It didn't matter that it was UConn's 5th game in 5 days. It didn't matter that UConn had lost to Louisville 2 times during the regular season. In the garden where the lights shine the brightest is where the Huskies played their best. Last night after UConn's win over rival Syracuse when questioned about winning a 5th game Kemba responded about how they came there to shock the world, and shock the world they did by winning UConn's 7th Big East title. No team has won 5 conference tournament games in a row before.
The road to the Big East Championship is no easy one. In the best conference in all of college basketball, if you want the conference title you're going to have to beat some of the best teams in the country. Nobody has it easy. UConn's run to the conference title proved no different.
UConn's 5 games:
1. W 97-71 over Depaul
2. W 79-62 over #22 Georgetown
3. W 76-74 over #3 Pitt
4. W 76-71 OT over #11 Syracuse
5. W 69-66 over #14 Louisville
It wasn't Kemba Walker's best night, but he still led both teams in scoring with 19 points and is certainly the difference maker in this young UConn team. Walker did however sit out the last 7 minutes in the first half after he picked up his 2nd foul, but came back in for the last shot of the half. Jeremy Lamb has had a great Big East Tournament. He had 13, including the layup to take the lead 65-64 with 33 seconds left. Lamb also had 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Freshman, Roscoe Smith had a great game with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Sophomore, Alex Oriakhi had another strong performance with 10 points and 8 rebounds. Shabazz Napier made 2 of his 5 points by sinking 2 clutch free throws to seal the win after missing 1 last night which could have kept the Syracuse game out of overtime.
Now we'll have to see how UConn's seed in the tournament is affected. ESPN's, Joe Lunardi said that it could move them up to a no. 2 seed. We'll see come selection Sunday. UConn's latest run sends a nice message to those that counted them out in the beginning of the season, projecting them to finish towards the bottom of the Big East and miss the NCAA Tournament for the 2nd straight year. Now the Huskies are out on top and finish the season as strong if not stronger than when they started in Maui. How can you not like the Huskies this year? Even Jim Calhoun was smiling and gave senior, Donnell Beverly a hug at the end of the game.
Can we have a new vote for Big East Player of the Year?
Saturday, March 12, 2011
UConn Holds on to Beat Syracuse in OT 76-71
The Huskies won again in the semis of the Big East Tournament. UConn is now even with Syracuse winning this game in overtime after the 6OTs in the 2009 Big East Tournament.
Kemba Walker is a monster. He's having a phenomenal Big East Tournament. Tonight he dominated with a double-double scoring 33 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals. Freshman, Jeremy Lamb came up big, especially in OT with a few drives in the paint and finishing with the floater. He had 11 points and 3 rebounds. Alex Oriakhi had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but fouled out towards the end of overtime. Freshman, Tyler Olander had a breakout game playing 27 minutes and scoring 7 points with 6 rebounds and took the pressure off of UConn's other big players with solid contribution.
Senior, Donnell Beverly had 2 key turnovers late in regulation that led to Syracuse tying the game and sending it into OT, but wouldn't cost UConn the game. Fortunately this game only took one overtime and UConn was able to close it out with many missed free throws by Syracuse. The Orange only shot 5-11(45.5%) in free throws, which was key in allowing the Huskies to pull away in OT.
Walker and the Huskies are back in action Saturday night at 9pm in the final round of the Big East Tournament against Louisville. It's winner take all and it could mean a boost in seeding for the NCAA Tournament. If Kemba keeps dominating, I don't know if any team will be able to stop them. UConn is playing their best basketball when it counts most and will be a very dangerous team heading into the NCAA Tournament. It's remarkable that such a young team is playing like a championship team. Head Coach, Jim Calhoun was even smiling after tonight's win. Take a picture because you won't see that too often. He really likes this team.
Kemba Walker is a monster. He's having a phenomenal Big East Tournament. Tonight he dominated with a double-double scoring 33 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals. Freshman, Jeremy Lamb came up big, especially in OT with a few drives in the paint and finishing with the floater. He had 11 points and 3 rebounds. Alex Oriakhi had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, but fouled out towards the end of overtime. Freshman, Tyler Olander had a breakout game playing 27 minutes and scoring 7 points with 6 rebounds and took the pressure off of UConn's other big players with solid contribution.
