Champions.

UConn Huskies 2010: 39-0, National Champions.
Back-to-back undefeated national championship seasons.
Seven national championships.
7-0 in the national championship game.
78 straight wins, the most in NCAA Div. I Women's Basketball history.

As all the commentators keep saying, it wasn't pretty but we pulled it out. I don't think I've ever felt as anxious, angry, or restless watching a half of basketball as I did in that first half. I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't nervous for the entire first half of the game. We just didn't look ready to play. Maya Moore was front-rimming a lot of shots, I think she even air-balled one. Nothing but credit to the Stanford defense, but it also just looked like we were nervous and unsure. I wanted to just turn the damn television off for the last minute or so of the first half. I mean, the fact that we couldn't even make free throws was making me physically sick. But like I said, somehow, some way, Maya Moore found a way and made big shot after big shot. Tina Charles realized that she wasn't scoring, so she knew she needed to step up the defensive intensity and she got monster block after monster block. Then the pieces started falling into place. And UConn is a champion again.

By the by, I'm LOVING the full page UConn/Nike ad on the back page of the US Today sports section. It's a close-up photo of a UConn huddle, and it reads: "There are a lot of people complaining that UConn is 'too good.' That they're bad for basketball and boring to watch. That's like complaining that hi-def TV is 'too good' and wishing the picture were a little blurry. 78-0. Just do it."

• First of all, HUGE props to Stanford. They came out and they were not intimidated by UConn at all. They came to win, and that definitely showed. Even as an ardent Huskymaniac, I can admit that if Jayne Appel had been healthy, Gold-Onwude and Hones had been healthy, and Ogwumike had played the way she played in the semifinal game against Oklahoma, the game would have been a whoooooooole different story.
  
  
  
• Jayne Appel: She might not have the hardware, but the girl is a champion. I know she didn't even look like half the player she normally is when she's healthy, but she played through a lot of pain. Watching her take that charge and struggle just to get up and get off the court was painful, even for someone who was rooting for Connecticut. I have so much respect for her, and I think she's going to have a great career in professional basketball. She has always been a phenomenal player (I can still remember when we lost to Stanford in the semis in '08, she and Candice Wiggins were beasting) with a lot of integrity, class, and sportsmanship and she is definitely going to find success post-Stanford.
  
  
  
• Kayla Pedersen: Talk about dependable. Kayla Pedersen always shows up to play, and has been creating matchup problems for teams all year long. She went 15 and 17 in this game and was definitely the star for Stanford. I think she's only going to continue to improve and she's going to continue to just be a headache for teams to guard next year. Huge props to her for playing the way she did in an ugly game for both teams.
  
  
  
• Defense wins championships. That's it. You want to learn how to play good D? Watch UConn. Watch their hands. Their feet. Their footwork. Their communication. Their balance. Their determination. Just watch how hard they work. I love Husky D.
  
• Maya Moore: Doris Burke continually calls her "Maya Magnificent", and she is just that. She went from being ice cold in the first half to just turning it on and straight up taking the team on her back and running with it. Where Maya goes, the team goes. 23 and 11, and those points came when we needed her the most. One of my favorite plays of the game was Tina's block on Ogwumike and then immediate pass upcourt to a streaking Maya. Maya crosses to her right, and goes up and around Pohlen for a BEAUTIFUL layup. I've seen the layup from numerous angles, and it's just gorgeous. Also, props to Pohlen for GREAT body control and not fouling.
  
  But good God Maya Moore is an incredible athlete and just a sensational basketball player. Just like DT, she can carry a team and turn it on when we need her the most. And it's not just scoring, either. It's all the other things she does. I remember she had one pass that was just BEAUTIFUL. Was it to Kalana Greene? I don't remember, but she was out near the three point line, and sent a little leading pass into Kalana just over her left shoulder, where she was able to catch it and make a strong move to the basket for the score. Ooh wee it was pretty! And it's how hard she works to get open, to get the ball. She was running Ogwumike all over that floor and making her work, even when her shots weren't falling. I'm SO thankful to have Maya Moore back next year. Could she possibly be the Wade winner three years in a row? Mayhaps.
  
  
• Tina Charles: Talk about maturation. Tina went from being in Geno's doghouse to being an incredible team leader. The way she stepped up in the championship game last year was phenomenal. But I think she showed how much she has grown as a player in the championship game this year, when she struggled. When she was struggling to score, instead of getting frustrated or giving into desperation, she went to work on the defensive end. She made Jayne Appel work for it, and she made Stanford struggle for their points in the post. She came up with six, count 'em, six blocks in this game. Everyone's talking about Brittney Griner, well Tina Charles is a one-woman swat team too.
  
  Tina Charles' time at UConn was no cakewalk, and she went from being one of Geno's most maligned players to a First Team All-American and a Player of the Year. She's grown so much and has given so much to the team. She leaves as the program's leading scorer and rebounder (and that happened in the same game!), and I'm so happy she gets to leave on top.
  
  
  
• Caroline Doty: Hell yeah. It was awesome to see this kid finally get to play. It was her first full season of basketball in three years! It was so good to see this kid get a little offensive swagger going. Watching her step back and hit those two 3's was great. I identify with her a lot because of her emotion and her fire, and I love watching her play. I can't wait to see how she and Tiffany Hayes step up next year.
  
  
  
• Kelly "Omnu" Faris: Can we talk about this kid for a couple minutes? One of my FAVORITE plays of the game was when she got up for a defensive rebound, came down and kind of lost her footing, but KEPT DRIBBLING, even from her knees. Talk about SOLID. Even though she didn't score any points in 25 minutes, she came in and played phenomenal basketball. She plays such tough perimeter defense, and she gets in there for the boards too. But the part of her stat line that should go in bold? ZERO turnovers. UNBELIEVABLE. For a freshman to go in there, on the highest stage in basketball and do that?
  
  It is very much official that I LOVE Kelly Faris and how she plays. I cannot WAIT to see how she develops both as a player and as a leader for UConn in the next few years.
  
  
• Holler holler holler at Tina Charles, Meghan Gardler, Kaili McLaren, Jacquie Fernandes, and super senior Kalana Greene. Two moments when I thought I was going to lose it: Tina Charles hugging Geno and crying, and Meghan Gardler hugging Tina and crying. What a way to send these amazing seniors out.
  
  
  

U-C-O-N-N ...
UCONN!
UCONN!
UCONN!