TAMPA, Fla. -- Call it Tampandemonium.
After all of Thursday's games yielded just one upset that wasn't an 8-9 game, Tampa gave us four in a row on Friday.
If you're religious, today was Good Friday. If you're a hoops fan, it was great.
TAMPA, Fla. -- There's no question, Tampa is the place to be.
San Diego ended the second overtime game of the day in dramatic fashion, pulling a shocking upset of fourth-seeded Connecticut.
After traveling with just over a minute left to open the door for UConn to take the lead, De'Jon Jackson redeemed himself with one shot, a jumper that clinched the Toreros' 70-69 victory.
TAMPA, Fla. -- After a Thursday that went the way of the chalk, we've had plenty of excitement already in Tampa. After Western Kentucky topped Drake in overtime, San Diego has taken Connecticut to an extra frame.
TAMPA, Fla. -- It looked like Connecticut had swung the momentum in its favor after a Doug Wiggins 3 gave them the lead. Then Gyno Pomare answered and Rob Jones hit an amazing reverse layup, followed by a one-hander to put the Toreros up 4 with 50 seconds to go. The Toreros might actually pull this one off.
TAMPA, Fla. -- San Diego's possessions are taking much longer now. The Toreros are having a hard time cracking Connecticut's defense, often settling for outside shots late in the shot clock. That's fine with Brandon Johnson, as his three as the 35-second timer expired dropped through the net to give SDU a 49-46 lead.
Toreros by 3 with 7:08 left.
TAMPA, Fla. -- The tide is starting to turn here in Tampa, albeit a bit slower than I expected.
Connecticut has scrapped within 3 at 44-41, and with 11:19 left there is plenty of time to make this a rout.
The Huskies are starting to get the ball deep into the lane for easy looks and have put together a 6-0 run, all on layups.
TAMPA, Fla. -- The crowd here is certainly pulling for an upset. After the drama from Western Kentucky's overtime win against Drake, who could blame them?
They might just get some more drama in the form of San Diego, whose Gyno Pomare is essentially having his way with Connecticut.
TAMPA, Fla. -- I'm still not ready to say Connecticut is in trouble, but they had better wake up because San Diego is playing right with them.
TAMPA, Fla. -- UConn isn't exactly impressive right now, although according to the scoreboard here in the Forum, they are beating Austin Peay in addition to facing San Diego.
Tampa, Fla. -- Sorry for the delay. I'm still catching my breath from that Drake-Western Kentucky finish, and the Connecticut-San Diego game seems a great chance to do so.
The Toreros are showing some fight, although they are at a definite physical disadvantage.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - West Virginia erased any doubt about their tournament worthiness with a 78-72 win over Connecticut. The Mountaineers will play Georgetown tomorrow.
Joe Alexander had another monster game with 34 points. He was 12-22 from the floor and 10-12 from the line.
AJ Price had 22 to lead UConn.
I'll be back tonight with the Pitt-Louisville and Marquette-Notre Dame games.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Mountaineers still lead by nine at the last media timeout, although it will be Huskie ball when we restart.
WVU spent most of the last four minutes running clock instead of offense, but Joe Alexander has hit a shot and a handful of free throws to hold UConn off for now.
There was a little confusion a minute ago when Jim Calhoun complained that Alexander was trying to call timeout when he was fouled, and the refs thought Calhoun was calling timeout himself.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - At the eight minute timeout, West Virginia still leads by 12. Jerome Dyson hit a NBA range three pointer to help keep UConn close, and the Huskies are going to the line after the timeout.
Jamie Smalligan just fouled out for the Mountaineers, and Dyson is playing with four for UConn. Hasheem Thabeet also has four, but he is currently on the bench.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Everything seems to be bothering the Huskies at the moment. Specifically the fact that they trail 57-45 with 10:43 left (still have not had 12-minute media timeout).
They are upset that they can't hit shots, can't really stop WVU and they're mad at the refs.
Craig Austrie has hit a couple of threes though to give them some life.
Right after the last timeout, after Alex Ruoff changed his jersey, he got fouled by Jerome Dyson and bloodied his nose.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - West Virginia has the lead up to ten after scoring the first four points after the break. They ran a great play to start the half to get an alley oop.
When the lead got to 10, Connecticut called timeout, and they too ran a great play for a dunk, except that Jeff Adrian airballed it.
Alex Ruoff of West Virginia is playing with a big hole torn in the back of his jersey.
As I wrote that, they announced that he has changed his jersey and, as a result, his number. He's now #20.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Sorry for the update delay. I have had some technical problems.
West Virginia leads at the half 42-36 as the Mountaineers try to punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament.
Both teams are shooting well. UConn is at 52%, while WVU is at 53%. Joe Alexander, who had a big day yesterday, is at it again with 15 points to lead the Mountaineers. Da'Sean Butler has chipped in 12 as well.
For UConn, AJ Price has 13, with Jeff Adrien adding 9.
Rebounds are even, but Connecticut has been sloppier with the ball. The Huskies have 9 turnovers, to only 4 for WVU.
Hopefully, the gremlins won't get me again and I'll keep the updates flowing.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - At the four-minute timeout, which didn't come until over eight minutes into the half, UConn leads West Virginia19-14. AJ Price is leading the way with 10 points for the Huskies. He scored 10 of their first 12.
The Mounties (as the cheerleaders with the State Fair ribbons in their hair) call them, already have some foul trouble with Jamie Smalligan and Alex Ruoff having two each.
The State Fair ribbons must be an Eastern thing. I never see those in the Midwest.
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The second game of the afternoon doubleheader between West Virginia and Connecticut is about to tip. UConn is playing for NCAA touranment seeding, while West Virginia hopes to fill the final hole in their tournament resume. The Mountaineers are lacking a win of any significant quality away from home. A win here would definitely qualify.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- UConn has sealed another Big East win here at the RAC tonight, as Jeff Adrien proved to be the difference with a game-high 27 points.
The Huskies had little problem taking down Rutgers, 79-61, and put themselves in strong position in the conference standings at 22-6 overall and 11-4 in the Big East. Rutgers, meanwhile, lost its eighth straight game, falling to 10-19 and 2-14 on the season.
Jeff Adrien led both sides with 27 points and Craig Austrie and Stanley Robinson each tallied 18 points as the Huskies' three double-digit scorers. Robinson led the UConn effort on the glass with a game-high 13 rebounds, while Jeff Adrien grabbed 11 and sophomore center Hasheem Thabeet collected 10 of his own. Thabeet had an unusual night with just two points on 0-for-7 shooting, but his defense kept Rutgers from threatening UConn's lead throughout the second half.
