Basketball Thoughts

I love that I write about basketball so much that I actually have a label for "basketball". In any case, I'm partying at the U.G.L., "working on my thesis" and "reading Anne Frank's diary" (which is, according to Sarah Readinstinkel, "off the chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain"), but mostly I'm watching the women's Final Four on espn3.com. It was espn360 just yesterday. LITERALLY. Just yesterday. Weirdsies. Anyway.

Notes from Oklahoma/Stanford:

• Even though Oklahoma didn't advance to the title game, they fought back from an 18 point deficit. Ogwumike (she's only a sophomore? YIKES for everyone else in the country) was still beasting, but the Sooners found some way to step it up. They fought back, legit.
  
• Amanda "The Waitress" Thompson is incredible. Dolphin Pride, hell yeah!
  
• Hakeem Olajuwon is looking hell of haggard!
• If it's possible, Sherri Coale looks better than she looks when I saw her at state back in '06. She is such a great coach -- so much fire, so much energy, and just so tenacious.
  
• Whitney Hand is adorable. If you don't believe me, just Google her. Oh mylanta. Sooner Cuties? Sameer would hate me forever. But I'm just saying. (Also my number buddy.)

I can see a little bit of a parallel between our team this season and Oklahoma. They weren't supposed to be this good this year. They lost the Paris twins, most notably the incomparable Courtney Paris, and they lost Whitney Hand early this season to an ACL tear. No one had them going this far. But one word they kept using to describe the team this season was "resilient". I LOVE what Coach Coale preached to her team: NEVER lower your expectations. I don't care who you lose or how hard the road looks, you NEVER for a second give up on your dreams or expect any less from yourself and your team. The announcers were all saying that Stanford was in the championship game when there was still something like five minutes left to play in the game. But Oklahoma BATTLED back. Oklahoma didn't just let people write them off. And I want to do that this year. I know it's been a rough "regular season", but it's Series time. Let's take a page out of Oklahoma's book. Holler holler holler, AT.


Notes from UCONN/Baylor:

• 77 and counting.
  
• One name: Maya Moore. Unbelievable. This girl is so, so, so special. And you know what? We get another year of her. Yessssss.
• Tina Charles. Just, wow. When faced with a challenge like Brittney Griner, she showed up to play. 21 and 13? Holler holler holler. I'm excited to see what she's gonna do against Stanford's Big Three.
• Whenever they talk about Doty and her foul trouble, sometimes I wonder if they're also talking about me and my emotional issues on the field. Yikes.
  
• UConn showed tonight why they're going to be National Champions yet again: No matter how hard you come, they're going to come harder. (That's what she said this all you can.) When both teams were exhausted, it was UConn that ran harder, cut harder, and buckled down on D. It was UConn who kept their composure when Baylor came storming back into the game, and it was UConn who closed it out.
  
• I heart Kelly Faris. I'd like to see her develop a little swagger about her. That probably won't happen, but once she gets a little more confidence, she's gonna be good. Geno says she's his smartest player, and I can definitely see that. I mean, she is SOLID and she's only a freshman. I was LOVING some of her passes tonight. She's also got a CANNON on her! Did anyone else see that inbounds pass she threw to Maya Moore for the layup? She is quickly becoming one of my favorite Huskies. Funny that so many of my favorite UConn players have at some point or another in their careers worn a face mask ...
  
• Kelsey Bone! Girl, you know you wanna be a part of this! As Winkz would say, holler holler holler!
  

I CANNOT wait to watch the National Championship game (hopefully not on my computer at the Union/Undergrad, I think everyone hated me while the game was on and I was freaking out about the lagging connection. Ha I straight SPRINTED from the Union to the Undergrad during halftime to ensure that I wouldn't miss anything.)

Stanford's gonna be tough this time around. Pedersen is a special player who doesn't get the credit she deserves. She's like the Jen Weizeorick of Stanford basketball. Jayne Appel is narsty. I can't even imagine how much more of an impact she'd make if she was healthy. Her passing is on point, and as much as I hate it, I really do like her baby hook. I'd love to see her baby hook versus Tina's! And Ogwumike is just on fire. I mean, the girl is having an AMAZING tournament. She is really making an argument for being the MOP of the Final Four. She's going to be really, really tough to stop. But ya'll know how I'm going with this one: UConn's gonna win. You just can't stop Maya Moore. You can't. She finds a way, no matter what. She works harder than you, and what's more, she's better than you. What up. Tina Charles is going to be a MONSTER. I know it. She will dominate the post. I think Tiffany Hayes is due for a big game on Tuesday, and so is Kalana Greene. I think it's gonna be a close game for all of the first half because Stanford is a GOOD team and they've learned from December, but UConn pulls away in the second half, just like they did in their first meeting. Holler. Scoresville.


Thoughts on Butler/Duke:

• Welp. Ya'll know how I feel about Duke, soooooo ... go Butler? I'm actually kind of apathetic about this game. I have friends who go to both schools, so I think I'm just hoping for a good game.
  
• I've discussed this with my friends who are Duke fans, and we are in agreement that Kyle Singler is the most hideous uggo we have ever seen in our lives. Butler needs to shut him down tomorrow so they don't zoom in on him quite so much. Yuck!
• Jon Scheyer is the WORST. All that needs to be said.
  
• I'm not a Duke fan, but I am a ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ fan. What up size over skill (what?).
  

White Sox jersey tomorrow and UConn jersey on Tuesday. Holler holler holler.
It's a great week for sports, and it's gonna be a great two nights of basketball, eek!
(Funny that I've just written more analysis for basketball than I've written for ultimate all year. YIKES.)