, keeping pace with Baltimore in the AL wild-card race.Detroit trails the Orioles by one game for the ALs second wild card, and the Tigers certainly caught a break in this one. The rain was a factor throughout the evening -- there was also a delay during the third inning -- and it was coming down when Detroit began its rally in the fifth.With two on and one out, Cabrera hit a line drive over the wall in right off Joseph Colon (1-3) for his 36th homer.When you score runs, anytime in the game, its big, Cabrera said. Doesnt matter rain, no rain, if the sun is coming out.There was actually a cheer from the crowd when the grounds crew emerged to put the tarp on the field at the end of the fifth. After a delay of 72 minutes, the game was called. The stoppage in the third was 45 minutes.Blaine Hardy (1-0) won in relief of Michael Fulmer, who lasted only 3 1/3 innings.Cleveland manager Terry Francona didnt seem too upset to lose in this fashion. The teams are scheduled to play the series finale Thursday afternoon, but there was no telling when the rain would stop.I think they did a good job of handling it, Francona said. Nobody wanted to stay here until three in the morning, knowing that tomorrow might be a long one too.Before the game, it looked like a mid-game delay would likely hurt the Tigers, who were hoping for a big night from Fulmer. Cleveland was starting Zach McAllister, who has pitched almost exclusively in relief this year, so the Indians figured to be using their bullpen quite a bit anyway.But both times the game was stopped, Detroit seemed to benefit. The Tigers trailed 1-0 when the game was delayed in the third. When it resumed, James McCann and Jose Iglesias hit consecutive doubles off reliever Cody Anderson, and Ian Kinsler followed with a two-run homer to put Detroit up 3-1.Fulmer came back afteer the delay and took the mound in the fourth.dddddddddddd The rookie pitched to only three more batters before being lifted after an RBI single by Rajai Davis. Carlos Santana hit an RBI single later that inning to tie it.Fulmers ERA rose to 3.06, and unless he pitches again in the regular season, hell fall a few innings short of qualifying for the title.I was more worried about a win, Fulmer said. Id rather pitch in the postseason than get a personal achievement, honestly.In the Detroit fifth, Iglesias led off with a line drive to right, which Lonnie Chisenhall misplayed for a single. He appeared to have trouble with either the lights or the rain. One out later, Cameron Maybin singled, bringing Cabrera up with two on.Obviously, you want to score in the fifth there, because if it gets rained out, its an official game, Fulmer said. Hes always coming in the clutch, no matter what inning it is.ANOTHER CHANCE?Fulmer is at 159 innings and would need to reach 162 to qualify for the ERA title -- or 163 if the Tigers have to play a one-game tiebreaker for a postseason berth. The right-hander is lined up to pitch that potential tiebreaker Monday, if needed. Detroit could also conceivably use him in relief in one of these next few games, although manager Brad Ausmus seems hesitant to go that route.Assuming that were still in the thick of it, that might be tough to do because we might need him to pitch after Sunday, Ausmus said. I dont know that I would want to ask him to do that. Well see.Fulmers ERA is at 3.057. Torontos Aaron Sanchez is close behind at 3.065 and is on track to start Sunday.TRAINERS ROOMTigers: 3B Nick Castellanos, who returned Tuesday night from a left hand injury, was in the starting lineup Wednesday and was 0 for 1.UP NEXTIndians: Cleveland sends LHP Ryan Merritt (0-0) to the mound for his first major league start Thursday, weather permitting.Tigers: Detroit starts LHP Daniel Norris (3-2).---Follow Noah Trister at www.Twitter.com/noahtrister ' ' '