UConn's three-point shooting was also impressive tonight. Jim Calhouns' team, which has a talented backcourt with Jerome Dyson now back from his suspension, shot 6-for-11 (54.5%) from three thanks to Austrie's perfect 4-for-4 night behind the arc.
Earl Pettis was the only Scarlet Knight to register double figures, finishing with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting (2-for-2 fhas rom three). Byron James and Anthony Farmer each had nine points for Rutgers, which shot 42.4 percent for the game and 50 percent (8-of-16) from three.
UConn, at the other end, knocked down 51.8 percent of its shots, including 6-of-11 from three (54.5%).
We'll head down to the press conferences that follow this one and will have more on this game at Hang Time. So until then, we say goodnight from Piscataway, N.J.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Jeff Adrien has continued to lead the way for UConn by a setting a new career high with 25 points, and Craig Austrie has given the Huskies a 12-point lead with a three off a free throw miss by Adrien.
Time is ticking away for the Scarlet Knights and Fred Hill's players need to make a move soon if they hope to get back in this one and upset the No. 15-ranked team in the country.
And recently it's been the Hasheem Thabeet block party, as the sophomore center just sent two back on Rutgers' last trip down the floor.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- UConn is starting to pull away in this Big East battle at the RAC, as Craig Austrie just hit a three from the right wing to put the Huskies up, 65-52.
Stanley Robinson had a two-handed breakaway dunk on the previous possession, and it's Jim Calhoun's team who looks like the stronger of the two teams on the floor right now.
After a pair of free throws by Rutgers' Byron Jones, it's UConn leading, 65-54, with 8:12 left.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- It didn't take long for UConn to retake control of the game, as Jeff Adrien just tallied his 20th point of the game and the Huskies got two more on a fastbreak flush from Stanley Robinson.
It's UConn leading, 55-45, with 14:28 left.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers has made things very interesting thing here at the RAC as Jaron Griffin has shown a hot hand from three for the Scarlet Knights.
UConn, however, has answered quickly back with a Stanley Robinson dunk and a Hasheem Thabeet block at the other end.
Right now it's the Huskies leading Rutgers, 51-45, with 15:34 remaining in the second half.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Corey Chandler gave Rutgers a boost with a baseline jumper just before the halftime buzzer, and Rutgers trails No. 15 UConn by only six, 43-37, at halftime.
Chandler started to show some rhythm toward the end of the first half with smooth-looking jumper off a screen and roll, but Jeff Adrien has been too much for the Scarlet Knights to handle, posting a game-high 16 points in the first half.
Craig Austrie has complemented Adrien's frontcourt play with fine shooting in the backcourt, making both of his threes to tally eight points. Stanley Robinson has seven and Doug Wiggins has five for the Huskies, who are welcoming back sophomore guard Jerome Dyson (three points) after his suspension last month.
One of the biggest surprises has been absence of Hasheem Thabeet in the Huskies' scoring line, as the sophomore center did not tally a point in the first half, going 0-for-3 and grabbing five rebounds.
Rutgers, on the other hand, has gotten much of its scoring from its bench and from one player in particular in guard-forward combo Earl Pettis, who has a team-high 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting (1-for-1 from three) from the field. Corey Chandler has dropped in eight and Byron James added seven to the Scarlet Knight's scoresheet, which also shows the home team shooting a solid 48.4-percent clip.
But it hasn't been able to overcome what UConn has done so far, hitting 53.6 percent of its shots and nine of its first 10 free throws. Rutgers, meanwhile, has only gotten to the line four times so far.
The second half is about to get going so we'll turn our attention to the two teams taking the floor for the final 20 minutes of tonight's game.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers has cut UConn's lead to under double digits, but the Scarlet Knights are having a tough time stopping the Huskies on the defensive end.
Jeff Adrien, in the meantime, continues to increase his stat line, and Earl Pettis has hit two straight jumpers for Rutgers. That kind of perimeter shooting might be just the spark that Fred Hill's squad with a couple minutes left before halftime.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- UConn has gotten out to a double-digit lead with nine minutes remaining in the first half here at the RAC, and it's Craig Austrie who's leading the charge for the Huskies, canning two threes for a 27-16 lead.
The Scarlet Knights, in the meantime, are struggling to take care of the ball, committing six turnovers while burning three timeouts in less than two minutes. Fred Hill knew if his team was going to compete tonight that it would need to be efficient on the offensive end, and that has happened so far tonight.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Jeff Adrien is continuing to make Rutgers pay on the defensive end, using his low post skills to score over defenders and find open teammates around the rim.
Rutgers trailed by five just a few moments ago, but a three by Doug Wiggins just put UConn back up by eight with the scoreboard reading 18-10.
UConn has won the rebound battle so far with Adrien and 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet, and Jim Calhoun has seen how much the Huskies' effort on the glass lately helped them during that 10-game winning streak.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Jeff Adrien has started out strong for UConn in the early going, hitting a field goal from the right baseline and knocking down a couple free throws to get the Huskies on board first.
J.R. Inman has Rutgers close, but it's Adrien again attacking the basket to give the Huskies a 8-5 lead.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Good evening everyone from the RAC, where tonight we see the host Scarlet Knights square off with its third straight ranked opponent with No. 15 UConn coming to northern New Jersey for a late February Big East brawl.
Connecticut (21-6, 10-4) is coming off its first loss in 11 outings, a 67-65 setback at Villanova, after putting together a 10-game winning streak that's put the Huskies in contention with league leaders Georgetown and Louisville for the Big East title. Jim Calhoun's team currently sits fourth in the conference standings and welcome back sophomore guard Jerome Dyson tonight. Dyson and Doug Wiggins had been suspended earlier in the season for an alcohol-related incident, which caused both players to take a drug test under the policy of UConn's department of athletics. While Wiggins was allowed to return to the team following a critical win at Indiana, Dyson failed his test and was forced to sit out for the last month. Now with Dyson able to return, it will be interesting to see the dynamic of UConn's offense after playing so well shorthanded over in the past four weeks.
Rutgers (10-18, 2-13), meanwhile, suffered a dismantling 78-48 loss to No. 24 Marquette over the weekend. The Scarlet Knights got off to a good start in that contest against the Golden Eagles but struggled after halftime shooting the ball with just a 27.6 percent. Corey Chandler led the way for Fred Hill's club, hitting 5-of-10 field goals for a team-high 12 points, while J.R. Inman added 11 points.
And we'll also get to see two of the nation's best shotblockers tonight, as Rutgers' Hamady Ndiaye (ninth in blocks with three per game) takes on UConn's Hasheem Thabeet, who ranks third in the country with 4.4 blocks per game.
