Tag: Connecticut Huskies

PIG ROAST: No. 4 UConn leaves zero doubts in 88-65 win No. 8 Arkansas

Connecticut surely looked like a national title contender in their win over Arkansas in the Sweet 16.

The No. 4 Connecticut Huskies left little doubt on Thursday evening against the No. 8 Arkansas Razorbacks in their West Region Sweet 16 matchup. The Connecticut Huskies left little doubt on Thursday evening against the Arkansas Razorbacks in their West Region Sweet 16 matchup.

In the first half, the Huskies dominated in facets but especially on the boards, outrebounding the Razorbacks 22-9 including 14-5 on the defensive side of the ball. They also shot 60.7% from the floor in the first 20 minutes to Arkansas’s mere 33.3%, helping establish a 46-29 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Huskies wouldn’t take their foot off the gas shooting 53.8% including 5-for-11 from beyond en route to an 88-65 win.

Sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins led all scorers in the game with 24 points shooting 6-for-13 from the floor including 3-for-9 from three-point range. He also had nine points from the charity stripe as well as two rebounds and three assists.

In the first half, the Huskies dominated in facets but especially on the boards, outrebounding the Razorbacks 22-9 including 14-5 on the defensive side of the ball. They also shot 60.7% from the floor in the first 20 minutes to Arkansas’s mere 33.3%, helping establish a 46-29 lead at halftime.

In the second half, the Huskies wouldn’t take their foot off the gas shooting 53.8% including 5-for-11 from beyond en route to an 88-65 win.

Sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins led all scorers in the game with 24 points shooting 6-for-13 from the floor including 3-for-9 from three-point range. He also had nine points from the charity stripe as well as two rebounds and three assists.

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Power Ranking the remaining teams in the Sweet 16

16 teams remain in this year’s NCAA Tournament but who has looked the best so far?

The NCAA Men’s Tournament is officially moving into the second week and the field has narrowed from 68 to just 16. It’s one of the more diverse Sweet 16 teams in recent memory.

Just two No. 1 seeds remain in Alabama and Houston, coincidentally, the top two seeds in the tournament. Beyond the Crimson Tide and Cougars, seven of the remaining teams are four seeds or higher in Texas, UCLA, Xavier, Gonzaga, Kansas State, and UConn. Then you have tournament long shots in Arkansas, Creighton, FAU, Michigan State, and Princeton.

A few things are clear after the opening weekend about the 16 teams remaining but plenty still remains unclear as well. You can view some of the biggest takeaways from the first two rounds in our article from earlier on Monday.

That being said, the one thing that for certain is that the parity in this year’s tournament is quite strong. While Alabama looks the part of a tournament favorite, beyond the Crimson Tide, there are strong arguments for five or six other programs to potentially come out on top next month in Houston. That makes it quite hard to power rank the 16 teams remaining heading into week two. That being said, we gave it a go and did just that.

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March Madness: A look at the women’s NCAA championship history

A look back at the Women’s NCAA tournament history.

The first four games of the 2023 March Madness Women’s tournament start Wednesday and Thursday, March 15-16. This will be the 42nd women’s tournament in NCAA history.

The first Division 1 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship tournament took place in 1982. The matchup was between Louisiana Tech, who ended up being crowned champion, and Cheyney State. It was not the first championship game to be played in the sport, but it was the first to be held under the auspices of the NCAA.

Cheyney State also made history, although, they didn’t quite know it yet. They were the only HBCU to make it to the championship game and to the Final Four. They remain the only HBCU to make it to the championship to this day.

Howard University and Jackson State also appeared in the 1982 tournament, but only Cheyney State made it to the last dance. Since then, 19 HBCU women’s basketball programs have played in the March Madness bracket. Hampton has the most appearances in the tournament for an HBCU with 9 appearances, but have yet to win a game.

The University of Tennessee and the University of Connecticut have dominated the championships with eight and 11 national titles, respectively.

