Trending

Russ watches UConn Husky Games, Game 8: Madison Square Gordon

June 14, 2015

Game 8: March 12, 2004
Big East Semifinal
UConn 84 Villanova 67

Emeka Okafor was out with a back injury. Villanova had pushed UConn to its limits just two weeks prior. Charlie Villanueva was injured in the opening minutes. This game could easily have been an upset. But instead, Ben Gordon earned the nickname Madison Square Gordon (or Ben Broadway, or Ben Garden) with 29 points to lead the Huskies in a rout. The next night, he hit the game-winner against Pittsburgh and was given the Dave Gavitt Trophy as the tournament’s most outstanding player.

UConn Starting Lineup:

G. Taliek Brown
G. Ben Gordon
F. Rashad Anderson
F. Charlie Villanueva
C. Josh Boone

Three game observations:

- Advertisement -

Visit J. Timothy's Taverne for the world's best wings

Give Charlie credit for fighting through most of this game. His stat line wasn’t spectacular, but the guy was basically hobbling up and down the court for 24 minutes. He finally left after he re-injured his ankle going up for a rebound.
Much like Rashad/UMass, Gordon gets a ton of credit for this game but wasn’t the only one to have a big night. Josh Boone had 11 points and 15 rebounds as UConn’s only real big man (Uncle Hilty played nine minutes but didn’t do much). Oh, and Rashad had 19.
Taliek Brown showed how much of a leader he was in this game. He did everything he needed to do: scored in the first half, distributed in the second once Gordon caught fire. He played 34 minutes and had a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists. He also became the all-time UConn assists leader in this game. Marcus Williams has since broken that record.

Three other observations:

Really, ESPN? You cut away during the first half to show overtime between Vanderbilt and Mississippi State, then you go away for FOUR MINUTES in the second half and UConn goes on a 15-2 run. I thought you were a Connecticut company.
Ben Gordon goatee update:
Nardi loves Coldplay.