Tag Archives: Kemba Walker

Apr 14 2011

Daily Noontime – April 14, 2011

Happy Thursday to everyone! It should be another great day, as usual, so get excited and enjoy today’s Daily Noontime for April 14, 2011!

Headlines:

* Apparently the NFL has gotten a memo and is now considering slashing rookie contracts, which is a great decision.

* Los Angles Lakers Kobe Bryant will owe the NBA a lot of money for an “offensive and inexcusable” slur.

* Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart wants another shot as a NFL starting quarterback, but the question is does any team want him?

* How would UConn fans feel if Kemba Walker became a member of the New York Knicks?

* Any college student would probably like what BYU is telling Jimmer Fredette, don’t attend class.

* In the end, Barry Bonds was found guilty, but where do things go from here?

Games to Watch:

* Minnesota at Tampa Bay (MLB) – 6:40pm eastern

* Montreal at Boston (NHL PLayoffs) – 7:00pm eastern

* Buffalo at Philadelphia (NHL Playoffs) – 7:30pm eastern

* Los Angles Kings at San Jose (NHL Playoffs) – 10:00pm eastern

Video of the Day:

Golf and Hockey, hmm…. not sure if they go together?



Apr 12 2011

Daily Noontime – April 12, 2011

Dice-K did not bring his usual stuff on Monday or did he against the Tampa Bay Rays?

Happy Tuesday to everyone and welcome to yet another marvelous Daily Noontime! Here are today’s headlines and news that you’ll need to know, as well as video of the day!

Headlines:

* The NFL and NCAA are teaming up to warn players of “pitfalls,” which certainly sounds interesting, right?

* It is official according to sources that UConn’s Kemba Walker will forgo his final season and enter the NBA Draft.

* The Miami Heat have earned the number two spot in the Eastern Conference and yes, LeBron James dominated once again on Monday.

* While the Boston Celtics continue to struggle and limp their way into the playoffs, Doc Rivers will make sure to rest his players before the playoffs begin.

* Once again, when everyone in Boston thought their beloved Red Sox were OK, well… they are certainly not… OK!

* Again, the NFL is forced to return to the table and talk things out, but who knows how well that will go.

Games to Watch:

* Texas at Detroit (MLB) – 1:05pm eastern

* Baltimore at New York Yankees (MLB) – 7:05pm eastern

* Tampa Bay at Boston (MLB) – 7:10pm eastern

* Chicago at New York Knicks (NBA) – 8:00pm eastern

* San Antonio at Los Angles Lakers (NBA) – 10:30pm eastern

Video of the Day:

The documentary on Tom Brady airs on Tuesday, but are you excited to see him cry?


Apr 5 2011

The Lessons Learned from Butler’s March Madness Experiences

By Matt Noonan

It wasn’t meant to be, let’s leave it like that. Butler University is not a school of champions, but instead, a college that defines the true meaning of the “student athlete.”

One would certainly not rank the Bulldogs as a school that is equal to Texas, LSU, University of North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Duke, Florida or Alabama, but instead, they are the Division I equivalent to an Amherst College or Williams College, (Yes, I just compared Butler to two well-recognized New England institutions).

The college alone has watched their 19 intercollegiate teams earn 26 conference titles over the years, as well as witnessed their men’s and women’s basketball, soccer and volleyball teams compete in the NCAA tournament.

Yet, while they may not be known for their championships or banners that hang in their athletic department’s gymnasium, instead, they are and will always be recognized as the true underdog.

You have to wonder what the term “underdog” means to head coach Brad Stevens, who has led his young team of rag tag college students to the past two NCAA Division I men’s basketball finals, which resulted in two back-to-back loses. Stevens has watched Gordon Hayward’s desperation three bounce off the front rim against Duke, as well as endured a heartbreaking loss to Jim Calhoun’s UConn Huskies on Monday.

Although, is “heartbreaking” the right word to describe one of the sloppiest college basketball games ever? Probably not, but hey, I tried.

The Bulldogs game plan against the Huskies was dreadful, as they decided to forgo shots in the paint and only converted 12 of their 64 shots. They even finished the game, [9-33] from beyond the arc, which is something no coach would be pleased about, especially after that particular contest.

