Thread: (4) LSU 62, (1) Duke 54

(4) LSU 62, (1) Duke 54
(4) LSU 62, (1) Duke 54
By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer
March 23, 2006


ATLANTA (AP) -- No need for LSU and Big Baby to cry in this NCAA tournament. The Tigers left the tears for J.J. Redick.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis and a pair of defensive-minded freshmen have LSU just one win away from the Final Four, stifling Redick and sending top-seeded Duke to yet another loss in the round of 16.

Davis scored 14 points despite foul trouble, freshman Tyrus Thomas swatted away five shots and another freshman, Garrett Temple, shut down Redick to lead No. 4 seed LSU to a 62-54 upset Thursday night in the Atlanta Regional.

"It feels good, but it's over," Davis said. "There's another task at hand."

That comes Saturday, when the Tigers (26-8) will meet either Texas or West Virginia in their first regional final since 1987. The winner of that one can book a flight to Indianapolis.


Duke (32-4) is heading home, having flickered out at a familiar point in the tournament. The Blue Devils lost in the regional semifinals for the third time in four years.

"This definitely hurts," said a red-eyed Redick, who had one of his worst games in the finale of his brilliant college career. "The last four years have been pretty amazing and I didn't want that to end."

Redick hardly looked like a favorite for player of the year, making only 3-of-18 shots and finishing with 11 points -- more than 16 points below his season average and equaling his lowest-scoring game of the season.

Duke's other star senior, Shelden Williams, went out with 23 points and 13 rebounds but his team wasn't nearly as balanced as LSU, which won the Southeastern Conference regular-season championship and has its sights on an even bigger title.

If the Tigers can play this kind of defense three more times, they might just do it for a state still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Duke made only 18-of-65 shots (28 percent) and finished with its fewest points in a game since 1996.

"That may have been the best defensive effort I've seen in one of my teams," LSU coach John Brady said.

Redick got his last basket, a 3-pointer off a screen with 3:32 remaining, to give Duke its final lead at 52-51. But that was about the only bright spot in a grim night for the usually sharp-shooting senior.


AP - Mar 23, 10:37 pm EST
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"We could have had a better offensive game, there's no question about it," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "But LSU had a lot to do with that."

Redick has done it all before, scoring only five points in a loss to Kansas in the 2003 regional semifinals. Duke failed to get over that same hurdle last season, losing to Michigan State with Redick managing only 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

The third time, it was Temple who stifled Redick.

"I was just trying to get a hand in his face and contest all his shots, or make him pass the ball back out," the freshman said. "I'm a defensive player. This is what I live for."

Temple could tell that Redick was getting frustrated as one shot after another failed to find the net.

"When he missed it, he was pretty upset," Temple said. "He was complaining to the referees about not calling fouls."

After Redick's final hoop, LSU outscored the Blue Devils 11-2 the rest of the way, going ahead for good on Davis' free throw with 2:32 remaining. Thomas came up huge in the final minute, making two free throws with 43 seconds left, dribbling through two defenders for a dunk nine seconds later, then rejecting a shot by Greg Paulus that essentially finished off the Blue Devils.

Thomas also led the Tigers with 13 rebounds.

"Duke's a team that everyone either wants to play for or against," he said.

Darrel Mitchell, who also had 14 points, made two free throws with 25 seconds left and Davis scored his final four at the line, even rebounding his own missed free throw to get back for two more attempts. The big guy looked longingly at the ball and patted it like, well, a baby.

The Tigers won despite making only 12-of-23 free throws and playing much of the second half with Davis and Thomas trying to stay in the game with four fouls apiece.

LSU hasn't been to the Final Four since 1986 and has never won it all. Not even Shaquille O'Neal, who played three seasons in Baton Rouge, could get the Tigers past the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Duke trailed much of the game but seemed to gain control with a 10-0 run midway through the second half.

The Blue Devils pulled ahead for the first time since an early 10-8 lead when freshman Josh McRoberts dunked two times in a row off lob passes to make it 42-40. They pushed the lead to 45-40 and had a chance to bury LSU when Redick wound up with an open 3 after a missed free throw.

