College basketball: Texas, Missouri, Duke highlight 2018 women's Gulf Coast Showcase field

College basketball

Last year's Gulf Coast Showcase eight-team women's basketball draw in Germain Arena ended up about as good as it can get.

In the title game, then-No. 6 Notre Dame snapped defending national champion and third-ranked South Carolina's 17-game winning streak with a 92-85 victory.

The Irish went on to win their first national championship in 17 years and just second ever.

Officials for the Showcase that has been in play since 2013 introduced the women's 2018 field on Thursday. Texas, which has been to 15 Sweet 16s, including the past four, and is No. 10 on the early ESPN Top 25 poll by Charlie Creme, highlights yet another deep pool.

The other really major players are Duke, Missouri and Michigan. Washington also is a Power Five conference program, but the Huskies are in major rebuild mode after making the 2016 Final Four. Mid-major power Quinnipiac also will be in the field, as will suddenly salty Ball State and Fordham.

The bracket for the Nov. 23-25 Friday-Sunday night games during Thanksgiving week will be played out after the men's field -- consisting of mid-majors who will be announced next week -- compete Nov. 19-21.

"This year's field may be the deepest in the six years of the Gulf Coast Showcase," said ESPN analyst and Gulf Coast Shootout women's tournament director Debbie Antonelli. "Five teams -- Quinnipiac, Duke, Texas, Michigan and Missouri -- played in the NCAA tournament with two of those advancing to the Sweet 16. Seven of the eight teams won 22-plus games last season and the eighth team, Washington, is two years removed from playing in the Final Four."

In the men's Showcase, Florida Gulf Coast University will play for the first time since the Eagles went 2-1 in the 2014 Showcase. Per NCAA rules, FGCU's men and women can only play in the tournament just down Ben Hill Griffin Parkway once every five years.

FGCU women's basketball followers know all about Missouri and Quinnipiac, and the Eagles will get to scout out Duke, where they'll play on Dec. 30. As 12 seeds, FGCU upset fifth-seeded Missouri at Stanford in the Eagles' best-ever NCAA tournament win before falling to the fourth-seeded host in an NCAA tournament second-rounder. And FGCU is 2-1 all-time against Quinnipiac.

Texas finished last season ranked eighth under eighth-year coach Karen Aston. The Big 12's Longhorns won the 1986 national title, have been to four Final Fours, and made the Elite Eight in 2016.

Texas graduated its top two scorers from last season's 28-7 team, but senior guard Lashann Higgs (12.8 ppg) is back and the Longhorns added homegrown, 6-foot-5 forward Charli Collier, the consensus second-rated player in her class.

Creme has Missouri at No. 11. The Tigers return All-American candidate Sophie Cunningham, the no-senior guard who dropped 35 points on FGCU, from last season's 24-8 team. The Tigers are led by ninth-year coach Robin Pingeton and they've averaged 24 wins the past four seasons.

Duke is at No. 20 in Creme's April poll. The Blue Devils, who are led by 12th-year coach Joanne P. McCallie, lost to top-seeded UConn in the Sweet 16 to finish 24-9 last season. Duke has been to 17 Sweet 16s and four Final Fours.

Michigan is led by seventh-year coach Kim Barnes Arico, already the winningest coach in Wolverines history with 134 victories. Michigan went 23-10 last season and into the NCAA tournament's second round where the Wolverines fell to second-seeded Baylor.

Washington went 7-23 in coach Jody Wynn's first run last season.

Fordham has been to just two NCAA tournaments, but the Atlantic 10 program under eighth-year coach Stephanie Gaitley went 24-10 last season. It was the fifth season in a row for the Rams to break 20 wins.

Ball State has just one NCAA tournament appearance, back in 2009. But the Mid-American's Cardinals were 25-7 last season and made the WNIT's second round under seventh-year coach Brady Sallee.

"Any of these teams is capable of winning three straight on Thanksgiving weekend, so the title is certainly up for grabs this year," Antonelli said.

2018 Women's Gulf Coast Showcase

Who: Ball State, Duke, Fordham, Michigan, Missouri, Quinnipiac, Texas and Washington
When: Nov. 23-25
Where: Germain Arena, Estero
First-Round Matchups: Friday, Nov. 23 -- Ball State vs. Fordham, 11 a.m.; Duke vs. Washington, 1:30 p.m.; Texas vs. Quinnipiac, 5 p.m.; Michigan vs. Missouri, 7:30 p.m.

Alabama Football Schedule 2018

Alabama Football Schedule 2018 

Tix	Date	Opponent	Location	Time (central)	TV	Result
	9/1	Louisville	Orlando, Fla. (Camping World Stadium)	7:00 p.m.	ABC
	9/8	Arkansas State	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	2:30 p.m.	ESPN2
	9/15	Ole Miss	Oxford, Miss.	6:00 p.m.	ESPN
	9/22	Texas A&M	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	TBA	TBA
	9/29	Louisiana-Lafayette	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	TBA	TBA
	10/6	Arkansas	Fayetteville, Ark.	TBA	TBA
	10/13	Missouri	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	TBA	TBA
	10/20	Tennessee	Knoxville, Tenn.	TBA	TBA
	10/28	BYE
	11/3	LSU	Baton Rouge, La. (Tiger Stadium)	TBA	TBA
	11/10	Mississippi State	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	TBA	TBA
	11/17	The Citadel	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	TBA	TBA
	11/24	Auburn	Tuscaloosa, Ala.	TBA	TBA
	12/1	SEC Championship	Mercedes-Benz Stadium	2:30 p.m.	CBS

  Tix Date Opponent Location Time (central) TV Result 9/1 Louisville Orlando, Fla. (Camping World Stadium) 7:00 p.m. ABC 9/8 Arkansas State Tuscaloosa, Ala. 2:30 p.m. ESPN2 9/15 Ole Miss Oxford, Miss. 6:00 p.m. ESPN 9/22 Texas A&M Tuscaloosa, Ala. TBA TBA 9/29 Louisiana-Lafayette Tuscaloosa, Ala. TBA TBA 10/6 Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark. TBA TBA 10/13 Missouri.

