Cleveland will be rocking for Vivian tonight
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by user Leslie Monteiro
Tonight will be the final game of the season for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in women's basketball. Tonight is the night in which a team will be crowned as a national champion.
The storyline will be centering on Rutgers basketball head coach C. Vivian Stringer
This could be the night that she wins her first national championship as a head coach. She already made history taking three different teams to the Final Four. Cheyney State, Iowa, and Rutgers went to the Final Four under her watch. She just has one thing missing on her resume and that is the national championship.
This Rutgers team gives her the best chance to win it all. They are a well-rounded team in so many ways.
They can play great defense as they have done in this tournament.
They can beat a team on great shooting.
They got a great center. who can affect the game whether it's on defense or scoring in the paint in Kia Vaughn.
Most importantly, this team has it. They are not scared or intimidated unlike the past Rutgers teams who would fold against great teams. This is just different and it showed this year.
There is no reason to think that they can get it done. They have beaten very good teams in the last few weeks.
It started when they defeated the Connecticut Huskies in the Big East Tournament thanks to clutch shooting and great defense.
Then, they got it done against the Michigan State Spartans at the Spartans home court. Not only did they win, but they embarassed them.
They hit their peak by beating Duke, who many people thought would win it all, by forcing their guards of their game. They easily shut down the Arizona State Sun Devils as they clinched a bid to go to the Final Four.
On Sunday night, they made quick work out of the LSU Tigers. They started the game off with a 12-2 run and they did not look back. They forced the Tigers not to run their offense effectively.
Sylvia Fowles, who was very good against the Huskies in the Fresno Final, did not do anything at all against Vaughn. They also got great shooting for Matee Avajon, Essence Carson, and Heather Zurich in that game.
It was simply a mismatch between both teams on Sunday night.
All they have to do now is beat the Tennessee Volunteers this evening.
It is very fitting that they have to play them to get that championship. The Vols have eliminated them for the last couple of years. Those were Stringer's best teams too.
This is going to be different though. This is a very hungry, determined team out there.
They are not scared of anyone and it showed against Duke. Why should things change now?
They have gone through so much adversity all season with freshmen learning how to understand Stringer's style of play, the rough start at 2-4, and getting beat soundly by the Huskies.
The fact that Pat Summitt's team is in their way is not going to change teams. This team has a different attitude.
It is time to seize the opportunity. This team may be a very good team for the next couple of years and as long as Stringer is here, she will get the best players.
With that said, there is no guarantee that she will win it next year or years beyond that. Just ask Duke head coach Gail Goestenkors and Georgia head coach Andy Landers.
They both had very good players, but they have yet to win a championship and they are great coaches. It is just that they never had that good luck or good fate.
There has to be sense of urgency starting tonight. The players realize that. They will show up and give it their all. They will win it all because their defense is bar none.
Candance Parker can shoot well and dunk, but she needs her teammates to get the job done and Rutgers could shut them down for good.
Everything seems to point at Rutgers way tonight. This team knows what it takes to get it done.
It will be a very happy ending to what is a great season.
