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Thabeet Lifts UConn

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 27, 2009

Updated: 03/27/2009 12:45 am

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Connecticut hardly needed Hasheem Thabeet as it romped through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

That all changed against a gritty Purdue team. The Boilermakers seemed to have an answer for everything the Huskies threw at them - except for the 7-foot-3 Thabeet.

Thabeet, the Big East co-player of the year, scored 15 points, had 15 rebounds and blocked four shots, and top-seeded Connecticut overcame a sluggish first half to defeat Purdue 72-60 in the West Region semifinals on Thursday.

"Hasheem just took the game over," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "Purdue, quite frankly, ran into one of the best players in America in Hasheem Thabeet. Beyond that, the game might have been different if we had just, quote, a regular center."

It was Thabeet's 18th double-double of the season, and it couldn't have come at a better time for the Huskies.

One day after a Yahoo! Sports report alleged UConn committed NCAA recruiting violations, the Huskies (30-4) reached the region finals for the fourth time since 2002.

UConn jumped out to an early 11-point lead, then went cold and let the fifth-seeded Boilermakers (27-10) claw back into the game.

The first half looked like it belonged in a Thanksgiving tournament, not the third round of the NCAAs.

UConn shot only 39.4 percent from the floor, but it led by five at intermission because Purdue was even worse (33.3 percent).

No one was colder than UConn's Jeff Adrien, who was 1-for-9 from the floor and missed his only free throw.

The Huskies had won their first two NCAA tourney games by an average of 41 points, but it was obvious they were in for a fight against the defense-oriented Boilermakers. The Boilermakers trailed 30-25 at halftime, but they ran off the court to the cheers of their black-and-gold-clad followers.
Craig Austrie added 17 points, and Stanley Robinson had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Huskies.

Tiller, Missouri Top Memphis

A career night by J.T. Tiller put Missouri one win from its first trip to the Final Four. Memphis' 27-game winning streak, meanwhile, is history.

Tiller scored a career-high 23 - 15 more than his season average - and Missouri held off Memphis' frantic rally for a 102-91 win in the semifinals of the West Region.

Third-seeeded Missouri led by 24 four minutes into the second half, then saw Memphis close within six with 2:14 to play. Free throws put it away for Missouri.

Dynamic point guard Tyreke Evans scored 33 for Memphis.

The second-seeded Tigers shot only 18-for-32 from the foul line - last year, a poor showing at the foul line cost them dearly in an overtime championship game loss to Kansas.

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