By Karen Bailis
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Are we headed for the inevitable in women's basketball, a Tennessee-Connecticut final in the NCAA Tournament? Gosh, I hope not.
I can't wait for the semi-finals tonight at the St. Pete Times Forum, where UConn takes on Stanford in the first matchup, then Tennesse faces off with SEC rival LSU. Right now, I have all the confidence in the world that No. 2 seed Stanford can topple Connecticut from its lofty No. 1 perch and that resilient No. 2 seed LSU can knock off defending champ Tennessee and injured star Candace Parker.
Of course, I almost always approach a game between Connecticut and another highly ranked opponent hopeful for an upset win for the opponent. Doesn't matter who the opponent is, I just like to see 1) an underdog win 2) smug Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma go crazy on the sidelines and get cut down to size a bit.
I've soul-searched for a long time looking for a source for my intense dislike for the University of Connecticut team, and I think I've found it: It's Geno. I don't deny his outsized coaching abilities, it's his outsized bombasticity that really bugs me. He does a great job recruiting and brings tremendous players to Storrs, and I have nothing against those players. I'm truly looking forward to three more years of Maya Moore and four of Husky-to-be Elena Delle Donne; Geno's arrogance and Pat Summitt-baiting have made it impossible for me to root for his team. That, and the annoying UConn fanatism I have to put up with from my newsroom boss.
Having established that I don't like Connecticut, I still truly believe Stanford and Candice Wiggins can outplay UConn and Moore. Wiggins is a senior, Moore a freshman. Wiggins is the only player to have put together two Tournament games with 40-plus points; Moore looked tentative in scoring 7 points in the Regional Final against Rutgers. Moore has rarely looked like a freshman in the wondrous year she's had, but no one could blame her of the freshman jitters visit on the huge stage of the Final Four.
The two stars have worthy supporting casts who will have to step up. Stanford's Jayne Appel, Kayla Pederson and J.J. Hones proved they can put up big points as they did in their Regional Final against 1-seed Maryland.They'll have to do so again to have a shot against Connecticut, and they'll have to throw some serious defense on the Huskies just to keep themselves in the game. It's a tough order, but it can be done.
Tennessee is even more vulnerable. Parker's been working with the training staff around the clock since dislocating her shoulder twice against Texas A&M in their Regional. There's no doubt she'll play, but will she be 100 percent? Parker at 60 percent is certainly better than no Parker at all, because Tennessee's offense was nonexistent for the 10 minutes she missed against A&M. Guard Alexis Hornbuckle will have to come through, and so will point guard Shannon Bobbitt, whose been slumping in the Tournament. LSU, on the other hand, has been surging. They're in their fifth consecutive Final Four, and this one can be their breakthrough. Big Syl, 6-6 center Sylvia Fowles, has been playing her best basketball, and the Tigers perimeter -- Qianna Chaney, RaShonta LeBlanc and Erica White -- has been hitting on all cylinders. I'm really looking forward to the mighty-mite showdown between White and Bobbitt, two smart points who like to mix it up.
So, yes, a final with teams other than Tennessee-Rutgers is possible, and to me, preferable. I'm just tired of all the hype surrounding these two teams and the animosity between the two coaches. The rivalry used to be good for the game, now I think it's reached dysfunctional overload and is a detriment.
Let's set the stage for new rivals. LSU-Stanford? More likely, LSU-UConn. Let's see if Geno strafes affable LSU coach Van Chancellor the way he does with Summitt. Let's see East Coast brash vs. aw-shucks Southern charm, NY's Tina Charles in center vs. Florida hometown girl Big Syl. I pick LSU.