UConn has just made its season even more spectacular after beating Arizona 65-63 to advance to their 4th Final 4 in school history, all of which under current head coach, Jim Calhoun. This is also their 2nd Final 4 appearance in 3 years after losing to Michigan State in 2009 in the national semi-finals and missing the NCAA Tournament last year.
The Huskies were able to win their 2nd consecutive road game in Anaheim since the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona is a lot closer than Storrs, CT. That crowd noise and the play of Derrick Williams provided a great challenge for UConn, but in the end they and their stellar defense prevailed.
Kemba Walker was very limited in this game because of Arizona's strong defense and was forced to become a jump shooter instead of weaving around players and driving to the basket for a layup. While he only had 20 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal, his leadership is one thing you can't stop no matter what. He elevates the play of his teammates exponentially, which is part of why they were playing to get into the Final 4 in the first place. That and Walker's stellar defense is the reason why he truly deserves to be player of the year. Freshman, Jeremy Lamb is continuing to play as he has all tournament. Saturday night he had 19 points with 3 critical baskets during the last 6 minutes of the game to keep UConn ahead. Sophomore, Alex Oriakhi had 7 points and 6 rebounds, which provided good play in the paint for the Huskies to help relieve the team from having to take only jump shots. Shabazz Napier also had a great game. He scored 10 points and had 1 steal that led to a breakaway basket to force Arizona to call a time out and spurred a run from UConn to lead 32-25 at the half.
The game was a nail-biter as Arizona got the last shots of the game which could have tied or win the game. They were down 65-63 coming out of a time out with 18 seconds left, but instead of going for the tie, the Wildcats played to win, but missed three pointers by Derrick Williams and Jamelle Horn at the end of regulation saved the Huskies from going home.
Arizona outrebounded Connecticut 39-28 and had a much more dominant presence in the paint, but still was unable to best UConn. That's partially because they committed 4 more turnovers than the Huskies and their star, Derrick Williams was forced to sit on the bench a good portion of the first half because he racked up 3 personal fouls, plus Arizona doesn't have Kemba Walker.
The Huskies will be traveling to Houston, Texas to play in the Final 4 against either UNC or Kentucky. Their opponent will be decided when those 2 teams play on Sunday night. Then on Saturday, April 2nd it will be decided who gets to play for the national championship.
This win marks UConn's 9th win in a row and their 12th win in tournament play this season. They are merely 2 games away from finishing their quest of shocking the world and are guaranteed to be well rested for their next game. Kemba and the rest of the team have been persistent that they are not tired, which can no longer be disputed after a tournament run like this.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Yankees' Sergio Mitre Traded
Yankees pitcher, Sergio Mitre has been traded to the Brewers, but what the Yankees got for him is currently unknown.
Mitre was competing for a starting spot in the rotation, but it appears that Ivan Nova has the no. 4 spot locked up and Freddy Garcia is the leading candidate for the last spot. Also with the acquisition of Kevin Millwood on Friday, things looked bleak for Mitre who hasn't pitched the greatest for the Yankees.
The 30 year old pitcher has a record of 13-29 with an ERA of 5.27 in 7 seasons in the majors.
I'm personally glad that he's gone. He has been given numerous chances to prove himself and rarely did. It just appears he doesn't have the stuff to make it. Perhaps in the easier National League he'll be able to pitch decently or better.
Mitre was competing for a starting spot in the rotation, but it appears that Ivan Nova has the no. 4 spot locked up and Freddy Garcia is the leading candidate for the last spot. Also with the acquisition of Kevin Millwood on Friday, things looked bleak for Mitre who hasn't pitched the greatest for the Yankees.
The 30 year old pitcher has a record of 13-29 with an ERA of 5.27 in 7 seasons in the majors.
I'm personally glad that he's gone. He has been given numerous chances to prove himself and rarely did. It just appears he doesn't have the stuff to make it. Perhaps in the easier National League he'll be able to pitch decently or better.
UConn Men Take Down the Aztecs 74-67
Despite being in an arena full of practically all San Diego State fans, UConn was able to get past the Aztecs. Seriously, there were probably more Duke fans at the game than UConn fans. There was the UConn Pep Band and then some Husky fans here and there, but the noise for SDSU was deafening. Connecticut's biggest challenge of the night was to silence the crowd.
