April 6th, 2008

The Answer, My Friend, Is Blowin In The Wind

So the lyrics aren’t perfectly applicable here, but hey, it’s a downer kind of night for Husky Nation.

As you know by now, UConn fell to Stanford, 82-73, in the national semifinals. The Huskies are now 5-4 all-time in semifinal games. Today was also the progam’s first-ever loss in the month of April. The Cardinal became the first team to reach 80 points against UConn. Renee Montgomery gets much of the culprit status, shooting 4-for-18. But she was emblematic of all the problems UConn faced tonight. Terrible outside shooting, not enough inside game, and 20 points on 18 shots for Maya Moore. UConn was just inefficient enough and Stanford hit the big shots when they counted.

This group of seniors becomes the first since 1999 to fail to win a national championship, and mostly thanks to the 1995 team, the second since ‘91.

Numbers are just numbers, of course. Easy to analyze, easy to read. 

But I wish I could describe to you the feeling, the heartbreak of being in the UConn locker room about 90 minutes ago.

In one corner, reserve Jacqui Fernandes sits, staring blankly at the ground, eyes red. In the other, star Maya Moore is putting on her best face and answering the media’s questions. Kaili McLaren sits across from her, untying her shoes and sighing.

 

Kind of poetically, each senior acts a little differently while the media is in there.

Mel Thomas sits in the corner, shedding a few tears with associate coach Chris Dailey. Ketia Swanier tears up when she’s asked about her four years at UConn. Brittany Hunter, ever the reserved, intelligent one, appears to be taking everything in. She’s also holding back tears, but you get the sense that she already has some perspective on her career.

And then there’s Charde. I don’t want to sound callous, but it seems somehow fitting that Charde’s UConn career ends with her sitting - her back turned to the media asking Swanier questions - and munching on some postgame dinner, waiting for the inevitable barrage of questions to come.

As a reporter, it’s kind of your job to ask these clearly depressed players your questions. As a person, it sucks. You don’t want to be in there any more than they do.

As a fan, you feel terrible for the seniors, but hopeful for those that remain behind and those that join anew.

It’s this way for 338 teams every year, as it will be for the loser in Tuesday’s title game. It’s the reason everyone plays the games - not only so that your team isn’t the one crying in the locker room, but so that you can celebrate something truly special.

**(I hope to have what I think is a pretty moving picture of Mel and CD up sometime before Monday morning in this spot)**

For Charde, Mel, Britt and Ketia: thanks. Good luck in the WNBA, or whatever you may end up doing in life. I think I speak for just about everyone when I say that. 

Enough of my whimsy. There’s still work to do in Tampa, even if the Huskies will no longer a part of it.

 

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While UConn may be done, the DC Blog is not. We’ll be stuck here in Tampa until Wednesday morning, so the very least I can do is provide a little blow-by-blow coverage of the remainder of the tournament, no?

As I’m writing, Tennessee is inbounding the ball down 46-45, in an astounding game. Parker dribbles the length of the floor, passes it, the UT player blows the layup. But Alexis Hornbuckle gets the rebound and the putback is good with - you’ve gotta be kidding me - 0.2 seconds left.

C. Vivian Stringer is angry somwhere, I can tell.

 

*BREAK WITH JOURNALISTIC OBJECTIVITY, BEGIN OBLIGATORY ANTI-TENNESSEE TWO-MINUTES’ HATE* 

Once again, the Shady Vols get an incredible break to have a shot at their eighth national title game. If there’s one team on Earth that deserves fewer lucky breaks than Tennessee (holler if you hear me, ‘Texas A&M missing seven straight open jumpers in the final few minutes of the Elite 8′), I’ve yet to find it.

And if there’s a group of fans more obnoxious than Lady Vols fans, again, I’d also like to hear it. They are loud though (and they probably bought about 12,000 of the 21,000 seats here), so give them that.

My opinion? I hope Stanford beats the tar out of them. I hope Candice Wiggins scores 30 and Jayne Appel throws some ‘bows against Anosike.

*RETURN TO JOURNALISTIC OBJECTIVITY, END OF TWO MINUTES’ HATE*

 

Tennessee wins it, 47-46, in one of the ugliest games you’ll ever see. As a result, it’ll be Tennessee against Stanford, Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. here in Tampa. I’m not all too thrilled with it, but I will still be here dutifully, as we crown a national champion in the other city by the bay.

The DC blog will be back up tomorrow (likely) for press conferences, but unless some major news breaks, it’ll be that, the game, and then a final wrap-up post somewhere down the line.

Good night from Tampa, everybody. And UConn fans, take heart - Elena DelleDonne and Tiffany Hayes will be in Storrs in a few months.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 6th, 2008 at 10:48 pm and is filed under All Sports, Women's Basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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