Baylor's Griner the next test for Connecticut
Maya Moore and Connecticut (37-0) have met every challenge during their remarkable two-year unbeaten run, but they've never faced one as unique as 6-foot-8 phenom Brittney Griner.
UConn, which stands two games away from becoming the first women's team with consecutive undefeated seasons, will play Griner and Baylor in the second game of the national semifinals in San Antonio on Sunday night.
If UConn wins, the Huskies will take on Stanford or Oklahoma in the championship game Tuesday night. Either way, their final opponent would be a team they've already beaten this season.
Over the last two seasons, UConn has won an NCAA-record 76 straight games, all by double figures.
Already the top defensive team in the country, the Huskies have allowed just 40 points a game and held teams to nearly 26 percent shooting from the field.
Baylor (27-9) also has been shutting down teams with Griner in the middle. She's already set the NCAA tournament record for blocks with 35 through the first four games. She broke the single-game mark with 14 against Georgetown in the second round.
No wonder the Bears have held their opponents to just under 35 percent shooting.
While most of the attention is on the imposing center matchup of Griner and Associated Press player of the year Tina Charles, Baylor will need to find a way to stop Moore. The sensational junior is averaging 21.8 points while playing just half the game. She's shooting 64 percent from the field, including a mind-boggling 70 percent on three-pointers.
Stanford vs. Oklahoma. Stanford players just smile and laugh when they hear people say women's college basketball this season is "Connecticut and everybody else."
They can't really argue with the UConn part, yet they can take issue being lumped in with "everybody else."
Stanford has beaten everybody else this season, too, the only blemish on its 35-1 record coming against Connecticut. With one more victory - against Oklahoma in San Antonio in the early game at the Final Four on Sunday night - coach Tara VanDerveer's players will have done their part to set up a tantalizing rematch with the Huskies in the national championship game.
"I think that our team is aware of what we've accomplished this year. Stanford center Jayne Appel said. "And we've played everyone: Duke, Tennessee, you name it. So we'll be coming out, ready to go."
So will Oklahoma, which enters the Final Four with a 27-10 record.
The Sooners got here a year after graduating one of the best players in school history, Courtney Paris, and after losing its expected top player, Whitney Hand, to a knee injury five games into the season. They overcame the nation's toughest schedule - Stanford is the only No. 1 seed they haven't faced - and their tournament run has been boosted by the emergence of Abi Olajuwon, the daughter of Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, who worked her way into the starting lineup as a senior.
Cal wins WNIT. DeNesha Stallworth scored 21 points and Alexis Gray-Lawson added 17 to lead California to a 73-61 victory Saturday over Miami in the Women's National Invitation Tournament championship game in Berkeley, Calif.
The WNIT title was the first for the Golden Bears (24-13), who finished second in 1987 in an eight-team field.
Shenise Johnson scored 21 points and Riquna Williams added 20 for the Hurricanes (22-14).
philly.com
Kansas State is relaxed and loose, but sleepless in SLCNo one can ever accuse the Kansas State Wildcats of not being relaxed and loose the day before the biggest college basketball game of their lives.
Maybe working on only a couple of hours sleep does that to a team.
The day after their epic 101-96 double-overtime win over Xavier in the NCAA Tournament West Region semifinals, the Wildcats participated in an hourlong news conference -- thanks in part to their talkative, intense coach -- at EnergySolutions Arena and said fatigue won't be a factor on Saturday against Butler.
"Not at all because all of us played AAU basketball, you know what I'm saying?" said forward Jamar Samuels. "In AAU, we play at least five or six games in one weekend. So fatigue isn't an issue for us."
Still, the Wildcats admitted to getting little sleep after playing for nearly three hours against Xavier in one of the most memorable NCAA Tournament games ever.
"I didn't sleep at all," said star guard Jacob Pullen, whose two, three-pointers in the second overtime clinched the win for the Wildcats. "I stayed up until like 4 [a.m.]. I was just excited. I laid there staring at the wall. TV was off and everything."
Of the five players on the podium Friday, only Samuels said he got enough sleep.
"I turned my phone on airplane mode last night so I could get some sleep," he said. "I got a good night's rest. Talked to my mom early this morning. I'm feeling pretty well right now."
How loose were the Wildcats on Friday?
Star guard Denis Clemente stepped onto the podium while chatting on his cell phone and eating a sandwich. Thursday's hero, Curtis Kelly, had a hard time suppressing a laugh at some of the things his teammates said.
As for Martin, he expounded on everything from the virtue of hard work to his desire growing up to be like Miami Dolphins great Larry Csonka to the drawbacks of being "sensitive to the times we live in."
The hard-driving coach acknowledged that he, too, got precious little sleep after the historic game.
"We were in the meeting room, watched tape all night," he said. "I chose to go back to my room, [but] laid there in bed, just kind of stared at the ceiling. ...I didn't sleep much. That's where Sunday is right around the corner. I'll sleep a lot on Sunday."
sltrib.com
Syracuse stomps Gonzaga, advances to NCAA basketball tournament Sweet 16BUFFALO -- One day after Kansas, the NCAA tournament favorite, was improbably eliminated, Syracuse might have emerged as the new favorite. Playing without its top interior player for the second consecutive game, the top-seeded Orange dominated eighth-seeded Gonzaga, 87-65, in the second round of the West Region in front of what was essentially a home crowd just more than two hours west of its campus.
