While sitting at a baby shower for an assistant coach, the Penn State Lady Lions watched the television broadcast on ESPN to find out its fate in the NCAA Tournament.

When the Penn State name flashed on the screen the seeding in the bracket brought mixed emotions for the team that has been on a roller coaster ride in recent weeks — a familiar venue versus an unfamiliar team.

The Lions (19-9) danced their way into the 2001 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, the 17th time in school history Penn State has advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Despite recent setbacks including two consecutive losses to Michigan, Penn State garnishes the No. 6 seed in the East bracket and will face Texas Christian on Saturday, March 17 in the first round of the tournament in Ruston, La.

If Penn State advances to the second round, a possible battle versus long time nemesis Louisiana Tech could take place. The Lions defeated the Lady Techsters 86-65 in last year's tournament to advance to its first Final Four. Louisiana Tech squares off against Georgia State in its first round game.

TCU (24-7) makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Western Athletic Conference championship with a 66-58 victory against Hawaii. Under the direction of second year coach Jeff Mittie the Horned Frogs improved from a 15-12 mark last season to win the school's first conference title and tournament bid.

However, not much more is known about the TCU program that receives little attention in the national media. In fact, the Penn State coaching staff is scurrying to find out all it can about the small Christian school in Fort Worth, Texas. Assistant coach Annie Troyan, who assembles tapes and information on Penn State opponents, is now faced with the task to scout a team the Lions have never played.

"We were able to assemble a lot of tapes but that is a conference that we didn't have tape on," Penn State coach Rene Portland said. "The first game against TCU is one where we really have to show we have bounced back from what has happened to us recently."

TCU heads into the tournament relying on its defense and a lineup of small players and balanced scoring. Junior Kati Safaritova leads the team with 11.7 points per game. No other player averages in double figures.

But even if not much is known about the opponent, Ruston is not an unfamiliar place for Penn State.

The Lions traveled four times before to the city complete with a population of 20,000 residents, Piggly Wiggly Supermarkets, cockroaches crawling on restaurant tables and the home of Louisiana Tech.

The last time Penn State went to the northern Louisiana city was in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. The Lions won in the first round against Virginia but eventually bowed out to Louisiana Tech, 79-62.

Thomas Assembly Center, the home of the Lady Techsters, is considered one of the toughest arenas to play in for college basketball. Both Penn State seniors Lisa Shepherd and Maren Walseth's most vivid memory of playing there is the Louisiana Tech prep-band that continually yells throughout the games. Insulting taunts and chants to disrupt the mental state of the visitors spews forth from trumpet, trombone and tuba players.

Besides the hostile crowd, Portland said the city is a friendly place to travel to even with its rough conditions. On the Lions' first visit to Ruston, a cockroach ran across the table-top in the restaurant they were eating at.

But even though the home court can be a tough place to compete, the hostile environment does not intimidate the veteran Penn State players.

"We have played them there and last year we beat Louisiana Tech in a convincing way, so it's something we can revisit in our minds," Walseth said. "We'll be ready to play there."