Let’s face it, that particular championship was ugly and downright boring. Did anyone truly stay awake to see if Butler could pull off the upset? I know I did, but again, who agrees that it was truly painful to watch?

The Bulldogs are indeed underdogs because no one expects them to succeed, but going toe-to-toe with two of the top basketball schools in the nation is certainly an achievement that they can be proud of, despite losing both times.

What Stevens and his team have proved is that anything is indeed possible, as long as you put your mind and effort to it.

Sure, they may have returned home to the great state of Indiana on Tuesday with no championship trophy in their hands, but the young men certainly have a lot of reasons to keep their chins up, especially after the past two seasons.

The may have finished their 2010-2011 campaign with a [28-10] record, but who truly predicted that the Bulldogs would once again make it back to the title game in Houston? Did anyone you know pick Butler to have another successful season and then dominate the March Madness tournament? If you did, congratulations, but I am sure that you jumped on their bandwagon just like the rest of the country did this past March.

Who would have imagined that head coach Brad Stevens would have led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Championships?

Butler earned some impressive wins in the tournament, as they defeated Old Dominion at the buzzer, thanks to Matt Howard, as well as busted everyone’s bracket when they knocked off top seeded Pittsburgh, 71-70.

In New Orleans, their magic continued as they defeated Wisconsin and then rallied to beat Florida in the NCAA Regional Final.

After arriving to Houston and getting settled, the excitement continued, as they beat another surprise team, Virginia Commonwealth in the Final Four, but after their exciting win against the Rams, their luck ran out and the clock struck midnight, once again.

Sure, they played awful against Connecticut and looked like a Division III team at time that couldn’t play defense, but once again, they defied the odds and showed the nation that hard work does pay off.

The Huskies may have talented players, such as Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb, but seriously, has their hard work measured up to the Bulldogs? I’d say, no, but again, what do I know? Walker and Lamb could be shooting around in an empty gymnasium, while I sit here and digest the March Madness final.

Butler has proved that once again the underdog still matters, especially in sports and life. Whether one wins or loses, it’s not about the scoreboard at the end of the game, but instead, it’s about giving it your absolute best effort.

Why not root for the Bulldogs? Why wouldn’t you not want to root for a team that goes to class, studies the same in the same library and eats at the same table in the cafeteria. These are student athletes that want to be your friends, but also, represent the true meaning of their school and if one can read between the lines, they’ll understand that Butler is truly a school of champions and students that will never back down from a challenge.

Apr 5 2011

The Lessons Learned from Butler's March Madness Experiences

By Matt Noonan

It wasn’t meant to be, let’s leave it like that. Butler University is not a school of champions, but instead, a college that defines the true meaning of the “student athlete.”

One would certainly not rank the Bulldogs as a school that is equal to Texas, LSU, University of North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, Duke, Florida or Alabama, but instead, they are the Division I equivalent to an Amherst College or Williams College, (Yes, I just compared Butler to two well-recognized New England institutions).

The college alone has watched their 19 intercollegiate teams earn 26 conference titles over the years, as well as witnessed their men’s and women’s basketball, soccer and volleyball teams compete in the NCAA tournament.

Yet, while they may not be known for their championships or banners that hang in their athletic department’s gymnasium, instead, they are and will always be recognized as the true underdog.

You have to wonder what the term “underdog” means to head coach Brad Stevens, who has led his young team of rag tag college students to the past two NCAA Division I men’s basketball finals, which resulted in two back-to-back loses. Stevens has watched Gordon Hayward’s desperation three bounce off the front rim against Duke, as well as endured a heartbreaking loss to Jim Calhoun’s UConn Huskies on Monday.

Although, is “heartbreaking” the right word to describe one of the sloppiest college basketball games ever? Probably not, but hey, I tried.

The Bulldogs game plan against the Huskies was dreadful, as they decided to forgo shots in the paint and only converted 12 of their 64 shots. They even finished the game, [9-33] from beyond the arc, which is something no coach would be pleased about, especially after that particular contest.

Let’s face it, that particular championship was ugly and downright boring. Did anyone truly stay awake to see if Butler could pull off the upset? I know I did, but again, who agrees that it was truly painful to watch?

The Bulldogs are indeed underdogs because no one expects them to succeed, but going toe-to-toe with two of the top basketball schools in the nation is certainly an achievement that they can be proud of, despite losing both times.