The ball clanked off the rim, and Mitchell connected on a 3 at the other end to pull LSU to 45-43 with 8 1/2 minutes to go.

Duke made only 18-of-65 shots (28 percent) and struggled to get free of LSU's lanky, quick defenders -- epitomized by 6-foot-9 Thomas, who plays even bigger, and Temple, a 6-5 guard who draped himself on Redick.

Davis, whose 6-9, 320-pound frame is more in line with Charles Barkley, doesn't fit the mold of his teammates but is the unquestioned leader in just his sophomore year. The SEC player of the year even knew what to do at the end, instructing a teammate to pass the ball to Mitchell so the young team's only senior starter would have it at the buzzer.

Mitchell hurled the ball off the scoreboard hanging above the court.

"We didn't get the respect we deserve," he said. "We could use that as motivation."

The Blue Devils seemed to catch a break when Davis picked up two quick fouls, heading to the bench with 9:01 left in the first half. He watched the rest of the period from a chair, but his teammates didn't wilt their own without their star.

LSU was up 15-12 when Davis took a seat and actually improved on that margin before the break, leading 31-27 in Duke's lowest-scoring first half of the season. Williams, with 14 points, accounted for more than half of his team's offense but got little help from Redick or anyone else.

Brady clapped his hands when the horn sounded at halftime. Davis glanced up at the scoreboard and had a smile on his face as he stepped off the court, despite having scored just four points.

Big Baby had an even bigger smile when it was over.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaab/recap?gid=200603230173

Fell asleep during the game but woke up at the last three minutes which was the best part of the whole game...

LSU gets tough, topples Texas to reach Final Four
The Associated Press

They've known each other since they were kids, drawn together at the basketball court. Now, LSU's homegrown Tigers are heading to the Final Four together.

Glen Davis scored 26 points, including a decisive three-pointer in overtime, and Tyrus Thomas added 21 points and 13 rebounds Saturday, leading LSU to its first Final Four since 1986 with a 70-60 victory over Texas in the Atlanta Regional final.

When the horn sounded, Davis marched to the front of the scorer's table, faced the gold-and-purple-clad contingent and saluted. Then he let out a huge scream, pounded his massive chest and was mobbed by Thomas, who was named the region's most outstanding player.

The portly Davis answers to the nickname "Big Baby" — which is only appropriate for this group. LSU's lineup features three freshmen, including Thomas, and the sophomore Davis. Darrel Mitchell is the lone senior among the starters.

Three of those guys are from Baton Rouge, practically in the shadows of the LSU campus. Another grew up in nearby Denham Springs, and Mitchell is from right down the road in St. Martinsville. "We're like brothers," Mitchell said. "Brotherhood and togetherness."

They'll get together again in Indianapolis, facing either Memphis or UCLA next Saturday in the national semifinals.

The final margin wasn't indicative of a game that was close all the way. The lead changed hands 11 times, and there were seven ties. No one had a double-digit lead until the end.

But No. 2 seed Texas (30-7), which was trying to become the first Division I school to win national titles in football and men's basketball in the same academic year, fell apart in overtime. They were down seven by the time they got off their first shot of the extra period.

In regulation, Davis hit a turnaround jumper in the lane just before the shot clock expired to give fourth-seeded LSU (27-8) a 52-49 lead with 1:04 remaining.

Texas tied it after a wild sequence. P.J. Tucker's hook was blocked by Thomas, but Tucker chased the ball down in the corner. He passed off to Kenton Paulino, the hero of Thursday's victory over West Virginia, but he missed a jumper.

Two LSU players failed to corral the loose ball near midcourt and Paulino got it back, only to have his jumper swatted away from behind by Garrett Temple. The ball went Texas' way again — right to Daniel Gibson, who made the tying 3 with 32 seconds left.

