BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers are gunning for that #1 spot for the playoffs.  But, down almost 3 games to the Spurs, they pretty much have to play perfectly down the stretch.  They assumed that they would beat a hapless Utah Jazz team on their home court at Staples Center.  But, you can never count out a team who has the best player that used to play on a college team that just lost their second straight National Championship.  That man is former Butler star Gordon Hayward.  Andrew Bynum had a pretty nice game for the Lakers, finishing with a tremendous 23 rebounds, but Howard had an impressive night with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and the game winning drive that got him fouled and sent him to the line to put the Jazz up 1.  The Lakers had one last chance, gave it to Kobe, but he lost control of the ball and the Lakers lost!!!  Wow, a big slip up by Kobe, which could have serious implications for their future.  Utah 86, LA Lakers 85.

In the final coaches poll of the men’s college basketball season, a bit of an oddity.  Typically, because there is a tournament to actually decide a winner, the coaches vote unanimously for the team that won.  In this case UConn.  But ONE coach out of 31 didn’t select UConn as the best team overall.  He picked Ohio State, and stated, “I voted for the team with the overall best body of work”.  Ohio State did have a very impressive season, winning big in a tough Big 10 conference and even going undefeated for most of the season.  But, bottom line is, they didn’t win it all.  In fact they didn’t even advance to the Elite 8.  UConn certainly didn’t lose any sleep or feel slighted by that lone vote, but it’s still a pretty odd thing to vote for.  In college football, with an occasional controversial winner in place, you could argue ‘maybe’, but in a tourney that actually crowns a winner?  Little strange .

Finally, in the Women’s College Basketball Championship, it was Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame — two teams that pulled remarkable upsets on Sunday over the favored #1 seeds.  Notre Dame is known for their high-powered offense, and A&M is known for their staunch defense.  Both teams came through on their reputations.  A&M’s center, Danielle Adams finished the night with a whopping 30 points, but with just under a minute to play, A&M turned the ball over only up by 3.  Notre Dame had a chance to tie the game, but the Aggies had another defensive stance and STOLE THE BALL!  That would give them possession, and send them to the line to finalize the game.  A&M was simply on a roll this tournament, and last night, they put the cap on the bottle.  Congratulations to Texas A&M.  Texas A&M 76, Notre Dame 70.