Posts Tagged ‘hasheem thabeet’
Greer: Versatile big men power UNC to 5th title
By Jeff Greer
Big men beware: The 2009 NCAA tournament served notice the days of the traditional cement-footed post player are long over. While there were a few old-fashioned big fellas hanging on — players such as Hasheem Thabeet and Samardo Samuels — the new-age big men took over this year’s Big Dance.
Blake Griffin, the national player of the year, was just the latest version of the do-it-all power forward, the 6-8, 6-9, 6-10 guy who can score from anywhere on the floor, either in the halfcourt or in transition. Last year, Michael Beasley dazzled the nation with his inside-outside dominance, snatching double-digit rebounds every night and scoring in a wide range of ways. Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina’s star senior and 2008 player of the year, evolved into a hybrid forward as his career progressed. The list goes on and on.
Analysis: 2 Michigan State def. 1 UConn
2 Michigan State 82
1 UConn 73
NCAA semifinal • Ford Field, Detroit
By Doug Tifft
– Michigan State, a team that is underrated on the national scene despite winning the Big Ten and earning a No. 2 seed, gets the chance to play for Tom Izzo’s second national championship in East Lansing, and the school’s third national title.
Inside Scoop: Connecticut Huskies
An ill-timed recruiting scandal threatens to turn public attention from another remarkable season for the Connecticut Huskies. Building on the tradition established by the likes of Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton and Emeka Okafor, A.J. Price and Hasheem Thabeet have helped continue UConn’s recent trend of reaching the Final Four every five years. Can they win a third championship? The Daily Campus has full coverage.
The Huskies have done a good job winning on the road this season, and those powers will be called on yet again Saturday against Michigan State:
Analysis: 1 UConn def. 5 Purdue
1 UConn 72
5 Purdue 60
West Region semifinals • University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
By Jim Reedy
– Connecticut led the entire game, but the Boilermakers did a good job dragging them down to their level with indefatigable defense and were right in the game for 30-plus minutes before the Huskies pulled away. Unable to solve Hasheem Thabeet’s inside defense, Purdue just couldn’t break through after cutting the margin to three several times.
Reporter Interview: Kevin Duffy on UConn
Seeded first in the West Region, Connecticut will face Purdue tonight in the first game of the Sweet Sixteen. As the Huskies get ready and Jim Calhoun dodges questions about his recruiting practices, we caught up with Kevin Duffy, the sports editor of the Daily Campus, to discuss Hasheem Thabeet’s defensive prowess, Stanley Robinson’s uncanny athletic ability and A.J. Price’s place among the great guards in UConn history.
Analysis: 1 UConn def. 9 Texas A&M
1 UConn 92
9 Texas A&M 66
West Region second round • Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
By Zachary Osterman
– I wasn’t too big a believer in UConn before the tournament started. If you can’t win your conference, how can you win a national title? But the Huskies are deep and talented and they’re peaking at the right time. Here’s the kicker for me, though: They’re not playing like a team of great players, they’re playing like a team. Texas A&M was just dominated in every facet and shot out of the tournament. The Aggies never had a chance.
Analysis: 1 UConn def. 16 Chattanooga
1 UConn 103
16 Chattanooga 47
West Region first round • Wachovia Center, Philadelphia
By Corey DeMoss
– When Hasheem Thabeet went to the bench with an early foul, Chattanooga took advantage and showed some weaknesses in UConn’s interior play without Thabeet. The Mocs managed to grab the lead twice in the first five minutes, and it looked like Chattanooga might give the Huskies a run for their money.
Better Know a Baller: Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State
With apologies to Stephen Colbert, we present another in our 2,117-part series, “Better Know a Baller.”
Jarvis Varnado
Mississippi State University (bio — photos)
Junior center • 6-9, 210 • Brownsville, Tenn.
Season stats: 13.1 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, .551 FG%
– He’s the best eraser in college basketball and a likely NBA lottery pick this year or next year. He leads the nation with 165 blocked shots (4.7 per game) in a conference that doesn’t take a lot of shots. Only UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet (142, 4.6) is close.
– If he was a team, he’d rank 20th nationally in blocks.
– First player to be SEC defensive player of the year for two straight seasons.
