Huskies Squash Itsy-Bitsy Spiders
In a throwback to the days when the big man was the only man, Washington’s 7-foot, 280-pound Todd MacCulloch put an end to Richmond’s round of 16 dream Saturday.
MacCulloch, a former schoolboy hockey player from Winnipeg, had 31 points and 18 rebounds as No. 11-seeded Washington defeated No. 14-seeded Richmond, 81-66, to advance past the NCAA tournament’s second round for the first time since 1984.
“He’s as quick off his feet for somebody that size that I’ve seen,” said Richmond Coach John Beilein, shaking his head. “I’m not a big-time coach, but I don’t see many guys that have that finesse and that feel for the ball. He’s just very, very talented.”
Said Washington Coach Bob Bender: “We play at a different level when Todd has games like he did today.”
MacCulloch gave up hockey in part because he wasn’t the physical type, but his imposing presence overwhelmed the smaller Spiders, whose center Eric Poole is 6-8 and 225 pounds.
MacCulloch--the nation’s leader in field goal percentage (.656)--fought off double teams to make 14 of 24 shots, and finished with only six fewer rebounds than the entire Richmond team.
MacCulloch scored 17 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half, including nine in a row as the Huskies turned a 36-29 halftime lead into a 64-48 advantage with 9:56 to play.
In addition to making the round of 16, Washington (20-9) reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 1986-87 season.
“I don’t have words for it,” guard Donald Watts said. “I just feel like dancing. I missed my senior prom, so I just want to dance.”
Jarod Stevenson scored 21 points to lead Richmond (23-8). The Spiders’ one-point victory over No. 3-seeded South Carolina Thursday was the first major upset of the tournament.
Connecticut 78, Indiana 68--The Huskies (31-4) turned up the defensive pressure in the second half against the Hoosiers (20-12), a team that repeatedly had difficulty after halftime this season.
Indiana was eight-of-20 shooting and had eight turnovers in being outscored 42-27 in the second half. The Hoosiers, by contrast, made 16 of their last 25 shots in the first half to take a 41-36 halftime lead.
“They really got in our face and we kind of buckled,” Indiana guard Luke Jimenez said. “Having trouble in the second half . . . plagued us all year.”
Two examples of Indiana’s poor second-half play were the opening round of the Big Ten tournament, when a 17-point lead dwindled to four against lowly Ohio State, and Thursday’s first-round game against Oklahoma, when the Hoosiers blew a 19-point lead before rallying to win in overtime.
Connecticut, which plays Washington in the regional semifinals Thursday in Greensboro, N.C., was led by Richard Hamilton with 23 points and Khalid El-Amin with 22 points and eight assists.