Spring Break
Expected finish, but no less special
Kevin Meacham
Issue date: 4/8/09 Section: March Madness
ST. LOUIS - How unlucky was UConn last night?
The Huskies had two All-Americans - Renee Montgomery and Maya Moore - who, in the first half, couldn't find the bottom of the basket with a map, a flashlight and a big sign.
UConn and Louisville remained tied at 17-17 midway through the first half and Husky fans had to be just a little nervous. Nervous that, after 1,530 minutes of perfect basketball, UConn might conceivably give away the pursuit of perfection - and the closest thing there has ever been to a 'gimme' National Championship.
"If we had 38 wins and one loss, I wouldn't be happy," Montgomery said. "We needed that last win."
Thanks to (yet another) All-American, Tina Charles, UConn held a 14-point lead at the half, and no one will ever remember doubting UConn's sixth national title for a moment. Sure enough, by 10:34 p.m. CST, blue, red and white confetti drenched the entire audience, and Auriemma gleefully cut down yet another Final Four net.
As the lead grew and grew until it reached the final 22-point margin, you could forgive the cynics for calling this perfect UConn season 'boring,' like one Kentucky columnist did.
Because really, how fun is it watch a team mercilessly dismantle everybody in its way?
Tuesday night, the 2008-2009 UConn women's basketball team became the first team to go undefeated and win each game by double-digits. Not even the 2002 team, long regarded (rightly so) as the greatest women's basketball team ever, did that.
(As an aside, is this the best UConn team ever? I say no. But I could be persuaded.)
Once the Huskies finally got out to their comforting, normal 20-point advantage in the second, televisions all across the country flipped away. Once the result was clear, only a true UConn fan - or a Knoxville sadist - would stick around to watch both teams play out the string.
"I can understand," Montgomery said. "If I'm watching a game on TV and it's a blowout, I turn the channel. I understand. Yeah, I don't care though. [We're] the team. I don't care."
The Huskies had two All-Americans - Renee Montgomery and Maya Moore - who, in the first half, couldn't find the bottom of the basket with a map, a flashlight and a big sign.
UConn and Louisville remained tied at 17-17 midway through the first half and Husky fans had to be just a little nervous. Nervous that, after 1,530 minutes of perfect basketball, UConn might conceivably give away the pursuit of perfection - and the closest thing there has ever been to a 'gimme' National Championship.
"If we had 38 wins and one loss, I wouldn't be happy," Montgomery said. "We needed that last win."
Thanks to (yet another) All-American, Tina Charles, UConn held a 14-point lead at the half, and no one will ever remember doubting UConn's sixth national title for a moment. Sure enough, by 10:34 p.m. CST, blue, red and white confetti drenched the entire audience, and Auriemma gleefully cut down yet another Final Four net.
As the lead grew and grew until it reached the final 22-point margin, you could forgive the cynics for calling this perfect UConn season 'boring,' like one Kentucky columnist did.
Because really, how fun is it watch a team mercilessly dismantle everybody in its way?
Tuesday night, the 2008-2009 UConn women's basketball team became the first team to go undefeated and win each game by double-digits. Not even the 2002 team, long regarded (rightly so) as the greatest women's basketball team ever, did that.
(As an aside, is this the best UConn team ever? I say no. But I could be persuaded.)
Once the Huskies finally got out to their comforting, normal 20-point advantage in the second, televisions all across the country flipped away. Once the result was clear, only a true UConn fan - or a Knoxville sadist - would stick around to watch both teams play out the string.
"I can understand," Montgomery said. "If I'm watching a game on TV and it's a blowout, I turn the channel. I understand. Yeah, I don't care though. [We're] the team. I don't care."
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