We still have some time before the tip but we'll be back with all the action between the Huskies and Scarlet Knights...
BOSTON -- Gonzaga earned a well-deserved 85-82 win with a 11-8 closing run over the game's final three minutes to put away the not-quite-there-yet UConn Huskies.
The Huskies did not go quietly as AJ Price nearly banked in a three-pointer with 21.6 seconds left and was fouled on the attepmt. He proceeded to hit two of three fouls to cut the lead to 82-80, a mad scramble for the rebound ensued and a tie up gave the ball to the Zags. Austin Daye was fouled on the in-bounds and the freshman calmly hit two free throws for his third and fourth points of the game (all from the line). Daye returned to the line with 4.2 seconds left and sank one of two to keep the lead at three points. A last second attempt to tie by A.J. Price for the ties barely touched rim and the Zags escaped.
The road weary Zags will no return home for in-state rival Washington State on Wednesday the 5th. UConn hosts Northeastern on Thursday at Gampel Pavillion.
UConn led 75-74 with 3:23 left but never again after a Pargo reverse layup with 3:00 left put the Zags up, 76-75.
Pargo was named the game's MVP with 23 points, five assists and four rebounds in 40 minutes.
Price led the Huskies with 24 points. Micah Downs had 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for Gonzaga.
. . . Kuso fouled out with 2:45 left in the game, finishing with no points and one rebound. He came in averaging 9 and 4.
Thabeet then fouled out on a fairly questionable call where Pendergraft got entangled with the big fella with 2:05 left. He finished with six points and five rebounds. he came in averaging 10.5 and just under 10 boards. Pendergraft made one of two free throws and then Gonzaga got the offensive board that led to a Pargo jumper and a 79-76 lead.
. . . We'll work the post-game interviews and then be back with you for the tip of the nightcap between Providence and Boston College.
BOSTON -- The Zags maintain a 74-73 lead with 3:46 left in regulation.
. . . Thabeet picked up his fourth personal with 6:38 left in the game and was replaced by Curtis Kelly. He'll probably stay on the bench until after the 4:00 media timeout. (And is.) Kelly had a nice putback right away for the Huskies in the midst of a UConn mini-run that saw them take the lead back, 73-72.
. . . Gonzaga junior Jeremy Pargo is something to behold in the open floor. Great ball control and he really attacks the rim. A driving lay-up with 4:13 left in the game gave him 17 points and the Zags a 74-73 lead.
. . . Doug "Dougie" Wiggins has had a rough afternoon for the Huskies. A three-point air ball with just under 4:00 left in the game wound up right in the arms of Pendergraft. WIggins has two points on 1 of 8 from the field
BOSTON -- Matt Bouldin is on fire for th Zags, hitting back-to-back three-pointers for Gonzaga to put the Zags back out in front by two, 69-67. Bouldin has 13 points in the second (15 for the games). Gonzaga leads, 69-67, with 7:59 left in the game.
. . . Jeff Adrien has come alive a bit for the Huskies a bit and now has 13 points, four rebounds and two assists after a six-point first half.
. . . The Gonzaga bench is outscoring the UConn bench, 28-5. The Huskies have 20 second chance points to nine for the Zags and the Zags are leading the fast break battle, 11-4.
. . . The Zags are already in the double bonus with 10 team fouls; UConn has five. Robinson and Kuso have four fouls each (not to be confused with Robsinson Crusoe, who has zero fouls).
BOSTON -- It's an FX special, as we're in for a tight finish as the Zags now lead, 63-59, with 11:32 left in the game.
. . . Kuso picked up his third foul of the game with 16:02 left and was replaced immediately. Thabeet got his third foul with just over 13:00 left in the game and was also replaced on the floor. Robert Sacre picked up his third a few seconds later.
. . . Donyell Marshall, also an ex-Husky, is in attendance as well.
. . . Ray Allen is seated next to fellow Celtic and ex-USC Trojan Brian Scalabrine. Scal is holding a baby. Gently. Allen participated in the holding-of-the-ball-somersault dunk by Lucky the Loser Leprechaun. Jesus should not have to stoop to such indignities.
. . . Tough crowd -- an older, female Zag fan in a Bulldog sweatshirt was roundly booed by the partisan Husky crowd. A mom for crying out loud!
. . . Refs did a good job reviewing a shot by Matt Bouldin from top of the key that was in fact a 3-pointer, after originally being credited as a two. It gave the Zags a five point lead.
BOSTON -- Gonzaga has come out on a 9-4 run to lead 54-48 with 17:16 left in the game. Stanley Robinson picked up his third foul of the game with 17:38 left, leading to a technical foul on Jim Calhoun, who slammed his hand on the scorer's table and probably violated all sorts of decorum.
. . . Jerome Dyson came out with a three-pointer to start the second half, his fourth of the game. Pargo answered with a three of his own for his fourth of the game.
. . . The referees today are John Hampston, Steve Pyatt and Hal Lusk.
. . . We were a bit surprised to learn that UConn was a slight favorite in this game, but as always, the Wise guys know something. Providence is a two-point favorite in the second game.
BOSTON -- Gonzaga took its first lead of the game on halftime buzeer-beating three-pointer from Pendergraft to head into the locker room up, 45-44. UConn lost a lot of its momentum when Thabeet went to the bench and the Zags settled into their offense.
Pargo leads the Zags with 11 points, Micah Downs has 10 and Pendergraft has nine. UConn is paced by Price's 13, followed by Dyson's nine and eight from Stanley Robinson.
. . . Both teams attempted 16 three-pointers in the first half -- UConn hit seven, and the Zags hit eight. Rebounds were even at 16 apiece and both teams converted 15 field goals (out of 35 for UConn and 32 for Gonzaga). Pargo leads all players with four assists and Price has a team-high three for UConn.
. . . We're going to try and catch the end of the BC-Va. Tech football game and then be back with you for the second half.
Go grab a beer on our behalf if you are of legal age and willing.
BOSTON -- A very entertaining first half of basketball is winding down with UConn clinging to a 42-39 lead. The Zags cut the lead to one, 38-37, on a Jeremy Pargo three-pointer with just over 4:00 left in the half and now trail by three with 2:36 left in the game.
. . . With Thabeet on the bench, the Zags are having much more success scoring in the paint.
. . . Lucky the Pathetic Celtics Mascot is also here today. Not a big fan of that little leprechaun.
. . . Dancing Celtic Big Baby (Glen Davis) just appeared on the video boards. Dude's got moves.