Syracuse advanced to a region semifinal matchup against Butler in Salt Lake City on Thursday. Syracuse's roster could be bolstered by the addition of center Arinze Onuaku, who missed his second tournament game with a right quadriceps injury.
Despite Onuaku's absence, the combination of Wes Johnson and Andy Rautins continued to carry the Orange. Johnson, a transfer from Iowa State, has continued to excel in his first NCAA tournament. He averaged 24.5 points and 10 rebounds in the two games in Buffalo after scoring a career-high 31 points on Sunday. He also led the team with 14 rebounds.
Rautins, a Syracuse native whose father played for Coach Jim Boeheim in the 1980s, scored 24 points, including eight points in the first two minutes of the second half to extend the Orange's 15-point halftime advantage.
Syracuse was up 22-21 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half before embarking on a 9-0 run. It later followed with a 15-2 after the Bulldogs cut the lead to four, helping provide the halftime cushion while hitting 60.7 percent of its shots and 50 percent of its three-pointers.
Rautins has been the Orange's closer throughout the season, and that effort continued in the opening two minutes of the second half when he hit two three-pointers and a pair of free throws. Syracuse extended its lead to 32 points in the second half.
The victory appeared even more impressive because Gonzaga came into the game with experience in hostile environments, a potential size advantage with Onuaku on the bench and outside shooting to counteract Syracuse's 2-3 zone. The shooting fell off early, and Gonzaga standout guard Matt Bouldin was held without a point in the first half. Bouldin finished with eight points in his final collegiate game.
(c)2010 The Washington Post Company
NCAA Basketball Tournament 2010 could have Gonzaga as No. 7 seedThe NCAA Basketball Tournament 2010 brackets come out on Sunday. In the 2010 NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga looks to be about a No. 7 seed according to the Bracketology work-up of ESPN writer Joe Lunardi. Getting upset in the WCC Championship Game by Saint Mary's set Gonzaga back a step, and possibly cost them a really good seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. If things turn out the way that Joe Lunardi is suggesting, Gonzaga fans may have a long travel route to see their team play in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Right now, Gonzaga is shown as the No. 7 seed in the South bracket of the 2010 NCAA Tournament. That would put their first round game in Oklahoma City, up against a predicted opponent of Marquette. Their bracket finals would take place in Houston, Texas if they were to make it that far, with the Final Four Tournament taking place in Indianapolis, Indiana this year. There is still a chance that the NCAA Selection Committee could give Gonzaga a better seeding, as these are just the best guesses from an ESPN expert.
Gonzaga had been hoping that they could be a four or five seed in the South bracket, as that would make their first round (and possibly second round) games take place in Spokane, Washington, just blocks from Gonzaga University. There is still a chance that this might take place, and if it happens on Selection Sunday, expect a huge rush of Gonzaga fans to start buying up the tickets to the NCAA Tournament games in the Spokane Arena.
The 2010 NCAA Tournament selection will take place at 4:00 p.m. PST on Sunday, March 14th.
Copyright (c) 2009 Clarity Digital Group LLC d/b/a Examiner.com
Louisville vs. Syracuse: Cardinals Drop Top Ranked OrangemenMost of the people watching yesterday's Louisville Cardinals vs. Syracuse Orangemen college basketball game had never heard of Kyle Kuric. But by the end of the Cardinals upset of top ranked Syracuse everybody knew his name. The Orangemen players sure knew who he was as Kuric, a back up guard, dropped in 22 points in the second half to help Louisville to the 78 - 68 victory.
Playing their last game in Freedom Hall the Cardinals played inspired basketball in the second half as they erased a five point halftime deficit and outscored Syracuse 48 - 33 in the second half. Looking at that total of 48 points makes what Kyle Kuric did even more impressive. He scored 22 of the Cardinals 48 points and basically single-handedly led his team to the win. He had averaged just 3.5 points per game in a reserve role up until yesterday's 9 - 11 shooting explosion. When all was said and done Kuric played 19 minutes, scored 22 points while knocking down 4 of 6 three point attempts and grabbed three rebounds. Just for good measure he added two assists and one steal.
What a way to close out Freedom Hall with a win over the number one team in the country. Louisville moves to 20 - 11 on the season (11 - 7 in the Big East) as Syracuse drops to 28 - 3 (15 - 3 in the Big East). Both teams now gear up for the Big East tournament which starts later this week. Syracuse will go in as the top see in that tournament and Louisville heads in as the sixth seed.
Both of these teams will also be ticketed for the NCAA Men's College Basketball tournament once selection Sunday rolls around next weekend. Louisville put an exclamation point on that bid by beating the Orangemen for the second time in the last three weeks. The Cardinals also won the February 14 game against Syracuse 66 - 60 when Syracuse was ranked third. I'm sure Syracuse is hoping for a chance against Louisville in the Big East tourney so they can prove to themselves they can beat Rick Pitino's team. The Big East tournament kicks off on Monday, March 8 from the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Copyright (c) 2010 Gather Inc
Pointers to learn NCAA foes today
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's and women's basketball teams will learn their NCAA Division III tournament opponents today.