Kemba Walker had no problem with that. He dropped 36 points, had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals all on zero rest. He played the full 40 minutes with ease, just like he had in the Big East Tournament. Walker's partner in crime was freshman phenom, Jeremy Lamb. For a freshman, Lamb is superb. He's playing at a higher level than most. He scored 24, shooting 9-11 and 3-3 from behind the arc. Lamb also had a clutch 3 with 1:39 left in the game which secured UConn's lead from 1 to 4. Then with 24 seconds left, his outrageously long arms jumped up and intercepted a pass which would seal it for the Huskies. His tournament play has been incredible. Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb combined to score 60 of UConn's 74 points. It's a good sign for the Huskies to see a freshman stepping up in big situations.
While Connecticut started out each half slow, they persevered and were able to take the crowd out of it and because of it they're now the first team headed to the Elite 8 of the tournament. This is the 10th time in school history the Huskies have made it to this point. Hopefully their 4th Final 4 appearance will come too.
Connecticut will be playing Arizona Saturday, March 26 at 7:05pm on CBS. However, there will still be a strong Arizona presence due to the close distance between Anaheim and Arizona's campus in Tucson, Arizona. But, tonight's game was the first time UConn had beaten a team in their home state during the NCAA Tournament. Previously they were 0-7 in such situations. As Kemba would say, their goal is to shock the world.
Kemba Walker had no problem with that. He dropped 36 points, had 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals all on zero rest. He played the full 40 minutes with ease, just like he had in the Big East Tournament. Walker's partner in crime was freshman phenom, Jeremy Lamb. For a freshman, Lamb is superb. He's playing at a higher level than most. He scored 24, shooting 9-11 and 3-3 from behind the arc. Lamb also had a clutch 3 with 1:39 left in the game which secured UConn's lead from 1 to 4. Then with 24 seconds left, his outrageously long arms jumped up and intercepted a pass which would seal it for the Huskies. His tournament play has been incredible. Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb combined to score 60 of UConn's 74 points. It's a good sign for the Huskies to see a freshman stepping up in big situations.
While Connecticut started out each half slow, they persevered and were able to take the crowd out of it and because of it they're now the first team headed to the Elite 8 of the tournament. This is the 10th time in school history the Huskies have made it to this point. Hopefully their 4th Final 4 appearance will come too.
Connecticut will be playing Arizona Saturday, March 26 at 7:05pm on CBS. However, there will still be a strong Arizona presence due to the close distance between Anaheim and Arizona's campus in Tucson, Arizona. But, tonight's game was the first time UConn had beaten a team in their home state during the NCAA Tournament. Previously they were 0-7 in such situations. As Kemba would say, their goal is to shock the world.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Geno Auriemma Not Pleased with Fans
Connecticut's women's basketball coach, Geno Auriemma was not happy about the turnout at his team's game last night against Purdue, which sent the Huskies to their 18th straight Sweet 16.
Auriemma called the UConn fans spoiled in that they can expect the Huskies to win all of the time and that they assumed his team would make the Sweet 16 again and beyond. Geno proposed, "We probably have to win more games. You know everybody loves a winner." My favorite suggestion was, "Letting some of the fans participate in coaching the team, since they always volunteer to do that. Guest coach every quarter might help." I hope you all know while most of his time is spent sitting on the bench spectating the game, which everyone thinks they can do, I guarantee those people have no idea what it's like to run his practices or draw up the game winning play like at Notre Dame earlier this year or any of the other things he does that makes UConn the best. Just having the best players isn't enough, you have to know what to do with them, which is what Geno has done so well his entire coaching career.
The one thing Geno was serious about was his recommendation that UConn doesn't bid on the NCAA Tournament for the next 5 years. He sees how games between the XL Center and Gampel during the regular season and the Big East Tournament is costly for fans, which is understandable.
However, I don't see how only 5,729 people showed up in a venue that fits 10,027. Honestly, that's pathetic. I was on Facebook earlier today and UConn Country posted a status about how there were still plenty of tickets left that could be purchased at the box office before the game. They also commented that tickets were only $25 for non-students. That's nothing for an NCAA Tournament game, especially in such a great environment that Gampel Pavilion offers.