BOSTON -- Gonzaga appears to have steadied itself, thanks to some timely three-point shooting from Pargo and some scrappy play underneath by 6-foot-5 forward Larry Gurganious. UConn still leads, 32-25, with 7:50 to go in the half. A.J. Price leads all scorers with 13 points (including a few trey balls). Pargo leads the Zags with eight points.
The Huskies are shooting 7-of-11 from three-point land and the Zags are 4-of-10.
. . . Hasheem Thabeet picked up his second foul with 9:11 left in the half, as he fouled Pargo under the rim. He will sit the rest of the half for Jim Calhoun.
. . . The UConn band began chanting for Ray Allen who is sitting courtside opposite the Huskly bench to root on his alma mater. The Celts host Cleveland tomorrow at 12:30.
. . . The Celtics Dancers are in attendance, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. It looks like a split squad day for the second-year incarnation of the final NBA team to get a dance team.
BOSTON -- UConn leads 21-14 with 11:50 left in the half. The Huskies, who have averaged 12 three-point attempts per game through their first six, have already hoisted seven treys (connecting on four).
. . . Gonzaga's first three field goals were all from beyond the arc.
. . . Jerome Dyson had made four three-pointers (out of 15) coming into the game and through the first seven minutes of play today he had three (out of five).
. . . Abdullahi Kuso has two personal fouls for the game.
BOSTON -- Gonzaga is showing signs of the long road trip they have been on with UConn a half step quicker in the early going. UConn got out to a 6-0 lead, which was stifled by a David Pendergraft three-pointer. The lead ballooned to 13-3 until another Pendergraft trey which leaves us at 13-6 at the first media timeout.
Jerome Dyson has been the early star for UConn with two three-pointers for six points, Pendergraft has all of the Zags' points. Every UConn starter has already scored at least one point with 15:31 left in the half and A.J. Price has thre assists on the five Husky field goals.
. . . Definitely a UConn crowd as you'd expect with the Storrs, Conn., campus less than two hours from Boston. Interestingly, the second game could be a more pro-Providence crowd as reports had BC returning a poriton of its allotted tickets, which were then scooped up by the Friar faithful. BC has a notoriously front-running fan base (said the UMass alum).
. . . The UConn cheerleaders are positioned directly in front of the press section in a kneeling position which is semi-obstructing. With their megaphones, it's completely obstructing and when the cheerleaders stand, well, we might as well be where you are.
Some of the more established (read: Cranky) writers are seeking Garden personnel to complain to. We'll keep you posted.
BOSTON -- Our stats monitor issue has been resolved and the starting line-ups look like this:
UCONN:
Donnell Beverly
Jerome Dyson
AJ Price
Stanley Robinson
Hasheem Thabeet
GONZAGA:
Jeremy Pargo
Austin Daye (would be his first start of the season if true, replacing Micah Downs)
Matt Bouldin
David Pendergraft
Abdullahi Kuso
. . . We're about ready to get going here as the Garden slowly fills up for what is expected to be a near-sellout.
. . . The UConn band is playing "Thriller" - perhaps in honor of its 25th birthday? We could do without the tribute, to be honest.
BOSTON -- Gonzaga took the floor for pre-game shooting at about 2:45, led by David Pendergraft who was the first Zag out of the locker room. The Zags are stretching and shooting at the East End of the floor closest to the Posting Up Perch.
. . . We're blessed enough to have a stats monitor to our right but at this point they have Boston College playing UConn, which would clearly be news to the Big East office.
. . . Gonzaga freshman Austin Daye from Irivine, California is the sone of ex-NBA player (and Celtic) Darren Daye, who played at UCLA. Papa Daye logged five years in the NBA, including parts of two season with the Celts (1986-'87 for 61 games and '87-'88 for 47 games. he wore No. 20 for the Celtics, a number now worn by UConn alum Ray Allen. The younger Daye is currently leading the Zags in scoring with 14.3 ppg and 4.9 rpg in a sixth man role.
BOSTON -- A host of Hall of Famers are scheduled to be in the house today beyond the HOF coach Jim Calhoun. Also slated to be here are Walt Bellamy, Denny Crum, Wayne Embry, Marques Haynes, Bailey Howell, Meadowlark lemon, Nancy Lieberman, Calvin Murphy and CM Newton.
The Hall is also boasting that 28 NBA scouts will be in attaendance (inclduing Charlotte's Bernie Bickerstaff and Denver's Rex Chapman) as well as more than 125 members of the media from nearly 50 outlets. The first game is teleised by ESPN with the second sliding over to ESPN Classic. Sean McDonough, Bill Raftery and Jay Bilas have the call on both games. McDonough is tanned and still aglow over his trip to Hawaii for both the Maui Invitational and a Hawaii football game. He told us Hawaii is a legit BCS bowl team with a defense to finally match its offense and then headed into the Will McDonough press room, names in honor of his late father, a Boston legend.
BOSTON -- Welcome to the TD BankNorth Garden for the Beantown debut of The Hartford Hall of Fame Showcase (the event debuted as the Basketball Hall of Fame Challenge in Phoenix in December of last year). Our 3:30 tip-off will feature No. 19 Gonzaga (6-1) vs UConn (5-1) and the 6 p.m. game is a New England battle of former Big East rivals Boston College (5-0) and Providence College (4-1).
The Huskies are currently shooting around (mostly free throws for the 64 percent foul shooting Huskies) at the West end of the floor (Posting Up is positioned in the East End for today's event). Boston native Jim Calhoun is out early with his team (sans suit coat) and is standing right foul extended chatting up assistant George Blaney. Garden workers are cleaning the backboard in our endzone proving once and for all that they "do windows."
NEW YORK -- Post-game press conferences were rather lengthy tonight, as they often are whenever UConn coach Jim Calhoun takes the podium, so I'm going to finish up in Hang Time, where I'll have a column posted in a short while.
Before I part from the world famous Madison Square Garden, though, I'll leave you all with a few quick nuggets to peruse over:
-Memphis coach John Calipari was extremely pleased with the way Robert Dozier played tonight. The junior forward was active at both ends of the court throughout the night, making four of his five shots from the floor to finish as Memphis' third highest scorer with eight points. But Dozier seemed to be even better on the defensive end, tallying eight rebounds, three blocks and a steal in the title win.
-Despite finishing with only four points, Memphis center Joey Dorsey was clearly the difference between the Tigers winning and losing tonight's ball game. The senior, who recorded a team-high 12 rebounds and three blocks in going against 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet, is simply a game-changer, and better yet, a defensive monster, when he's on the floor. Not bad for a guy that's currently playing hurt after reaggravating that right shoulder in the semifinals Thursday night against Oklahoma.