LSU squandered three chances to win in regulation. Davis had a mental blunder, firing up a wild 3 off an inbounds pass that didn't hit anything. Thomas got the rebound, but his baseline jumper was blocked by LaMarcus Aldridge. The ball deflected off the back of the goal, giving the Tigers one more opportunity.

They swung the ball around to Temple, but his open jumper from behind the arc barely hit the rim before time ran out.

LSU bounced right back from that disappointment. The Tigers won the jump and Tasmin Mitchell scored on a lay-in. Texas turned the ball over, and Temple scored off a double-pumping banker from beneath the hoop. The Longhorns threw it away again, and Davis finished them off.

The big man — he's 6-foot-9 and weighs around 315 pounds — stepped outside the arc to hit his only 3 of the game, putting the Tigers up 59-52. Texas never got any closer than five the rest of the way.

"When Glen hit the 3, that was the turning point," Darrel Mitchell said.

Texas, which dominated the lane in its buzzer-beating win over the Mountaineers, faced a much more physical team in LSU. The Longhorns were outscored by an astonishing 38-10 in the lane and had a slight edge on the boards, 45-42.

Texas couldn't overcome poor games by its two leading scorers. Tucker was held to 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting. Aldridge was dominated in the head-to-head matchup with Davis, making only 2-of-14 shots to finish with four points.

Gibson led the way with 15 points and unheralded Brad Buckman chipped in with 13. Paulino, who beat West Virginia with a three-pointer, went 0-for-5 from outside the arc this time, settling for 10 points.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/colle...s_x.htm?csp=25

LSU a Welcome Relief From Hurricane Woes
By MARY FOSTER

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - At a time when people are still cleaning up from hurricanes and travel trailers serve as luxury housing, the talk has turned from rebuilding to rebounding.

Thanks to LSU basketball, where the men's and women's teams are both in the Final Four.

``I just wanted to tell the team that what they're doing is really uplifting Louisiana,'' said Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who met with the men's team Monday. ``We've been through a lot of really difficult and dark days. We all need some relief, and the spirit that they project has given us a real lift.''

For southern Louisiana the climb back from the hurricane destruction remains a long one. New Orleans has only half its pre-Katrina population. Giant stretches of the city remain filled with empty, wrecked houses.


In southwest Louisiana, where Rita ripped through a month after Katrina, the cleanup continues slowly, with much of the population still scattered and rebuilding still questionable in many areas.


Baton Rouge, about 70 miles northwest of New Orleans, did not get hit as much as spots farther south. The storms, however, still affected the city and LSU.


The Pete Maravich Assembly Center, where the teams play, was turned into a triage for the sickest of the evacuees from the New Orleans area.


``From my office I could see the helicopters landing on the track and taking off all day,'' women's coach Pokey Chatman said. ``You knew every time it was someone who was really sick.''


Chatman had close to a dozen people living with her following Katrina. So did her mother. So did many of her players. So did many of coach John Brady's players.


``We still have two people living in my parent's house,'' guard Garrett Temple said.


Only six other schools have sent their men's and women's teams to the Final Four at the same time, and none from the Southeastern Conference.


``I think that's the tremendous part of the value of athletics,'' Blanco said. ``In this day and time, we don't take anything for granted. Anything that feels or looks like normal is cherished and we hang on to it, because we know how easy it can slip away from us.''


Both teams found plenty of support on the road this season from Louisiana residents scattered across the nation by the hurricanes.


``It was amazing,'' Temple said. ``People everywhere would see us wearing our colors and come up telling us how much they missed home. Everyone wanted to talk, to wish us well.''


Both teams are happy to supply a shot of inspiration for the storm-weary state. They say they have drawn plenty from what they saw.


Glen ``Big Baby'' Davis and teammates spent time helping the sick people housed at LSU and later assisted in with rebuilding.


``It gave me a sense of purpose,'' Davis said. ``What I'm basically here for on this earth is to impact little kids and other people through the game of basketball with my personality. It just made me realize how important projecting a positive image to people who are down and out can be and to give them a sense of hope.''



