Looks like there's no stopping UConn
It's March, and Women's Watch has gone mad.
Here's just some of what's going on in women's basketball as we rumble full-speed ahead into March Madness:
Best, and the rest: The question on so many minds is, do we even bother playing out the Women's NCAA Tournament in the first place?
I mean, let's be honest, there's Connecticut, and then there's everyone else.
Connecticut has had some incredibly dominant teams in the past (think Rebecca Lobo's 1995 national title team and every team that Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird were on), but this might be its best team ever.
Guard Maya Moore is considered one of the best players in the nation. She's a favorite to win national player of the year honors - as a sophomore.
Not to be overlooked are two of Moore's teammates, likely be All-Americans as well: guard Renee Montgomery and post player Tina Charles.
Together, the fearsome threesome has directed the top-ranked Huskies to a 30-0 record, the fifth undefeated regular season in school history.
The wins were decisive, too. Connecticut won by an average of 28 points per game, and no team has come within double digits of the Huskies all season.
Considering that Connecticut plays in the rugged Big East and shoulders one of the toughest schedules in the country, that's impressive.
"Being 30-0 is fantastic, if you're able to finish it off down the road," Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma said after his team beat Rutgers on Monday in its regular-season finale. "For better or worse, I've created an environment that, no matter how great we are or how wonderful we are, the real story is if we don't win the national championship."
Baylor beats UConn: Another real humdinger of a story is the fact that Connecticut didn't get a commitment out of one of the most intriguing high school players in the country.
Baylor did.
You may have heard about Brittney Griner. She's the high school girl who became an Internet sensation when videos of her dunking began circulating on YouTube.
But these aren't just any dunks. No "girl" dunks, if you will. These are dunks that most guys would be proud of. Check out YouTube yourself to see.
The 6-foot-8 Griner, who boasts an 86-inch wingspan, is from Houston and was snatched up by Baylor, which is one team that may give Connecticut a run for its money this year, and definitely in the years to come.
Griner isn't just a dunker. She's also a shot blocker extraordinaire. She recently set the national high school girls record for most blocks in a game with 25.
Woman of steal: There were some dark days for Illinois this season.
From Nov. 23 to Jan. 22, the Illini went 1-16.
But a bright spot was the play of guard Lacey Simpson. The former Zion-Benton star built on her reputation as one of the best defenders in the Big Ten. This year, she led the league in steals with 3.14 per game.
On Thursday in the Big Ten tournament, Simpson permanently etched her name in the record books when she became Illinois' all-time steals leader.
With 253 steals, she has 1 more than Allison Curtin, who finished with 252 steals in 2001.
"It's something I take pride in," Simpson said of the record. "That's something I've had on my mind since I first came to Illinois. I'm going to break this record. Breaking it here in the Big Ten tournament, with fans, the team here, it's very fulfilling."
This and that: At the Big Ten tournament, Michigan State junior center Allyssa DeHaan recorded 4 blocks against Wisconsin to become the Big Ten's all-time leading shot blocker with 387. That put her ahead of former record holder Jessica Davenport of Ohio State (384). - Illinois State guard Kristi Cirone, who averages 18.3 points, 6.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, is a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award for the nation's best point guard. - DePaul forward Keisha Hampton, who was just named the Big East freshman of the week, will lead sixth-seeded DePaul into its opening game of the Big East tournament today at 7 p.m. against either No. 11 West Virginia or No. 14 Providence.
pbabcock@dailyherald.com