Both teams won their respective Wisconsin Athletic Intercollegiate Conference tournaments to earn spots in the national tournament.
The Pointers men (23-4) knocked off UW-Whitewater 63-57 to win their championship.
It was the Pointers' first victory over the Warhawks this season.
The women, meanwhile, put together a monster second half to earn a 68-64 victory.
The Pointers (21-6) trailed by 13 at halftime, before outscoring the home team 42-25 over the final 20 minutes for the win.
wisconsinrapidstribune.com
USC looks for sweep
South Carolina men's basketball coach Darrin Horn has kept a consistent theme throughout most of his press conferences this year expressing the need for everyone on his team to do what they can do in order to get the win. When this happens, Horn says, the team has shown they can play with anybody, but, when it doesn't, winning becomes a challenge.
To knock off Georgia and pick up just their second road win of the season the Gamecocks (14-9, 5-4) will have to take Horn's theme and run with it, much like they did in their 77-71 victory over Florida.
"This is a big opportunity for us to build on what happened Wednesday night by everybody producing and trying to find away to beat a really good team that's been really good at home," Horn said.
The last time South Carolina took to the hardwood against the Bulldogs (10-12, 2-7) the Gamecocks scored 24 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, after going down 63-54 and etched out a nail-biting 78-77 victory. The score wasn't the only aspect of the game that was close; The Gamecocks had 25 rebounds to Georgia's 28, and shot 52.9 percent from behind the three point line while the Bulldogs shot 46.2 percent. Both teams shot right around 50 percent from the field and were tied with nine turnovers each.
In such a close game USC needed all the help it could get, and a raucous home crowd provided the Gamecocks with an energy that the team has at times has seemed to be missing on the road.
"When we play better we give [energy] to the crowd and they give it back to us, but in general that's a little easier at home. I think on the road you've got to create your own," Horn said.
Georgia has lost just three games at home this year, while winning 10 times. They boast wins against Georgia Tech, Tennessee and Vanderbilt in Stegeman arena, and if the Gamecocks want to become the fourth road team to pick up a victory in Athens this year, they'll have to contain the sensational sophomore combination of Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins.
Leslie, a 6-4 guard who is averaging 14.5 ppg, dropped in 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Gamecocks in their last meeting, and scored a number of times on easy dunks after slipping away from his defender.
"I think he's a guy that you have to be aware of at all times. In the first game we had a few situations where we took ourselves out of position against him gambling, and he's going to take advantage of that every time because of his athletic gifts," Horn said.
Thompkins is averaging 17 ppg and seven rpg from the forward position, and is leading the Bulldogs in scoring this year. The Gamecocks were able to neutralize him on the glass a bit in their first meeting as he only recorded one offensive rebound, and six overall, but he was a menace offensively, hitting seven shots for 18 points.
Starting center Albert Jackson was arrested on Thursday night on an outstanding warrant for a hit-and-run of a parked car two two years ago. His status has not yet been announced by Georiga head coach Mark Fox.
For the Gamecocks, a strong defensive showing could go a long way in this one, as Georgia is shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc this season. A big reason for the Bulldog's success from three point land has been the play of senior guard Ricky McPhee. Horn described the Lawrenceville Ga. native as a game-changing shooter, and his stats don't lie. McPhee is shooting 39 percent from behind the arc this year, and against the Gamecocks he scored half of his 12 points on threes.
"We've got to do a better job, starting with me, on the defensive end," senior point guard Devan Downey said, "we gave them so many easy opportunities that they had a chance to win it at the end."
Offensively, USC will continue to rely on the play of Downey to get things going, but junior Sam Muldrow, and senior Brandis Raley-Ross will also be expected to contribute, and to continue their impressive play as of late.
Raley-Ross tied a career high in the Gamecocks victory over Florida with 20 points and is averaging just over 10 ppg on the season. He is shooting the three at an impressive 40% this year, and according to Horn it's all about confidence.
"Whether they went in or not I thought Brandis really stepped up and took shots with confidence and those are things that we think he's really capable of doing," Horn said.
Muldrow recorded his first ever double-double in the team's first game against the Bulldogs, and over the last four games the junior from Florence, S.C. has been averaging 12.5 points and 11.5 rebounds.
"How he's playing now is what I've envisioned from him for a long time," Horn said.
When all is said and done on Saturday night and the Gamecocks are on the road back to Columbia, Horn's theme of everyone contributing will have either been realized in Athens or forgotten at the recently snow-dusted confines of Colonial Life Arena. Should Carolina see production from its role players and the continued improvement of guys like Muldrow and Raley-Ross, they will have put themselves in a position to win the game. If not, like Horn says, winning will be a challenge.
Tipoff between the Gamecocks and Bulldogs is slated for 4:00 p.m. at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
Copyright (c) 2007 TheBigSpur.com
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