A person has to be mentally ill with no life to want to sit here and watch a women's basketball game."

When I heard that statement, my head reeled around so fast I came close to snapping my neck. At first, I almost nailed this woman to the wall with a verbal tirade.

But I didn't. How do you respond to such an asinine remark?

Last Saturday, Penn State played Purdue at Rec Hall on a national CBS broadcast. That would constitute a big game for any college basketball team -- men's or women's. But as one co-worker bluntly remarked, "How many people really care?"

Maybe the real problem is apathy born out of ignorance. So for all those neanderthals who still believe women play half-court basketball . . .

The game is not slow.

Anyone who watched the Purdue game saw speed. Because critics insist on comparing women's basketball to men's, for the sake of argument, let's look at a major conference home game for each:

-- Lady Lions vs. Purdue (Jan. 21) -- Penn State led 41-29 after the first half and won 78-64.

-- Lions vs. Michigan (Jan. 8) -- Penn State led 29-15 after the first half and won 73-63.

Those numbers show whose offensive action dominated.

Granted, every game is different. The tempo of the Lion-Wolverine game might have been lower than usual that night. The women's might have been unusually high. That's the point -- you can't label the women's pace based on the men's.

The game is physical.

I'm not about to dispute that men and women have different physiological makeups. That rationale doesn't float in trying to argue that women athletes are not physical.

Again, look at the stat columns. Women can steal, block and rebound. They can drive for the layups. And Lady Lion guard Tiffany Longworth can shoot the three from NBA range.

Fans want in-your-face basketball. Just watch the Lady Lions on defense. Guard Tina Nicholson is all over the place. At 5 foot 3 inches, she can get down low and still prevent a shot from up high. And teammate Carla Coleman's attacking defense constantly forces turnovers.

Still, if you need a specific physical play -- guard Katina Mack took an elbow in the head that reaggravated a concussion. Ask her if that was physical enough.

Women can slam dunk.

Charlotte Smith from North Carolina has already done it. Some of her teammates have the ability, too. They may be the exceptions, but the talent is still growing. Give it time. (And slammin' is not the only skill in basketball.)

Women's basketball is very exciting.

The growth of television coverage for women's basketball indicates that the sport is BIG. Even Purdue Coach Lin Dunn thinks so. Of last Saturday's Penn State-Purdue game on CBS, Dunn said: "Unless all stations -- ABC, NBC and CBS -- had carried it at the same time, I can't imagine it being any bigger."

Last week, ESPN had the big game with the No. 1-No. 2 showdown between Tennessee and Connecticut. That game had everything -- the fans, the talent and the intensity. It reminded me of the NCAA final last year, when North Carolina made the improbable three-point winning shot in the final seconds.

This is a year when women's basketball exemplifies excitement. The field of teams is so competitive, anyone could make it to the Final Four. Even the Big Ten is balanced from top to bottom, making the fight to the finish a potential nail-biter to the end.

Part of the conference picture will be much clearer after this Sunday when Penn State, tied for second, hosts Big Ten-leader Wisconsin.

Another big game for a few women's basketball bashers to put down. At least now you can refute their senseless, pathetic excuses for why women's basketball isn't worth seeing.

And if someone says you're "mentally ill with no life," consider the source -- the woman who made that stupid comment was also watching the women's game against Purdue.