5-at-10: UConn's brilliance, Warriors tumble, Masters contest, Rushmore of Olympic moments


              FILE- In this March 7, 2016, file photo, Connecticut players pose with the championship trophy at the end of a NCAA college basketball game in the American Athletic Conference tournament finals against South Florida at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. UConn was the top overall seed in the women's NCAA Tournament that was revealed Monday, March 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)
FILE- In this March 7, 2016, file photo, Connecticut players pose with the championship trophy at the end of a NCAA college basketball game in the American Athletic Conference tournament finals against South Florida at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. UConn was the top overall seed in the women's NCAA Tournament that was revealed Monday, March 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

UConn

There are few words strong enough to describe accurately the UConn senior trio of Breanna Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck.

The Huskies stars - who are expected to go 1-2-3 in the WNBA draft if Tuck does not return (she was granted a medical redshirt after only playing eight games in her sophomore season before tearing up her knee) - capped their fourth consecutive national title by whipping Syracuse 82-51. How bad was it? Well, Syracuse lost by 31 and they had a 16-0 run in the third quarter. You do the math.

As for the other numbers, well, they are pretty staggering. Stewart won her fourth Final Four most outstanding player as the trio collected its fourth NCAA title Tuesday night. No class has ever won four titles. (Remember the UCLA teams that won all those titles in a row did it when freshmen were ineligible.)

It's the most successful run in for a collection of players in college sports history. Four titles.

For Stewart, it's the cap to the greatest career in college team sports. She's the first to be a three-time player of the year. The first one to ever win four MOP of the Final Four. Her first title came in the biggest blowout in NCAA title game history; her last title came in the second-biggest blowout in NCAA title game history.

In the four-season span of Stewart, Jefferson and Tuck, UConn posted a 151-5 record. (Take out the early growing pains of their freshman season, and the record is 116-1 over the last three years and all 116 of those wins are by double digits.)

So take a bow ladies. We watched you make history that will never be duplicated ever again.

photo Masters defending champion Jordan Spieth smiles while putting on the third hole during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga. Tuesday, April 5, 2016.

Masters contest

We are off to a fast start on our Masterfully Mastering the Masters Challenge here at the 5-at-10. We are up to almost 40 players, which is a nice number. We think the record for a contest may have been the bowl game game we had this past season.

Here's the rules: Pick five golfers, best four finishers count. Where each golfer finishes is your score. (So if you have the winner that's 1 point; if you have someone tied for seventh, that's 7 points, etc.) Add the score together and lowest score wins some Masters swag and some food gift cards.

Here's a Masters question for the group: What storyline would be the most intriguing this week?

OK, yes, any former legendary champ making a run - especially on the 30th anniversary of Jack Nicklaus' magical and unforgettable win in '86 - is a clear choice. But with the length and the hills and the grind, there's little chance of one of those guys capturing time and our imagination the way Jack did back then.

Here are some nominations:

Jordan Spieth defending his title is a great storyline. The last back-to-back winner at Augusta was Tiger in the early 2000s. Spieth certainly has the game and the nerves to do that, but the putting stroke that made him unstoppable in big moments last year.

Rory McIlroy looking for the career grand slam.

Phil because he's Phil. And if you are looking for a Nicklaus-like comparison this week, remember that Phil is 45 - he'll turn 46 in June - and Nicklaus was 46 when he won in 86.

The great players such as Henrik Stenson and Dustin Johnson still hunting their first major title. Of that group, we think Rickie Fowler has the best shot, but don't sleep on Stenson, who hits a controlled 3-wood as long as most drivers, something that will serve him very well this week.

Adam Scott with Stevie Williams back on the bag. Williams has been a part of four Masters wins (three with Tiger; one with Scott) and that experience is a real asset. How Scott manages the greens with a non-anchored belly-putter will be the biggest key for his chances, however.

Finally, there's our guy Jason Day. He's become the best player in the world, and a win this week certainly would cap a Tiger-esque like run since winning the PGA Championship last August.

In fact, since last year's U.S. Open, here's Day's stat sheet:

U.S. Open - tied for ninth
British Open - tied for fourth
Canadian Open - first
Bridgestone Invitational - 12th
PGA Championship - first
Barclays - first
Deutsche Bank - tied for 12th
BWM Championship - first
Tour Championship - tied for 10th
Tournament of Champions - tied for 10th
Farmers - Missed cut
AT&T Pro-Am - tied for 11th
Cadillac Championship - tied for 23rd
Arnold Palmer Invitational - first
Match Play Championship - first

That's 15 events since last June with six wins and four other top-10 finishes. Wow.

photo Minnesota Timberwolves' Zach LaVine (8) drives to the basket as Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 5, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Golden State

Well, that was shocking.

After winning 54 consecutive games at home, Golden State has now lost twice at the Oracle in the last week. Minnesota - a young, up-and-coming bunch that has all of 28 wins - stunned the history-chasing Warriors on Tuesday night with a 124-117 overtime win.

With four games left, the Warriors are 69-9. They would have to sweep the last four to reach the historic mark of 73 wins, and two of those final four games are against the San Antonio Spurs, who are a not-too-shabby 65-12 themselves.

There will be much hand-wringing about the current state of the Warriors. Did they exert too much energy chasing the legacy of the most wins in a regular season? Are they tired? Have they been exposed?

All of that is a bit too easy. The Warriors are still the front-runner in this chase for a title.

That said, the way to beat Golden State has become a little more clear. In their two home losses in the last five days, the Warriors have turned the ball over a combined 45 times. That's a lot.

In fact, despite their overwhelming success this season, the Warriors do not protect the basketball that well. They are 25th in the league with an average of more than 15 turnovers a game. Yes, some of that comes from the fast-paced, up-and-down style, but it also could be a way to slow down Golden State when the postseason starts and every possession becomes magnified.

In the grand scheme what does a loss to Minnesota mean? Not much when trying calculate the favorite for the NBA title. It still starts with Golden State and goes to San Antonio next.

That said, the loss to Minnesota certainly lessens the Warriors a chance to make history.

photo Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., sings during a campaign event, Monday, April 4, 2016, in Milwaukee.

This and that

- One of the saddest parts of college basketball season ending for us is that we don't get as many chances to read TFP ace sports columnist Mark Wiedmer on college basketball. His column in today's TFP was excellent, and it included this line - Yes, point guard Yogi Ferrell finally graduates after first founding the school, then lettering on all five of the Hoosiers' national title teams - which made us laugh out loud.

- Hey, in our optimistic turn as the Positive Paul, Braves Backer, did you notice the Braves did not lose on Tuesday. That's progress folks.

- Crazy stat of the day: Tim Duncan became the third player to win 1,000 career games. He and Gregg Popovich are the only player-coach combo to win 1,000 together. To put that in even more perspective, Duncan has 1,000 career wins. According to NBA writer Quixem Ramirez, that's more than five franchises - Charlotte (912), Minnesota (843), Toronto (730), Memphis (694) and New Orleans (527).

- Wisconsin voters backed Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders in the presidential primaries Tuesday night. This news is not really surprising, since everyone kind of expected the mini-upsets of frontrunners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Still, the cracks are mounting for Donald. (Clinton's lead may be too insurmountable for Sanders.) Here's an interesting look from the Washington Post that shows Trump's chances of winning the election are dropping.

Today's question

Remember the Masters contest.

On this day, 120 years ago, the first modern Olympics opened in Athens, Greece. What's the Rushmore of Olympic moments?

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