2008 Woodie Awards
Top of the morning to you from inside the Greensboro Coliseum. We’re just under two hours from tip-off between UConn and Old Dominion in the Greensboro Regional semifinals.
The Connecticut media has assembled, and will be pursuing various opponents with a trident. In this case, they’ll probably chase whoever’s making breakfast, as the meal is not yet ready.
Not a heck of a lot to report, though I would like to give a shoutout to the Women’s Hoops Blog (http://www.womenshoops.blogspot.com/), who have been so kind as to link to us a couple times in the last few days. Good stuff, and check out the site if you want a better sense of the national picture of the game.
Also, the Big East is finally coming somewhat back to the pack. Pitt and Louisville gave a pair of nice efforts in games yesterday, but fell short against higher-seeded opposition. Notre Dame is a favorite to do the same against the Lady Vols later this afternoon.
On the plus side for fans of the women’s game, we’re officially halfway to NCAArmageddon (trademark!) Stanford-Maryland and UNC-LSU are set. All signs point to a Rutgers-UConn regional final here, while Tennessee is a big favorite against the Irish. I’d be surprised if any of those three teams lost, and less so if Duke were to knock off Texas A&M.
Hey, rando
m aside — does anyone think the NY Daily News’ (and the Sports Reporters’) Mike Lupica looks like UConn AD Jeffrey Hathaway?
Just saying.
(One’s from UConnHuskies, one’s the NY Daily News. You can figue it out.)
And yes, that was just a lame excuse to finally bring photos to the blog.
Anyway, hope you’re enjoying your Sunday morning, I know I am. I’ll be back probably around 11:30 once I get to my potentially-unassigned seat. Lineups, observations, making fun of the half-filled arena, the works.
Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Odeon Theatre somewhere inside the Greensboro Coliseum, where at least part of this blog is being written. This is kind of a day-long effort, what with four press conferences, four teams, a terrible wireless Internet network and a rather hectic schedule. Please excuse that rather extreme length of this post.
Despite all that – and despite the Coliseum somehow removing the trademark purple-and-green paint (think of any major highlights from past men’s ACC tournaments and you’ll know what I’m talking about) from the arena floor, which is just plain awful - the DC blog is here to bring you up to speed on Media Day here at the NCAA regionals.
Before you ask, yes, just about every newspaper in Connecticut is here. As are our compatriots from the various New Jersey papers. Based on the accents of some of the other questioners, it appears only one or two Virginians/Washingtonians made their way down.
It’s Northeast v. D.C. Metro Area in the Sweet 16. [1] UConn, of course, will take on [5] Old Dominion (out of Norfolk, Va.) at noon Sunday (ESPN). Then, 25 minutes after that game ends, [2] Rutgers will take on THE George Washington University.
A couple of assorted notes from the various press conferences, after the whole “click here” jump thing:
Yes, after all the trials and tribulations, it is wonderful to be here in balmy Greensboro, N.C., as the DC blog will be here between Saturday and Tuesday night to bring you up-to-date coverage on the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.
The Greensboro Regionals are just about 32 hours away from tip-off, but hopefully enough will happen to warrant some blog-postin’.
The schedule of events, in case you’re wondering:
11:15 a.m. - Old Dominion press conference
12:15 p.m. - UConn press conference
1:15 p.m. - George Washington press conference
2:15 p.m. - Rutgers press conference
I’ll have the laptop with me at the Greensboro Coliseum tomorrow beginning around 11 a.m., and I’ll see if can’t whip up some quotes from all four schools.
Anything happens, I’ll try to get it up on the blog.
Incidentally, now that we’re down to the Sweet 16, here’s Saturday’s game schedule (on ESPN unless noted):
New Orleans Regional
[1] North Carolina vs. [4] Louisville, 12 p.m.
[2] LSU vs. [3] Oklahoma State (or Ohio State, if you like reading the front page of ESPN), 2:30 p.m.
Spokane Regional
[1] Maryland vs [4] Vanderbilt, 9 p.m.
[2] Stanford vs. [6] Pittsburgh, 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
This should be a nice, busy weekend for the blog. Make sure to check us out all four days. Good night from Greensboro, where we have a nice view of the JCPenney across the street.
11:15 p.m.
