UConn Will Win the 2010 Women's Final Four

Spring is here. The birds are chirping, kites are flying, and something special is in the air. No, I'm not referring to the pollens that might be tickling your nose, making you reach for that Claritin.

Instead, I am talking about women's Division I basketball. It's time for the Final Four.

Sixty teams have come and gone in the tournament, and now just four remain. But before we pack our bags and head toward San Antonio, let's take a look at the teams--and what's at stake.

So, who really cares about the women's Final Four? Well, as it turns out, a lot of people do. This Sunday night, women's basketball fans will be packing the Alamodome to watch the nation's four best teams battle it out for the championship. Other devoted followers (myself included) who are unable to make the trip will be crowding around their television screens to watch who will win it all.

The winner of the Final Four will basically own the 2009-10 season. And while each team already has earned respect from the basketball community, snagging that NCAA trophy on Tuesday night will give the winner just a little bit more.

The First Round, The Outcome

For three of the teams, this year's Final Four will be their second consecutive appearance. Last year, the Oklahoma Sooners, UConn Huskies, and the Stanford Cardinal (yep, that's "Cardinal," not "Cardinals") all made it to the last dance. The Baylor Lady Bears, however, have not made an appearance since 2005--when the Bears pounded both LSU and Michigan State to win the championship.

Having the league's most talked about player--Brittney Griner--has placed a huge amount of pressure on Coach Kim Mulkey's team this year. Griner has been touted as the one who will change the women's game--and so far, she appears to be priming to take on that role. But she is still only a freshman, and the team cannot only count on her to lead them to victory. Baylor's conference play was mediocre this season, largely due to the absence of guard Melissa Jones--who sat out for eleven straight games due to injury. But Jones is back, and she and Griner have taken the Bears to a surprising berth in the Final Four.

Baylor will be the dark horse in the first round of the Final Four. They will be unevenly matched with the UConn Huskies. Coached by the legendary Geno Auriemma, the Huskies are coming off a 76-game winning streak and are looking to end with another undefeated season. UConn's shooting and defense will likely overwhelm the Lady Bears early in the game, but I predict that Baylor will stay with Auriemma's team until the second half.

The Huskies' success, however, could be their downfall in the Final Four. They won the championship last year, and they have a lot to lose; Baylor has nothing to lose by its surprise appearance in the Final Four. On a good day--if Baylor's guards are making their outside shots--Baylor COULD beat UConn. The Bears will also have a close-to-home advantage in San Antonio. The three-hour drive will attract thousands of Baylor students in Waco, as well as the city's residents--all of whom are unconditionally loyal to their Lady Bears. A Baylor win could logically happen on Sunday night.

But even if Baylor poises for an upset, the chances are far greater for a UConn victory. The Huskies will likely take this first-round game by about fifteen points.

The other first-round game will be a battle between Sherri Coale's Lady Sooners and Tara VanDerveer's Stanford Cardinal. Both women led their teams to the Final Four last year, but the Sooners will be missing the star who led them last year: Courtney Paris. Even with Paris's help during her senior year in 2009, the Sooners were unable to advance to the final game. I predict a similar outcome this year, and VanDerveer's Stanford team will beat the Sooners.

Although Stanford was ranked second in national polls this season, the Sooners have proven something more than that, and they could still win. The outcome of this game is far less certain than the Baylor-UConn match-up. The fact that the Sooners even won a berth in the Final Four is testament to their tenacity. Given their guards' incredibly efforts and consistent outside shooting, the Sooners could manage to pull off a win. Still, I predict the game will be decided in the last few minutes, and we will witness VanDerveer's team pull away to a margin of seven points.

Win or lose against Stanford, Sherri Coale has proven that her winning season last year was not simply rooted aroud the awe-inspiring athleticism of Courtney Paris. Coale has shown the basketball community that she has established one of the best programs in women's basketball. Expect her team to continue to make appearances in the last games of the NCAA tournament over the years.

The Last Show

The final game will be played on Tuesday night, so if you're not in San Antonio by then, make sure you find a big screen to watch the battle between Stanford and UConn. Last year in the final game, the Huskies beat Louisville to win the championship. This year, Stanford will be their last victim on the road to a championship--and another perfect season. Stanford's well-rounded offense will give the Huskies some difficulty early in the game, and the Cardinal's consistent team effort will be enough to keep the game close to the half. However, the Huskies' defense, quickness, and shooting skills will eventually increase their lead in the final ten minutes of the game. Look for the margin of victory to be about seventeen points.

Overall, UConn will once again show the world that it is the country's leading basketball program. Led by Tina Charles, a senior center, and forward Maya Moore (a junior), Connecticut has been unstoppable this year. And the team's last two wins will simply be the period at the end of this sentence:

Connecticut had the best women's basketball team in the 2009-2010 season.

Next Year's Prediction

Overall, all four of the teams in the Final Four deserve a place on the court this Sunday night. They are helmed by four of the country's best coaches and contain some of the best and most promising players that have played the game in recent years. And yet, only one team will walk away with the trophy on Tuesday night. That team will once again be Connecticut, and its win will give Coach Auriemma his seventh championship ring over a legendary career--in other words, the man has enough bling to start up his own jewelry shop in Storrs.

But then there's always next season for the other teams. Look for Baylor to reign in the next few years. UConn can enjoy its run now, but Baylor will soon be the league's powerhouse--at least until Griner graduates. Luckily for Baylor, Griner isn't going anywhere for another three years.

As long as Coach Mulkey stays at Baylor--and she can draw more consistency from her outside shooters--the Bears have the potential to establish a dynasty similar to those of Auriemma and Tennesee's Pat Summit. As long as Griner is there to help push it along (and she refrains from sucker-punching anymore opposing players), Baylor will be the team to beat.

Of course, that's the future. And this is now. So, let's put on our favorite team colors and enjoy the final three games of this season. Ah, springtime is truly here!