Some teams rise out of nowhere to steal championships, while others are expected to be there, and get their fair share of glory. Then there is the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team – where titles are not only expected, but unofficially given once the basketball is tipped on the season’s first game. The program has won so many games, that sport news outlets don’t really report on the team until they lose a game. Check out the stats, folks. They’re trippy.
The Huskies have taken five of the last seven NCAA championships. The Huskies have made it to the Elite Eight, 18 out of the last 20 years. The team has gone to the Final Four eight years straight. The Huskies are in pursuit of their 11th NCAA title. The rest of the teams in the American Athletic Conference combined have zero.
The Huskies are on a 103-1 tear through the league. Think about it, the juniors on the team have lost…once. Remember last year when all of the talk was about the Kentucky Wildcats chasing perfection? The Huskies have done it five times. They’re undefeated this season as well, coming into New Orleans sporting a perfect 20-0 record.
I’ve said it before – the UConn Huskies are the Empire from Star Wars, and the rest of the league is just bands of rebels. The Empire makes its way to New Orleans this Wednesday to take on Coach Lisa Stockton and our favorite band of freedom fighters. Unfortunately for the Green Wave, they may be catching UConn at a bad time (not sure if there’s ever a good time against this team). For, the Huskies have destroyed their last six opponents by an average of 51 points. This stretch includes a recent 55-point demolition of the Temple Owls – who just happened to beat the Green Wave, 72-54, last week. Oh boy.
So, get your green on, and get out to the Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. You will definitely get to see a legendary program in action, and maybe, just maybe, see the upset of the year.
Speaking of Devlin Fieldhouse – somebody look at the walls; I’m sure there is writing on it. The Tulane men’s basketball team stumbled through another rough week, dropping games to South Florida and Tulsa. Worse still, Coach Ed Conroy’s team isn’t showing any improvement, and there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel as the Green Wave tailspins through a 5-game losing streak. The Green Wave was only able to put up 48 points against Tulsa, in a lackluster effort. The team has only beaten one opponent with a winning record (Stephen F. Austin), and the other few victories that they do have, came against teams with a combined record of 33-103. With the arrival of Tulane’s new AD Troy Dannen, and the immediate buzz created around the football program with the hiring of Willie Fritz, it seems there may be a new coach leading the Green Wave basketball team next winter.
And like a fine wine with a steak dinner, every game should be accompanied by a beverage and song.
Beer Pairing – Courtyard Brewery’s “See You In Mexico”
Playlist Recommendation – Crystal Castles & Robert Smith “Not In Love”
Around the Way
Spring hasn’t officially sprung but spring sports have. Say that five times fast. Local baseball teams have kicked off practice, and the tennis squads are into their new campaigns. Tulane travelled to the east coast and knocked off No. 33 Harvard, 4-3. Dominik Koepfer (somebody give this kid a cool nickname) led the way with victories in singles and doubles competition.
Across town, the Xavier University Gold Rush slammed (tennis pun) the Loyola Wolf Pack, 8-1 on Saturday afternoon, to kick off their season. Being ranked in the top 25 is nothing new for Xavier. The Gold Rush have consecutively appeared in the top 25 dating back to April 2007. However, Xavier opens this season ranked No. 4 in NAIA, which is the school’s highest ranking off all time.
One of the my favorite lines from the movie The Big Lebowski is when a thug looks at Lebowski’s bowling ball and, baffled, asks him what it is. To which Lebowski replies, “Obviously, you’re not a golfer.”
But, why am I talking about movies, you ask? It’s bowling season, bro! The Green Wave bowling team got rolling (bowling pun) this past weekend at the Prairie View A&M Invitational. College bowling is a sport where the Monmouths and Arkansas States of the world go toe-to-toe with the Nebraskas and Vanderbilts. The Green Wave, most recently ranked No. 19, took ninth place over the weekend – defeating Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M. Michelle Ng led Tulane with a 197.83 average, and finished 21st overall among all bowlers.