03/29/06 16:46

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/sto...42.htm&sc=2060

UCLA Races Out to Big Lead on LSU
By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer
59 minutes ago


INDIANAPOLIS - UCLA played its trademark tenacious defense and got some good shooting, too, to take a 39-24 halftime lead over LSU in the second national semifinal Saturday night.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute made all three of his field-goal attempts and all six free throws for 12 points to lead the Bruins, who are in search of their 12th national title and looking to do it in a much different way than in the past.

They've been playing bruising defense this season, especially in the tournament, and the first half against the Tigers was no different. They made seven steals, forced 11 turnovers and held LSU's gigantic center, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, to five points on 2-for-9 shooting.

Just as impressively, the Bruins hit shots of their own — making three of their first four 3-pointers and going 58 percent from the field. That's about 20 percent higher than they shot last week in the Oakland Regional, and it helped them push the lead to double digits early and extend it to as many as 16 with 3:34 left in the first half.

The winner of the second semi will play Florida, a 73-58 winner over George Mason, for the title Monday night.

Jordan Farmar hit two 3-pointers for the Bruins to finish the half with six points. While UCLA's shooting was decent, the overall offensive flow wasn't so great.

The Bruins had 11 turnovers of their own and their offensive strategy involved a lot of dribbling around, looking for open shots that weren't always there, and some forced passes on the break, not all of which worked.

Still, it was better than LSU.

Bruins forward Alfred Aboya set the tone early when he swatted Darrel Mitchell's shot into the stands, then glowered at him as Mitchell fell to the ground. Davis, meanwhile, found little room in the middle, as Mbah a Moute, Lorenzo Mata and Ryan Hollins drove the 6-foot-9, 310-pound sophomore nuts.

Late in the second half, Davis thought he had an open shot, but when he went up, Mata capped him and sent him to the floor for the third time in the game. It was one of four blocks for the Bruins, who held LSU to 9-for-30 shooting.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060402/...AwBHNlYwM3NTU-

Gators Swamp Mason With 3-Point Barrage
By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer
5 minutes ago

INDIANAPOLIS - Lee Humphrey lingered outside the arc, determined to keep on shooting. Swish. Swish. And make it three. Appropriately enough, the longshot of Final Four was doomed by the long shot.

Humphrey hit three straight 3-pointers to start the second half and Florida brought George Mason back to reality Saturday night, ending the Patriots' stunning run through the NCAA tournament with a 73-58 victory.

In all, the Gators made a dozen shots from outside the 3-point stripe — tying a national semifinal record. Humphrey had six of them, leading Florida into Monday night's championship game.

The Gators will play UCLA, 59-45 winners over LSU.

"Humpty was a monster tonight," teammate Joakim Noah said. "When he's hitting shots like that, we're tough to beat."

Too tough for 11th-seeded George Mason (27-8), the charming mid-major from the suburbs of northern Virginia, which knocked off the last two national champions and half of last year's Final Four on its way to Indy. The feel-good Patriots simply couldn't handle an immensely talented team that has arrived at the cusp of the school's first national title a year ahead of schedule.

The youthful Gators (32-6) have probably been the most impressive team in the tournament, withstanding only one serious challenge in their five wins. They are winning by an average of 16 points a game in the postseason. "We're playing our best basketball all year and we're a really tough team," said Al Horford, one of four sophomores in the starting lineup. "You can't stop us."

Humphrey, a junior, is largely overshadowed by his younger teammates. And he struggled in the first half, making only 1 of 5 shots — all of them from beyond the stripe.

But coach Billy Donovan told the guard to keep on shooting, and Humphrey responded with the three straight 3s that pushed the Gators to a 40-28 lead before two minutes were gone in the second half. "He's a silent assassin," said another of the sophomores, Corey Brewer. "He doesn't get a lot of hype. Nobody knows too much about him, but Lee Humphrey wins basketball games for the Florida Gators."

The Gators are heading to the second title game in school history. They lost to Michigan State in the 2000 final.

Humphrey finished with 19 points and 6-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. He was joined in the outside barrage by Brewer and Taureen Green, who hit three treys apiece for a team that went 12-of-25.