And we’re wrapping things up here, as UConn leads it 85-48 with 3:10 to go. The Huskies will play Old Dominion Sunday in Greensboro at a time to be determined.
If we have some time, I’ll finish with one more update, but otherwise my toughest job ahead is to stay awake on the ride back to Storrs, and then to cram for a midterm. I should NOT have woken up for my 9:30 class today. Ah well.
10:55 p.m.
Technically this is my third update of the second half, so hopefully no more than two important things happen before this game ends.
It’s all UConn here, 69-36, with 10:07 to go, and it’s just astounding that any team could do this to a major-conference team. Sure, Texas isn’t a powerhouse, but this is a total destruction of a team that was chosen by the selection committee as one of the top 32 teams in America.
Anyways, UConn can score on every possession, the Huskies are more athletic, and all that’s left is to make sure everyone gets to Greensboro healthy. Knock on wood.
Back later.
10:45 p.m.
Hey, guess what, Maya Moore made another breathtaking play. After a nice backdoor pass by Kaili McLaren, she caught the pass with one hand and zoomed to the rim for a layup (always with the same hand on the ball), Dr. J-style.
Don’t like reading about Ms. Moore’s exploits? I would avoid any and all coverage of this game tomorrow morning.
10:37 p.m.
Some stats before we get back to the game:
FG Pct: UConn 67.7 (21-for-31), Texas 36.1 (13-for-36)
Rebounds: UConn 21, Texas 15
Blocks: UConn 4, Texas 1
Fast Break Points: UConn 11, Texas 2
Maya Moore FG %: 75.0 (6-for-8, 4-for-5 from 3)
Number of people who I’ve heard say “Gail G. should guard Maya Moore” in a comical manner: two (me and Joe D’Ambrosio.)
Back with more later.
10:23 p.m.
Halftime score: UConn 48, Texas 30. Yes, UConn was shooting 70 percent from the field as late as the 3:30 mark of the first half. But they ooled off, scored just five points in the last 5:00 and the lead is ”just” 18 points. Maya Moore hasn’t scored in a while, and in fact I believe she has taken just one shot from the field over the last 9 minutes.
I feel pretty safe in booking my flight to Greensboro, but of course stay with us just in case. Gail G. does have a UConn-killing way about her.
Back before the second half with stats and other observations.
10:03 p.m.
What can you say about Maya Moore that hasn’t already been said? She’s simply phenomenal. She has 16 points in the first 11 minutes. She’s made four consecutive 3-pointers. She’s had just an unbelievably fantastic block on a Texas transition layup. My God, she’s good.
UConn leads it, 35-18 with 8:15 to go. And the pace has slowed considerably in the last four minutes. This is an absolutely dominant and scary performance by the top seed tonight.
9:29 p.m.
And now we are live courtside for real. Tonight’s Greensboro Regional second-round NCAA Tournament matchup features #1 UConn and #8 Texas. A berth to the Sweet 16 is on the line, with the winner playing the winner of ODU-Virginia (in overtime, last I checked).
Same crowd problems as Sunday - the end zones aren’t filled, but most every other seat is packed. It’s a shame that fans across the state couldn’t fill the arena for the Huskies’ last road-trippable game. But I’ll leave my criticism at that.
It’s game time.
Starting lineups:
#1 UCONN (33-1, coached by Geno Auriemma, 23rd season): PG Ketia Swanier (6.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg), SG Renee Montgomery (14.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg), SF Maya Moore (17.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg), PF Kaili McLaren (4.7 ppg, 4.1 ppg), C Brittany Hunter (5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
#8 TEXAS (22-12, coached by Gail Goestenkors, 1st season): PG Carla Cortijo (9.9 ppg, 4.9 apg); SG Brittainey Raven (15.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg); SF Emeisha Bailey (7.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg); PF Earnesia Williams (7.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg) C Ashley Lindsey (11.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg).
Interesting to note - Tina Charles once again not in the starting lineup. Presumably she and Charde Houston will be subbed in at the first sign of trouble for any post player. Also, Lorin Dixon is unlikely to play tonight.
It’s 90% UConn fans, you can catch the game on ESPN2, and I’ll be here for somewhat limited updates, because I’m on deadline. See you in a few.
9:03 p.m.