-Since we're speaking of Memphis big men, Shawn Taggart was one of the few Tigers that actually struggled tonight. The sophomore Iowa State transfer never seemed to get bearings against the Huskies, earning a technical foul in the first half before fouling out in 19 minutes of action. He finished with just two points on 1-of-5 shooting and five rebounds.
-Jim Calhoun liked the aggressiveness that Thabeet showed tonight for the Huskies. After struggling for most of his rookie campaign last season, the sophomore has started to find his game this season, holding down the middle for UConn with 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds against a tough Memphis front line.
-After playing well in Storrs, Conn., for the first two rounds of the tournament, Jeff Adrien proved to be a major disappointment in New York City. The junior forward managed to notch only nine points and two rebounds against Gardner-Webb in the semifinals and struggled even more against a top five defensive team tonight, scoring a meager six points to go along with one rebound and six turnovers.
NEW YORK - It took John Calipari almost 20 years to get his first coaching victory against Jim Calhoun and you can bet the 16th year head man (8th at Memphis) will savor this one for a while.
Calipari's Tigers used a strong start to the game, a steady second half and the combination of senior Joey Dorsey (33 points) and freshman Derrick Rose (24) to get past the pesky Huskies, 81-70, and move to 4-0 on the season. UConn goes to 3-1.
UConn was led by AJ Price's 23.
. . . All Tournament Team: Blake Griffin, Grasyon Flittner, AJ Price, Derrick Rose and Tournament MVP Chris Douglas-Roberts. He received the award to chants of "CDR, CDR" form the Memphis faithful.
And in the cliche of all cliches, "We Are the Champions" was played to honor the Tigers.
. . . We'll work the post-game pressers and then plan on having something over the weekend for you at the Hang Time blog.
Thanks, as always, for joining the Posting Up posters. For Ronnie, Josh and the entire CSTV.com gang, this is DScott (and Ronnie) signing off.
NEW YORK -- Chris Douglas-Roberts is playing like an All-American right now. The junior guard just hit a three-point play to set a new career-high with 30 points, and there's still nearly five minutes to play in this one.
C-DR, as Memphis fans refer to him as, has been doing it with some great drives to the basket, while Joey Dorsey has been a monster on the boards for the Tigers despite grabbing just three in the first half.
Dorsey, who many thought got posterized by Jerome Dyson early in the second half, made a smart move in retrospect by backing off the sophomore guard and letting him have the wide-open dunk to avoid his third foul just after halftime.
NEW YORK - Ask anyone on the inside of the Memphis program who the most valuable Tiger is and the answer will most certainly be Chris Douglas Roberts. He is proving it tonight with an efficient - and vital - career-high, 30 points on 13 of 18 from the field.
The Tigers have now pulled away with a 73-63 lead with 4:53 left in the game.
. . .A Derrick Rose dipsy-do in the lane with 7:37 left in the game, and the ensuing free throw, put Memphis up 65-60. He then converted on the next trip as well for his 21st point of the game.
. . . Robert Dozier has stepped up in the second half for Memphis as well.
. . .Tonight's officials, who have been too involved in the outcome for our liking, are Bryan Kersey, Sean Hull and Roger Ayers. Not a great night for the men in stripes.
. . . We keep getting distratced by the bozos in the section next to us, who have been grappling with ushers all night long. They should have been thrown out ten minutes ago when the first incident occurred, and instead have been tossed now. Morons.
NEW YORK - This one has all the makings of fantastic finish as Memphis clings to a 58-56 lead with 10:57 left in the game. Jerome Dyson has 10 points in the second half for UConn and 13 for the game. CDR leads all scorers with 22 points.
The UConn crowd is getting quite into it with loud chants of "Let's Go Huskies" ringing through the arena.
. . . Great one-handed dunk through the lane by Jerome Dyson to cut the Memphis lead to one with 14:00 left as Dorsey backed off to avoid picking up his third foul.
. . . At breaks in the action, Ronnie leaves the "listeners" with a courteous, "We'll be right back." The consummate professional. He returns from breaks in the action with a "We're back here now."
Ronnie says: "This is like a championship fight. The best game of the whole year." Who's more on the side of truth than Ronnie?
NEW YORK - Memphis is out to an 11-5 run to start the second half and leads 51-46. Derrick Rose has started to assume some control for the Tigers and CDR is up to 20 points for Memphis.
The officials appear to be letting things go a bit more to start the half, a development that would seem to favor Memphis.
. . . Dozier picked up his fourth foul of the game with barely 20 seconds gone in the half and was sent to the bench immediately.
. . . UConn is just a completely different team after its slow start, abandoning their tentativeness and attacking the rim (especially Stanley Robinson).
. . . Ronnie is very fired up as the head coach of the Manhattan College Jaspers, Barry Rohrssen is in the house. Rohrssen is a long-time friend of Calipari, going back to their Five-Star camp days.
NEW YORK -- For as bad as UConn has looked early on this season, the Huskies are staying right with the No. 3 team in the country at the moment.
Maybe it's the large contingent of UConn fans here at the Garden. Maybe it's the fact that Memphis has garnered much of the preseason hype across the country this season.
Whatever the case, sophomore center Hasheem Thabeet has really stepped up his play tonight, tallying eight points, six from the free throw line, and grabbing four rebounds in the first half as the Huskies led by one at the break, 41-40.
And A.J. Price, for the most part, has been even better, leading the way at halftime with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and committing just two turnovers in 16-plus minutes.
On the other side, Chris Douglas-Roberts has been Mr. Consistency for the Tigers, dropping in 16 in less than 15 minutes of action to go along with three rebounds.
But it's still neck and neck here with about 10 minutes to play, and we'll see if either side can start to take control with both teams getting anxious.
NEW YORK - An emotionally charged first half ended with UConn taking an improbable 41-40 lead into the locker room. CDR and AJ Price each have 16 points to lead their respective sides.
Technical fouls to Calipari (a bench decorum T) and Shawn Taggart (for slamming the ball to the floor) contributed to the Huskies run, as did the 15 team fouls assessed to Memphis (to just five for UConn). UConn shot 18 of 23 form the free throw line while Memphis attempted only three, hitting one.
Once Joey Dorsey was forced to the bench with two fouls, UConn was able to make its run as the Tigers went cold form the field.
. . . It's a fairly cold building, but that can't be the explanation for the stone hands of hasheem Thabeet, who has fumbled away at least two point-blank passes in the paint.
. . . Ronnie has some terrific insight all throughout the first half. His breadth and depth of knowledge is truly stunning - especially on all things Manhattan College. He claims the Jaspers are the third best defensive team in the country to this point. Ronnie would know.
