A $5,000 Fine? Money Well Spent
The Story: UConn must pay a $5,000 fine after fans stormed the court at the XL Center once the men’s basketball team knocked off Villanova on Tuesday night, and we could easily argue it was worth every penny.
WHAT GIVES? The Big East, like many other conferences, sanctions programs when their fans storm the court or the field following a game because it wants to protect the players, coaches and others involved.
• A Big East spokesperson said that the school had been notified that it must pay that money, which can go to a charity of its choosing. It’s a rather insignificant amount when you think that the SEC fines schools up to $250,000 for storming the football field (and at least then we get to watch the hilarity of college kids being eaten by shrubbery).
• There’s some kind of irony that the win, and the storming, happened at the XL Center, which is again at the center of debates over its viability in the community and UConn’s role in propping it up. It’s safe to say that if the game had been held at Gampel Pavilion, there would have been actual concerns about Villanova’s safety.
PERFECT PAYOFF: Dan Hurley said the alley-oop from R.J. Cole to Andre Jackson to start the game was designed specifically to rile up the crowd and create the atmosphere the Huskies wanted.
• “That was a designed lob for Andre,” Hurley wrote in a text to Hearst Connecticut’s Mike Anthony. “And the [Tyler] Polley 3 to cut the lead to 1 were both new plays we put in for that game.”
• It was only the fourth time since the start of the 2000-01 season that fans stormed the court, with the last in 2013-14. It has been a long time since the Huskies have had something exciting to celebrate.
• “That’s what college sports is about,” said associate head coach Kimani Young. “Awesome experience. Awesome atmosphere. Listen, I know we’re UConn, but we deserved to storm the court tonight.”
Bueckers In Uniform as Huskies Win Big East
The Story: The women’s basketball team won its 21st Big East title, and its ninth consecutive conference title, with a resounding 69-38 win over Marquette at the XL Center (and the court was not stormed afterward).
BUECKERS DRESSES! Even though she only participated in warmups and wasn’t able to play, it was certainly a welcome sight to see Paige Bueckers wearing a uniform before the game.
• Bueckers was merely taking the next step in her rehab, a school spokeswoman said, and was not going to ever have a chance of playing against Marquette. Given the way the game ended, though, it seemed like a few minutes of harmless fun would have been possible — and as we all know, Geno Auriemma loves to have her out on the court in garbage time.
• She’ll meet with the team’s medical staff this afternoon, at which point the next steps in her return will be charted. We’ve been told not to expect her for the game tomorrow night against St. John’s.
AND THE GAME? Ah, yes, the game! The Huskies (20-5, 14-1 Big East) throttled the Golden Eagles, whom we expected to put up a bit more of a fight last night given the first game between the teams.
• Evina Westbrook broke out in a big way with 17 points off 6-for-8 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench as Nika Muhl was limited by foul trouble. She was one of four players to reach double figures in scoring, joining Azzi Fudd, who had 13 points, and Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Aliyah Edwards, who each had 10.
• Nelson-Ododa was back in the starting lineup after playing off the bench in the last two. She missed the previous three with an illness.
• About the only drama involving the game — after it was decided that Bueckers would not play — involved Dorka Juhasz. She was hit and bleeding from the mouth in the fourth quarter but is OK.
WHAT DID GENO SAY? “It’s different kind of a challenge this year than it was before. The thing that makes it rewarding from a basketball standpoint is this probably the most frustrated I’ve ever been trying to teach the game of basketball. Because in addition to having a lot of young kids, you never know how many you’re gonna have there on any given day or how much you can practice on any given day. This was very rewarding to have this happen and it means a lot.”
UP NEXT: St. John’s will be at Gampel Pavilion tomorrow night.
Morning Reads
• The Knicks have agreed that Kemba Walker will not play again the rest of this season. He last played Feb. 16 against the Nets and, if he indeed will not play again this season, he’ll finish with career lows in points, rebounds, assists, minutes and even games played. It was a really sad home for Walker, who was happy to join the Knicks but will be a free agent after the season. (ESPN.com)
