All Good Things Must Come to an End

 

It's just a basketball, right?

Photo Courtesy AP.

A little more than a week after the UConn women’s basketball team saw their NCAA record win streak end at Stanford, the No. 6 West Virginia University women’s basketball team saw their NCAA best 16 game win streak come to screeching halt at Big East foe Marquette. The Golden Eagles used an 11-0 run late in the second half and 18 points from Angel Robinson to pull off the home upset, 69-54.

Despite the Top 10 victory over West Virginia, Marquette lost something during the game as well. Marquette coach Terri Mitchell was struck in the head by a loose ball and was knocked back into her bench, forcing an assistant to take over the reigns. Mitchell stayed on the sidelines until the following media timeout when she left the court under her own power.

Marquette officials announced after the game that Mitchell was having trouble with dizziness (a good sign that the loose ball attack could have led to a concussion) but was in good health. Besides the surreal court side accident, there was nothing flukey about the Golden Eagles second half dominance, outscoring the Mountaineers 38-19.

Mountaineer coach Mike Carey would later comment “I never thought we would lose composure like we did,” and “this shouldn’t happen with five seniors; should not happen.” Clearly the Mountaineers head coach was a little disturbed by the way his experienced team performed late in the contest but his streaky squad was simply undone by better play.

Marquette (14-3, 2-2) is now enjoying a two game win streak against Top 25 competition as the Golden Eagles took down #18 Georgetown on January 8. The Mountaineers (16-1, 3-1) will have an opportunity to get back on track when they host #25 Syracuse this Saturday.

Source: Whipple UConn Head Coach

 

Is Mark Whipple UConn's top dog?

Photo Courtesy Miami Herald

The Associated Press reports that the University of Connecticut has selected former Miami offensive coordinator Mark Whipple as the next UConn head football coach. Whipple, 53, will replace longtime coach and UConn program–builder Randy Edsall as the Huskies’ head coach according to the source.

Whipple has a reputable history of coaching in the New England area with collegiate head coaching experience at UMass, where he won a Division 1-AA National Championship in 1998, New Haven and Brown. Following those stints, Whipple was a successful assistant in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers before Randy Shannon secured his services at Miami.

If the report holds true, UConn appears to have jumped on the offensive bandwagon as recent coaching hires at Big East brethren West Virginia and Pittsburgh were highlighted by blooming offensive minds. With former Michigan and West Virginia offensive coordinator Calvin Magee accepting the same position at Pittsburgh and offensive guru Dana Holgorsen directing West Virginia’s offense, UConn’s AD Jeff Hathaway clearly needed a break from Edsall’s conservative approach to scoring points.

While Miami didn’t always win under Shannon, Whipple’s offenses added flare and firepower that the Hurricanes had been lacking for nearly a decade. In his first season at Miami, Whipple oversaw an offense that produced nearly 5,200 yards of total offense and directed both the Hurricanes’ rushing and passing offenses to Top 50 finishes this past season.

News concerning an official announcement from the UConn athletic department could come in the next few days and TheBigBeast Blog will have instant analysis and coverage of this potential coaching move.