SPORTS WRAP
BY WILLIAM HATHAWAY, JR.
The 2022-23 college basketball season is now officially over, and two champions have been crowned amongst the men and women.
In the Men’s Tournament, amid all the action and upsets, one team was a class above all the others. The Connecticut Huskies won the school’s fifth National Championship and first under New Jersey’s own Danny Hurley after taking down San Diego State 76-59. Adama Sanogo had another strong game with 17 points and 10 rebounds, and was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. His teammates were also big in the title game, with Tristian Newton netting 19 points and 10 rebounds and Jordan Hawkins adding 16 points and 10 rebounds.
The rebounds were significant, as UConn dominated the Aztecs on the glass and in the halfcourt, with solid execution over the 40 minute period. SDSU only got as close as a five point deficit in the second half, but then the Huskies finished off with clutch shots and defense. The Aztecs got 13 points from Lamont Butler, who hit a buzzer beater to beat Florida Atlantic, and 14 points and 4 boards from Keshad Johnson.
UConn had struggles in the season during play in the Big East Conference. However, outside of conference play, the Huskies simply did not lose, and took home another title in the process.
On the previous night, the Women’s Tournament came to an end in somewhat controversial fashion. Led by Hall of Fame head coach Kim Mulkey in her second year at the helm, the LSU Tigers won their first ever National Championship by beating and dominating Iowa 102-85. Jasmine Carson led her Tigers with 22 points, while Alexis Morris had 21 points and 9 assists. Of course, Angel Reese was the big story, putting in 15 points and 10 rebounds on her way to MOP honors. However, she infamously did a “You Can’t See Me” taunt at Iowa star and Player of the Year Caitlin Clark, after Clark did it in a prior game to a different opponent.
Clark herself had 30 points and 8 assists in the game while Kate Martin had 13 points and 6 rebounds and Gabbie Marshall added 12 points. LSU shot 54 percent while the Hawkeyes shot 50 percent as a team.
The game was marred by the officiating, which was not considered good at all. One highly disputed call came against Clark, who was controversially called for a technical foul, which also counts as a personal foul in the collegiate game, and put her in foul trouble with a large amount of the second half left to play.
Ironically, Reese is not the only person in her family to celebrate a title this year, as she is a cousin of UConn’s Jordan Hawkins.
Finally, in “sports entertainment” news, World Wrestling Entertainment is being sold to Endeavor, which will be paired with UFC to create a $21 billion entity.
