Ready for a coronation

UConn about to become one of the best in history

Sue Bird has become a more assertive shooter, says Deitsch. AP

By Richard Deitsch, Sports Illustrated

Whom to Watch: UConn's Sue Bird was once a reluctant scorer; now she's the best clutch shooter in the college game and has an innate feel for taking and hitting the big shot. Bird is averaging 19.4 points during the tournament and has a 3.2-to-1 assists-to-turnover ratio. Center Ashja Jones was the best player on the floor against Tennessee. She dominated Michelle Snow and finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Diana Taurasi rebounded from last year's nightmare shooting performance in the Final Four to score 17 and grab 10 rebounds against the Lady Vols. Only Bird and Taurasi form a better backcourt than Oklahoma's talented tandem of Stacey Dales and LaNeishea Caufield. Caufield is a defensive terror and usually gets the assignment of guarding the opposition's top offensive threat. Dales, the Big 12 Player of the Year, is one of the nation's best shooters and also a dynamic scorer. The Sooners backcourt combined for 1,205 points and 265 assists this season. (Bird and Taurasi finished with 1,100 points and 431 assists.) Senior Rosalind Ross stunned Duke with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Don't leave her open.

What to Expect: These teams played on Dec. 22, a less than aesthetically pleasing 86-72 UConn victory. There were 49 fouls and neither team shot over 40 percent from the field. The refs should let them play this time, and UConn will have a huge advantage in the frontcourt with Jones, Swin Cash and Tamika Williams. Expect UConn to go inside early and often. The guard matchup should be tremendous with Caufield, an all-world defender, facing off against Bird, the national player of the year. Both teams like to run, and rebounding keys each transition game. It's vital for the Sooners to stay close to UConn on the boards, which will be difficult since the Huskies are the toughest team in the country to get an offensive rebound against. UConn has only trailed a total of four minutes and 25 seconds during the tournament. Very scary.

Who Wins: Ask the UConn players about the championship game, and they'll tell you that the game they had really been looking forward to was the semifinal against Tennessee, to make up for when they blew a big lead against Notre Dame in the Final Four last year. Oklahoma has great guards, which should keep the Sooners in the game early, but in the second half UConn's superior strength on the glass will start to take hold. Two weeks ago Geno Auriemma sat in his office and told Sports Illustrated that whenever he gets antsy about the prospects of his team going wayward, he remembers a simple truism: Sue Bird won't let us lose. Remember that when Bird is cutting down the nets Sunday night. It's a UConn coronation -- Huskies by 15.

 

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