Apr. 1—There’s been plenty of talk about how long of a title drought it’s been for the Big Ten in men’s basketball.
26 years and counting.
It’s been a year longer on the women’s side with the 1999 Purdue women’s basketball team the last time a Big Ten program won it all as , , and coach led the Boilermakers to a 62-45 victory against Duke in the final.
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The last hope for a Big Ten team to deliver a breakthrough title lies with UCLA. The Bruins have felt like the best hope for someone other than Connecticut to capture the NCAA title. The phrase “UConn Invitational” has been thrown out there this March to describe just how significant a favorite the reining champion Huskies are to defend their title.
It’s a repeat of last year’s Final Four with the exact same four teams — all No. 1 seeds — after the Huskies knocked out UCLA and South Carolina to win it all last April.
Even if UCLA (35-1) have been viewed as UConn’s top challenger, the Bruins are actually a 1 1/2 point underdog against Texas (35-3) ahead of an 8:30 p.m. Friday national semifinal showdown at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix.
I still like UCLA to beat the Longhorns. For what it’s worth ESPN analytics says the Bruins have a 51.3 percent chance to defeat Texas. It’s a really exciting matchup with vs. and vs. among the top storylines.
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Get past Texas and UConn (38-0), which will face South Carolina (35-3) at 6 p.m. on Friday in the first of two national semifinals, is likely waiting on Sunday in the title game for UCLA.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure,” Betts told reporters after finishing with 23 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in the Bruins’ 70-58 victory on Monday against Duke that sent UCLA to the Final Four for a second straight year. “I think that’s something we talk about a lot in this program is keeping our circle small. We’re not worried about what the media has to say about us, what other people have to say about us, fans. We’re so focused on our progression throughout the season and just trying to get better every single day and every single game.
“We’re really thankful to be in this position. And I’m just so grateful for these girls. But we’re just going to keep moving forward. And all that matters is the people in this circle.”