Senior, Donnell Beverly had 2 key turnovers late in regulation that led to Syracuse tying the game and sending it into OT, but wouldn't cost UConn the game. Fortunately this game only took one overtime and UConn was able to close it out with many missed free throws by Syracuse. The Orange only shot 5-11(45.5%) in free throws, which was key in allowing the Huskies to pull away in OT.
Walker and the Huskies are back in action Saturday night at 9pm in the final round of the Big East Tournament against Louisville. It's winner take all and it could mean a boost in seeding for the NCAA Tournament. If Kemba keeps dominating, I don't know if any team will be able to stop them. UConn is playing their best basketball when it counts most and will be a very dangerous team heading into the NCAA Tournament. It's remarkable that such a young team is playing like a championship team. Head Coach, Jim Calhoun was even smiling after tonight's win. Take a picture because you won't see that too often. He really likes this team.
NFL Players Association Decertifies and Lockout Ensues
The NFL Players Union has opted to decertify and labor negotiations will no longer continue. The union has cited the lack of financial transparency between the owners and the players. This marks the first work stoppage since 1987.
After 16 days of mediation, the owners and the players couldn't reach an agreement regarding the distribution of revenue. Apparently both sides were hundreds of millions of dollars apart in their ideas.
The NFLPA now no longer represents the players and will not be collectively bargaining. Now players must file class-action lawsuits against the NFL. Players such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Osi Umenyiora have volunteered to be the leading plaintiffs as well as 6 other players.
As a result of the decertification, the owners locked out the players at midnight. That means no trades, no contracts, no training or workouts at team facilities, or any team meetings. The players have to do all of their offseason workouts elsewhere. The only thing that will continue is the NFL Draft in April. However, this will greatly impact the rookies drafted as they won't be able to do anything or start the development process with their respective teams. Teams looking for an immediate impact through players acquired in the draft probably won't have much success.
But I am and am not surprised about the outcome of this situation. I can't believe how greedy the owners are being, seeing as they already have an immense wealth that everyone less fortunate would be willing to have, and these owners are so protective of the money they make by running a team playing a game. I was optimistic that some progress was getting done with all the talk between the two sides, but when you only have a little over 2 weeks of talks what can you really expect? That's like studying for a test the night before or writing a paper or doing a project in one night. The results aren't going to be exactly what you wanted. What angers me the most is that they had 2 years to get a deal done and nothing was done until recently. That's not the way to get anything done. At this point all we can hope for is that we don't lose any of the regular season to this lockout.
Then there's the issues that appear to have not been addressed yet:
1. The Proposed 18 Game Season
2. Retirement Benefits
3. Rookie Wage Scale
4. The Division of Revenue
After 16 days of mediation, the owners and the players couldn't reach an agreement regarding the distribution of revenue. Apparently both sides were hundreds of millions of dollars apart in their ideas.
The NFLPA now no longer represents the players and will not be collectively bargaining. Now players must file class-action lawsuits against the NFL. Players such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Osi Umenyiora have volunteered to be the leading plaintiffs as well as 6 other players.
As a result of the decertification, the owners locked out the players at midnight. That means no trades, no contracts, no training or workouts at team facilities, or any team meetings. The players have to do all of their offseason workouts elsewhere. The only thing that will continue is the NFL Draft in April. However, this will greatly impact the rookies drafted as they won't be able to do anything or start the development process with their respective teams. Teams looking for an immediate impact through players acquired in the draft probably won't have much success.
But I am and am not surprised about the outcome of this situation. I can't believe how greedy the owners are being, seeing as they already have an immense wealth that everyone less fortunate would be willing to have, and these owners are so protective of the money they make by running a team playing a game. I was optimistic that some progress was getting done with all the talk between the two sides, but when you only have a little over 2 weeks of talks what can you really expect? That's like studying for a test the night before or writing a paper or doing a project in one night. The results aren't going to be exactly what you wanted. What angers me the most is that they had 2 years to get a deal done and nothing was done until recently. That's not the way to get anything done. At this point all we can hope for is that we don't lose any of the regular season to this lockout.
