Sport: for UConn, Even the greatest streak has an end

The Huskies’ 111-game run came to a stunning end when Mississippi State pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in women’s basketball history, winning 66-64 on Morgan William’s overtime buzzer beater in the national semifinals Friday night.

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Mississippi State stuns UConn at the buzzer! (via @espn)

11:25 PM - 31 Mar 2017

 
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“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Auriemma said. “It’s something I’ve been talking about to the guys all year long. I’ve been talking about it all year. We’re playing way above our years, way above our experience level and tonight it caught up to us when we needed to be more mature with what we’re doing.”

“We didn’t have it. A big part of it was because of what they were doing,” the coach said.

The Huskies hadn’t lost in 865 days, with that defeat coming to Stanford in overtime on Nov. 17, 2014. Winning had become routine, often by routs. But in an instant, their drive toward a fifth consecutive national championship had been blocked.

When William’s jumper dropped, Auriemma broke into that wry smile. He turned to his bench, then went to congratulate the Bulldogs.

“We had an incredible run, but we came up against a much better team tonight,” Auriemma said.

It took an incredible shot by Mississippi State’s diminutive point guard to end the historic streak.

William hit a 15-footer to cap it, moments after a replay review awarded UConn two free throws for a flagrant 1 foul call that tied the score with 26.6 seconds left.

“I live for moments like this,” William said. “UConn, they’re an incredible team. For me to make that shot against them, it’s unbelievable. I’m still in shock right now. I wanted to take the shot. I wanted to take the shot and I made it.”

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UConn guard Gabby Williams wipes away tears after Friday night’s stunning Final Four loss.AP

The Bulldogs (34-4) will play South Carolina for the national championship Sunday night in a matchup of two SEC teams.

Mississippi State and UConn met in the Sweet 16 last season and the Huskies won by 60 points — the most-lopsided win in regional semifinals history. All season long the Bulldogs had that humiliating loss on their minds.

Now they have erased that defeat, beating UConn (36-1) on the grandest stage in one of the sport’s greatest games.

“I don’t have to play them 100 times. Only have to beat them once,” Mississippi State coach Vic Schaefer said. “That is one heck of a basketball team, the greatest of all-time. But how proud am I of my kids?”

Mississippi State led 64-62 before a replay review gave Katie Lou Samuelson the two free throws that tied the score. After a UConn turnover, William held the ball at the top of the key before dribbling to her right and pulling up for the shot, with the ball in the air when the buzzer sounded.

The Bulldogs ran onto the court, piling up at center court while UConn players stood stone-faced. Schaefer grabbed William in a bear hug, with former Mississippi State star Dak Prescott — the Dallas Cowboys quarterback — helping lead the cheers. Prescott said he’d try to come back Sunday for the title game.

Sports: A Hoops "Lifer" and Class Act exits

San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan announced Monday that he is retiring after

spending all 19 of his seasons with the team. A five-time NBA championship winner, Duncan, 40, won the Most Valuable Player award twice in his career and the Finals MVP award three times. The Spurs had a .710 winning percentage during Duncan’s tenure—the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and better than any NFL, NHL, and MLB team over the last 19 years.

Bayless "Skips" Out on ESPN, Headed for FOX

Skip Bayless is leaving the company he’s called home the past dozen years.

“Skip Bayless has decided to leave ESPN when his contract expires at the end of August,” a company spokesperson said on Tuesday. “His final appearance on ‘First Take’ will be the day after the NBA Finals conclude.”

The company continued: “We want to thank Skip for his many contributions to ESPN. His hard work and talent have benefited ESPN for 12 years.”

“First Take” will continue on sans Skip, no one has been tapped for his chair as of yet. Stephen A. Smith is the guy who yaps from the other end of the popular morning show’s debate table. “First Take” is moderated these days by Molly Qerim.

the highly polarizing Bayless is jumping ship for competitor Fox Sports, which explains the early exodus. Fox Sports did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment on Bayless’ apparent next stop.

It’s one that would make sense, however, as the very outspoken Bayless has a good relationship with Fox Sports National Networks President Jamie Horowitz, who also hails from ESPN. Just last month, the executive told  The Sporting News that he was courting his former colleague: “Of course, I’m interested in Skip,” Horowitz said.

Per Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch, ESPN had previously been prepared to offer Bayless $4 million annually in his next contract.

Bayless first made his mark in print, mostly in the Dallas market.

Sports: remembering "The Shot"

By now, every college basketball fan knows about the “The Shot.” With 2.1 seconds left in overtime, Duke, the defending national champions, trailed Kentucky 103-102 in the 1992 Elite Eight. Grant Hill had the ball on the baseline to inbound for Duke and heaved it to inside the opposite three-point arc. “There’s the pass to Laettner. Puts it up. Yes!”

Christian Laettner led Duke to the Final Four in all four seasons at Duke, including the back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992. His 407 career points in the NCAA tournament remain a record, so do his 23 games played. He went on to play 13 seasons in the NBA and was the only collegiate player on the Dream Team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

ESPN’s documentary “I Hate Christian Laettner,” which debuted in March, explores Laettner’s status as college basketball’s most polarizing figure. Laettner joined The Wall Street Journal to discuss “The Shot” and other topics from his career.Although Laettner’s success and demeanor made him the darling of Blue Devil fans, it also made him the object of hatred for countless others across the country. Duke fans relished in his swagger while others saw his attitude—and incidents such as when he stepped on an opposing player—as reasons to hate him and the Blue Devils even more.

- from the Wall Street Journal