What Stevens and his team have proved is that anything is indeed possible, as long as you put your mind and effort to it.

Sure, they may have returned home to the great state of Indiana on Tuesday with no championship trophy in their hands, but the young men certainly have a lot of reasons to keep their chins up, especially after the past two seasons.

The may have finished their 2010-2011 campaign with a [28-10] record, but who truly predicted that the Bulldogs would once again make it back to the title game in Houston? Did anyone you know pick Butler to have another successful season and then dominate the March Madness tournament? If you did, congratulations, but I am sure that you jumped on their bandwagon just like the rest of the country did this past March.

Who would have imagined that head coach Brad Stevens would have led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Championships?

Butler earned some impressive wins in the tournament, as they defeated Old Dominion at the buzzer, thanks to Matt Howard, as well as busted everyone’s bracket when they knocked off top seeded Pittsburgh, 71-70.

In New Orleans, their magic continued as they defeated Wisconsin and then rallied to beat Florida in the NCAA Regional Final.

After arriving to Houston and getting settled, the excitement continued, as they beat another surprise team, Virginia Commonwealth in the Final Four, but after their exciting win against the Rams, their luck ran out and the clock struck midnight, once again.

Sure, they played awful against Connecticut and looked like a Division III team at time that couldn’t play defense, but once again, they defied the odds and showed the nation that hard work does pay off.

The Huskies may have talented players, such as Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb, but seriously, has their hard work measured up to the Bulldogs? I’d say, no, but again, what do I know? Walker and Lamb could be shooting around in an empty gymnasium, while I sit here and digest the March Madness final.

Butler has proved that once again the underdog still matters, especially in sports and life. Whether one wins or loses, it’s not about the scoreboard at the end of the game, but instead, it’s about giving it your absolute best effort.

Why not root for the Bulldogs? Why wouldn’t you not want to root for a team that goes to class, studies the same in the same library and eats at the same table in the cafeteria. These are student athletes that want to be your friends, but also, represent the true meaning of their school and if one can read between the lines, they’ll understand that Butler is truly a school of champions and students that will never back down from a challenge.

Apr 5 2011

UConn Ends Butler Run, Capture NCAA Div. I Title

By Matt Noonan

This was not your storybook ending for Butler, who finished yet another season on the losing end, as the University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball team celebrated a NCAA Division I basketball championship in Houston, Texas on Monday with a 53-41 win over the Bulldogs.

Butler, the team that truly represents the meaning of “student athletes” was forced to watch an elated Huskies bench celebrate a victory that clearly wasn’t too impressive.

In fact, the Bulldogs contained the Huskies two stars, Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb, who finished the game with 28 points and 16 rebounds combined.

Butler’s Matt Howard was extremely quiet and ended his final game with seven points, six rebounds and one steal, which may have not been what he had expected, but Shelvin Mack led the team with 13 points.

The game began at an incredibly slow pace, as fans watched the heavily favored Huskies struggle to maintain momentum, but also, connect on their shots. The Bulldogs sloppy play held UConn to just 19 points during the first half, but once the final 20 minutes of regulation began, the Huskies executed their offense, flexed their muscles and tacked on an additional 34 points to secure the win.

UConn Leaders:

Kemba Walker – 16 points/9 rebounds/1 assist/ 1 block

Jeremy Lamb – 12 points/ 7 rebounds/ 2 assists

Alex Oriakhi – 11 points/ 11 rebounds/ 4 blocks

 

Butler Leaders:

Shelvin Mack – 13 points/9 rebounds/1 assist/ 1 block

Matt Howard – 7 points/6 rebounds/ 1 steal

Chase Stigall – 9 points/2 rebounds/1 assist/ 1 steal

 

Apr 1 2011

Willwerth: Just a few thoughts on the UConn Huskies

By Brian Willwerth

Talk about Husky Hysteria.

Over the next few days, the University of Connecticut has the chance to celebrate not one, but two national championships in basketball. The men’s and women’s teams are both getting ready for the Final Four in their respective tournaments.

Take your pick for National Player of the Year candidate: Kemba Walker or Maya Moore. Both were chosen this week for the John R. Wooden All-American team.