On another note, Geno is not addressing the students. He loves us. The students have been loyal all season and most of them stay until the end and would do so even if there wasn't a giveaway during every regular season game, while the rest of the fans walk out the door. Plus, you can't expect college kids to consistently buy tickets for the Big East Tournament or NCAA Tournament games such as this. It's simply not in the college budget when paying $21,198 for in-state students to live on campus and $37,662 for out-of-state students, especially with a 2.5% tuition increase for next year. Geno understands our situation, not the rest of the fans.
UConn is on the verge of a 3-peat and they need all the support they can get. Despite what some of you think, it's not always easy for them to win all the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo22gyGPxO8
Auriemma called the UConn fans spoiled in that they can expect the Huskies to win all of the time and that they assumed his team would make the Sweet 16 again and beyond. Geno proposed, "We probably have to win more games. You know everybody loves a winner." My favorite suggestion was, "Letting some of the fans participate in coaching the team, since they always volunteer to do that. Guest coach every quarter might help." I hope you all know while most of his time is spent sitting on the bench spectating the game, which everyone thinks they can do, I guarantee those people have no idea what it's like to run his practices or draw up the game winning play like at Notre Dame earlier this year or any of the other things he does that makes UConn the best. Just having the best players isn't enough, you have to know what to do with them, which is what Geno has done so well his entire coaching career.
The one thing Geno was serious about was his recommendation that UConn doesn't bid on the NCAA Tournament for the next 5 years. He sees how games between the XL Center and Gampel during the regular season and the Big East Tournament is costly for fans, which is understandable.
However, I don't see how only 5,729 people showed up in a venue that fits 10,027. Honestly, that's pathetic. I was on Facebook earlier today and UConn Country posted a status about how there were still plenty of tickets left that could be purchased at the box office before the game. They also commented that tickets were only $25 for non-students. That's nothing for an NCAA Tournament game, especially in such a great environment that Gampel Pavilion offers.
On another note, Geno is not addressing the students. He loves us. The students have been loyal all season and most of them stay until the end and would do so even if there wasn't a giveaway during every regular season game, while the rest of the fans walk out the door. Plus, you can't expect college kids to consistently buy tickets for the Big East Tournament or NCAA Tournament games such as this. It's simply not in the college budget when paying $21,198 for in-state students to live on campus and $37,662 for out-of-state students, especially with a 2.5% tuition increase for next year. Geno understands our situation, not the rest of the fans.
UConn is on the verge of a 3-peat and they need all the support they can get. Despite what some of you think, it's not always easy for them to win all the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo22gyGPxO8
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
UConn Women Advance to the Sweet 16
As expected, the UConn women were able to take down Purdue 64-40 and advance to the Sweet 16 for the 18th straight season.
This win marked Maya Moore's last home game, which leaves her undefeated at home in her career. She had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. However, the player of the game was reserved for Tiffany Hayes. The junior scored 23 points, had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in her dominance over the Boilermakers.
Turnovers were what kept UConn from pulling away early, as well as a Purdue initially controlling the pace of the game, which was a slow one in which they tried to use up the whole shot clock in an attempt to take away possessions from the Huskies. UConn overall had 16 turnovers as opposed to Purdue's 12. Another factor which foiled Purdue's game plan was how the Huskies dominated the glass. They outrebounded Purdue 45-25. Whatever chance Purdue had of winning this one quickly disappeared.
The UConn women will be playing Georgetown in the Sweet 16 at 12pm on March 27 on ESPN in Philadelphia. This will be the third time the Huskies face off against the Hoyas, in which both previous times UConn emerged victorious, but even Geno will tell you those weren't easy games. Let's see how UConn fares this time.
This win marked Maya Moore's last home game, which leaves her undefeated at home in her career. She had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. However, the player of the game was reserved for Tiffany Hayes. The junior scored 23 points, had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals in her dominance over the Boilermakers.
Turnovers were what kept UConn from pulling away early, as well as a Purdue initially controlling the pace of the game, which was a slow one in which they tried to use up the whole shot clock in an attempt to take away possessions from the Huskies. UConn overall had 16 turnovers as opposed to Purdue's 12. Another factor which foiled Purdue's game plan was how the Huskies dominated the glass. They outrebounded Purdue 45-25. Whatever chance Purdue had of winning this one quickly disappeared.
The UConn women will be playing Georgetown in the Sweet 16 at 12pm on March 27 on ESPN in Philadelphia. This will be the third time the Huskies face off against the Hoyas, in which both previous times UConn emerged victorious, but even Geno will tell you those weren't easy games. Let's see how UConn fares this time.
