By: Mike Phillips, Knight Ridder Newspapers
Posted In: Sports
Photo credit: KRT
UConn´s Diana Taurasi and Jessica Moore celebrate after winning the NCAA East Regional final game. UConn chases their third straight title, facing off against Tennessee in the championship game in New Orleans.
SAN ANTONIO- Even in the midst of celebration, Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun couldn’t help himself. He had to fire one last volley at Georgia Tech.
His team had just won the won national title — beating Georgia Tech, 82-73, in a game that was never that close — but Calhoun had to get something off his chest. He was upset because of the way Tech approached Monday’s NCAA title game. Tech had stunned UConn in November, running all over the Huskies, 77-61, in the semifinals of the NIT preseason tournament. That loss knocked UConn from No. 1 in the nation, and some of the Huskies talked about the title game being about revenge. Calhoun downplayed the November loss all weekend, pointing out that Emeka Okafor was hurting with back pain that night, and that’s why the 6-10 center went just 2 of 9 from the floor and played sparingly. But while Calhoun and Tech coach Paul Hewitt talked about how that game was “100 years ago,” some of the Tech players talked about staying with the same game plan when they met UConn for the title. Calhoun had kept quiet — until now. “They kind of said a few things — not derogatory — but simply, `We handled Okafor before. We’ll keep our game plan,’ ” Calhoun said. “I’m saying: `You want to run with us? You don’t know about running with us!’ “ UConn made its point by running out to a 41-26 halftime lead — the third largest halftime lead in the history of the title game — and kept running to build a 25-point lead midway in the second half. BIG EAST DOMINATES There is so much talk about how the Atlantic Coast Conference is the best in the nation, but when it comes to winning it all, no one compares to the Big East in recent years. UConn won its second title (the first was in 1999), becoming only the third team to win multiple titles since the NCAA expanded the field to 64 teams in 1985. Kentucky and Duke are the others. This is the second title in a row for the Big East (Syracuse won last year), and the Big East has now won three of the past six national titles — more than any conference. The Big East is 24-8 in NCAA play over the past two seasons, and that .750 winning percentage is the best in the nation. The 24 victories ties the Big East for first with the Big 12. SEC DISAPPOINTS There was probably no bigger disappointment from a conference in the tournament than the SEC. Kentucky was the No. 1 seed overall, but the Wildcats fell flat on their faces, losing to Alabama-Birmingham in the second round. This is the second consecutive year Kentucky entered the tournament as the favorite, and yet the Cats didn’t reach the Final Four in either season. Mississippi State was ranked in the top five in the nation for most of the year, and the Bulldogs felt they had a chance at a No. 1 seed. But Rick Stansbury’s team looked like a 15th seed in its second-round loss to Xavier. Florida was worse. The Gators were embarrassed by tiny Manhattan, which trounced Billy Donovan’s team in the first round in a game where the Gators lacked heart, character and the will to win. Donovan questioned all of those traits after the game, and there are huge questions hanging over that program now. The SEC saved face with Vanderbilt and Alabama, which both pulled off upsets to advance before they both fell to UConn. UCONN’S FUTURE There’s little doubt UConn will take a big hit in the NBA draft. Okafor, who finished his career with a 24-point, 15-rebound night and MVP honors, leaves for the NBA after three years at UConn with a finance degree in his hands. Ben Gordon, a junior guard who could also be a lottery pick in this year’s draft, is also expected to leave. “I do think they’re ready for the NBA,” Calhoun said of Okafor and Gordon. “If they’re in a position, they should both leave because they’re both incredible basketball players, and they have accomplished so much in college basketball.” THE LAST WORD Who says the bench is important? In the title game, Tech’s bench outscored UConn 34-1 and yet was hammered. ___ (c) 2004, The Miami Herald.