Then there's the issues that appear to have not been addressed yet:
1. The Proposed 18 Game Season
2. Retirement Benefits
3. Rookie Wage Scale
4. The Division of Revenue
Thursday, March 10, 2011
UConn is the Real Deal
Kemba Walker came up big against Pitt in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament hitting the buzzer beating jump shot to win the game 76-74 after a clutch rebound by Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, leading to a swift time out called by Jim Calhoun with just 18 seconds left.
The Huskies broke a 4 game losing streak against the Big East powerhouse Pitt has been the past few years. UConn was down almost the whole first half but came back to close the deficit to 41-40 Pitt at the end of the first half.
Kemba Walker scored 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Freshman, Jeremy Lamb continues to play well as he scored 17 points and 4 rebounds. Alex Oriakhi came up big towards the end of the game and played a big part in keeping the game close and giving UConn a chance to win. When Oriakhi plays well the team seems to do the same. He scored 13 and grabbed 7 rebounds, which were key in outrebounding Pitt 27-24.
The Huskies will be playing Friday night in the garden at 7pm on ESPN in the semi-finals against Syracuse. Hopefully it doesn't take 6 overtimes to settle the game this time, although if UConn makes the final 4 again it won't matter. So far this season UConn hasn't been able to play against the zone defense. They'll have to be able to beat the 2-3 zone if they want to beat the Orange.
Kevin Love Passes Moses Malone
Congratulations to Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves for breaking Moses Malone's record of consecutive double-doubles. He now holds the longest streak of double-doubles since the ABA and NBA merger.
Wednesday night, the Timberwolves faced off against the Indiana Pacers as Kevin Love did what he's done for the past 51 straight games. Love had 16 points and 21 rebounds. Wednesday's game marks his 52nd consecutive double-double and don't count on him to stop anytime soon. There are 16 games left for the Timberwolves this season and Kevin Love could very well score a double-double into next season. I think he's going to own this record and it won't be touched for a while, if at all.
It's only Love's third season in the NBA and he's already made a name for himself. He was drafted 5th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA and is averaging 20.9 ppg and 11.7 rebounds a game this season.
The Timberwolves are back in action Friday night at home against the Utah Jazz as Kevin Love will be going for his 53rd straight double-double.
Wednesday night, the Timberwolves faced off against the Indiana Pacers as Kevin Love did what he's done for the past 51 straight games. Love had 16 points and 21 rebounds. Wednesday's game marks his 52nd consecutive double-double and don't count on him to stop anytime soon. There are 16 games left for the Timberwolves this season and Kevin Love could very well score a double-double into next season. I think he's going to own this record and it won't be touched for a while, if at all.
It's only Love's third season in the NBA and he's already made a name for himself. He was drafted 5th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA and is averaging 20.9 ppg and 11.7 rebounds a game this season.
The Timberwolves are back in action Friday night at home against the Utah Jazz as Kevin Love will be going for his 53rd straight double-double.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
UConn Beats Georgetown
The UConn men had another strong showing against a good Georgetown team beating them convincingly 79-62. It was a strong performance by both teams with UConn sinking 50% of their field goals and Georgetown making 42.3%. The x-factor of this game was that Georgetown doesn't have Kemba Walker. Walker dominated once again with 28 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Anyone thinking Big East Player of the Year snub? Kemba was dominant in the beginning of the year and has re-emerged towards the end of the season into the Big East Tournament. One's overall body of work needs to be considered and Kemba's out of conference play was unparalleled by any other athlete. Just a thought.
Jeremy Lamb and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel had another strong outing scoring 11 and 12 points respectively. Bigger production by UConn's bench and other starters has been a big factor in this team's resurgence. Kemba scoring 20 plus points alone is not enough to win most of the time. It's good to see everyone step it up in these important games. UConn's seeding in the NCAA Tournament can still improve. Currently ESPN's, Joe Lunardi still has them as a no. 5 seed after today, but that may change, especially if the Huskies can beat Pitt on Thursday. The way they're playing now anything can happen.
The Huskies will be playing Pitt. Thursday in the quarterfinals at noon on ESPN. If they can beat Pitt, I wouldn't put it past them to win the Big East Tournament. And if Pitt wins, I wouldn't be surprised if they win the Big East as they have dominated practically all season. Including Thurdsay's game, UConn is 3 games away from winning the Big East Championship.
