Tag: UConn

Paige Bueckers, UConn lose to Iowa after beating JuJu Watkins and USC

Paige Bueckers beat JuJu but couldn’t solve Iowa in a memorable week for women’s basketball.

Paige Bueckers and UConn were too much for JuJu Watkins and USC in the Elite Eight. However, the Huskies’ run ended in the Final Four national semifinals against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Hawkeyes Wire offered a reaction to Iowa’s epic comeback victory over Bueckers and UConn:

“The Iowa Hawkeyes aren’t done dancing. Down double figures in the first half, Iowa (34-4, 15-3 Big Ten) came charging back to down UConn (33-6, 18-0 Big East) in a Final Four thriller, 71-69.

“Led by a strong second half from senior star Caitlin Clark and a standout performance from sophomore forward Hannah Stuelke, Iowa is back in the national championship game. The Hawkeyes will face South Carolina (37-0, 16-0 SEC) on Sunday afternoon.”

It was fascinating to see Bueckers play JuJu Watkins and Caitlin Clark in the same week, a feast for college basketball fans. USC has a lot to study and evaluate so that it can take the next steps in its evolution next season.

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UConn’s Final Four flight delay saga is over after they took an Allegiant plane to Arizona and fans made so many jokes

The defending champs had a rough time traveling to the Final Four.

It was a rough start for UConn in the men’s 2024 Final Four … and the ball hasn’t even been tipped yet in their matchup against Alabama.

The three other teams left in the NCAA tournament are already in Arizona, but the Huskies were scheduled to leave on Wednesday evening and couldn’t due to mechanical problems, then there were issues with the flight crew not being able to fly until Thursday, and finally, a smaller plane arrived.

It was an Allegiant plane that required UConn to send fewer folks in their traveling party, so people worried about leg room for this team full of tall people. But the plane has landed as of Thursday morning, so there’s that.

Here are the jokes made:

Where is Alabama in a reseeded March madness Final Four?

See where Alabama ranks if the Final Four field of March Madness were to be reseeded.

If March Madness were to stop today and the committee reseeded the remaining Final Four teams, where would the Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball team be?

ESPN’s Myron Medcalf argues (subscription required) head coach Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide would be the No. 4 seed.

It is a bit surprising given the fact that NC State is an 11-seed and Alabama, a No. 4 seed, had to beat the No. 1 seed North Carolina Tarheels to get to this point. Despite one of the most impressive offenses in the country, the Senior Staff Writer believes that Alabama’s liabilities on the defensive end could prevent them from a championship run.

Medcalf says of the first-ever Alabama Final Four team,

“But their scoring capabilities also don’t tell the full story. It’s important to note how quickly Nate Oats’ squad can change a game. Playing without Latrell Wrightsell Jr. this weekend, Alabama turned Saturday’s game with a breathtaking display. In the first 13 minutes of the second half, it scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers. Now, the Crimson Tide — who have made 41.4% of their 3-point attempts in the NCAA tournament — head to the national semifinals, where they’ll have a shot at the ultimate upset with one of the top scoring units in college basketball.”

The UCONN Huskies have won their four tournament games by an average of 27.75 points and have won 10 straight dating back to last year’s national title team. With the way UConn is currently playing, it is pretty hard to see anyone beating them, but if there is a team to do it, Alabama is built to do so as a high-speed team with heavy doses of three-pointers.

[autotag]Mark Sears[/autotag] has been phenomenal all tournament long, but he will need to have one of his best collegiate games of all time on Saturday if Alabama is going to advance.

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Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo named Wooden Award finalist

She had an incredible season, no?

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] racked up one record and honor after another during her freshman season at Notre Dame. Now, she’s going about as far as she can go as far as awards in women’s basketball. She has been announced as one of five finalists for the Wooden Award, which is given to the best player in the country.

Even though the winner will be announced Monday, merely being a finalist means Hidalgo will be invited to the ceremony April 12 in Los Angeles regardless if she wins the award or not. She also is one of 10 Wooden Award All-Americans.

In 35 games this season, Hidalgo became one of the country’s top scorers with 33.9 points a game. She also led the country in steals at 4.6 a game, and she averaged 5.5 assists a game. All that and more made her a First Team All-American and First Team All-ACC selection as well as the top rookie and defensive player in the ACC.