NFL Votes to Change Kickoff Rules
The NFL owners have basically decided to remove the kickoff return from the game.
Today, the motion passed 26-6 which will move kickoffs from the 30 yard line to the 35, but touchbacks will still be spotted at the 20 yard line instead of the proposed 25. Also, coverage teams are now only allowed a 5 yard running start before the kicker makes contact with the football. However, the two-man wedge was not eliminated as proposed before.
Pretty much every team will now be able to kick the ball out of bounds or deep in the endzone every kickoff and eliminate any sort of return. And with the touchback remaining the same there's nothing to make teams weary of kicking the ball out of the back of the endzone every time. Returners like Devin Hester probably won't get another chance to score off a kickoff return. Good thing he broke the record for most returns for a touchdown last year because he is now limited to only returning punts, in which teams try not to kick to him anyway. One of the most exciting plays in football has now been made extinct in the NFL.
These changes were made in an effort to address the amount of injuries that occurr on kickoffs and they certainly did a good job. Now with these rules there should be zero since there won't be any returns. You might as well just flip the coin to see who gets the ball first and then just start at the 20 yard line. That's essentially what the new changes are doing.
The other major proposals that passed today was if the booth official should be allowed to review all scoring plays, as well as keeping a 3rd challenge for NFL coaches if they get their first 2 correct. A big surprise that occurred was that the subject of hits on defenseless players was tabled. There was talk of expanded explanation towards the topic to help define to players and fans what was considered worth fining or suspending.
One question I have is why are the owners voting on this when there could be no football next year? They should be working on a proposal they think the players will accept or compromise on since they shouldn't be too confident in the courts ruling in their favor.
Today, the motion passed 26-6 which will move kickoffs from the 30 yard line to the 35, but touchbacks will still be spotted at the 20 yard line instead of the proposed 25. Also, coverage teams are now only allowed a 5 yard running start before the kicker makes contact with the football. However, the two-man wedge was not eliminated as proposed before.
Pretty much every team will now be able to kick the ball out of bounds or deep in the endzone every kickoff and eliminate any sort of return. And with the touchback remaining the same there's nothing to make teams weary of kicking the ball out of the back of the endzone every time. Returners like Devin Hester probably won't get another chance to score off a kickoff return. Good thing he broke the record for most returns for a touchdown last year because he is now limited to only returning punts, in which teams try not to kick to him anyway. One of the most exciting plays in football has now been made extinct in the NFL.
These changes were made in an effort to address the amount of injuries that occurr on kickoffs and they certainly did a good job. Now with these rules there should be zero since there won't be any returns. You might as well just flip the coin to see who gets the ball first and then just start at the 20 yard line. That's essentially what the new changes are doing.
The other major proposals that passed today was if the booth official should be allowed to review all scoring plays, as well as keeping a 3rd challenge for NFL coaches if they get their first 2 correct. A big surprise that occurred was that the subject of hits on defenseless players was tabled. There was talk of expanded explanation towards the topic to help define to players and fans what was considered worth fining or suspending.
One question I have is why are the owners voting on this when there could be no football next year? They should be working on a proposal they think the players will accept or compromise on since they shouldn't be too confident in the courts ruling in their favor.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
UConn Women Demolishes Hartford
As expected, the Huskies killed the 16 seeded Hartford Hawks 75-39.
Connecticut overwhelmed them from the start of the game and was leading 40-17 at the end of the first half. Everybody on the team contributed pretty evenly. Maya Moore had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. The freshman, Stefanie Dolson also had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Tiffany Hayes had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Kelly Faris had 10 points 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Another freshman, Bria Hartley produced 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
This game also brought good news in that freshman, Heather Buck was able to play again after being out for about 2 weeks with a stress fracture in her ankle. Now the Huskies' bench isn't so shallow and if anyone gets into foul trouble, Buck is there to give them some time on the bench.
UConn will be playing either Kansas State or Purdue on Tuesday, which may be the same type of game we saw here today. The Huskies will probably cruise into the Sweet 16 pretty easily.
