Substitutions are irrelevant.

That should be the new slogan for the No. 1 seed Penn State Lady Lions, now that they are heading into the NCAA tournament.

Earlier in the season Amanda Brown and Jen Harris saw significant minutes late in games, but starting in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Blacksburg, Va. the only players that are going to see a lot of playing time are the starting five.

Even though the bench players will probably see a bunch of minutes on Sunday against a mediocre Hampton team, they shouldn't be expecting that type of time after this weekend.

While players such as Brown and Harris, who are both freshmen, played during critical portions of games this season, Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland said yesterday she doesn't plan on using her substitutes as much as she has during the regular season.

"I'm not taking any chances and they know that," Portland said.

While the regular lineup of Strom, Wright, Mazzante, Brungo and Russell will be making the 94-foot sprint a few more times on Sunday than they're used to, Portland doesn't expect her team to show signs of sluggishness.

She said the team worked on nothing but its conditioning this past weekend, and while she wants them to get faster, she doesn't expect to see a fall off late in the game.

When asked how long the starters should expect to stay in, Portland's answer was simple.

"Long. This time of the year, long."

One player that isn't a member of the starting five who Portland is excited about returning to her team's lineup is Jen Brenden.

Brenden, who missed the majority of the regular season with a knee injury, is finally back and healthier than she's been in a long while.

"We're getting a willingness from her to play, which we didn't have earlier in the season," Portland said about Brenden. "She'll be a nice gift back there."

Portland also said that Brenden took part in the team's conditioning drills this past weekend and isn't receiving tape treatments, which have become almost commonplace for Brenden.

Brenden, a guard who at times could slide down and play forward, may be the best three-point shooter on the team and has been a vocal leader all season for Penn State, even while on the bench.

While Brown, Brenden, Harris and Ashli Schwab do add depth to the Lions team, they are going to have to make the most of their situations and not take any decrease in minutes as a personal attack.

"You'll see some subs, but not much," Portland said. "We've got to win."