The ritual of cutting down the nets is complete, the operations folks are boxing up the team bench chairs to ship back to the schools, camera equipment is being taken down and the last of the Louisville fans are leaving the Scottrade Center.  It's time for the clean up now, and a time for reflection on UConn's marvelous season.

"This team, this is all something that is brand new for them," said head coach Geno Auriemma. 

"Their journey was a little bit different.  A little more improbable, maybe for them because of the lack of depth or whatever, but this one is going to be real special because of the way we did it.  It just means a lot to me that for as much as Renee (Montgomery) gave the University of Connecticut, we were able to give her something back."

The best part of winning a national championship might be the party that starts after the final horn sounds.  The tickertape fell from the ceiling, cameras rushed on the court, and the biggest prize in Division I women's basketball was handed over to Connecticut ... the NCAA trophy!  It will be an all night celebration for the Huskies and this was only the beginning.  They will go back to the NCAA hotel where their anxious fans await to celebrate the championship! 

By the way President Obama, Tina Charles can't wait to see you ... and I'm sure the rest of the team is super excited for a trip to the White House!

Connecticut remained flawless in NCAA title games tonight, winning the program's sixth national championship and first since 2004 with a 76-54 defeat of Louisville.   They ended their incredible season with a perfect 39-0 record.   As seniors like Renee Montgomery move on to their next challenge in life, they will be able to take this accomplishment with them ... always a national champion.

Blocked shots, steals, three-point plays ... everything is pretty much going the Huskies' way right now.  I'm not sure how they make it look so easy, but Connecticut has stretched its' lead to 22 points with 11:45 left in the game.  They are starting to feel it now.

The Huskies are going to fight for that perfect season and national title ... they have come out of the locker room on a 5-0 run in the first 2:44 of the second half.  And Husky fans certainly do not need any prompting from the video spots running on the big screen of players encouraging them to yell and cheer ... they share the team's hunger for that title.

As Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma sits and waits with his assistants for the start of the second half, probably the last thing running through his mind is the latest award he collected today ... but that doesn't mean I can't tell you about it. 

Auriemma was named the winner of the 2009 Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club today, garnering his sixth award in the 23 years the Club has named one.  He has won the award two straight years, and his total of six is more than any other coach.  Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt has five in her trophy case. 

Connecticut's shots are falling and the Huskies tightened up their defense in the last few minutes of the half, pulling away to lead 39-29 at the intermission. 

Remember, the Cardinals were down by 12 at the half to Oklahoma ... don't count them out yet.  I'm sure Jeff Walz will have some adjustments for his team as he's probably tellking ESPN's Holly Rowe in this picture, and we'll see if they can come back one more time.  One of the key things I'm sure Walz will focus on is getting Angel McCoughtry back to being a factor in the game.  Since the score was 15-15 at 11:43 in the first half, she has not scored a point.  She has 11 for the game right now.

While I was writing this entry Oklahoma's Courtney Paris walked in the building down the stairs in the section of Sooner fans, getting a standing ovation from the whole arena.  Paris knows what a Louisville comeback looks like ... watch out Huskies.

UConn has just gone one a 6-0 run, and Louisville head coach Jeff Walz called a 30-second timeout to slow down the pace and have his Cardinals regain their composure ... of course, the Huskies' run has not dampened the Louisville students' spirit ... they are still standing and cheering on their Cardinals.

We're deadlocked at 15-15 with 11:17 remaining in the first half, and it looks like the Louisville doubters have fueled Angel McCoughtry's fire.  She has 11 of her team's 15 points, and seems to be on a mission to beat the Huskies single-handedly.  Let's just see if her teammates can step up, and help the Cardinals hang in there as they attempt to pull of one of the biggest upsets in women's basketball history ...