An 88-Point Win Is Nothing to Cheer About

It was no surprise that women's NCAA powerhouse UConn knocked off 16th seed Saint Francis on Saturday, but the magnitude of the win is raising questions about sportsmanship. Consider that Connecticut won by 88, along the way setting a tournament record for total points (140) as well as all-time NCAA records for points in a quarter (55) and in a half (94), per the AP. Impressive, yes. But Josh Peter at USA Today has another word for it: "embarrassment." He takes coach Geno Auriemma to task for reveling in the blowout afteward, with the coach explaining that “once the pace was established, it just became, for us, 'How many layups can we get? And how many open shots can we get?’"

A record-setting amount, as it turned out. But "Auriemma, in unleashing his superior players, exposed what dilutes his accomplishments—the disparity between the best and the rest in women’s basketball is so significant, they could use a mercy rule," writes Peter. "Or a coach who knows how to show mercy." Peter sees the game as a "loss for women's basketball" because these early round games sometimes border on farce. Click for his full take. (More NCAA women's basketball stories.)