Even if the Huskies lose vs. Pitt, hopefully it's at least close and that it carries over to the NCAA Tournament. Especially since UConn went undefeated against out of conference opponents. They may not have to face off against any Big East opponents right away in the tournament.
Jeremy Lamb and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel had another strong outing scoring 11 and 12 points respectively. Bigger production by UConn's bench and other starters has been a big factor in this team's resurgence. Kemba scoring 20 plus points alone is not enough to win most of the time. It's good to see everyone step it up in these important games. UConn's seeding in the NCAA Tournament can still improve. Currently ESPN's, Joe Lunardi still has them as a no. 5 seed after today, but that may change, especially if the Huskies can beat Pitt on Thursday. The way they're playing now anything can happen.
The Huskies will be playing Pitt. Thursday in the quarterfinals at noon on ESPN. If they can beat Pitt, I wouldn't put it past them to win the Big East Tournament. And if Pitt wins, I wouldn't be surprised if they win the Big East as they have dominated practically all season. Including Thurdsay's game, UConn is 3 games away from winning the Big East Championship.
Even if the Huskies lose vs. Pitt, hopefully it's at least close and that it carries over to the NCAA Tournament. Especially since UConn went undefeated against out of conference opponents. They may not have to face off against any Big East opponents right away in the tournament.
Tom Brady Shakes His Tail Feather
Tom Brady just lost any chance he could have had with Dancing with the Stars after this video of him dancing at a carnival in Brazil emerged. And he's rocking the mini pony tail!
I'm glad that Brady is enjoying his offseason, but this is why he gets paid to play football and I think it'd be better if we're spared any more videos or photos from his trip. Maybe he should take some initiative and finally cut that hair. I know Giselle likes it, but when you're putting it in a pony tail, it's too much for me. Maybe he just wanted to generate some smiles and laughs in a time where we're not sure if there will be any football next season.
I'm glad that Brady is enjoying his offseason, but this is why he gets paid to play football and I think it'd be better if we're spared any more videos or photos from his trip. Maybe he should take some initiative and finally cut that hair. I know Giselle likes it, but when you're putting it in a pony tail, it's too much for me. Maybe he just wanted to generate some smiles and laughs in a time where we're not sure if there will be any football next season.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
UConn Men Power Through Depaul
The UConn Men's last victory in the Big East Tournament was in 2005, but they had no problem shutting down DePaul Tuesday afternoon.
The Huskies beat DePaul 97-71 as they saw production from several members of the team. Kemba Walker was outstanding with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. However, it was not a one-man show. Freshman, Jeremy Lamb followed with 19 points as well as freshman, Shabazz Napier with 11. The sophomores were well represented too with Jamal Coombs-McDaniel scoring 11 and Alex Oriakhi with 13.
UConn advances to the 2nd round in which they'll play Georgetown at noon on Wednesday. Despite UConn's ups and downs at the end of the regular season, Joe Lunardi has them still listed as a 5 seed for the NCAA Tournament and has placed them in the Southwest bracket. Including the Georgetown game, the Huskies will need to win 4 more games in order to capture the Big East title.
The Huskies beat DePaul 97-71 as they saw production from several members of the team. Kemba Walker was outstanding with 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. However, it was not a one-man show. Freshman, Jeremy Lamb followed with 19 points as well as freshman, Shabazz Napier with 11. The sophomores were well represented too with Jamal Coombs-McDaniel scoring 11 and Alex Oriakhi with 13.
UConn advances to the 2nd round in which they'll play Georgetown at noon on Wednesday. Despite UConn's ups and downs at the end of the regular season, Joe Lunardi has them still listed as a 5 seed for the NCAA Tournament and has placed them in the Southwest bracket. Including the Georgetown game, the Huskies will need to win 4 more games in order to capture the Big East title.
UConn Women Win the Big East
On Tuesday night the UConn women won their 4th straight Big East Tournament.
The Huskies beat Notre Dame 73-64. Notre Dame found themselves ahead early on, but couldn't hold on as the freshman, Stefanie Dolson led UConn with 24 points and 9 rebounds and Maya Moore with 22 points and 5 rebounds.