Connecticut overwhelmed them from the start of the game and was leading 40-17 at the end of the first half. Everybody on the team contributed pretty evenly. Maya Moore had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. The freshman, Stefanie Dolson also had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Tiffany Hayes had 12 points and 5 rebounds. Kelly Faris had 10 points 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Another freshman, Bria Hartley produced 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
This game also brought good news in that freshman, Heather Buck was able to play again after being out for about 2 weeks with a stress fracture in her ankle. Now the Huskies' bench isn't so shallow and if anyone gets into foul trouble, Buck is there to give them some time on the bench.
UConn will be playing either Kansas State or Purdue on Tuesday, which may be the same type of game we saw here today. The Huskies will probably cruise into the Sweet 16 pretty easily.
Women's NCAA Tournament Kicks Off
The UConn women will be playing the 16 seeded University of Hartford on Sunday at 12:05 on ESPN2. The game will be played at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT, so it is literally a home game for the Huskies, as well as the other no. 1 seeds.
This game is a virtual lock for the Huskies because of the history of games between the 16 and the 1 seed so I hope you picked UConn for your brackets, I know I did.
Connecticut is the favorite to win the championship for the 3-peat and if they play as well as they have all season they should win it, minus that one loss to Stanford, which I'm sure won't happen again if they do happen to meet in the championship game.
This game is a virtual lock for the Huskies because of the history of games between the 16 and the 1 seed so I hope you picked UConn for your brackets, I know I did.
Connecticut is the favorite to win the championship for the 3-peat and if they play as well as they have all season they should win it, minus that one loss to Stanford, which I'm sure won't happen again if they do happen to meet in the championship game.
UConn Advances to the Sweet 16
UConn is continuing to "shock the world" as says Kemba. This whole season has been this UConn team out to prove everyone wrong and they still are. UConn is now dancing in the Sweet 16 and will play San Diego State University on Thursday.
The Huskies beat Cincy 69-58. This was no easy game for UConn. The Bearcats played them tough in the regular season and they did so here too. Cincy came out strong in the beginning of both halves, in addition to the Huskies shooting poorly. However, Connecticut was able to snap out of it due to the play and leadership of their star, Kemba Walker.
Walker dropped 33 points, 5 rebounds, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal. He was knicked up for most of the game, but was still able to dominate . The key factor of this game was free throws, which is how UConn won. Kemba was a perfect 14-14 in free throw attempts which helped elevate the Huskies over the Bearcats. Jeremy Lamb again produced good numbers, this time off the bench. The freshman had 14 points and 6 rebounds. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel also played well scoring 10 points and 4 rebounds.
Another key to the game was rebounding. UConn outrebounded Cincy 34-22. Even though Alex Oriakhi was quiet tonight with only 4 points all of which coming from free throws, he still managed to grab 10 rebounds, which were very valuable in a game like this.
Tonight's win marks UConn's 10th win in tournament play. Three wins in Maui, 5 in the Big East Tournament, and 2 so far in the NCAA Tournament.This team can win it all. I have them going past SDSU and into the Elite 8, especially after looking at how the Aztecs played today against Temple. The Huskies have proven that they aren't tired at all and they definitely won't be for their next game on Thursday or Friday.
The Huskies beat Cincy 69-58. This was no easy game for UConn. The Bearcats played them tough in the regular season and they did so here too. Cincy came out strong in the beginning of both halves, in addition to the Huskies shooting poorly. However, Connecticut was able to snap out of it due to the play and leadership of their star, Kemba Walker.
Walker dropped 33 points, 5 rebounds, 4 rebounds, and 1 steal. He was knicked up for most of the game, but was still able to dominate . The key factor of this game was free throws, which is how UConn won. Kemba was a perfect 14-14 in free throw attempts which helped elevate the Huskies over the Bearcats. Jeremy Lamb again produced good numbers, this time off the bench. The freshman had 14 points and 6 rebounds. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel also played well scoring 10 points and 4 rebounds.
Another key to the game was rebounding. UConn outrebounded Cincy 34-22. Even though Alex Oriakhi was quiet tonight with only 4 points all of which coming from free throws, he still managed to grab 10 rebounds, which were very valuable in a game like this.
Tonight's win marks UConn's 10th win in tournament play. Three wins in Maui, 5 in the Big East Tournament, and 2 so far in the NCAA Tournament.This team can win it all. I have them going past SDSU and into the Elite 8, especially after looking at how the Aztecs played today against Temple. The Huskies have proven that they aren't tired at all and they definitely won't be for their next game on Thursday or Friday.
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