Year Champion Coach Record Runner-Up
2022 South Carolina Dawn Staley 35-2 UConn
2021 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 31-2 Arizona
2020 Canceled* – – –
2019 Baylor Kim Mulkey 37-1 Notre Dame
2018 Notre Dame Muffet McGraw 34-3 Mississippi State
2017 South Carolina Dawn Staley 33-4 Mississippi State
2016 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 38-0 Syracuse
2015 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 38-1 Notre Dame
2014 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 40-0 Notre Dame
2013 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 35-4 Louisville
2012 Baylor Kim Mulkey 40-0 Notre Dame
2011 Texas A&M Gary Blair 33-5 Notre Dame
2010 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Stanford
2009 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Louisville
2008 Tennessee Pat Summitt 36-2 Stanford
2007 Tennessee Pat Summitt 34-3 Rutgers
2006 Maryland Brenda Frese 34-4 Duke
2005 Baylor Kim Mulkey 33-3 Michigan State
2004 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 31-4 Tennessee
2003 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 37-1 Tennessee
2002 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 39-0 Oklahoma
2001 Notre Dame Muffet McGraw 34-2 Purdue
2000 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 36-1 Tennessee
1999 Purdue Carolyn Peck 34-1 Duke
1998 Tennessee Pat Summitt 39-0 Louisiana Tech
1997 Tennessee Pat Summitt 29-10 Old Dominion
1996 Tennessee Pat Summitt 32-4 Georgia
1995 Connecticut Geno Auriemma 35-0 Tennessee
1994 North Carolina Sylvia Hatchell 33-2 Louisiana Tech
1993 Texas Tech Marsha Sharp 31-3 Ohio State
1992 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 30-3 Western Kentucky
1991 Tennessee Pat Summitt 30-5 Virginia
1990 Stanford Tara VanDerveer 32-1 Auburn
1989 Tennessee Pat Summitt 35-2 Auburn
1988 Louisiana Tech Leon Barmore 32-2 Auburn
1987 Tennessee Pat Summitt 28-6 Louisiana Tech
1986 Texas Jody Conradt 34-0 USC
1985 Old Dominion Marianne Stanley 31-3 Georgia
1984 Southern California Linda Sharp 29-4 Tennessee
1983 Southern California Linda Sharp 31-2 Louisiana Tech
1982 Louisiana Tech Sonja Hogg 35-1 Cheyney

*Canceled due to COVID-19 Pandemic

This coincides with the women’s college basketball coaches with the most wins in Division I, with legends Tara VanDerveer, Geno Auriemma, and Pat Summit, taking the top three spots.

* = Active coach

With the action shortly underway in this year’s tournament, we must take a moment to recognize and respect the history. This is only the second year the women’s tournament was given the rights to use the term March Madness in connection with their championship tournament, with much credit going to Oregon’ Sedona Prince and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley for bringing light to the inequity.

For years the NCAA only used the term March Madness, which is the intellectual property of the association, in relation to the men’s tournament. The influx of investment because of the use that the term March Madness brings to the women’s game cannot be understated.

On Tuesday, ESPN announced they had “sold out of in-game sponsorship opportunities for the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.” This continues to show more brands are flocking to the women’s game.

THE BRACKETS ARE BACK: The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket.

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Jim Mora has UConn bowl-eligible after stunning Liberty

Jim Mora has UConn bowl eligible after it shocked Liberty

People wondered what Jim Mora was getting himself into taking the Connecticut head coaching job.

Mora should be a dark-horse candidate for Coach of the Year after he has the Huskies bowl-eligible following their 36-33 win over Liberty, ranked 19th, on Saturday.

The Flames were coming off a win over Arkansas and were 8-1. The Huskies were not impressed.

The difference was a TD pass of 30 yards from Zion Turner to Keven Clercius with 5:43 left.

The last time UConn won 6 games was in 2015 when it went 6-7 and lost in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

Since that season, the now 6-5 Huskies totaled 10 wins while losing 40 games. The school did not play football in 2020 due to COVID-19.

NC State forced double OT against UConn on Jakia Brown-Turner’s stunning corner 3

WOW!

Jakia Brown-Turner just made NCAA history in the most epic way possible.

