NFL
By: Jeff Newholm
Has there ever been a more predictable program than The Road Runner Show? The wily but common-sense-lacking Coyote never succeeds, and the Road Runner never seems to notice its danger.
Uconn opponents surely felt like the Coyote for seven years in the American Conference. Running futilely on a failure treadmill, the Huskies never lost a conference game. After a perfect first season in the Big East, it appeared that the basketball Gods had run out of original ideas.
Funny, though, how Hollywood adapts to changing tastes.
After 169 consecutive conference wins, Villanova finally stabbed the beast in Hartford. Although it took 90 minutes longer than another Coyote failure, the Wildcats permanently changed the Big East script. After two conference losses this season, the Huskies needed a win in its penultimate road game just to clinch a share of the tile.
Only a share? The horror!
Count DePaul as not too sympathetic.
Team NBS Media observed a world record Saturday night: Uconn coach Geno Auriemma’s biggest smile ever as he hugged friend and DePaul coach Doug Bruno. But on the court, friendliness vanished. This afternoon perhaps would be proud different than UConn’s 23 previous games against DePaul: all Husky wins, usually one-sided.
However, Uconn’s best player, Paige Bueckers, could only stand sadly on the court in warmups, maybe contemplating how fun it would be to play in the upcoming contest. Unfortunately for Uconn, Bueckers won’t compete for a minute this season due to a leg injury. Also noticeably out of the starting lineup was fellow sharpshooter Azzi Fudd, out for a second stretch with a knee ailment.
After 40 years of frustration, the mildly cool yet brilliantly sunny Chicago midday could envelop Wintrust Arena with a historic Blue Demon history.
Amid a brazing, back-and-forth brawl, Uconn 6’ 5” beast Dorka Juhász suddenly crumpled to the ground in agony. Yikes! Another injury?
Thankfully for the Huskies, their players refuse to bow out of a competition lightly. Minutes later, Juhász returned to the court.
DePaul took a five-point lead through the third-quarter horn and maintained a four-point lead with minutes left.
Uconn, however, always seems the toughest out in basketball. Even the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks could only best the Huskies by four.
The Huskies burst to a five-point lead in mere moments, but DePaul hit two free throws, and Uconn gasped in tremendous disappointment when their would-be clinching layup rattled out. After a Blue Demon layup, Juhász threw an inbound pass that bounced awry, leading to a DePaul fast break.
The Blue Demons’ spectacular scoring star, Aneesha Morrow, drove towards the basket and Big East history.
Yet the beast, although stabbed thrice more in two conference seasons than seven combined in the American, just wouldn’t die.
Juhász grabbed the ball, forcing a jump ball call, with the possession arrow cruelly pointing towards Morrow’s hoop. TwoHusky free throws pushed the lead back to three with seconds left, and without a timeout remaining, DePaul’s last three fell short and bounced out of bounds as the final buzzer sounded.
With the Big East tournament but a week away, both proud programs must quickly prepare for greater glory. Uconn can clinch the regular season title outright with a win in its Monday finale, while DePaul travels to Marquette for a tournament tune-up.
Although the conference tournament returns to Uncasville, Connecticut, the outcome is far from assured. With numerous narrow wins and dual defeats, the Huskies are not their usual shoo-ins for the trophy. DePaul, meanwhile, needs to win the tourney to make the Big Dance.
Morrow could only chase the ball in the final moment, as again, the Blue Demons couldn’t escape their disappointment purgatory. But nightfall in Chicago, and for the mightily dignified DePaul program, still stood far away.
And even should midnight strike again in the postseason, the Blue Demons must remember: the sun of opportunity has a winning streak that never fails.