Let’s start with Walker. The All-American has put the Huskies on his back during the team’s run to Houston, averaging more than 26 points a game in the postseason. Connecticut won nine games over a span of 19 days: five in the Big East Tournament, four more on the road to the Final Four. The Huskies won the West Regional as a #3 seed. UConn is the highest seed remaining in the tournament. Does this make them the favorite to cut down the nets on Monday night?

The way this tournament has gone, I wouldn’t bet on anything at this point.

But I digress.  For the Lady Huskies, look no further than Maya Moore. For the second time in her career, she’s been honored as the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Year. Who can argue with that selection? The senior forward is averaging 22 points a game this season. In the regional final against Duke, she became just the seventh player in NCAA history to score 3,000 points in a career.

Consider this: in the last three seasons, the lady Huskies have lost one game. ONE. On December 12th, Stanford ended their NCAA-record 90-game winning streak. Since that lone loss, UConn has not tasted defeat again. The Lady Huskies are once again the overall #1 seed in the tournament.  A rematch with the Cardinal is possible in the NCAA championship game in Indianapolis, if both teams advance.

And then, there are the coaches: Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma. Both are the College Basketball Hall of Fame. They’ve won nine national championships between them: two for Calhoun, seven for Auriemma. Those numbers speak for themselves.

If Connecticut pulls off dual national titles, it won’t even be the first time a Division I school has accomplished such a feat. It happened back in 2004 as well.

The school that did it? UConn.

**information from uconnhuskies.com was used in this report.**

Mar 27 2011

NCAA March Madness Day Eight Wrap Up

The Rams have surprised many, but how much father can they go?

By Matt Noonan

All right, let’s all admit it, excluding Connecticut, who truly had Virginia Commonwealth, Kentucky or Butler advancing to Final Four?

Clearly, I did not, but really, did anyone choose these three squads?

Of course, there were those who said, “I was rooting for North Carolina and UConn,” as well as other fans that stated, “I knew all along that Butler and VCU were going to meet for a date with destiny in Houston, Texas,” which is totally false.

However, the second to last weekend of men’s college basketball, which featured 16 teams has now been narrowed down to just four and once again, who could have predicted that these four schools would have earned this opportunity?

Virginia Commonwealth 71 – Kansas 61:

Virginia Commonwealth tallied 41 first half points and then added an additional 30 points during the second half en route to yet another tournament victory.

Not only did the Rams outplay the Jayhawks, but also had a member of their team that scored 26 points and his name is Jamie Skeen. Skeen made sure Kansas knew which number he was wearing, as the senior pulled down 10 rebounds, (four on offense and six on defense) and recorded two steals. Skeen also didn’t record a single foul through forty minutes of basketball, which in all honesty is quite impressive, right?

Although, despite Skeen’s impressive performance, Kansas maintained the momentum in the second half, as they limited the Rams offensive series, but also, came within striking distance to retain the lead. The Jayhawks led the Rams during the opening minutes of the first half, but Virginia Commonwealth slowly took their time and eventually stole the lead away from Kansas for good.

Kansas finished the game with three players who recorded 13 points or more, but again, their first half effort was clearly what slowed them down and allowed the Rams to easily escape with a victory.

Marcus Morris finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds, while Tyshawn Taylor added an additional 14 points, three assists and two rebounds.

The Rams run toward a NCAA championship has been exciting, but next Saturday, April 2, they’ll face a team that similar to them, still continues to struggle for respect. The Butler Bulldogs are gritty, tough, physical, as well as play true team basketball, but that can also be said about the Rams, who similar to them, have upset some impressive teams too.

Kentucky 76 – North Carolina 69:

The Tar Heels led once during the entire contest, but that was just 4-2. After falling behind by only two points, John Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats took off and never surrendered the lead.

Brandon Knight scored a team high 22 points, as well as recorded seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Clearly, North Carolina had no idea of how to defend the freshman guard, but despite heading into halftime with an eight point deficit, the Tar Heels rallied in the second half, as well as came within one point of earning their second lead of the game.

Harrison Barnes played tremendous, especially down the stretch when North Carolina was attempting to do everything in their power to either tie the game or force overtime, but Kentucky’s free throw shooting proved to also be the difference during the closing minutes. As a team, the Wildcats converted [10-16] free throws, but North Carolina won the battle at the line, as they sank [12-15].

