Back following the bouncing pumpkin balls

First of all, a bit of an explanation for the lengthy absence here: Primarily, I needed a break, after a busy March and April through the NCAA Tournament. It was great getting back on the scene and assessing the college game after stepping away from it for a few years. And secondly, I’ve had my [...]

Title IX beyond basketball

Contrarian feminist (my favorite kind) Christina Hoff Sommers is worried that the proportionality approach to Title IX enforcement regarding women’s sports will be employed by the Obama Administration to address gender disparities in the scientific and engineering fields. She revisits the cost of sports-related Title IX efforts to men’s college sports to make her point. [...]

Free to celebrate, at last

The UConn Huskies didn’t cut down the nets after winning the Big East title, or after advancing out of the Trenton Regional to the Final Four. But the ladders are up and the scissors are out after they topped Louisville 76-54 to win the sixth NCAA title in UConn history. It’s also the sixth NCAA [...]

Prelude to a championship

As soon as I write about Moore’s subpar game, she cans a 3-pointer and another jumper from the top of the circle. Take that. And, by most measures, game, set and championship, UConn. Charles is unstoppable, Montgomery just canned a trey, and Louisville can’t muster any good offensive sets. Point guard Deseree’ Byrd has fouled [...]

Starwatch nullified

With a lead that’s grown to as many as 22 points in the early second half, UConn has taken command. Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery have been stellar for the Huskies, but Maya Moore has struggled offensively, with a 3-for-12 shooting night. She took a seat on the bench briefly and while she’s had some [...]

Charles is really taking charge

Geno Auriemma called a timeout with 25.1 seconds to play in the first half, partaking of the old “use it or lose it” timeout. Sometimes those timeouts can backfire, but Auriemma sensed a chance to create a little more breathing room on the scoreboard. And then the Huskies played out the clock to perfection, setting [...]

Cardinals digging in

Renee Montgomery’s getting uncranked, and UConn’s doing a good job finding Tina Charles underneath as the Huskies went on a 8-2 run to take a 23-17 lead. That prompted Louisville coach Jeff Walz to call a timeout to try and settle his team down. He did that twice during the same stretch of the semifinal [...]

A tight, intense start

Not the scorching start for UConn tonight, as Angel McCoughtry’s hit her first two shots and the Huskies have been a bit sloppy in the early going. Delivering a quick knockout punch against Louisville has proven to be elusive for Cardinals’ opponents in the NCAA tourney, and they don’t look the least bit intimidated to [...]

They are student-athletes, you know

As the starting lineups are introduced, the players’ academic majors are also being included, along with height, hometown and jersey number. UConn’s Maya Moore and Tina Charles are in the exploratory studies program. Never heard of that one before.