One of the great attributes of Ronnie is that he constantly give time and score updates with his running commentary. Too often play-by-play men forget this important element. But not our Ronnie.
. . . Nice work by Tiger assistant Derek Kellogg and geting between Calipari and the ref who T'ed him up.
. . . The UConn partisans really got back into the game and were loudest just before the break when UConn took the lead.
. . . The Huskies attempted just two 3-pointers after averaging over ten tries at treys in its first three outings. Stanley Robinson tried both, making one. Memphis is 3 of 9 from beyond the arc. Memphis shot 43 percent from the field for the half, UConn was at 38 percent.
NEW YORK - Memphis leads 31-20 at the under-8:00 media timeout and Chris Douglas-Roberts has 14 to lead all scorers.
. . . AJ Price continues his impressive start to the season, leading UConn with nine points on 4 of 4 shooting from the field.
. . . With about 8:30 left, Derrick Rose drove the length of the floor and was rejected cleanly (and very nicely - by Stanley Robinson, leading to a bucket at the other end for UConn which cut the Tigers lead to 29-18. Calipari called an immediate timeout and had some choice words for his freshman point guard.
. . . UConn's first team foul of the game came with 7:14 left in the half. Memphis had six by that point.
NEW YORK - Memphis continues to outshine the Huskies at every turn and leads 22-10 at the under-12:00 media timeout.
. . .Willie Kemp had an errant shot - or a pass - that Dorsey threw down nastily, one-handed for a 16-3 lead.
. . . We were under the impression that the Harlem Globetrotters weren't scheduled to be in the building until January, but the way Memphis (and especially Derrick Rose) is playing, this is looking like the Globies.
. . . Ronnie is very impressed with Memphis and is claiming UConn has 10 turnovers through ten minutes. I think it only seems that way, but to argue with Ronnie would be a big mistake.
. . . If UConn can't stay in the game on its own, the refs will help as the Huskies have been whistled zero times for fouls and the Tigers have five team fouls, including 2 for Joey Dorsey who goes to the bench with 9:37 left in the half. Calhoun counters by inserting Thabeet.
NEW YORK - Memphis shot out to a 7-0 lead with 1:23 gone, causing Jim Calhoun to call a quick timeout to try and stem the tide. UConn promptly turned the ball over after the break and now trail 14-3 at the first media timeout.
Memphis is swarming and pressing and has UConn made all sorts of poor decisions. Chris Douglas-Roberts already has eight points for Memphis, including two of two from 3-point land.
. .. AJ Price scored UConn's first hoop of the game with 17:30 to go and converted the 3-point play with a free throw for UConn's only scoring thus far.
. . . Dorsey had two rebounds with less than two minutes gone. By our calculations, he's on pace for 40 boards if he plays the whole game.
. . . Pre-tip music was "Welcome to the Jungle" - a decided advantage for the Tigers.
. . . Six-foot-nine Robert Dozier won the opening tip cleanly over 7-3 Hasheem Thabeet.
. . .Calipari got booed rather loudly in his pre-game introduction - likely a combination of UConn fans hating on him and probably some residual new Jersey Nets fans still angry with the ex-Nets coach - despite the fact he brought the franchise back to the playoffs in his second year after a long absence. How quickly they forget.
NEW YORK - Much to our glee, Radio Ronnie the Ranter is back in the house tonight and has re-assumed his position in our eardrums, er, one row behind us. He seems to be doing a pre-game show, previewing not only the UConn-Memphis game, but also looking ahead to next week's NIT Season Tip-off semis and finals.
. . . The building has filled up a bit and the lower bowl's purple seats are about 65 percent filled. The middle and upper bowls turquoise seats are about 40 percent filled. Needless to say, attendance for the two nights has been weak at best, a direct result of Kentucky not making the final four.
This will be a mostly pro-UConn crowd, but Memphis has travelled extremely well and fills an entire section behind the Tigers bench.
. . . Should be a good one and we're going to go with a pre-game prediction of a Memphis win where the Tigers pull away late for a double-digit victory.
NEW YORK - The Championship game tips in about an hour and we thought we'd give you a little glimpse into what to expect from the contest between UConn and Memphis.
Both teams have played three games thus far in the young season and both have been stingy on defense as Memphis has allowed 62.3 points per game and UConn has given up 62.7 ppg. The teams each have shot 44 percent from the field with Memphis at 33 percent from 3-point land and UConn at 34 percent.
The Tigers average almost 5.5 more points per game on offense (81.7 to 76.3), while UConn has boarded better with nearly 50 per game to Memphis's 45. Both teams struggle from the free throw line, but for Memphis it's a much bigger issue as the Tigers are 58 percent from the stripe with UConn at 66 percent.
The Huskies have had 35 blocks in three games and Memphis has had 28. UConn is the first school in NCAA history to lead the country in blocked shots for six straight seasons, including last year. Nine different Huskies have had blocks this year and nine different Tigers have been swatters. Jeff Adrien leads the Huskies with eight and Robert Dozier paces Memphis with seven.
. . . Calipari and Calhoun have met twice before with the UConn mentor having won both contests when Calipari was in his first two seasons at UMass in 1989 and 1990. The wins were by 29 and 19 points repsectively.
. . . Calipari is 55-31 all time vs the current members of the Big East conference. Calhoun is 7-1 against current C-USA members, with the only loss coming against UAB on March 22, 1989.
NEW YORK - Because of a technical malfunction with a new statistics program being utilized by the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic organizers, Gardner-Webb coach Rick Scruggs wasn't able to peruse a box score of his team's 78-66 loss to UConn on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.
"That's a Godsend that we didn't have stats tonight," said the down-homey Scruggs, who was still floating a bit from his team's stunner against Kentucky last week that advanced the Runnin' Bulldogs to New York City. "This is a good night not to have stats."
Put another way, it was a great night to have these kind of stats if your name is Anthony Jordan Price: 18 points on 6 of 11 from the field (2 of 5 from 3-point land) and an undetermined (but substantial, probably eight or nine) amount of assists. (Note to teh Gazelle Group: If you really think you can run a post-season tournament, you should figure out how to get some stats printed for the in-season ones, first.)
"Price destroyed us," said Scruggs. "We couldn't do anything with him. It seemed like every match up we gave him didn't seem to work (for us). We changed match-ups, we substitued some, it didn't seem like anything seemed to work."
For UConn coach Jim Calhoun, it was a welcome reminder of the player who led Amityville High School to three straight Long Island Championships and two New York state titles.