The Tar Heels clearly seemed to be baffled by the Wildcats fast break offense, yet, North Carolina’s defense played extremely well at times, as well as limited Kentucky to just seven offensive rebounds.

If one were to have looked at the box score, clearly, the single piece of paper doesn’t measure up to the actual performance, but similar to the style of Butler, Kentucky maneuvered themselves past another admirable opponent in order to reach their 13th Final Four in school history.

The Wildcats have won seven national championships and will look to earn banner number eight on April 4, but first, they’ll have to take down another top team, University of Connecticut, which certainly will be the game to watch on April 2, but in the meantime, Kentucky can celebrate like champions because they did indeed win their portion of the Eastern bracket.

Mar 26 2011

NCAA March Madness Day Seven Wrap Up

Walker and Lamb have been an important tandem, which has helped guide the Huskies to the Final Four!

By Andy Lindberg

Mr. Sheen, today there were NCAA basketball games on TV, did you watch any?

“Uh, duh.”

What were the results of those games?

”Winning!”

Note to the reader, Charlie Sheen was not at all interviewed by me for this recap, but if he was, that’s probably how it would have gone. As a tribute, I’ll be quoting Sheen and his “bi-winning” insanity throughout this article.

Butler’s Shelvin Mack was tired of pretending like he wasn’t a total frickin’ rock star from Mars with his 27 points in a win over Florida.  That’s the stat of the day, wee children.

It’s probably safe to say that Mr. Mack was in beast mode.  The game went to overtime as 8th seeded Butler Bulldogs continued it’s rambling plethora of upsets so far in the tournament.  They’re not ranked low enough to call them giant-killers by any means, but they’re most assuredly connoisseurs of the upset.  I mean, c’mon, bro; they’ve got tiger blood.

Someone needs to unplug Kemba Walker’s brain because dude, can’t handle it.  Does that make sense?  Not really, but a good Sheen-ism rarely does.  UCONN was bangin’ seven-gram rocks on Arizona, because that’s how they roll.  With 1 seed Ohio State out of the picture, one wonders if this UCONN team is trying to mack on a championship again.  They’ve been unstoppable since the Big East tourney.

Guard Jeremy Lamb had 19 points off the bench for the Huskies and Walker wasn’t aggressive, he was dominant with 20.  Apparently UCONN loves to party, but what’s not to love?  Arizona made a valiant attempt at a comeback––(I love how we as “sportswriters” must resort consistently to the most archaic and regal phrases to convey anything in sports)––but the attempt fell short is it just feels like it’s UCONN’s year to a certain extent.  Kemba needs a time-out from his goddesses and he’s on a drug, it’s called Charlie Sheen.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, the winner (winning!) of UNC and Kentucky will face UCONN in the Final Four.  Also on deck, Kansas tries to become the only #1 seed to be a warlock and do its job against 11th ranked VCU on their way to, in all likelihood, lose to Butler.  Seriously now, Butler’s an F-18, bro.  And they will destroy teams in the air.  They will deploy their ordinance to the ground as well.

For those of you who were wondering, last week’s matchup between Wile E. Coyote and The Roadrunner did not go in Coyote’s favor.  It never does.  The Roadrunner’s an F-18, bro.

Count the Sheen-isms!

Mar 25 2011

Daily Noontime – March 25, 2011

Nothing like a friendly Baltimore-Boston rivalry!

Happy Friday to everyone and welcome to yet another weekend, as well as another day in paradise! While we anxiously await the weekend to begin, just sit back, relax and enjoy today’s Daily Noontime!

Headlines:

* Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein received a little “too much hate” from the Baltimore Orioles skipper, Buck Showalter.

* Apparently the NFL lockout is aggravating some football fans that one by the name of Ken Lanci has decided to sue the Cleveland Browns, which is quite interesting.

* Yes, the Duke Blue Devils have been eliminated for this years March Madness tournament, but did the team get jinxed by a halftime interview with head coach Mike Krzyzewski? As Duke fans know, an interview with Coach K never ever happens!

* Sadly, San Diego State’s exciting run came to an end, due to UConn’s Kemba Walker‘s 36 points.

* The Minnesota Timberwolves are not going to make the playoffs, but one thing is for sure, shutting down Kevin Love maybe a good option.

