UConn women's basketball

Here’s the practice schedule for Saturday’s open forum at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J. Come one, come all. This is free to the public.

11 a.m. – Facility Doors Open to the Public
Noon to 1 p.m. – California Practice
1:05 p.m. to 2:05 p.m. – UConn Practice
2:10 p.m. to 3:10 p.m. – Arizona State Practice
3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. – Texas A&M Practice

Rich

This just in from hard-working UConn SID Randy Press …
The Huskies will square off with California in the regional semifinals at noon Sunday at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton. The second game between Arizona State and Texas A&M will start at approximiately 2:30 p.m.
The Trenton regional final March 31 will begin at 7 p.m.

Rich

The Huskies found themselves in a significant fight early on. They were dismal from the perimeter, opening 8-of-23 from the field (3-of-13 3-pointers) and committing nine turnovers. But because they dug in defensively they were able to build a 26-20 lead with 6:51 left in the first half.
Florida also opened the game 8-of-23. It was 2-of-10 from 3-point range and committed seven turnovers. The Gators were also hampered by foul trouble as leading scorer Sha Brooks picked up third foul with 12:42 left.
But as has been the case so many times this season UConn found its rhythm in a pinch. Again, it was Montgomery who served as a catalyst in a 21-3 run that blew the game open.
Montgomery, who missed four of her first five shots, made a 3-pointer with 5:48 left. She was fouled on the play by Trumae Lucas and completed a four-point play.
It was the first of back-to-back 3-pointers and nine straight points for Montgomery in a span of 80 seconds. The Huskies scored 13 straight points at one point holding the Gators scoreless for 3:15.
Florida was 1-of-9 shooting with four turnovers in the run.
Montgomery capped the run with two free throws to stake UConn to a 47-23 lead in the final minute. It led 47-26 at the half as Steffi Sorensen made a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Huskies shot just 37.1 percent in the half, but they made 15-of-18 free throws. Florida shot 30.3 percent, making 2-of-2 free throws.

Rich

Geno Auriemma had reminded Tina Charles and Lorin Dixon before the game as to what he expects from them as the Huskies entered the NCAA tournament. It took an in-game chat with Kalana Greene Sunday to start the super athletic senior wingman.
Greene had four points (2-of-2 FG), one rebound, two assists and one steal in 11 minutes, one second in the first half. She did not score until she converted a steal into a layup with 14:33 left in the half. She got her only rebound when there was 12:19 left and then immediately assisted on a layup by Charles.
This level of production was hardly acceptable to Auriemma.
“People wonder, why do you worry? What are you worried about? Nobody can come within 50 points of you,’’ Auriemma said. “I heard that on ESPN once or 1,000 times. But you know what I worry about? The first eight minutes of the game and Kalana doesn’t get a rebound, doesn’t make a shot, doesn’t get an assist and doesn’t do anything. So I worry that I have to get on her at the 10 minute mark or whatever it was and say, `You just wasted 10 minutes of your life doing nothing. So what’s the point?’’’
Greene responded with nine points (4-of-5 FG), five rebounds (three offensive), one assist and one steal in 10 minutes, 10 seconds in the second half. The late surge produced an attractive final line: 13 points (6-of-7 FG), six rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes.
“I think the end of (my performance) was really good,’’ Greene said. “I think I wasn’t as aggressive the first 10 minutes. But Coach makes it a point to remind you when you’re not being aggressive. He came up to me and he said, `You don’t have a bucket. You haven’t taken a shot. You don’t have a rebound. You don’t have a steal.’ And I’m just saying to myself, `I have one of each.’ But I guess that’s not good enough. I couldn’t saying anything, but he’s a competitive guy. He just wants you to be out there and be just as competitive and just give 100 percent effort and be aggressive. And after that’s what I looked to do.’’

Rich

The Big Three combined for 64 of the Huskies’ 104 points in the first round against Vermont Sunday.
Tina Charles had a season-high 32 points and 11 rebounds in 24 minutes. Renee Montgomery added 19 points and seven assists in 27 minutes. Maya Moore chipped in with 13 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals in 26 minutes. But is was far from a typical offensive performance by Moore, which was pleasing to coach Geno Auriemma because the Huskies did not miss a beat.
“Two of the Big Three really got off and running, and Maya just did a whole bunch of other things that makes her Maya,’’ Auriemma said. “So, hopefully, (tonight) we can get all three of those guys on the same page and we could be really good.’’