"I felt good tonight," Humphrey said. "My teammates did a good job of moving the ball around. I got some good looks."

By comparison, George Mason missed its first nine 3s and finished 2-of-11 — both of them coming too late to make any difference. They were much more accurate in their four tournament wins, making 26-of-62 (42 percent).

On the inside, the Gators were nearly as dominating. Noah — his father, former tennis star Yannick Noah, cheering him on from the stands — scored 12 points. Horford grabbed 13 rebounds.

Florida finished with a 40-27 edge on the boards, playing keep-away in the final two minutes with three straight offensive rebounds.

"We came into the game feeling good about ourselves and feeling good about our chances," said George Mason coach Jim Larranaga, who tried to inspire his team with a pre-game poem. "For some reason, we were never really able to establish our rhythm, either offensively or defensively. And Florida's ability to get so many second shots really hurt us."

Florida built a 10-point lead in the first half and withstood a couple of George Mason runs for a 31-26 lead at halftime. Appropriately enough, Green closed the opening period with a couple of 3s.

Humphrey took over in the second half. The Gators pushed their lead as high as 19 points and the Patriots never got any closer than nine the rest of the way.

"George Mason has been playing great," Donovan said. "But I thought the key to the game was the 3-point line. That was one thing missing from what people were talking about."

Tony Skinn and Jai Lewis scored 13 points apiece for the Patriots, who missed countless layups and easy shots in the lane that might have gotten them in position to pull off another stunner.

The George Mason band played "All I Need Is A Miracle" as the Patriots warmed up before the game. The players didn't seem too nervous — Jordan Carter and Charles Makings joked around with each other during the layup drills, while several teammates glanced toward their school's green-and-gold-clad section, as if trying to see if their family and friends had found their way into the RCA Dome.

The underdog Patriots trotted on the court past the Florida section, which greeted them with Gator chops. But the rest of the crowd seemed to be pulling for George Mason. A fan wearing an LSU shirt held up a "Go Mason" sign. The UCLA fans also cheered every time the Patriots scored.

But Florida wasn't intimidated by the crowd or the knowledge that nearly everyone outside the Sunshine State was pulling for one of the most unlikely teams in Final Four history.

"What they've been able to do this year is great for basketball," Donovan said. "Most teams don't get a chance to experience what they've been able to experience. In this tournament, they were able to inspire a lot of people. There was no resentment on our team for feeling like they got all the attention or we got slighted."

George Mason's only lead was 2-0. Florida was ahead 16-6 before the game was 7 minutes old.

The Patriots tried mightily to get back into it. Florida went cold in the first half, missing six straight shots during a scoring drought of nearly five minutes.

George Mason went on an 11-2 spurt, closing within one point of the Southeastern Conference school where football is king but basketball is on the brink of a title. But the Patriots never caught up.

Before the final seconds ticked away, Larranaga pulled out his starters so they could get one final ovation from the crowd.

It was well deserved.

From now on, every mid-major will feel like it has a chance to compete with the big boys.

"I think we did something tremendous for college basketball and for teams out there who watched us play," Skinn said. "We showed them that all you need is opportunity and a chance."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060402/...AwBHNlYwM3NTU-

UCLA Routs LSU, Will Face Florida in Final
By EDDIE PELLS, AP National Writer
5 minutes ago

:hissyfit:


INDIANAPOLIS - Oh, Baby, can UCLA play defense. Throw some offense in there on the same night and not even LSU and its gigantic star, Glen "Big Baby" Davis, had a chance. The Bruins shut him down Saturday en route to a 59-45 victory over the Tigers that put them one win away from their 12th national title.

The last step in the quest to hang another banner at Pauley Pavilion comes Monday in the final against Florida, a 73-58 winner over George Mason in the first semifinal.

Luc Richard Mbah A Moute was UCLA's top performer in this one, finishing with 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting, to go with nine rebounds. But he got plenty of help.

