Looking for a rooting interest ... OK, any sort of interest ... in the women's NCAA tournament? Here are the participants who have some connection to the Illini program:

--UCLA assistant coach Stacie Terry was a Theresa Grentz aide in the final few years of her tenure. After a one-year stint at Southern Miss, Terry joined Nikki Caldwell's staff at UCLA. The Bruins play North Carolina State at 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

--Texas A&M assistant Kelly Bond was a reserve on the UI's back-to-back Sweet 16 teams in 1997 and '98. The Chicago native is Gary Blair's top recruiter for the Big 12 tournament champs. The second-seeded Aggies face Portland State at 5 p.m. Saturday.

--St. John's assistant Tamika Louis was a Jolette Law assistant until September 2009. Louis and the Red Storm, seeded sixth in the Dayton Regional, face Princeton at 11:20 a.m. Saturday.

--Georgia Tech head coach MaChelle Joseph, a standout player at Purdue, spent one season as a UI assistant coach (1992-93). The sixth-seeded Yellow Jackets face Arkansas-Little Rock at 5:15 p.m. Sunday.

Other notes ...

--The Illini faced five teams -- Temple, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa and Michigan State -- that are in the NCAA tournament. The Illini went 1-8 against that group (beating Wisconsin on Jan. 3.)

--Illinois received an oral commitment this week from Bolingbrook junior forward Taylor Tuck. Her addition is important, at least partly, because of her more-highly regarded teammates: sister Morgan and point guard Ariel Massengale. Morgan is a sophomore, Massengale a junior, and each is regarded as one of the country's top 10 players in her respective class.

--If Illinois defeats Western Kentucky tonight, it will host Marquette at 4 p.m. Monday as part of a doubleheader with the UI men (7 p.m.).