National Title Game Preview: Louisville takes on almighty UCONN

So it's set, we have a Big East showdown in St. Louis for the National Championship.

Louisville has a chance to do something that hasn't been done in 38 games this season, beat UConn.

It will no doubt me tough for Louisville. The teams have faced off twice this season.

In their first match-up on Jan. 26, UConn blew away Louisville, 93-65. Maya Moore's 27 points more than made up the difference in the game for the Huskies.

These two teams would meet up again in the Big East Tournament Finals. For the Cardinals, it wasn't any better than their first performance against the Huskies. UConn won in dominating fashion over Louisville, 75-36.

To say that the Cardinals could make this a game is unfortunately wishful thinking. Not once have the Huskies won a game by less than 10 points. The closest victory for the Huskies this season was when they won by 11 points over Georgia Tech in the first game of the season.

The Cardinals will have to go all out for 40 minutes to try and stop Moore and her Huskies squad. Is it possible? Anything is possible. Will it happen? We'll have to wait and see how things shake out tonight. Enjoy the game!


Photo Credit: Associated Press

Louisville vs. UCONN in the National Title Game

So the final is set. We have Louisville taking on UCONN.

Louisville held off Oklahoma late to reach the title game, winning 61-59. Angel McCoughtry had a double-double, scoring 18 points and picking up 11 rebounds. As for UCONN, they made light work of Stanford, defeating the Cardinal 84-63.

Renee Montgomery's 26 points helped put the Huskies in the National Title Game. The Huskies have a chance to win their sixth National Championship in their history. This would also be their sixth under head coach Geno Auriemma.

I'll have a preview for Tuesday.

Final Four Preview Numero Dos: UCONN vs. Stanford

This match might look familiar to you. If it is, then you are correct. The two teams battled it out in last year's national semifinals. Stanford won the game last year 82-73. This time around, UCONN looks to defeat Stanford and uphold their undefeated record.

If UCONN wins out, they will once again finish the season 39-0. The Huskies previously did so in 2002.

As the top seed in the Trenton region, the Huskies won their first round game 105-64 over Vermont. The Huskies would go on to defeat the Florida Gators, 87-59 in the second round.

For the Sweet 16, the Huskies defeated California 77-53. In the Elite Eight, the Huskies defeated Arizona State 83-64 and would advance to the Final Four.

For Stanford, they won all four of their tournament games by an average of 20 points. First, they took care of the University of California-Santa Barbara; then they took care of San Diego State University to advance to the Sweet 16 in the Berkeley region.

For the Sweet 16, the Cardinal defeated Ohio State 84-66. In the Elite Eight, they defeated Iowa State 74-53.

Key players:

Forward Maya Moore is averaging 19.2 points per game for the Huskies. The sophomore's 25 points against Arizona State helped get the Huskies the win in the regional final.

Junior Jayne Appel is vital to the success of Stanford. Appel averages 15.9 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. Appel scored 46 points in the Elite Eight game against Iowa State.

Prediction:

Stanford 67 - UCONN 61

Final Four Preview Numero Uno: Louisville vs. Oklahoma

Ahh yes, the first of our two Final Four previews. It's the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma Sooners taking on No. 3 seeded Louisville Cardinals.

After finishing second in the regular season in the Big East, the Cardinals found themselves in the Raleigh region, with a first round match up against Liberty University. The Cardinals made quick work of the Lady Flames, winning 62-42.

In the second round, they faced the LSU Tigers. All-American Angel McCoughtry's 28 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line, helped guide the Cardinals into the Sweet 16, as they defeated the Tigers 62-52.

The Cardinals faced Baylor in the regional semifinals, where once again McCoughtry would shine for Louisville. Her 22 points helped guide the Cardinals to a 56-39 and a showdown with Maryland.

The Cardinals would reach their first Final Four after defeating the Lady Terrapins 77-60. McCoughtry once more would come up big for the Cardinals as she scored 21 points with 13 rebounds.

The Sooners found themselves playing close to home after picking up the top seed in the Oklahoma City region. They made quick work of Prarie View A&M, winning the game 76-47.

In round two, the Sooners defeated Georgia Tech 69-50. The Sooners outscored the Yellow Jackets 40-21 in the second half. Danielle Robinson's 15 points helped get the Sooners into the Sweet 16.

Whitney Hand's 22 points helped put the Sooners into the Elite Eight, defeating Pittsburgh 70-59. They would go on to defeat Purdue 74-68 to get the Sooners into the Final Four.

Key players:

The key player for Louisville is of course McCoughtry. The senior is averaging 23 points and 9 rebounds per game.

For Oklahoma, it comes down to Courtney and Ashley Paris. The duo have combined to score more than 28 points per game. With the motivation of her scholarship wager, Courtney Paris certainly will look to shut down the Cardinals.


Prediction

Oklahoma 61 - Louisville 54

Making the comeback

It's been a long time in between posts and for that I apologize. I do miss putting this blog together. It was fun initially and I hope it can be something I can keep going for the future. There is a lot of women's sports going on. I hope to have a Final Four preview post up by tomorrow.


Meanwhile, enjoy your Saturday evening and I hope it's not going to snow where you are.

WTA Update: Serena wins US Open

Serena Williams needed only two sets to win her match against Jelena Jankovic on Sunday night. Williams defeated Jankovic to win her third and her ninth grand slam title.

Williams won the first set 6-4 and the second set 7-5. Williams needed only two hours to win the match.

It's Williams' first grand slam title since the 2007 Australian Open and only her third grand slam title since 2005.

Williams won the match despite picking up 39 unforced errors in the match. The match was so competitive that Williams won only 10 more points than Jankovic.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

WTA Update: Jankovic vs. Williams in US Open Final

After two weeks of battling it out we are now down to our final two competitors at the US Open. These two will face off against each other on Saturday night. No.-2 ranked Jelena Jankovic will face no.-4 ranked Serena Williams.

Jankovic defeated Elena Dementieva in straight sets to advance to her first ever final at the US Open. Jankovic won the match 6-4 (twice). Jankovic made fewer mistakes in the match and that made the difference. JJ had only one double fault in the match.

Meanwhile, Williams defeated Dinara Safina to reach a US Open final for the fourth time. It's her first US Open final since 2002. Williams won her semifinal match in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-2.

This match will be the seventh encounter for JJ and Williams. The series is currently tied at three. If Williams wins, it's another grand slam title added to her legacy. If Jankovic wins, it's a beginning of a legacy for her.