On Sports: Recalling when UConn’s championship coach picked Huskies over Pitt; Penguins start critical 5-game stretch
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Dan Hurley proved himself a national championship-caliber coach. Could it have happened in … Pittsburgh?
Speaking of Monday’s men’s national title game, it was a tough act to follow in regards to viewership after the women’s game Sunday.
Unlike college basketball, the NHL isn’t a single-elimination sport. But the Penguins begin a 10-day stretch that might feel like it if they want to take part in their postseason.
All part of Tuesday’s “On Sports.”
Could it have been here?
Connecticut completed its dominant run in the NCAA tournament win a 76-59 win in the national championship game Monday night against San Diego State. The victory coronated Dan Hurley as one of the top coaches in college basketball. That might be stinging to Pitt fans who might be left wondering if the raucous celebrations in Storrs, Conn., last night could have been taking place in Oakland.
Five years ago, Hurley was a hot name in coaching circles after leading Rhode Island to Round 2 of the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year. The latter of which, coincidentally, took place via games played at a regional at PPG Paints Arena. Simultaneously, a few miles down Fifth Avenue, the Pitt program was hotly searching for a replacement for the fired Kevin Stallings.
Hurley was considered a top candidate for the job. In fact, he was reportedly offered the gig.
After losing to Duke in NCAA tourney, Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley is asked about his future: pic.twitter.com/5tfeXxXx1h
— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) March 17, 2018
Hurley, though, turned it down and accepted an offer from UConn instead. But it was not from a lack of effort by Pitt. Pitt reportedly offered more money: in excess of $3 million, while Hurley took $2.75 from UConn. Pitt’s reported offer to Hurley was more than it paid Jeff Capel initially ($2.66 million in 2018-19).
While it’s easy to say now that Hurley — an eastern seaboard guy born and raised in New Jersey — took over the better and more established program (UConn has won five of the past 24 national championships), in 2018 that wasn’t so obvious.
UConn was coming off consecutive losing seasons and was playing a non-power conference (the American Athletic), while Pitt at that time was just a mere two years removed from a run of 13 NCAA tournament berths over a 16-year span and was (and is) playing in the prestigious ACC.
Since, though, UConn re-joined the Big East, and Hurley re-elevated the program into a national power. Had he made a different decision five years ago, could he have done the same at Pitt?
Big audience
A few hours before UConn’s coronation, Nielsen released its “fast” (next-day) ratings for the women’s title game played the day prior. And it relayed that the LSU win against Iowa was not only the most watched women’s basketball game on record, it topped viewership of many prominent men’s games across college and professional sports.
LSU’s 102-85 victory averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2, more than doubling the figure who watched the 2022 women’s championship game and besting the record 7.44 million who watched the 1995 UConn-Oklahoma title game on CBS.
????.???? ???????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????? ???? Record-breaking #NationalChampionship thriller between @LSUwbkb & @IowaWBB makes TV history:
???? Most-viewed #NCAAWBB game on record
???? Up 103% YOY
???? Peaked at 12.6M
???? Most-viewed college event ever on @ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/UZLVNuP3Sf— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) April 3, 2023
According to Sports Media Watch, the women’s title game had more viewers than 62 of the 64 men’s tournament games played before the Final Four. The LSU-Iowa audience also matched or exceeded every game of the first three rounds of last year’s NBA, MLB and NHL playoffs. For that matter, toss in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final — and every other Stanley Cup Final game over at least the past half-century.
Race to the end
Tuesday night will begin a stretch of five games in 10 days to close out the regular season for the Penguins, who remain in a frenzied race for two available wild-card spots in the Eastern Conference. The New Jersey Devils host the Penguins at 7 p.m. in Newark, N.J., in a game that effectively serves as the game-in-hand the Penguins (86 points) have in relation to the New York Islanders (87 points).
The Islanders and Penguins enter Tuesday with the wild-card slots, but the Florida Panthers are just behind with 85 points. The Panthers will exercise their game-in-hand Tuesday by hosting the Buffalo Sabres in what is perhaps a virtual-elimination game for Buffalo (81 points). Florida is looking to extend its winning streak to four.
While the Penguins at this point would be content merely to get into the postseason — regardless of first-round matchup — the game they play has implications regarding a potential first-round opponent. The Devils are three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes in the race for the Metropolitan Division title, and Carolina has a game in hand. The Hurricanes play at home against the Ottawa Senators, who remain mathematically alive for the playoffs but at six points out with five games to play are essentially eliminated.
If the Penguins pass the Islanders for the top wild-card spot, they would face the Metro champ in the first round. Carolina entered Tuesday with 107 points; the Devils have 104.
More sports
• Draft prep 101: Potential draft picks speak to evolving look of Steelers defensive front
• UConn caps dominant tournament run with rout of San Diego State
• Kris Letang at 1,000 games: ‘Tangerisms’, meatballs and dedication
Flower arrangement
While the Penguins’ 16-year streak of playoff appearances remains very much in jeopardy — it’s the longest active team run in major North American professional sports — a familiar face long associated with the team is on his way to extending his personal run.
Barring injury, Marc-Andre Fleury will take part in the Stanley Cup playoffs for a 17th straight season later this month. That became official when his Minnesota Wild clinched a playoff berth by earning a point in a 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.
Fleury previously played for Vegas but, of course, spent his first 14 NHL seasons with the Penguins, for whom he participated in postseasons from 2007-17. After being taken by them in the 2017 expansion draft, Fleury was in net for the Golden Knights for at least parts of the next four postseasons. Last year, he started five games during the Wild’s first-round loss to the St. Louis Blues.
According to the NHL, Fleury would become just the eighth player in NHL history to participate in 17 consecutive postseasons. He’s already the first goalie to play in at least 16 in a row.
Marc-Andre Fleury is set to play in his 17th consecutive #StanleyCup Playoffs, which would extend his own NHL record among goaltenders.#NHLStats: https://t.co/St3AzOZkuF pic.twitter.com/vXVVeGwprD
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 4, 2023
Not gonna happen
Jalen Carter remains atop Mel Kiper’s Big Board as the best prospect available in the NFL draft. While that’s one man’s opinion, it’s quite the prominent man in regards to NFL draft circles. But despite the high pedigree, momentum had built in recent weeks that Carter would be available for the Steelers with the 17th overall pick.
That’s largely attributable to his involvement in the January deaths of a former Georgia teammate and recruiting staffer. Carter’s attorney said his client was racing an SUV driven by Chandler LeCroy, who at 104 mph veered off the road and resulted in the deaths of both in the vehicle. Last month, Carter pleaded no contest to reckless driving and racing charges. He was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a $1,000 fine and 80 hours of community service.
The incident tumbled Carter down teams’ draft boards, and Carter appearing out of shape at Georgia’s pro day didn’t exactly make teams feel any better about selecting him high in the draft.
These three plays in a row vs. TCU lastnight provide a snapshot of the positives with Jalen Carter as a prospect: pic.twitter.com/W7eTjk7WY5
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) January 10, 2023
But Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN on Monday that Carter won’t accept a pre-draft visit invitation from any team that is not drafting in the top 10. That, of course, would include a potential shun of the Steelers.
“I’m confident Jalen will go in the top 10,” Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter. “He’s a good person, a family man, loves football and is a generational talent.”
The 6-foot-3, 314-pound Carter was a first-team AP All-American at defensive tackle in 2022, a standout on the Georgia defense that finished in the top 10 nationally in points and yards allowed en route to a second consecutive national title.
Supplementing the defensive line is an area the Steelers are expected to address during the April 27-29 draft.