No. 3 Villanova looked more like the dominating program that is nearly accustomed to deep NCAA Tournament runs than No. 2 Duke did in a 77-54 beatdown in the Sweet 16. The Wildcats’ defense kept Duke off balance for the entire game and held explosive junior swingman Gerald Henderson to seven points on 1-of-14 shooting.
Month: March 2009
Never a Doubt With Fields’ Big Shot
When Levance Fields released a big shot with less than a minute to go on Thursday night, there was never a doubt what the result would be. The rest of his night didn’t matter.
NC Central: Eagles Hire Assistant as Coach
North Carolina Central promoted assistant coach LeVelle Moton to be the Eagles’ next coach, replacing Henry Dickerson. The university did not extend Dickerson a new contract after the Eagles finished the season 4-27.
Pittsburgh: Fields Leads Panthers Past Xavier
Senior guard Levance Fields delivered a 60-55 victory to No. 1 Pittsburgh after No. 4 Xavier appeared to have the Panthers on the ropes. Trailing 54-52 with less than a minute to go and the shot clock winding down, Fields stutter-stepped and lifted above the defender to drain a go-ahead three-pointer. At the other end, Fields stole the ball from B.J. Raymond and sprinted in for a layup that gave Pittsburgh a three-point lead.
Connecticut: Huskies Look Final Four-Worthy in Win Against Purdue
No. 1 Connecticut’s size and power outmatched No. 5 Purdue, propelling the Huskies to a 72-60 win. Junior center Hasheem Thabeet had 15 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks for the Huskies, and senior guard Craig Austrie led Connecticut with 17 points.
In Boston, The Day Before
Some notes from the day before all the action convenes in Boston for the East Regional semifinals.
NCAA Women: Rutgers Sub-Regional Notebook
At Rutgers, I had the opportunity to watch Rutgers and Virginia Commonwealth. The contrast in philosophy was evident as Rutgers mentor C. Vivian Stringer devoted a fair part of her 60 minutes to half court offense. The Scarlet Knights ran a lot of zone offense and after a play, Stringer took the time to make a point.
Connecticut: Huskies Might Have Violated Recruiting Rules
Connecticut could be facing an NCAA investigation after Yahoo releases a report that details numerous violations committed by team officials and representatives in the recruitment of former Husky Nate Miles.
Hoop Group Top 100 Recap
While most basketball fans this weekend were occupied by the NCAA Tournament, a number of high school players in New England made their way to Boston University for the Hoop Group Top 100. The camp featured two days of drills and games, and some good talent was on hand for the Division II and III coaches who came to check it out.
Tennessee: Chism Played Through Broken Thumb
Tennessee lost a heart-breaking 77-75 first-round NCAA Tournament game to Oklahoma State, but don’t blame junior forward Wayne Chism for failing to give his best effort. Chism finished with 11 points and six rebounds despite playing with a broken thumb he suffered in practice.