Hidalgo faces some incredibly stiff competition for this award. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is the clear favorite to win it for the second straight year, but Hidalgo also is up against 2021 winner Paige Bueckers of UConn, fellow freshman phenom JuJu Watkins of USC and Stanford’s Cameron Brink. Still, the fact that she can be in the conversation with these players is a good indicator that she’ll keep the South Bend faithful coming to Purcell Pavilion for the next few years.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan leads UConn in win over Illinois

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan leads UConn in win over Illinois.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

With the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament underway, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is UConn center Donovan Clingan. He finished with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds, five blocks and three steals in 22 minutes in No. 1 UConn’s 77-52 win over No. 3 Illinois in the Elite Eight on Saturday.

In his second season, Clingan has been part of a dominant UConn squad that seeks to repeat as national champions. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 12.5 points on 64% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

At 280 pounds, he has an NBA-ready frame and can give a team a classic rim-running big who can protect the rim. UConn went 31-3 and is No. 1 in the East Region.

The Thunder could envision Clingan adding serious size at center. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups or serve as an efficient backup center for OKC.

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Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan helps UConn in win over San Diego State

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan helps in UConn’s win over San Diego State.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

With the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament underway, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is UConn center Donovan Clingan. He finished with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting, eight rebounds, two assists and one block in 23 minutes in No. 1 UConn’s 82-52 win over No. 5 San Diego State in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

In his second season, Clingan has been part of a dominant UConn squad that seeks to repeat as national champions. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 12.5 points on 64% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

At 280 pounds, he has an NBA-ready frame and can give a team a classic rim-running big who can protect the rim. UConn went 31-3 and is No. 1 in the East Region.

The Thunder could envision Clingan adding serious size at center. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups or serve as an efficient backup center for OKC.

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Everyone wants to see USC vs UConn, but Trojans must first focus on Baylor

USC needs tunnel vision and an ability to ignore the media’s talk about anything beyond Baylor.

The USC women’s basketball team is in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans are in Portland for a regional which also includes the Connecticut Huskies. UConn is the ultimate powerhouse in women’s college basketball — not this season, but certainly over the past 30 years. The Huskies will be appearing in their 30th straight Sweet 16. They have won 11 national titles in those 30 years and have made 21 Final Four appearances. Geno Auriemma basically owned the sport of women’s college basketball from 2002 through 2016. In that 15-year span, UConn won nine national titles. The Huskies won the national title for a majority of a time period lasting a decade and a half.

This year’s UConn team has been ravaged by a flood of injuries. The Huskies are seeded third and aren’t at full strength. Yet, it’s still UConn. It’s still Geno. Paige Bueckers, an elite player, is still on the roster, giving this team a chance to go to the Final Four. You know that ESPN and a lot of women’s basketball fans want to see USC and JuJu Watkins get their shot at UConn next Monday with the Final Four on the line. That is going to be a talking point in Portland heading into the Sweet 16.

USC has to block out that talk and the distractions which come along with it. The Trojans have to have tunnel vision and focus relentlessly on their next opponent, the Baylor Bears. Baylor comes from a Big 12 Conference which is putting up a fight in this NCAA Tournament. Texas looks strong heading into its own Sweet 16 battle in Portland against Gonzaga on Friday. Iowa State nearly upset Stanford on the road, losing an epic game in overtime this past Sunday in Maples Pavilion. The Big 12 has quality teams. Baylor is one of them. The Bears just beat Virginia Tech on the road to make their way to Portland.

USC-UConn? Nope. Don’t go down that road just yet. People will talk about it, but USC has other things to do before then. The Trojans need to play with great clarity to handle Baylor on Saturday afternoon. The game starts at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time on ESPN.

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Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan dominates in UConn’s win over Northwestern

Potential Thunder draft prospect Donovan Clingan dominates in UConn’s win over Northwestern.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

As the NCAA Tournament progresses, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is UConn center Donovan Clingan. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, 14 rebounds and eight blocks in 27 minutes in UConn’s 75-58 win over Northwestern in the round of 32 on Sunday.

In his second season, Clingan has been part of a dominant UConn squad that seeks to repeat as national champions. The 7-foot-2 center averaged 12.5 points on 64% shooting, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.

At 280 pounds, he has an NBA-ready frame and can give a team a classic rim-running big who can protect the rim. UConn went 31-3 and is No. 1 in the East Region.

The Thunder could envision Clingan adding serious size at center. He could start alongside Holmgren for jumbo lineups or serve as an efficient backup center for OKC.