Final score from Bridgeport: Louisville 80, Kansas State 63. Kind of a cool sportsmanship thing in the last minute, as Kansas State’s Kari Kincaid, her team clearly beaten, played defense and gave a high-five to the Louisville ballhandler. As a fan, you have to eat that stuff up. The Wildcats getting a nice hand from the UConn crowd as they walk off the court.
Louisville will take on the UNC/UGA winner in the Sweet 16 in New Orleans. With “My Old Kentucky Home” now playing, we are about 26 minutes away from tip for the Huskies and Longhorns.
The Big East has taken all three meetings with Big-12 opponents so far, and the Big East will be heavy favorites in the fourth.
Incidentally, the Old Dominion-Virginia game, the winner of which will play the Texas-UConn winner, shows ODU leading, 74-71 with 2:30 to play. Lineups in 25.
8:50 p.m.
I’ve only got four more posts left in me before the NCAA cuts me down, so I have to make this one good.
Louisville leads Kansas State, 65-41 with 8:40 to go. Keep in mind, Kansas State was the Big 12’s champion. Let there be no more argument on who the best conference in the land is.
Though Louisville is turning out to be quite the team and they, amazingly, could give UNC a bit of a run next weekend. Interestingly, I’m not sure how the dates go, but you could see UNC-Louisville matchups in both the men’s (Elite Eight, if both advance) and women’s tournaments on the same day. Interesting point.
I’d be neglecting the issue if I didn’t speak about the Kansas State fans. I’m all for supporting your team, guys, but seriously — not every call that is made (or not made) is meant to destroy your team. Chill out a bit.
The place is pretty full (considering the teams involved in game one), though there is more than enough room to fit the entire UConn team in the left end zone.
Back with a whole bunch more.
7:55 p.m.
Good evening from Bridgeport, U.S.A., the host of tonight’s second-round matchups in the women’s NCAA Tournament, and the host of thousands upon thousands of those Nautre Valley granola bars. I love those things.
I’m here live in the bowels of the Arena at Harbor Yard, where currently Louisville is laying a Big East-sized smackdown on Kansas State, one of three Big East-Big 12 matchups to be played tonight and one of five overall in the second round.
But more importantly, for my intended audience and the actual, physical audience in the seats outside, we are about 90 (or so) minutes away from tip-off between the Greensboro Region’s top seed UConn and #8 seed Texas. As we lead up to gametime, I’ll have all of the standard notes, observations and starting lineups.
Until then, I’ll offer my quick thoughts on the events that have happened since we last left you Sunday night:
Greensboro
The sure-to-be-epic showdown between Rutgers and UConn is so obviously likely that the question seems to now be, ‘what could possibly keep them apart?’ As of now, the answer is George Washington and imagination.
The No. 6-seeded Colonials opened the way for Rutgers to advance to the Elite 8, knocking off No. 3 Cal 55-53 on a buzzer-beating layup last night. The Scarlet Knights advanced past Iowa State in Des Moines, 69-58. The two will meet in Sunday’s regional semis in Greensboro, though Rutgers has already beaten GW by 25 earlier this season.
As for the other half, you know about UConn-Texas (especially if you read that brilliant, informative and devilishly handsome preview on our main site). Currently, Old Dominion leads Virginia 35-23 late in the first half. The Huskies have already taken out ODU to the tune of 46 points, though that was a different - a more whole - UConn team.
Spokane
The Race to Play UConn (or Rutgers) in the Final Four got very interesting with Pittsburgh’s upset of No. 3 seed Baylor last night. The Panthers advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time ever, a great accomplishment for blog favorite and coach Agnes Berenato.
Stanford got a ridonkulous performance from Candace wiggity-wiggity-wiggity-Wiggins, who scored 44 points in a blowout of UTEP. I have been saying that the Miners were frauds, but Stanford looked like a serious national title contender here. Obviously, when someone who is very athletic starts guarding Wiggins (Pitt’s Shavonte Zellous in the next round?)
The other half will likely feature top seed Maryland, who plays #8 Nebraska at 9:30 tonight, against Vanderbilt, who crushed West Virginia last night. A Maryland-Stanford regional final would be all kinds of entertaining, and it looks like that collision course has been set.
