2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Barring a meeting in the NCAA tournament, the Golden Eagles will have to wait until next year for another shot at Connecticut after falling 63-55 to second-seeded Rutgers Monday night in the Big East tournament semifinals. Center Kia Vaughn scored 22, grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked four shots to lead the Scarlet Knights.
A three-year starter tore cartilage in his right knee during Louisville's second official practice of the season. A skilled post player fractured his kneecap during the Cardinals' second game. And those were just the injuries. Another post player was suspended after missing curfew following a loss to Dayton.
It was Terri Mitchell bobblehead night at the Al McGuire Center Saturday. But while the chins on the dolls were moving up and down, there was a stretch in the middle of the first half when it seemed as though the other Mitchell - the one pacing in front of the home bench - could only shake her head as Connecticut ran off 12 straight points to put Marquette down for good.
The men's basketball team put itself on a collision course with Pittsburgh when it secured a No. 6 seed in the Big East tournament by beating the Panthers for the second time this season Saturday night. In order to play No. 13 Pitt, though, No. 18 Marquette (23-8, 10-6) must first beat eleventh-seeded St.
For most of the year, sophomore guard Jerel McNeal has been the object of a solid portion of my ire regarding the men's basketball team for his propensity to turn the ball over. My theory was that McNeal essentially cancelled himself out; he would compile four steals in a game but also give up four turnovers (or more).
To say the Connecticut Huskies are the class of the Big East would be a considerable understatement considering their run over the past two days to the conference tournament championship game. After pounding No. 8 seed South Florida 74-54 in the quarterfinals Sunday, Connecticut smacked around No.
Make it two in a row for Mike Van Sickle. The big-hitting sophomore posted three rounds of one-under 71 to win the Ron Smith/USF Invitational over the weekend, a week after pulling away from the pack at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate. Just a couple weeks ago, coach Tim Grogan harped on about the struggles of his team on the final day of the tournament.
No. 1 Georgetown (23-6, 13-3) Leading scorer: Jeff Green (13.6 ppg) Winners of 12 of their last 13 games, the Hoyas' methodical style will give opponents fits in postseason play. No. 2 Louisville (22-8, 12-4) Leading scorer: Terrence Williams (12.1 ppg) Coach Rick Pitino's squad has peaked at the right time of the season and is primed for a tournament run.
Three weeks ago the Marquette men's tennis team was 3-4 and reeling after giving up two leads in three matches. Since then, the Golden Eagles have won three straight by a combined score of 18-3, their latest victory being a 6-1 decision over Wright State Saturday night at the Helfaer Rec Center.
ESPN College Gameday was there. So was the 1977 NCAA Championship team. A record-crowd of 19,021 fans cheered their hearts out. "When you have this kind of opportunity," Marquette head coach Tom Crean said after the game, "you have to seize it.
