Well, the Wildcats never let up, and their 76-67 upset of Nebraska should put to rest any questions about whether cat-quick Kentucky belongs in such rarified air.
The Wildcats (28-7) will shoot for their first trip to the Final Four tonight when they face third-seeded Oklahoma (26-10) in the Kansas City Regional final.
Kentucky took down the Huskers with speed, quickness, and lots of pressure. That’s exactly the formula it will try to use to beat the Sooners, who upended Notre Dame in overtime, 77-72, behind Nyeshia Stevenson’s 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left.
“That’s our game plan. We play hard defensively. We get after people,’’ Kentucky point guard Amber Smith said.
The Wildcats will now try to get after the Sooners, who are much more familiar with the big stage.
Oklahoma reached the national semifinals last year behind the Paris twins, Courtney and Ashley, and is on the cusp of its third Final Four since 2002. The Sooners weren’t expected to be here, either, not after losing the Paris twins. The loss of guard Whitney Hand to a knee injury early in the season also could have been crippling.
The Sooners have kept chugging along with a deep and balanced roster that outlasted the second-seeded Fighting Irish Sunday night. The Sooners shot 50 percent from 3-point range — nearly 20 percent above their season average — and Stevenson’s final 3 from the corner was the difference.
Oklahoma likely wouldn’t be back in the regional final if not for a pair of sensational performances from Abi Olajuwon, the Sooners’ 6-foot-4-inch senior center.
Olajuwon patiently waited behind Courtney Paris for three years in a reserve role, never averaging more than 2.2 points a game before this season. But she has scored 39 points and grabbed 25 rebounds in the Sooners’ last two games.
“[Olajuwon] is just one of those great stories. Never complained, never whined, never felt like she was getting the raw end of the deal,’’ Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale said. “She just came to work and get better every day, and then when it came time for her to have her opportunity she just took full advantage of it.’’
Pirates hire Donovan
Anne Donovan
is leaving the New York Liberty after the upcoming WNBA season to become the women’s coach at Seton Hall, the Big East university confirmed. Donovan will coach the Liberty this season and take over the Pirates full-time when the season ends in August. Donovan replaces Phyllis Mangina, who resigned after posting a 9-21 record in her 25th season as Seton Hall coach, including a 1-15 mark in the league . . . Former Clemson star Itoro Umoh Coleman was hired to revive the Lady Tigers’ basketball program. Umoh Coleman replaces Cristy McKinney, who resigned earlier this month after five losing seasons . . . Colorado fired coach Kathy McConnell-Miller after five seasons on the job. She was 65-88 . . . Davidson coach Annette Watts, the winningest coach in school history with a career record of 144-121, stepped down after nine seasons.