Oklahoma City
Only one team has advanced to the regional semis here, and it was Texas A&M emphatically beating up Jen Rizzotti’s Hartford team, 63-39. The Aggies appear to be real - they absolutely shut down the Hawks and had their reserves in the game for the waning moments. They’re a legitimate threat to get to the Final Four if they play like this. Also, they have a player named A’Quanesia. The Ags will take on the winner of tonight’s Duke-Arizona State game; currently the Dukies are leading by 3 in the first half.
Of course, the Lady Vols reside in this bracket, too. And of course, the Lady Vols are taking it to Purdue on their own floor, 40-20 at halftime. That’s about what everyone expected, especially given Purdue’s 100-50 loss to UConn in West Lafayette two months ago.
Notre Dame and Oklahoma could be the best game of the second round, and if the Irish can contain Courtney Paris on offense or exploit her on defense, it could be a 50-50 proposition. But you know the Sooners are dying to get a second crack at Tennessee in Okie City next weekend.
New Orleans
LSU led Marist by two points at halftime, proving that the Red Foxes can play. LSU then ran away from Marist in the second half, proving that the Tigers are one of the best teams in the country. Nuff said.
The Tigers will take on Oklahoma State, who narrowly avoided the upset to Florida State in a wild overtime shootout last night.
The other half features North Carolina playing Georgia tonight at 9:30, with the winner playing the winner of our first game here in Bridgeport, Louisville-Kansas State. The Cards are up 13 at halftime and look good, despite the bawling from 45 referees dressed in purple behind the media table.
Stay with us - I’ll be back with NCAA-regulated updates, as well as starting lineups as we get closer to tip-off in what should be a packed arena, despite the late start time.
10:22 p.m.
That’ll do it from Bridgeport. UConn wins it, 89-47. We’re a little jammed for time, as we’ll be trying to get on I-95 and out of this place ASAP, so I’ll leave you by saying stay tuned late into the night (or just come back when you wake up…either works) for the Day 3 NCAA Tournament preview. All that good stuff coming up late. For now, so long from Bridgeport, Connecticut’s No. 5 city in my heart.
8:47 p.m.
UConn is playing some absolutely gorgeous basketball here in the second half. Yes, it’s Cornell, but that doesn’t make it less fun to watch. he Huskies have assists on seven of their last nine makes, and they’ve all been spectacular plays. It’s 78-35 UConn with just under 10 minutes to go.
8:26 p.m.
Here’s my constitutionally allowed halftime update: It’s a blowout. Meghan Gardler scored UConn’s last five points and it’s 53-23 at half. Some choice stats that kind of make any point I need to make:
FG shooting: UConn 22-41 (53.7%), Cornell 5-23 (21.7%)
Rebounding: UConn 24, Cornell 15
Assist-Turnover ratio: UConn 12-to-5; Cornell 5-to-14.
Yeah.
Back if between one and five interesting things happen.
8:03 p.m.
Things are as interesting as ever in Bridgeport. UConn’s jumped out to a 43-21 advantage with 3:00 remaining in the first half.
The good news is that Cornell outscored UConn since the last media timeout, 12-8. The bad news is that during that span they made their third and fourth shots from the field. Yikes. Not much else interesting to report, other than Tina Charles has 3 fouls in about 7 minutes, a bunch of UConn players have 6, 7 or 8 points and it’s a total team effort. Back at the half with more.
7:42 p.m.
If the PA announcer here at Harbor Yard were giving the score, it would be Cornell 7, Connecticut 26. Ugh.
Yeah, UConn started pressing Cornell, they forced the tempo, and the Big Red just could not keep up. Cornell had about one chance to slow it down, but they rushed a shot and the Huskies went off in transition several times. This one appears to be over quickly, as UConn as just buried Cornell alive.
Also, to whoever set up the retrospective video on Tennessee’s 2007 national title victory over Rutgers on the scoreboards here at the arena, kudos to you. There’s really nothing much funnier than 7,500 fans booing the hell out of someone’s video image. In case you’re interested, Pat Summit got the most boos, followed by the very idea of the University of Tennessee, then Candace Parker. Oddly (or maybe not so), C. Vivian Stringer came in fourth in that particular contest.
Stat of the night? UConn’s shooting 11-for-21. Cornell? 2-for-12. Yeah, that about sums it up. But still stay here for some entertainment. I’ll do my best.
Three more, NCAA regulators!
7:30 p.m.
Hey, I bet you weren’t expecting the score to be 7-5 UConn at the 15:33 wrong. That’s why you should never bet - it only ends in bad things. This message sponsored by the NCAA.