* The New York Yankees have signed a new pitcher, welcome Kevin Millwood to the Bronx Bombers.

Games to Watch:

* Philadelphia at Miami (NBA) – 7:30pm eastern

* Vancouver at Atlanta (NHL) – 7:30pm eastern

* New Orleans at Phoenix (NBA) – 10:00pm eastern

Video of the Day:

Remember when Cleveland loved LeBron James?


Mar 20 2011

UConn Knocks off Cincy, Advances to Sweet Sixteen

By Stacey Kilpatrick

Which animal is stronger, a husky or a bearcat? After Saturday night’s NCAA third-round Big East matchup in Washington D.C., a city known for wild elephants and untamed donkey’s, the husky has proven himself to be the more vicious predator.

The #3 Connecticut Huskies — who have won seven games over the past 12 days — defeated the #6 Cincinnati Bearcats 69-58 on Saturday and are moving onto the Sweet Sixteen to face the San Diego State Aztecs on March 24 in Anaheim.

Now I don’t mean to make this recap immediately focus on one particular, rather popular (for good reason) Husky, but let’s be honest, it should start off that way.

Kemba Walker, the Connecticut junior, had another high-achieving March Madness game, as he scored 33 points, pulled down six rebounds, as well as recorded five assists and one steal, all with an injured wrist (from an aggressive intentional foul by Justin Jackson that threw him to the floor) and a seemingly sore thigh (he was grimacing after the play).

Walker scored six of UConn’s final eight points, moving them ahead from 62-54 to 66-54.

The Bearcats came out from the start and made an impression that they were hungry for some “sweet advancement.” Rashad Bishop, (22 points, one rebound, one steal, one block) put two on Cincy’s scoreboard at 19:46 after being fouled by UConn’s Roscoe Smith, (two points, one rebound). By 14:26 the Bearcats were up 12-5 after two Connecticut turnovers.

But Walker, starving as well, wasn’t going to allow the Bearcats to continue their streak. Walker scored seven more for UConn, closing the gap to 17-15 at 12:19. Alex Oriakhi, (four points, 11 rebounds) then added an additional three points, Jeremy Lamb, (14 points, five rebounds) scored a jumper, bringing the Huskies behind, 20-19, and Oriakhi gave the Huskies their first lead, 21-20, at 8:15, with another free-throw.

Lamb added a dunk roughly two minutes later after stealing from Cincy’s Dion Dixon and Walker made a 3 at 5:12. At 4:29, Walker was fouled by Jackson after the Bearcats’ outstretched arm tangled with Walker’s as he attempted a left layup. Walker fell on his wrist, but scored the two ensuing intentional foul shots. Charles Okwandu added a jumper at 4:10 and gave the Huskies their largest lead so far, 31-22, going on a 21-5 run.

Yancy Gates, (11 points, six rebounds) and Jaquon Parker gave the Bearcats six more points, but the first half eventually ended with UConn on top, 37-28.

Just as Cincy took off and slowed down while Connecticut dominated the latter half of the first, the Bearcats were re-energized in the second as they came back to tie it 41-all after a Bishop basket with Kilpatrick assisting at 13:24.

But, while an impressive stride, the Bearcats never moved out in front and at 10:58 Ibrahima Thomas recorded his fourth personal foul for Cincy to coach Mick Cronin’s frustration.

Walker increased UConn’s lead after a foul by Gates that saw a colliding of Gates’ knee in Walker’s left thigh. Walker looked to be in pretty bad pain but he managed through it. He mentioned after the game that he’s always getting hurt, but he wants to win so there’s really no stopping.

At 8:36 Thomas’ collegiate career came to an unfortunate finish after he fouled out, earning six points and all of Cincy’s five fouls. UConn had eight.

The Huskies pretty much solidified their win at 60-52 with 1:31 left. Walker stole from Bishop and passed to Smith for a dunk. Walker was then fouled three times from 50.7 to 25 seconds, nailing all six points.

Cashmere Wright made a last attempt layup with 13 seconds left for Cincy, but Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, (10 points, three rebounds) put two more on the board for UConn after a Jackson foul and it was over at 69-58.

The Huskies travel West to Anaheim to play second-seeded San Diego State on the 24th and with this being SDSU’s first ever trip to the Sweet 16, there’s no knowing what can happen on the court.