During Monday’s Elite Eight match between NC State and Connecticut, it took not one but two overtimes to settle the victor, a first for this part of the tournament. And the reason it got to two overtimes? Brown-Turner sunk a gorgeous corner three to tie the game for the Wolfpack with 0.3 seconds left in the first overtime.

During a back and forth game that saw the lead changing hands constantly, UConn was 6.2 seconds away from advancing to the Final Four when Brown-Turner made this bomb of a three-pointer to tie the game 77-77 and keep NC State in it.

Goodness, what a shot.

Though the Wolfpack ultimately fell to the Huskies in the double overtime 91-87, what an effort by Brown-Turner to keep NC State’s dreams alive for just a bit longer and for giving us five more minutes of that glorious game.

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UConn’s James Bouknight had an insane putback dunk in first game back from injury

Uconn Huskies sophomore James Bouknight returned from injury on Feb. 16 and he made it clear that he hadn’t lost a step during his absence.

UConn Huskies sophomore James Bouknight returned from injury tonight and made it clear that he hadn’t lost a step during his absence.

Bouknight, a 6-foot-5 guard who had scored 40 points against Creighton on Dec. 20, is an explosive scorer who has shown insane vertical pop during his collegiate career thus far. We projected him as the No. 15 overall pick in our most recent 2021 NBA Mock Draft.

While he had missed more than a month of action due to injury he showed everyone Tuesday night against Providence that there was very little to be concerned about in his recovery.

Early in the first half senior forward Tyler Polley attempted a three-pointer that missed off the iron. The shot missed but then Bouknight did this:

Bouknight, who was aligned near the left wing on the perimeter, was able to quickly notice that the shot was not going to land. So he sprinted to the rack, beating Providence wing A.J. Reeves by foot, and then he took flight.

He displayed comical athleticism, soaring from the restricted area to then throw down an absurdly satisfying putback slam. He didn’t seem anywhere near striking distance to complete this sequence, but Bouknight just showed defenders that they have to box him out as far back as the 3-point line if they want to stop him.

The 20-year-old, who was suffering from bone spurs, underwent surgery on his left elbow on Jan. 12. He was averaging 20.3 points per game before he was sidelined.

If he keeps completing highlights like these, Bouknight could very well become a first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. But until then, however, college basketball fans have a few more dunks to look forward to from the UConn star.

Welcome back, James Bouknight. We’ve missed you.

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2020 American Athletic Conference College Basketball Tournament odds and betting futures

Analyzing the 2020 American Athletic Conference Tournament odds and futures, with sports betting picks, tips and best bets.

The 2020 American Athletic Conference (AAC) Tournament kicks off Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Tex. There are a few teams from the AAC which should be shoe-ins for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, should they come up short for a championship bid. A few others are on the bubble, and need impressive showings, and help in other tourneys, to catch the eye of the selection committee. Below, we look at the futures odds to win the AAC tournament.

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednsday, March 11 at 11 a.m. ET.

2020 AAC odds: Houston Cougars (+200)

Regular-season record: (23-8, 13-5 AAC)

The Cougars will have a lot less pressure than some of the teams below them, as they’re a lock for a bid to the dance. They’re simply playing for seeding at this point and could use a couple of wins to bump them up. They could be on the 8-line right now, which would give them a coin-flip game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Get some action on this event or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.

Houston scratched out a win and non-cover against a solid Memphis side over the weekend in the regular-season finale. The Cougars have the defense to make at least an Elite Eight run if they’re on top of their game. They ranked 12th in the nation in points allowed (62.1 points per game), and they ranked seventh in defensive field-goal percentage (38.3). While Houston isn’t the best scoring team, posting just 72.3 PPG on offense, checking in a middling 135th, it creates plenty of second chances, ranking second in the country in offensive rebounding.

The FAVORITE IS WORTH A BET AT +200, as the Cougars are the class of the AAC.

