It is not often that ghosts — those fluttering, otherworldly spooks that haunt the night — are scared of mere mortals.
But there are two players of whom the ghosts of the Big East's all-time greats should be terrified. Pittsburgh senior Shavonte Zellous and Louisville senior Angel McCoughtry have been looking to carve their names in the Big East record books all season, and Feb. 3 against Notre Dame, Zellous equaled McCoughtry's feat of topping 2,000 career points. The tandem became the 13th and 14th players in Big East history to reach that milestone.
Incredibly, a third player could achieve the mark this year. Marquette's Krystal Ellis just broke the school's scoring record and is less than 200 points away from 2,000. This year, the Big East is scary good.
An Upsetting Day
The Louisville Cardinals had a 19-game home winning streak and arguably the nation's best player in McCoughtry. The West Virginia Mountaineers didn't care. They topped the No. 5- ranked Louisville squad 79-70 in what was the program's biggest road victory in history.
The stout Louisville defense, led by the long-limbed McCoughtry, who seems to be able to cover the entire court by herself, came into the match-up giving up only 55 points per game. West Virginia scored 54 points in the second half alone.
The hardnosed play of the Mountaineers allowed them to overcome the more talented Cardinals. It was an uphill climb, but the Mountaineers traversed mighty Louisville and came out on top.
Montgomery's got CLASS
Officially, 2009 is the Year of the Ox in the Chinese calendar. But with the way Connecticut is playing, it sure seems like the Year of the Husky.
The team has run its unbeaten record to 23-0 and it shows no signs of vulnerability. The Huskies are smart, determined, and talented.
Much of how the team plays has to do with the influential senior leadership of Renee Montgomery. Because of her performances in the classroom as well as on the basketball court, the Connecticut guard has been named one of the 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.
The award honors those who are a total student athlete. The acronym CLASS stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School.
Player of the Week
If West Virginia was like a sudden flash fire that engulfed the superior Louisville team in their upset victory, then sophomore guard Sarah Miles was the match.
The quick point guard fueled her team with 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. She also grabbed a career high 10 rebounds. In her two games on the week, Miles averaged 21 points, 7.5 rebounds and shot 55 percent from the field.
Game of the Week
Louisville at Notre Dame, Feb. 11, 7 p.m.
The No. 1 team in the Big East is clear, but the No. 2 spot is wide open after Louisville's loss.
While the Cardinals are just coming off that crushing defeat, the Irish just narrowly edged out No. 25 DePaul 62-59 in exciting fashion. Notre Dame sophomore Becca Bruszewski recorded her first double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
With two teams on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum, it should be interesting to see what plays out here.