Virginia’s next coach will be Tony Bennett, who informed Washington State administrators and players that he has accepted the Cavaliers’ job offer. Bennett’s teams play a slow-paced, defensive-minded brand of basketball that is atypical for most ACC teams. All but 10 ACC teams rank in the top half of the NCAA for tempo while the Cougars were the fifth slowest of 344 Division I teams this season.
Month: March 2009
UConn, Arizona State Women Advance From Trenton
One team held serve while another gave a big surprise at the NCAA Women’s Regionals at Sovereign Bank Arena on Sunday. Number one and unblemished UConn dispatched Cal 77-53 in a game that was more competitive than the score hints. In the nightcap, sixth seed Arizona State upset second-seeded Texas A&M 84-69.
Struggling Reynolds Doesn’t Surprise in the End
Scottie Reynolds has had his struggles during the postseason, and he didn’t put up the most stellar numbers in Boston. But he kept competing, and when it counted, he put up the numbers that mattered the most for Villanova.
Alabama: Crimson Tide Pluck Grant From VCU
Alabama looked to one of the most successful mid-major programs in VCU and Rams coach Anthony Grant for a successor to Mark Gottfried. Grant informed the Rams Friday that he would leave the university for Alabama.
Elon: Phoenix Turn Within SoCon for Next Coach
Elon looked across North Carolina and within the Southern Conference to pick Davidson associate coach Matt Matheny as the Phoenix’s next coach. Matheny will be taking on his first head coaching job after working as an assistant to Davidson coach Bob McKillop for 16 seasons.
North Carolina: Tar Heels Return to Final Four
Sophomore forward Blake Griffin got the better of senior forward Tyler Hansbrough in a clash of stars, but the rest of No. 1 North Carolina dominated the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners in a 72-60 win. Junior point guard Ty Lawson had another strong game with 19 points, five rebounds and five assists to help get the Tar Heels to a second consecutive Final Four.
Michigan State: Spartans Grind Down Louisville
No. 2 Michigan State remained patient for 40 minutes and dictated the pace of the game to beat No. 1 Louisville 64-52. Sophomore point guard Kalin Lucas executed a strong game plan that protected the ball against Louisville’s trapping, aggressive defense. Senior forward Goran Suton had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Spartans, who shot 46 percent from the field.
Villanova Completes Long Road to Final Four
It’s been a long road to the Final Four for Villanova, a seemingly unlikely team. They had a lot of obstacles to survive and advance, both in the big picture and on Saturday night, but they did exactly that.
Tennessee State: Tigers Pick Cooper to Lead Team
Tennessee State has hired Auburn assistant John Cooper to become the Tigers’ next coach. Cooper has been an assistant coach at Auburn for the past six years and also has experience at Oregon and Fayetteville State.
Connecticut: Huskies Claim First Spot in Final Four
No. 1 Connecticut handled No. 3 Missouri’s just well enough and received excellent play off the bench from freshman guard Kemba Walker to beat the Tigers 82-75, becoming the first team to reach this year’s Final Four. Walker’s speed and energy helped foil the Tigers’ active full-court press.