2020 AAC odds: Cincinnati Bearcats (+350)

Regular-season record: (20-10, 13-5 AAC)

The Bearcats stumbled down the stretch, going just 5-3 straight up and 1-7 against the spread across their final eight games. File that away if you bet their games individually going forward. As far as winning the AAC Tournament, the Bearcats are a talented team, especially defensively. While not as tenacious as Houston, Cincy did rank 31st in the country in defensive FG% (39.8). G Jarron Cumberland (15.5 points, 4.9 assists) is a talented scorer, and 7-foot-1 C Chris Vogt had 1.6 blocked shots per outing with F Tre Scott cleaning the glass to the tune of 10.5 rebounds per game with 1.5 steals per outing. CINCINNATI IS WORTH A SMALL-UNIT BET AT +350, but don’t get ridiculous.

2020 AAC odds: Wichita State Shockers (+400)

Regular-season record: (23-8, 11-7 AAC)

The Shockers certainly made plenty of waves, rising from mid-major power in the Missouri Valley Conference to an invitation to the AAC. After a brief adjustment period, the Shockers are doing what we’ve come to expect from them – win a lot of games. While they lost two road games to Cincinnati and Memphis down the stretch, a 22-point win in the final over a good Tulsa team snapped them back on track. WICHITA STATE IS A GOOD VALUE BET AT +400.

2020 AAC odds: Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+600)

Regular-season record: (21-10, 13-5 AAC)

The Golden Hurricane were humbled by 22 points at Wichita in the finale. Tulsa beat the teams they were supposed to beat, and were hammered by the good teams. A 33-point loss in Houston Feb. 19 was also alarming. They’ll be a good NIT team, and a loss Friday in their first game, potentially against Memphis, wouldn’t be surprising. AVOID.

2020 AAC odds: Memphis Tigers (+600)

Regular-season record: (21-10, 10-8 AAC)

The Tigers had a chance to get off the bubble with a win in Houston in the finale. While they covered, they faltered, and covers do not impress the committee. Memphis likely needs at least two wins, perhaps three, to feel comfortable on selection Saturday. If the Tigers still had James Weisman in the middle, their chances of winning here would be better. They’re a good defensive team, but offensively they’re rather bland. A SMALL-UNIT PLAY TO WIN THE AAC AT +600 is OK, as their defense is good enough, but they’re a better bet in individual games against the spread and on Under plays.

2020 AAC odds: UConn Huskies (+1500)

Regular-season record: (19-12, 10-8 AAC)

UConn is on the bubble, and likely needs at least a run to the final to have a chance at an NCAA bid. The Huskies are matched up with Tulane in the 5-12 matchup, a team they scraped by 80-76 in the regular-season finale. They won both meetings with Tulane, but went 0-2 ATS. The good news is UConn enters this tournament on a five-game winning streak. Still, the Huskies are a mediocre team, and their odds are rather inflated based upon that. Not a good value, so AVOID.

2020 AAC odds: SMU Mustangs (+2500)

Regular-season record: (19-11, 9-9 AAC)

The Mustangs looked like a certain NCAA team, but they ended the regular season on a 1-5 SU/ATS slide, including shocking road losses to Tulane, UCF and South Florida. There’s a reason UConn is a 19-win team and just +600, and SMU has a better record but are long shots. What have you done for me lately? AVOID.

2020 AAC odds: Temple Owls (+5000)

Regular-season record: (14-17, 6-12 AAC)

The Owls could spring a mild upset over a skidding SMU in the first round, but that’s as far as they go. They enter on their own five-game slide. It seems like regular-season wins over USC, Texas A&M and Wichita State were in another century. AVOID.

2020 AAC odds: UCF Knights (+5000)

Regular-season record: (16-14, 7-11 AAC)

The Knights won their final two regular-season games, and they won at Cincinnati Feb. 19. They split with first-round opponent South Florida, so they could win one game, but they’re not going far. AVOID.

2020 AAC odds: South Florida Bulls (+8000)

Regular-season record: (14-17, 7-11 AAC)

The Bulls won’t be on parade. They did top SMU in the regular-season finale and won in Memphis Feb. 8, but their opening game vs. UCF is a toss-up. If they win that one, they go no further. AVOID.

2020 AAC odds: East Carolina Pirates (+10000)

Regular-season record: (11-20, 5-13 AAC)

The Pirates lost their final three games of the regular season, and are the only 20-loss team in the AAC. They beat SMU Jan. 11 but also lost by 20 to the Mustangs. That’s a microcosm of their season, and how inconsistent, and awful, they can be. AVOID.

