Monday, March 24, 2008

NCAA Tournament

I tried to catch a few games this weekend, but managed to only see part of the Connecticut game, part of the Purdue game and most of the Tennessee game.

Maya Moore looked fine, though she got the announcers gossipping in the first half about whether she was ready to play at this level. She really wasn't needed in the first half, though as her team blew Cornell out early. Maya did shut them up in the second half, finishing with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block.

The Purdue/Utah game was much closer than the other two I watched, which should be expected given the 8th seed/9th seed matchup, the selection team did a nice job with this matchup. Purdue finally took control in the last minute or so of the game. Unfortunately for them they have to face Pat Summit's team in the next round.

Last year Candace Parker set tournament firsts with two dunks in a game in the first round. This time she scored a little and sat on the bench a lot after getting in early foul trouble and then having the bench rout the competition. Still, she put up 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 4 steals and a block in 18 minutes of play. Freshman Anne Bjorklund filled the gap nicely, with 16 points, 7 rebounds and a block. Alexis Hornbuckle hit a number of open threes, but I am still not sure that she is a top 10 pick. Oral Roberts put up a good fight early, especially considering that they lost their leading scorer with a knee sprain on the opening tip when she slipped on a Tennessee cheerleader sign under the basket while chasing the loose ball.

I am looking forward to the next round.

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