Lorenzo Mata dominated the middle, capping Davis at least twice, sending him to the floor a few other times and generally driving him nuts. LSU's 6-foot-9, 310-pound star — arguably the most entertaining character in this tournament — didn't look so big in this one.

He shot 5-for-17, finished with 14 points and seven rebounds and was serenaded with chants of "Ba-by, Ba-by" by the UCLA fans after he took a frustration foul on Bruins guard Darren Collison early in the second half, trailing by 23.

Bruins forward Alfred Aboya set the tone early in the first half when he swatted Darrel Mitchell's shot into the stands, then glowered at Mitchell as he fell to the floor. A few minutes later, Mbah A Moute stepped into an LSU passing lane for a steal that led to a bucket for Collison.

On offense, the Bruins (32-6) were just as good, especially early. They made three of their first four 3-pointers and shot 58 percent in the first half to push their lead to as many as 16, 3 1/2 minutes before the break.

The start of the second half put it out of reach.

Mbah A Moute dunked twice, Ryan Hollins took an alley-oop from Jordan Farmar for another slam, then Farmar threw one up from 28 feet with the shot clock going off and swished it for a 48-27 lead. He celebrated by taunting the LSU fans as he ran to the other end. Most of the purple-and-gold crowd simply sat there stoically — they knew a mismatch when they saw one.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060402/...AwBHNlYwM3NTU-

Stars align in LSU-Duke women's matchup
April 1, 2006

BOSTON -- When the LSU Lady Tigers and Duke Blue Devils tip off tonight in the second game of the NCAA Women's Final Four, most of the nation's eyes will be focused on LSU's Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles or Duke's Misty Bass and Monique Curry.

That group of current superstars will likely be the go-to players for their respective teams down the stretch if the national semifinal is as closely contested as expected. But the team that advances to Tuesday's National Championship game could be the one that makes the best use of its non-superstars.

LSU senior Scholanda Hoston is a role player who hopes to get her team in the championship game for the first time in three tries. She'll draw the primary task of shutting down the prolific Curry, who leads the Blue Devils (30-3) in scoring at 16.3 points per outing.

"I know I'm going to be the primary defender on her, but our team does such a great job of never leaving me out there on my own," Hoston said. "You're not going to shut a player like her out, she's a great player. You just want to make every shot she gets difficult."

The three ACC teams in the Final Four are the three highest scoring teams in the nation led by Duke at 87.0 points per game. Maryland is second at 83.5, while North Carolina is third at 82.6. LSU (31-3) is averaging 76.2 points per outing.

Although Duke made the championship game on their first Final Four trip in 1999, they lost in the first round in back-to-back trips behind Shreveport's Alana Beard in 2002 and 2003. Players like Jessica Foley could make a difference this time around.

"It doesn't matter what my role is, I just try to give my team a different look when I'm in there," Foley said. "We have so much depth that we have to play within our roles."

LSU coach Pokey Chatman will use her extended bench to give quality backup to her superstars and she hopes to advance to her inaugural championship game. Her performance in guiding the Lady Tigers to their first Final Four appearance in 2004, while the late Sue Gunter was ailing, secured her ascent to head coach. And she doesn't feel pressure about not winning it all.

"It's just so exciting and exhilarating to get here and it takes such an effort, that coaches don't see it as pressure to win the championship," Chatman said. "Obviously, we're excited to be here, and being here for the third time doesn't diminish the thrill. It's just exciting and it's a credit to this team. What keeps you focused on everything is the fact that you have a formidable opponent in Duke waiting.

"The fact that they lead the nation in scoring, second in plus-rebound margin presents several problems to you. I was speaking to someone about game goals and that is to play a 40 full minutes of Lady Tiger basketball, because that's what's needed this time of year."

For Augustus, who won her second State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the year award on Saturday, this Final Four is her last chance to bring home a national title to her home state.