Rich

I know this is premature. But I don’t see the Huskies losing to Florida tonight. I wanted to give those of you that are fortunate enough to have the luxury of traveling to Trenton this weekend for the regionals a chance to secure tickets.
All-session tickets for Prime seats are $52 adults/$47 child/senior 55-plus; Endzone seats are $22 adults/$17 child/senior 55-plus.
Single session tickets for Prime seats are $31 adult/$26 child/senior 55-plus; Endzone seats are $16 adults/$11 child/senior 55-plus.
To purchase tickets call 1-800-298-4200 or log on to www.sovereignbankarena.com. The arena box office is also open Mon.-Fri. from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Let’s hope the attendance for the regionals is better than what was recorded at the eight second-round games Monday. The games drew a combined 20,844 (2,606). The worst crowd was 686 in Los Angeles for the California/Virginia game. The was 4,842 in Columbus, Ohio for Ohio State/Mississippi State game.

How ridiculously absurd is the security personnel at Gampel Pavilion today? The man checking bags at the media entrance confiscated two bags of cheddar flavored goldfish crackers that were in the bag of Hartford Courant beat writer John Altavilla. Are you kidding me?!

Rich

Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles are among the 12 finalists for the Wade Trophy, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) announced today.
The candidates were selected by a vote of committee members comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball administrators. Members of the committee will select the winner of The State Farm Wade Trophy from the 10-member Division I State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team and it will be announced at the State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team Press Conference and The State Farm Wade Trophy Announcement during the WBCA National Convention April 4 at 10:45 a.m
The other finalstis are Jayne Appel (Stanford), DeWanna Bonner (Auburn), Marissa Coleman(Maryland), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), Angel McCoughtry (Louisville), Courtney Paris (Oklahoma), Kristi Toliver (Maryland), Ashley Walker (California) and Monica Wright (Virginia).

Rich

The UConn players were watching. The Florida players were watching. Heck, even Huskies coach Geno Auriemma caught some of the game. If you were a fan of women’s basketball I think you had to at least tune in to last night’s first round game between Ball State and Tennessee just for a few minutes.
I caught the final four minutes after watching a taped episode of Saving Grace. And, really, that was all I needed to see. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I turned the game on. Ball State was leading 59-51 coming out of the final media timeout. And I still couldn’t believe it when Pat Summitt was being interviewed following a 71-55 loss to Ball State. Who? The 12th-seeded and unranked Cardinals, led by first year coach Kelly Packard, did the unthinkable by taking down the Lady Vols. And by doing so with a 16-point spread compounded the win. This wasn’t some fluke win on a desperation shot at the buzzer or on a referee’s clock error in the final seconds. This was as legit of a beatdown as it gets.
To no one’s surprise it was a sizeable topic of discussion during today’s press conferences at Gampel Pavilion. I’m still shocked.
“(Sunday) night was an example of, `Well, I don’t think these kids that are going to places like Ball State are going there to lose to Tennessee and Connecticut on their way to Spring Break,’’’ Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said. “And I think that’s changed a lot, and credit it to great coaching last night. I happened to be watching some of the game, to be honest with you. I don’t know why. I was saying to my daughter this is around the time of the game when the other team realizes they could win and they completely blow up because they can’t fathom the horn going off and them winning. And as I watched, my daughter made a real interesting point. She said, `Dad, look at their coach.’ And they had a shot of the coach on the sideline. Like there was no emotion. There was no like you would see on the sideline a coach going crazy holding people back like this could actually happen. And she said if that coach keeps that kind of composure they won’t lose. And, you know what, that coach almost like expected to win and the more coaches you have like that the more players you’re going to produce and more results like last night. I hope it’s not an immediate trend, but I could see it becoming a trend.’’
Ball State had one vote in the final Associated Press poll and none in the last USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Coming into the tournament the only team it had defeated this season that was in the field of 64 was Evansville, who entered at 15-18.
The Lady Vols (22-11) lost in the first round for the first time in team history. They had been 27-for-27. They also became the first defending champion to lose in the first round the following season.
Tennessee had been 42-0 in the first two rounds, reaching the regional semifinals in each of the first 27 tournaments.
Old Dominion is the only other defending champion not to reach the second round. That was because it did not make the tournament in 1986.
“We’re one of the big payroll franchises,’’ Auriemma said. “There’s not a lot of them in and around the country so we’re always expected. … I think it’s unrealistic to expect somebody to win it every year or to be in the Final Four every year. But when they mention Final Four or national championship contenders we feel like our name has to be on that list always or we’re not living up to who we are and what we’ve built here. So I thought it was funny when that it was asked about 15 straight Sweet 16s for our program. If you said that to these guys they would go, `You mean there was a time they weren’t?’ They don’t know any better. That’s all they know. The kids that we recruit to come here they wouldn’t know what it would be like to not be in the NCAA tournament, not be in regionals. So I’m sure for those kids last night it was a huge shock because I don’t think they counted on that when they signed up to go play there.’’