Anyway, UConn’s settling for jump shots for some reason, rather than giving it to any of the three players taller than anyone on Cornell’s roster. Those jumpers are not falling, and Cornell’s keeping it close, at least for now. (Four more!)
7:16 p.m.
Quick notes before we get to today’s lineups:
–Today is Geno Auriemma’s 54th birthday. Given that the game isn’t likely to provide much to talk about, I’m sure there will be sarcastic comments made in the presser about this one. Stay tuned.
–Elsewhere in the NCAA Tournament, the Big East is already 2-0 today and 5-2 in the tournament with Notre Dame and Louisville victorious. But that’s nothing compared to the Big-12, which is a perfect 7-0 in the first round. Texas will have a chance to send 8 Big 12 teams to the round of 32 in tonight’s second game here in Bridgeport. The Longhorns play Minnesota 25 minutes after this game ends.
–The city of Bridgeport I can do without. We took exit 25 (I think) off I-95 and ducked our heads under the windows. The arena is extremely nice, though, on first impressions. It’s comparable to driving into Newark, N.J. and seeing the Prudential Center out of nowhere. It’s very cozy, with 9,000 seats, but very few upper-deck seats. The actual arena reminds me of the Save Mart Center in Fresno, where UConn went in last year’s regionals.
Everything here appears to be very modern, high-class and spaced out nice. It’d be a nice place to see a hockey or arena football game. I just can’t imagine it gets too loud for basketball. There are hundreds of conspicuous empty seats behind each basket, but it is otherwise full. Lot of Cornell fans, too.
–Starting lineup notes: Tina Charles will not get the start for UConn. She’s had a string of bad practices this week, and Auriemma can afford to send the star center a message tonight. We’ll see if it gets through to the occasionally-inconsistent Charles. Speaking of inconsistent, Charde Houston is also not in the starting lineup. It’ll be Kaili McLaren and Brittany Hunter in the post for UConn.
STARTING LINEUPS
[1] UCONN (31-1, 15-1 Big East): PG Ketia Swanier, SG Renee Montgomery, SF Maya Moore, PF Kaili McLaren, C Brittany Hunter
[16] Cornell (20-8, 11-3 Ivy League): PG Lauren Benson (7.2 ppg, 5.4 apg), SG Allie Fedorowicz (6.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg), SF Gretchen Gregg (8.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg), PF Moina Snyder (9.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg), C Jeomi Maduka (14.3 ppg, 7.6 rpg)
Let it be known that Maduka is 6-foot-2, so the Big Red’s positions on the floor are more fluid than you might think.
Back with no more than five (this still is not in-competition, NCAA!) updates during the first half.
6:59 p.m.
Hello there, one and all.
Welcome to the beautiful Arena at Harbor Yard in the not-so-beautiful metropolis of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It’s NCAA Tournament time, and tonight’s first matchup (of two) features the Greensboro Regional’s No. 1 seed Connecticut taking on No. 16 Cornell.
Tip is scheduled for about 20 minutes from now, giving Trey Wingo just enough time to blather on about Maya Moore. You go, Trey. The liveblog is under a couple more restrictions than previous ones.
According to this official-looking sheet I was forced to sign at knifepoint (just kidding), I am allowed to post five times per half, once at halftime and twice if a game goes to overtime.
I could be a daredevil and post SIX times per half, but really, five is a totally sensible number that is not arbitary at all. Kudos, NCAA - way to protect this little old tournament from dangerous bloggers spreading information and awareness of the games. God knows women’s basketball doesn’t get enough coverage as it is.
Oh yeah, and just so the NCAA is aware - if they read these things - this is not an in-competition update. The game clock has not started, so I’ve still got five more to go.
Anyway, ranting aside, we should be in for a matchup that should be “fun”, if not at all close or exciting. Cornell, as well as their 250 or so fans, look just plum thrilled to be here in Bridgeport, ready to take on the nation’s best team. It’s the one redeeming quality of these lopsided 1-16 matchups.
So make sure you’re here at the DC Blog as we undermine the NCAA, one blog entry at a time. Also, if you want coverage of the game. Because we do that too.
Lineups and observations in 20.
From Horsebarn Hill to Hilltop - we’ve got you covered.
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