"That's the A.J. Price I remember from Amityville," Calhoun said. "He can run the team, he has a feel for the game. He's really putting things together. That's obviously very encouraging for us."
Price, a junior, has lived a lifetime in his four seasons at UConn. What would have been his freshman year of 2004-05 was erased by a life-threatening battle with Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) that led to bleeding in his brain. His 2005-06 season - his redshirt freshman year - was wiped out when he violated the school's Code of Conduct along with a teammate. Last season as a sophomore Price was inconsistent and often found himself on the wrong end of Calhoun's fiery temper.
But in three games this season, Price has been Mr. Everything for UConn. He had nine assists in the Huskies' first win of the year over Morgan State, 24 points in the second win over Buffalo and then Thursday night's performance which was divided into Shooting AJ in the first half and Dishing AJ in the second.
Continue reading "The Amityville Horror Returns; Scruggs Seeks Memorabilia" »
NEW YORK - Sorry to barge in on the Herwitticisms and insight into the Tiger-Sooner contest, but we wouldn't be doing justice to the live-blogging if we didn't mention the presence of long-time Manhattan College staple, Ronnie the Jasper Fan.
Somehow, despite the absence of the Jaspers, Ronnie has procured a press pass and is positioned behind the Posting Up Perch. Now, we definitely shouldn't mock Ronnie, because he's a special man with nothing but good intentions. Unfortunately he is also fond of doing out-loud play-by-play of the action.
In addition to being on a six second delay, he also keeps repeating what a great match-up it would be if UConn were to meet Memphis tomorrow night in the title game. As a play-by-play guy, Ronnie makes a great fan.
The saddest part of all? I'm actually starting to enjoy the banter he has with himself.
. . . Ronnie's going to the little boy's room, but promises he'll "be right back." Sadly, there's no way to change the station - or our seats.
NEW YORK - Gardner-Webb managed to keep things interesting (especially for the folks who may have wagered on the game), cutting the lead to 11 with a litle over a minute to play and to 10 with 23.6 seconds left.
But UConn's late first half run and early second half consistency were enough to overpower the Runnin' Bulldogs 78-66.
. . . Give the G-W students credit - they continued to stand the entire game from each of their endzone student sections.
. . . Shockingly, we're just realizing that this is a Dickie V. game. Usually when Vitale's in the house, you know it two hours before game time. Of course with only a handful of fans in the building pre-game, Vitale didn't have many adoring fans to comingle with. His personal stats and research man, Howie "Stump the" Schwab is to his right and outstanding play-by-play man Dan Schulman is at his left. Daily Word Andy Katz is also working the game for the Mouse People.
NEW YORK -- Gardner-Webb trailed by 14 at halftime, and with less than three minutes left in this one, not much has changed, as the Runnin' Bulldogs are still behind, 74-60.
G-W is trying to make a run as we go under two minutes here, but UConn has been able to control the boards, leaving the Bulldogs with little chance of a comeback now.
The Huskies have done their part, now we'll see if No. 3 Memphis can do its in the second game of tonight's doubleheader...
NEW YORK - We're not the most attentive sort by nature, so a 20-point blowout doesn't exactly bring us the focus of ginko-balboa (no relation to Gardner-Webb). In perusing the out-of-town scores, we'd have to say that the Puerto Rico Tip-Off field is living up to its hype. VCU got a nice win over high-flying Houston and Providence managed to squaek by Temple. Despite reports of abysmal attendance, the tournament is sure to provide a couple more close ones that are worth keeping an eye on.
. . . With under four minutes left in the game, UConn now leads 73-58.
. . . Jeff Adrien suffered the wrath of Calhoun after a turnover on an in-bounds pass. Calhoun stormed across the court at the timeout, stared down his hulking junior and then continued to eye him during the brief break in action. Adrien, smartly walked right past his coach and tried to hide in the huddle - no easy task for a 6-7, 243-pounder. It must have worked because Adrien remained on the floor after the TO.
NEW YORK - It's garbage time at the Garden, and no, that doesn't mean the Knicks are back in town. The magic for Gardner-Webb appears to have run its course as UConn continues to shuttle fresh bodies in and mainatins a double-digit lead at the under-12:00 media timeout, 66-45.
Joining AJ Price in double-figure scoring for UConn are Stanley Robinson and Doug "Dougie" Wiggins. (Calhoun loves the Dougie moniker for his sophomore and is sure to drop a few dozen "Dougies" in his post-game presser.
Flittner has 13 for G-W and teammate Thomas Sanders has 11.
. . . These two teams meet again in Hartford on Tuesday night in a game scheduled during the off-season. G-W will play in the consolation game tomorrow night, then at Radford (VA) on Saturday. UConn is off until Tuesday following tomorrow night's championship game at 9:30.
. . . It's no secret that Gardner-Webb has gotten the most "bang for their buck" as head coach Rick Scruggs said earlier this week when asked about the publicity G-W has received after its upset win over Kentucky. But the school was able to quaintify some of the exposure in its game notes. By last Friday afternoon, 463 individual stories had been written on the school, worldwide (Google News search); coach and players appeared on a total of 19 national and international (Australia) radio shows; and papers from the New York Times to the LA Times to USA Today had all written about the school located just 12 miles above the North Carolina-South Carolina border town of Gaffney, S.C.
NEW YORK - Gardner-Webb won't go quietly, and was able to cut the 14 point halftime deficit to 9 before the first media timeout of the second half. With 15:57 left in the contest, UConn leads 48-36.
. . . A new stats program being utilized by the Garden had some snafus and the halftime box has yet to arrive. Sorry for not having more specific stats.
. . . The battle of media guides tells you all you need to know about Gardner-Webb. The other three schools each have sprial-bound, 208-page (plus covers) guides that sit right at the NCAA limit for page counts. The G-W guide checks in at 80 pages, perfect-bound.
And you know what? They all have the same info - it's just that the big boys have a lot of fluff in theirs.
NEW YORK -- So we're at halftime here at MSG with a little entertainment, as the Gazelle Group must have thought it would be a good idea to promote 2K Sports, since they are the sponsor of this tournament after all.
So while the near-empty arena heads to the concession stands for the time being, I'm stuck here watching two unknowns playing a college basketball video game -- not exactly prime-time halftime entertainment but what can you do. Back to the action in a little bit...
NEW YORK - With shooting as chilly as the mid-November New York air, Gardner-Webb managed to shoot just 27 percent from the field in the first half and trails UConn, 41-27 at the break.
UConn's AJ Price (the MVP of the Storrs Regional of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic) had 17 points to lead all scorers. Grayson Flittner leads the Runnin' Bulldogs with 10 points.