Geno was asked how he felt Summitt was feeling this morning. Here’s his response.
“She wants to kill herself,’’ he said. “That’s how any coach would feel. (Villanova’s) Harry (Perretta’s) the only one who would go out to Utah and go, `Well, I’m glad I’m going home. Let’s gets this over with.’ Everybody else wants to kill themselves when something like that happens. I talked to my friend Doug Bruno (of DePaul). They lost to San Diego State. He’s distraught. And there’s a guy that lost last year in the first round so you can imagine the level of frustration that goes on with the further up you go and the more you count on it, the more you as a coach count on it. Forget all the other expectations. You as a coach … That’s why I never allow myself to get like that. As much as you all want to talk about the greatest team in history and how great these guys are and how they can’t lose and the biggest story in the history of women’s basketball is if Connecticut loses this year. Well, I don’t think like that. So if and when, God forbid, that would ever happen, I can sit up here and say, `I told you.’ But you can’t help it. It’s unavoidable. You work your butt off to create something that no one’s ever created and you think it’ll never be tarnished, it’ll never be chipped at, it’ll never be rocked. I don’t know anything that’s like that. Sometimes you just need to be reminded as much as you hate to be reminded. I remember when we lost to Iowa State when Shea (Ralph) and them were on the team and Sue Bird’s freshman year when she got hurt. We went out and played Iowa State in the Sweet 16 and we lost. It was like members of your family had died. Then you’re like, `Well, wait a minute. Something’s wrong here. We lost a game that we weren’t supposed to lose maybe or that we don’t generally lose.’ Man, that’s a bad way to go through life I think. When do you enjoy the good things that happen if all you’re doing is trying to avoid the bad things? It’s a bad way to go.’’

Geno was also asked during the 30-minute session how a loss to Ball State in, say, 10 years down the road might affect his life based on what he has accomplished during his Hall of Fame career at UConn.
“The easy answer would be I would deserve to lose if I’m still doing this 10 years from now because that means I’ve done it too long,’’ he said. “But I think it’s a reminder that we’re not entitled to this, and our fans aren’t either. No one’s entitled to this. And I know we create that. It’s like the people in Boston. They think they’re entitled now because they’ve won two in a hundred years to win one every two years. It doesn’t work like that, and sometimes the more you do it the more the sense of players, coaches, fans, administrators … Everyone just assumes that that’s the rite of passage. `We’re going to pay you X. You’re going to get this many players. You better sign this many high school All-Americans. And where are we going for the regionals? And where is the Final Four so more people in Connecticut and other places can go. I got my tickets to St. Louis.’ And they’ve already counted that into the budget as to how much money we’re going to bring in for ticket sales and TV rights. Then when it doesn’t happen everybody’s shocked. Now if it happens on a regular basis, meaning three years in a row or two out of every four years, well, then, you’ve got some issues. But one time it happening like last night that’s a reminder to everybody that as good as this is and as great as this is and as much fun as this is don’t think you guys have exclusive rights on this because other people are entitled to some of this too.’’

Rich