"It would mean a lot. I've always wanted to do something special," Augustus said. "This would be the ultimate thing, to bring a national championship back to my hometown, back to the state of Louisiana, especially with everything that's happened there."


http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/...304010008/1001

Augustus, Hatchell Win AP Women's Awards
By CHUCK SCHOFFNER, For The Associated Press
Sat Apr 1, 7:17 PM ET

BOSTON - Seimone Augustus brings a double-dose of offense and the smoothest pullup jumper in the game. Sylvia Hatchell tries to make the game fun, yet still finds a way to win.

Both have succeeded in a big way and Saturday they received the top awards from The Associated Press in women's basketball.

Augustus, LSU's go-to 6-foot-1 senior, was voted the player of the year for the second straight season, making her the second repeat winner in the award's 12-year history. Chamique Holdsclaw of Tennessee won in 1998 and 1999.

Hatchell, who guided North Carolina to the program's first No. 1 ranking, was voted coach of the year and received her award amid great fanfare. The school's pep band showed up for the ceremony and struck up the fight song as she walked to the podium, accompanied by rhythmic clapping by the cheerleaders.

Both winners have led their team to Sunday's Final Four.

"I don't deserve this award," Hatchell said. "I learned a long time ago to surround yourself with great people and they make you look good. That's what I've done."

Augustus was the only unanimous All-American this season and leads the nation in scoring at 23 points a game. She edged North Carolina's Ivory Latta 18-17 in the voting by the 46-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25.

Cappie Pondexter of Rutgers received nine votes and Oklahoma freshman Courtney Paris had two in balloting conducted before the NCAA tournament.

Earlier Saturday, Augustus became just the second two-time winner of the Wade Trophy, another player of the year award.

"It means a lot," Augustus said. "All those things my dad helped me with when I was growing up, just to know that didn't go to waste is special. I can always see the glow in his eyes when I do something."

Augustus' father, Seymore, began working with his daughter when she was 5. He'd tie a hand behind her back so she'd learn to dribble with the other hand. He'd fit her with special glasses that prevented her from looking down at the ball so she'd see the court in front of her. He made her wear a bowling glove so the ball would come off her fingertips.

Augustus said she never tired of the work.

"I was trying to find a sport that I liked," she said. "Whenever he said something about going to the gym, I was always ready to go."

Augustus has used her fluid jump shot to put up impressive numbers from the moment she stepped on campus, a Baton Rouge high school star hailed as the biggest recruiting catch in LSU history.

She scored 27 points in her debut against Arizona and has scored in double figures an NCAA-record 131 times in her 139 games, including the last 96. This season, Augustus has shot 57 percent while leading the Lady Tigers to their third straight Final Four.

LSU coach Pokey Chatman said it's how Augustus gets her points that sets her apart.

"She's so active without the ball," Chatman said. "She knows she's drawing the most attention, that she's going to be held, bumped, pushed and challenged. But it's not going to change her game. It's not going to make her stop cutting and screening and staying active."

The last time Augustus failed to score in double figures was Dec. 18, 2003, when she settled for eight points a 76-53 victory over Richmond.

Hatchell, who has won more than 700 games in her career, was a runaway winner with 20 votes, giving North Carolina a sweep of the AP coaching awards. Roy Williams received the men's award Friday in Indianapolis.

Oklahoma's Sherri Coale received 10 votes and Maryland's Brenda Frese, whose team also is in the Final Four, had seven.

In a history-making season, Hatchell has guided the Tar Heels to a 33-1 record, the regular-season Atlantic Coast Conference championship and the ACC tournament title. Her team was the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and climbed to No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time on Jan. 30.

The Tar Heels have won with a fast-paced, crowd-pleasing style that leaves opponents rattled. Hatchell said he decision to play that way has invigorated her career.

"When I was younger, I wanted to prove myself as a coach," she said. "But with the different things we have accomplished, now I don't have to prove myself as a coach. The main thing now is I just want my players to experience success and I want to see the smiles on their faces. I want them to have fun."

Hatchell guided North Carolina to the 1994 national championship and is 445-187 in 20 seasons with the Tar Heels. She's 717-267 overall in 31 years, including a 272-80 record in 11 seasons at Francis Marion.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060402/...NlYwN5bmNhdA--