The teams combined for 30 fouls and three Bulldogs have three fouls each.
. . . New York hoops legend Howard Garfinkel is in the house.
NEW YORK -- Things are starting to get a little testy here at the Garden as UConn leads, 29-20.
After pouncing on a lose ball at the other end, A.J. Price took the ball to the rim and was met by sophomore forward Matt French mid-air for an intentional foul.
Price managed to make one of the two free throws awarded to him, but the Jonathan Mandeldo missed both foul shots on the ensuing possession and the Huskies lost an opportunity to extend their lead.
Mandeldo has made up for it on the last few possessions with some solid defense down low, and Price continues to run the fast break well as the Huskies have pushed their lead out to 37-22 with 1:23 remaining before halftime.
NEW YORK - Fortunately for you Posting Up posters (and yes, we encourage comment posts, so get to it!) an educated CSTV.commer, Josh Herwitt, is adding commentary and witty observations from my lefthand side.
Herwitt, unlike this dedicated blogger, actually has a clue. We'd encourage you to ignore all that we pontificate and skip down to the Herwitt-authored posts. (In other news, it seems the female members of the Dawg Pound are growing fond of our esteemed editor. We'll let you know when he dons a red t-shirt and abandons the Posting Up perch all togther.)
. . . AJ Price continues to light it up for the Huskies with 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting. A jumper in the lane made it 29-20, UConn, which is where we stand with 3:48 left in the half.
. . . The lower bowl is filling up a bit more, as the Memphis and Oklahoma fans stroll in from their five martini dinners. Mmmmmm martinis. Mmmmmmm dinner.
. . . The Sooner team is entering the arena and sitting behind the hoop at the UConn bench end of the floor, just in front of our position.
NEW YORK - How cold is it in MSG with the dearth of fans? Snow flurries are predicted by halftime.
. . . At the under-8:00 media timeout, UConn holds a 20-16 edge and the Runnin' Bulldogs have weathered the first surge from UConn - this thing could be a game for a while longer.
. . . Both teams now have ten team fouls.
. . . Grayson Flittner, hero of the Kentucky game for G-W (and SportsCenter star), hit his first 3-pointer with just under 9 minutes left in the half to cut the lead to 20-12.
. . . The young feller handing out press passes for tonight's game initially handed us a pass for next week's Legends Classic in Newark, NJ - also run by the Gazelle Group. He was also reading off a credential list done in about point two font.
These are the same people that are going to be bringing us the College Basketball Invitational tournament this coming post-season. Cna you say "doomed to fail?" We can.
NEW YORK - The Runnin' Bulldogs are runnin into foul trouble early in a tightly called contest. Less than eight minutes into the game, G-W has nine team fouls, to five for UConn. Four Runnin' Bulldogs have two each.
. . . UConn's foul-shooting woes have continued as they start out 1 of 5 form the line. With 8:05 gone in the game, there have been 15 fouls called and 20 total points scored. Conspiracy theorists will claim that officials are trying to ensure UConn advances to the title game on Friday.
. . .A group of seven students have unfurled an "Oh, Let's get them Dawgs fired up" banner in front of Section 114. It led to a chant of Let's get them fired up (or thereabouts).
NEW YORK -- There hasn't been a lot of rhythm to this first semifinal game so far, but A.J. Price looks to be playing well for UConn coming off that 24-point performance against Buffalo last Wednesday in Storrs, Conn.
The Huskies are leading right now, 20-12, and Gardner-Webb continues to throw the ball away. But the G-W student sections to either side of us remain the loudest voices in the building, and the Runnin' Bulldogs are starting to gain some momentum. But for as fast as they might be, there sure hasn't been a lot of runnin' from the kids from Boiling Springs, N.C., yet.
NEW YORK - The Huskies are out to an 8-4 lead at the first media timeout and AJ Price is leading ithe Huskies with four points. Price had started the seaosn on Jim Calhoun's, ah, bad list, but through the first two-plus UConn Games, is working himself into the coach's favor.
. . . Gardner-Webb missed its first two attempts from the field, but got its first hoop on an inside bucket from Aussie Auryn MacMillan. He is one of three Aussies on the Runnin' Bulldogs.
. . . Still lots of empty purple seats in the lower bowl at MSG - come on down if you're in the hood.
NEW YORK - The Posting Up Perch is conveniently located near one section of the Dawg Pound students who have travelled from Boiling Springs to root on their Bulldogs. Clad in red Dawg Pound t-shirts, there are two groups of about 25 students each and so far they seem a bit stunned by the whole atmosphere.
Some of the students have red t-shirts with "Upset Special" on the front and the Kentucky result on the back.
. . . We are, it should be noted, sort of caught up in the Bulldog mania and if we start to to bark at random times - as some of the student have begun doing - you'll need to forgive us.
. . . Important to note that Gardner-Webb is located in Boiling Springs. Not Warm Springs. Not Lukewarm Springs. Not even Hot Springs. But Boiling springs.
. . . A sparse crowd on hand for the tip, but it's a pro-G-W crowd, as everyone loves an underdog.
NEW YORK - Good evening and welcome to the World's Most Famous Arena for tonight's semifinals fo the Coaches vs. Cancer College Hoops Classic. Our first game tonight, tipping in about 30 minutes, will feature early-season Cinderella Gardner-Webb and the Univeristy of Connecticut. The nightcap will feature No. 3 Memphis and Oklahoma.
Both UConn and Gardner-Webb are warming up with G-W going through lay-up lines, while the Huskies work on some free-throw shooting (good move, UConn has hit just 53 of 80 free throws in its first two games, both wins).
The most noticable thing about the Runnin' Bulldogs early on is the bleach-blonde hair of 6-7 reserve Matt French from Melbourne Australia. We're guessing he uses those Aussie hair products with the annoying kangaroo mascot. But we won't hold it against him.
. . . We always like to check what the Vegas wiseguys even though we don't encourage gambling (unless it's done in casinos). UConn is hovering as an eight point favorite while the Tigers are a low double-digit pick, between 11 and 12 points. Tough to go against the chalk in either contest.
. . . CSTV.com is double-staffing tonight's contests so you won;t have to deal with my live-blogging antics all evening long. College Hoops editor Josh Herwitt will live-blog the second game, at which time I will probably retire to the concesion area in search of cold, adult beverages. No, I kid. It's the Garden - they won't be cold.
. . . Gotta get some energy food for the evening of hoops, so we'll be back with you for tip.
. .. Please forgive our time-stamps - they're a bit screwed up. This entry was posted at 6:30 p.m. EST - the rest foolow sequentially with a seven hour time discrepancy.