2020 AAC odds: Tulane Green Wave (+10000)

Regular-season record: (12-18, 4-14 AAC)

The Green Wave opened 7-1 SU/6-2 ATS, and looked like they were in line for a big season, including a win in Utah. They also beat Cincinnati and SMU at home, but this game isn’t in New Orleans, and they dropped five of their last six away from their home floor. The Green Wave will crash early in this tourney. AVOID.

Want some action on this tournament? Place a bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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How to watch UConn vs Memphis: Date, time, odds

Here’s how you can watch the AAC showdown between the Connecticut Huskies vs. Memphis Tigers on TV and CBB live stream

The road the Final Four has officially started. The Connecticut Huskies travel to the Memphis Tigers in an AAC showdown, live on CBS All Access.

Memphis will be looking to get back onto the AP Poll after dropping back-to-back losses to Tulsa and Southern Methodist and falling out of the college basketball rankings. They seem to be back on track after beating Central Florida 59-57 on Wednesday.

UConn has yet to find their way on the AP Polls this season but has played their fair share of ranked teams, sadly going 1-4 in those games. The Huskies are fresh off a 78-63 win over Temple that ended a four-game losing streak (three against ranked teams) and will be looking to start another winning streak.

Stream College Basketball live on CBS All Access. Try it FREE now!

How to watch UConn vs Memphis:

UConn Huskies (11-9) vs. Memphis Tigers (15-5)

Saturday, Feb. 1, 1:00 p.m. ET

FedEx Forum, Memphis, TN

CBB streams:

Live stream: CBS

NCAA basketball odds:

Memphis is 5.5-point favorites over UConn, according to BetMGM. The over/under is set at 134.5 points.

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Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

Indiana vs. Connecticut odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Tuesday’s Indiana Hoosiers vs. Connecticut Huskies sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The Indiana Hoosiers (8-1) and the Connecticut Huskies (6-2) lock horns in the Jimmy V Classic in New York at approximately 9:00 p.m. ET after the Texas Tech-Louisville game is completed. We analyze the Indiana-Connecticut odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Indiana vs. Connecticut: Three things you need to know

1. The Hoosiers won eight straight games to open the season, but they were dumped by 20 points last time out in the Big Ten Conference opener at Wisconsin to splash cold water on their hot start.

2. Huskies G Christian Vital has posted 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game to lead his team.

3. Indiana is just 9-23-1 against the spread in the past 33 games as a favorite on a neutral-site court.

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Indiana vs. Connecticut: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 11 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Indiana 78, Connecticut 66

Moneyline (ML)

INDIANA (-161) is worth a small-unit bet on the moneyline, but they’re a much better value when laying the points with the spread.

Against the Spread (ATS)

INDIANA (-2.5, -110) has covered five of the past seven games overall, and is 5-2 ATS in the past seven when installed as a favorite, too. Connecticut (+2.5, -110) is 4-1 ATS in the past five neutral-site games but is just 2-8 ATS in the past 10 as an underdog in neutral-site contests.

Over/Under (O/U)

PASS (142.5). The total is going to be super close, and the trends are all over the board in this one. It’s all Over all the time for IU, going 7-2 in the past nine overall, and 5-1 in the past six neutral-site games when favored. The Under is 5-1 in UConn’s past six, and 5-2 in the past seven neutral-site affairs.

Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Florida basketball fans erupt after falling to unranked UConn

The Florida men’s basketball team began the season ranked No. 6 in the country just a few weeks ago. However, the good times would not last long, as the Gators already have 2 losses on the season to unranked opponents. Though basketball is a …

The Florida men’s basketball team began the season ranked No. 6 in the country just a few weeks ago. However, the good times would not last long, as the Gators already have 2 losses on the season to unranked opponents.

Though basketball is a marathon and not a sprint, dropping 2 of your first 4 games to unranked teams isn’t exactly the great either.

Following the road loss to UConn on Sunday, Florida fans took to Twitter to express their frustrations with coach Mike White.

Is it safe to say Florida fans don’t like Mike White?