RebKell's Junkie Boards

[beknighted]

(Yes, it's a Sondheim reference. I think I'm entitled, and besides, it fits.)

Congratulations to the Lady Vols and their fans. Tennessee played a great, determined game and deserved to win.

If you'd told me that Kia Vaughn would score 20 tonight and that Parker would have been held to 11 with just a few minutes left, I'd have had RU winning by 10 or 15, and I'd have been laughably wrong.

From my seats, it seemed like Tennessee had a great defensive game plan, the personnel to play it, and wonderful execution. Kia scored so many points because Tennessee shut down the perimeter so well, and that left her open, but it was nowhere near enough. Tennessee had a great combination of size and speed, and it worked. I saw several comments before the game about how RU was unlikely to shoot from the outside as well as in the LSU game, and it looked like Pat decided, essentially, not to find out if that could happen. That's why she has 7 national championships.

I hope people give RU credit for clawing back into the game in the second half. When they got to within 7, I thought they had a shot, and I suspect a lot of people wondered if Tennessee would crumble. As it turned out, Bobbitt made sure that didn't happen. Early in the game, I thought that Spencer was going to kill RU, but it was Bobbitt who made the plays when RU got close. She got a few open looks, she hit them, and she killed off RU rallies. She was clutch when Tennessee needed it.

I think it's also worth mentioning that I think Parker's most important contribution was negating the RU press. When most other teams (actually, pretty much all teams) pass to a 6'4" player in that situation, it's a turnover waiting to happen. When the ball got to Parker, that was the end of the press. And she also hit her free throws at the end, which probably only kept it from being closer, but also removed any chance RU would find a way to come back.

I'm obviously sorry that RU's season ended this way, but I am so grateful to have had the chance to watch a team grow so much in the span of just a few months. I told many people this weekend that this was a gift, something completely unexpected and delightful. As somebody on the RU board said after the Big East tournament, this was not supposed to be the year for great things, because the team was so young and it's hard to learn to play the Rutgers way. Yet the team overcame inexperience and a key injury and terrible start to craft something marvelous to behold. I'll be happy to be wrong about this, but right now, in this moment, I think that even winning a national championship won't make me feel better about Rutgers than I do right now.

[Grumps]

Nothing for Rutgers to hang their heads low over...I know the dissapointment of losing that last game of the year...

Congrats to Rutgers on a fine season...

Grumps

PS...Bad weather moving in right now...Hope the girls have something to come home to...

[Marquette Fan]

Congrats to RU on a great season BeK! I know you always want your team to win but the run they made was great...

[sbjules]

[cthskzfn]

I'll be happy to be wrong about this, but right now, in this moment, I think that even winning a national championship won't make me feel better about Rutgers than I do right now.


i know the answer....i wonder if you'll ever find out.

[beknighted]

[cthskzfn]