Notre Dame had a chance being only down by one after the first half, but the Huskies came out strong in the second with a quick 4-0 run forcing Notre Dame to call a timeout before things got out of hand, but there was really no turning back for the Huskies at that point. They never relinquished the lead and went on to win their 18th Big East Title for the Huskies and will enter the NCAA Tournament as a no. 1 seed and a strong favorite to win it all.
The Huskies beat Notre Dame 73-64. Notre Dame found themselves ahead early on, but couldn't hold on as the freshman, Stefanie Dolson led UConn with 24 points and 9 rebounds and Maya Moore with 22 points and 5 rebounds.
Notre Dame had a chance being only down by one after the first half, but the Huskies came out strong in the second with a quick 4-0 run forcing Notre Dame to call a timeout before things got out of hand, but there was really no turning back for the Huskies at that point. They never relinquished the lead and went on to win their 18th Big East Title for the Huskies and will enter the NCAA Tournament as a no. 1 seed and a strong favorite to win it all.
UConn Women Cruise Past Rutgers
The UConn women's basketball team blew past Rutgers to advance to the final round of the Big East Tournament vs. Notre Dame.
The Huskies won 75-51 with a strong performance by Maya Moore scoring 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Kelly Faris also scored 19 with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block.
The final round of the Big East Tournament is Tuesday night at 7 pm on ESPN.
The UConn Men will be playing against DePaul at noon on Tuesday on ESPN 2 in the first round of the men's Big East Tournament.
The Huskies won 75-51 with a strong performance by Maya Moore scoring 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Kelly Faris also scored 19 with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block.
The final round of the Big East Tournament is Tuesday night at 7 pm on ESPN.
The UConn Men will be playing against DePaul at noon on Tuesday on ESPN 2 in the first round of the men's Big East Tournament.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
UConn Falls to Notre Dame
The Huskies brought their A game on senior day, but it wasn't enough against #7 Notre Dame.
Kemba Walker went off for 34 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Freshmen, Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier each had 9 points. The Huskies only turned over the ball 3 times and made 100% of their free throws, shooting 11-11.
However, UConn couldn't close out the game. It seemed they would be able to hold on after going up 65-60 with 4:26 to go, but wouldn't score again until 1:09 left in the game. During that span the Fighting Irish went on a 10-2 run to come back and win the game.
The Huskies finish the season (21-9, 9-9 Big East) in 9th place of the Big East. They will be playing in the first round of the Big East Tournament against DePaul on Tuesday, March 8.
As of March 4, ESPN's, Joe Lunardi has the Huskies as a 5th seed in the Southeast bracket of the NCAA Tournament. I'm curious as to see how this week's 2 losses will affect their ranking and projected seed for the tournament. My guess is that they fall to around 19th up to the 21st and that in Lundardi's next projection they'll be either a 6th or a 7th seed.
We'll have to wait and see how UConn does in the Big East Tournament, but like I mentioned before, I don't think they can win the 5 straight games necessary to take home the title. However, they can certainly improve their tournament seed if they play well.
Kemba Walker went off for 34 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Freshmen, Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier each had 9 points. The Huskies only turned over the ball 3 times and made 100% of their free throws, shooting 11-11.
However, UConn couldn't close out the game. It seemed they would be able to hold on after going up 65-60 with 4:26 to go, but wouldn't score again until 1:09 left in the game. During that span the Fighting Irish went on a 10-2 run to come back and win the game.
The Huskies finish the season (21-9, 9-9 Big East) in 9th place of the Big East. They will be playing in the first round of the Big East Tournament against DePaul on Tuesday, March 8.
As of March 4, ESPN's, Joe Lunardi has the Huskies as a 5th seed in the Southeast bracket of the NCAA Tournament. I'm curious as to see how this week's 2 losses will affect their ranking and projected seed for the tournament. My guess is that they fall to around 19th up to the 21st and that in Lundardi's next projection they'll be either a 6th or a 7th seed.
We'll have to wait and see how UConn does in the Big East Tournament, but like I mentioned before, I don't think they can win the 5 straight games necessary to take home the title. However, they can certainly improve their tournament seed if they play well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)