Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Arizona State kept things frenetic, showed off fast passing, and played their kind of game-- but the Sun Devils didn't remotely have the individual skills to keep up with UConn.

By the end, it wasn't close. Moore scored 25, mostly from outside, becoming UConn's all-time single-season scoring leader; her team pulled down 45 rebounds, their opponents just nineteen.

The Huskies move on to their second consecutive (tenth overall) Final Four, where they face the same team that knocked them out last year. Wiggins has graduated, Moore and Montgomery have clearly improved since then, and Tina Charles hasn't gotten worse-- but she's going to have to work as hard as ever against Jayne Appel. UConn are faster, with a lot more ups, but Stanford are taller, and Appel is pretty strong, too.

"It's like a movie," says UConn's Kalana Greene. "Last year we thought it was our dream season, and it got cut short. And I think we're going back for revenge."

Hays says UConn are still favored, but all four teams (even Louisville, where I have doubts) could win it all.

ASU fans can think about next season, when Dymond Simon-- sidelined by an ACL after leading her team in scoring through the reg-season-- will take next year off, i.e. redshirt. It seems like a good decision: a lot better than coming back too fast, looking bad on the court, and sabotaging what could be a WNBA career.