China to genetically screen its athletes to ensure the best compete in 2022 Winter Olympics

China has unveiled plans to establish a laboratory standard for the “selection of athletes by genetic markers,” according to a document posted by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Athletes with the potential to represent the country in the Games will have to undergo whole genome sequencing, the process that determines a person’s complete, unique DNA profile.

“Complete genome sequencing will be applied on outstanding athletes competing in the winter games for speed, endurance and explosive force, with at least 300 athletes in each group,” said the document, jointly drafted by the ministry, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and other government agencies earlier this year.

The large-scale genetic profiling, screening and analysis work will be carried out by the General Administration of Sport of China, the Ministry of Education and the Chinese Academy of Sciences from now through 2020.

The project’s budget has not been disclosed.

Athletes are usually selected through competitions and trials and there have been no reports of other countries using similar genetic testing for their sportsmen, though some are conducting research on similar topics.

For instance, Australian scientists, with approval from the Australian Institute of Sport, have “genotyped” more than 400 elite white athletes from 14 sport categories. Fifty of them had competed in the Olympic Games. The United States and Europe have also conducted similar studies, though none publicly used the results for athlete selection.

Genes are closely related to sporting aptitude. The ACTN3 and ACE genes, for example, influence the type of fibre that makes up muscles and have been linked to strength and endurance, according to the US National Library of Medicine.

Some studies suggest that genetic factors underlie 30 to 80 per cent of the differences among individuals in traits related to athletic performance.

Some gene-related illnesses, like heart disease, could also affect an athlete’s competitiveness, although symptoms may not appear in the early stages of their careers.

A government researcher, speaking anonymously because of the issue’s sensitivity, said genetic testing could pick up factors which would otherwise be missed.

“The selection of an athlete today is largely based on a coach or coaches’ experience. They also consider conventional benchmarks such as track records and recent performance. But even the best coach makes mistakes,” the researcher said.

“Some kids have almost perfect physical examination reports but there is a ticking bomb in their genes. If it goes off it can take away money, years of effort – and even life,” he added.

Wang Huan, a researcher with the China Institute of Sport Science in Beijing, said she opposed using genes to decide who enters the Chinese national team.

“Every person is born with the right to participate in sports,” said Wang, who is not involved in the Olympic testing.

“Each individual has their advantages and disadvantages. The spirit of sport is to overcome weakness and fight for the best.

“People should not be judged by the way they were born, but what they strive to become.”

But Jiaxue Gene, a private company based in Changping District, Beijing, said the Chinese government was already using its technology to screen for sports-related genes.

“The national sports teams and coaches have contacted Jiaxue Gene to screen for students with the highest training potential through the company’s genetic decoding technology,” the company said in a statement on its website.

With a couple of oral swabs or less than five millilitres of blood, the company claimed, it could provide reliable analysis with professional recommendations. The website does not disclose the fee for the service.

This month the company was awarded an official certificate to provide commercial services for the screening of sports-related genes by the municipal government of Beijing, according to the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission.

The company said it was not involved in the Winter Olympics programme and declined to respond to queries from South China Morning Post.

Gene doping – using drugs or other methods to enhance, suppress or manipulate genes to boost performance – has been banned by international sports authorities, including the Olympic committee.

Since 2016, Olympic athletes have been tested for genes different from their own.

But the Games do not ban the testing of genes to ensure the most genetically inclined athletes are selected to compete.

Some European soccer clubs have reportedly used genetic screening technology to evaluate the risk of muscle damage for individual players.

Because some DNA variants could be related to muscles that are less resistant to inflammation, team doctors may be able to develop more effective ways to treat or prevent injuries.

Zhou Weiai, another researcher at the China Institute of Sport Science, said that genetic screening in athlete selection is different from gene doping. There is no consensus in the sporting community whether it should – or should not – be done.

“Using this technology to improve competitiveness is becoming a trend,” he said.

But Zhou believed that even if China adopted genetic testing for its athletes, this did not mean it would definitely use the information to determine exactly who would qualify for the next Winter Games.

More than 150 different sports-related variants in human genes have been identified over the decades, but the significance of most of them have not been identified.

Most scientists believe that a large number of genes are involved in determining an athlete’s performance, with each making only a small contribution.

“I think the plan is mainly for research purposes. Whether to implement it or not will take more careful consideration,” Zhou said.

“The use of this technology must be regulated by law, which does not exist at present,” he added.

Zhou also warned that the screening might challenge the spirit of the Olympic Games.

The Olympics motto is Citius, Altius, Fortius, which is Latin for “Faster, Higher, Stronger”. It was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin upon the creation of the International Olympic Committee in 1894.

There is a less formal, but also well-known, motto introduced by Coubertin: “The most important thing is not to win but to take part.”