Tag Archives: UConn

Issue # 13.5.1 “#7 vs #8, Oy Vey!”

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UCONN DOES IT AGAIN; FRESHMEN TOP UPPER CLASSMEN
Bigtenfan2 is still holding on to 1st while 8 are “guaranteed” with a chance to finish in money
UConn HuskiesFOUNTAIN VALLEY/ROSEMEAD, CA (smt)- The UConn Huskies have Florida’s number.  The Gator’s 30-game winning streak came to a screeching halt bookended by losses to the Huskies four months apart.  The last #1 seed to fall made UConn the first #7 seed in the championship.  The Huskies 63-53 win, led by DeAndre Daniels 20 points and 10 rebounds, means they are now 7-1 in the Final Four and will try to win their 4th title in 16 years.

Kentucky WildcatsIn a wild game that saw Kentucky go on a 15-0 second half run only to be answered by Wisconsin’s 15-4 run, Aaron Harrison made his 3rd straight go-ahead 3-pointer in 3 games, this time with 5.7 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 74-73 win over the Badgers.  The Kentucky freshmen (66 points, a Final Four record) once again Continue reading »

Issue # 11.4.2 “Big 10 Implosion”

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MICHIGAN TEAMS FALL; UCONN & KENTUCKY BACK IN FINAL FOUR

Bigtenfan2 is our leader but can’t get any more points
UConn HuskiesCERRITOS, CA (smt)- Two Big Ten Michigan-based schools fell while the only 2 teams who have won 3 titles in our HWCI NCAA Pool era advanced to the Final Four.  #7E-UConn rode the home away from home Madison Square Garden crowd to a 60-54 victory over #4E-Michigan St to reach the Final Four for the fifth time since 1999 (but their previous 4 trips have come from the West Region).  UConn once again was unstoppable from the free throw line, hitting 21 of 22.  Hard to believe UConn is back in the Final Four a year after being ineligible for the post-season and two years after Jim Calhoun left.  Once again, a dumb foul on a 3-point attempt sinks a team, and this time it allowed UConn to push the lead from 2 to 5 (hitting all 3 free throws) sealing the win.

NCAA Titles Since 1995
Year Sd Region Team
1997 4 SE ARIZONA
2006 3 M(MIN) FLORIDA
2007 1 MW FLORIDA
2008 1 MW KANSAS
1996 1 MW KENTUCKY
1998 2 S KENTUCKY
2012 1 S KENTUCKY
2013 1 MW LOUISVILLE
2002 1 E MARYLAND
2000 1 MW MICHIGAN ST
2005 1 E(SYR) N CAROLINA
2009 1 S N CAROLINA
2003 3 E SYRACUSE
1999 1 W U CONN
2004 2 W(PHX) U CONN
2011 3 W U CONN
1995 1 W UCLA
2001 1 E DUKE
2010 1 S DUKE

Kentucky Wildcats#8MW-Kentucky rallied and beat #2MW-Michigan, 75-72, on Aaron Harrison’s 4th straight 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left.  With the game tied and playing for the last shot, the long 3 wasn’t as ill-advised but it worked out (why Continue reading »

Check spam folders!

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Well, that time is nearly here.  So if you don’t get an email from me by late Sunday night, check your spam filter!  Can we top 125 entries?  We shall see.  Meanwhile, UConn’s incredible postseason streak ended at 13 (5 in 5 days in Big East ’11, 6 wins to champ ’11, first 2 wins in Big East ’12) while the Pac-12 is embarrassing to watch.  15 teams are officially in the field of 68 with 12 more conference champs to be crowned on Saturday.

Ugly?

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Seemed like it was 4-3 forever (as my son Spencer would say), but some good defense helped keep the score very low, as only 41 have been scored at the half (22-19).  Five threes have helped Butler compensate from a poor inside game while UConn is just struggling and picking up fouls.  Hopefully, the second half will pick up (especially for those in the tiebreaker who have a higher point total than their competitor).

Heartbreak for Harvard

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March Madness will be soon upon us, minus one hour for daylight savings.  Well, the longest Division I tournament drought continues as Princeton beat Harvard on an incredible buzzer-beater in the one-game Ivy League playoff denying the Crimson an automatic bid (small chance they get in as an at-large considering the Ivy League has never had 2 teams in since the format expanded).  UConn did the improbable, winning 5 games in 5 days to not only win the Big East conference title but also showed that kids can be forced to work long, unreasonable hours and need to unionize.

We will still have the Most Wins in Conference tiebreaker but when you submit your bracket, it won’t be accurate until Thursday (due to First Four games between at-large teams).  Once we have everyone’s picks online, you can check to see how the First Four games tweaked your Most Wins in Conference.  Of course, no one cares about this until the last weekend anyway, so this isn’t a big deal.

David will be in Seattle starting Sunday and I’ll be in Phoenix starting Thursday noon but we’ll try to keep delays to a minimum.  The online bracket may not be up until Monday morning.