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Rutgers baseball: The Scarlet Knights drop series finale against UConn

On Sunday, Rutgers baseball (17-7) dropped their series finale against UConn 5-1 after defeating the Huskies on Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday, Rutgers baseball (17-7) dropped their series finale against UConn (8-13) 5-1 after defeating the Huskies on Friday (3-0) and Saturday (13-6). The Scarlet Knights were riding a seven-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s game.

Rutgers won the series against UConn, taking the first two games of the series.

Pitcher Zack Konstantinovsky got the nod on the mound for the Scarlet Knights, recording his third loss in 2024. Konstantinovsky logged a solid outing, recording six strikeouts throughout his 5.1 innings pitched. In a losing effort, Konstantinovsky allowed seven hits and one earned run. He now holds a 6.48 ERA on the season for the Scarlet Knights.

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At the plate, the Scarlet Knights were held scoreless until the bottom of the eighth inning when catcher Jackson Natili homered to left center to get Rutgers on the board. Natili’s home run was the only offense the Scarlet Knights could produce in Sunday’s loss. Rutgers registered only five hits, striking out four times while leaving four runners on base.

Rutgers freshman first baseman Ty Doucette continued his hitting streak on Sunday as he doubled to left center in the bottom of the fifth inning to extend his hitting streak to eight games.

UConn’s Stephen Quigley recorded a complete game for the Huskies, recording four strikeouts throughout his nine innings pitched. Quigley picked up his first victory in 2024 as he now holds a 3.41 ERA on the season.

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The Scarlet Knights return to action on Tuesday as they host NJIT at Bainton Field.

 

Rutgers baseball: Saturday win over UConn gives Scarlet Knights the series

On Saturday, Rutgers baseball (17-6) captured their fifth series victory when the Scarlet Knights defeated UConn (8-12) 10-3. 

On Saturday, Rutgers baseball (17-6) captured their fifth series victory when the Scarlet Knights defeated UConn (8-12) 13-6. After defeating UConn 3-0 on Friday, Rutgers followed their Game 1 victory with another dominant performance on Saturday.

Game One

Rutgers pitcher Justin Sinibaldi stole the show for the Scarlet Knights when he registered a complete game shutout against the Huskies. Sinibaldi recorded nine scoreless innings, logging nine strikeouts. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound lefty pitcher allowed four hits, giving up one walk. The Bridgewater, New Jersey native registered his fourth victory in 2024 when Rutgers defeated UConn 3-0.

At the plate, the Scarlet Knights scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as they secured their 16th victory of the year. Rutgers third baseman Tony Santa Maria, first baseman Ty Doucette, and left fielder Johnny Volpe provided the firepower for the Scarlet Knights in game one.

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Santa Maria grabbed the lead for the Scarlet Knights with a solo home run to right field, giving Rutgers a 1-0 lead. Doucette continued the momentum with a single back up the middle to extend Rutgers’ lead to 2-0.  Volpe recorded Rutgers’ final run with a safety squeeze bunt that scored Pete Durocher and secured the Scarlet Knights’  3-0 victory over the Huskies.

Game 2

Rutgers followed their game one victory with a 13-5 win over UConn on Saturday. Rutgers’ game-two victory gave the Scarlet Knights their fifth series win in 2024. Rutgers recorded 14 hits in game two, producing 13 runs.

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Rutgers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning when second baseman Cameron Love and center fielder RJ Johnson Jr registered two doubles, scoring two runs. Right fielder Trevor Cohen followed the two doubles by Love and Johnson Jr with a two-run home run giving Rutgers a 4-0 lead.

The Huskies got on the board in the top of the third inning with a two-run home run, but the Scarlet Knights added two runs in the bottom of the frame when catcher Jackson Natili blasted a home run to keep their four-run lead.

Rutgers added two insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth inning giving the Scarlet Knights a 8-2 lead, but the Huskies cut the lead to five with an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning.

Rutgers added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving the Scarlet Knights a 10-3 lead. After two runs by UConn in the top of the eighth inning, the Scarlet Knights bounced back with three more runs in the bottom of the frame, giving RU a 13-5 lead.

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UConn added a run in the top of the ninth inning, but the Scarlet Knights ended the Huskies’ comeback, capturing the 13-6 victory. Pitcher Christian Coppola picked up his fourth victory in 2024, recording six strikeouts, two walks, five hits, and three earned runs in 5.2 innings pitched.

Rutgers returns to action on Sunday when they host UConn in the series finale.