Welcome To "Bird At The Buzzer"

Hello everyone and welcome to the Bird At The Buzzer blog, the home for all information related to the Spring 2011 release of Jeff Goldberg's "Bird At The Buzzer: The Greatest Women's Game Ever Played," published by the University of Nebraska Press.

Over the next year or so, this blog will be dedicated to keeping its readers informed about the progress of the book, it's schedule for release and all book-related events. This blog will also be a place to keep tabs on the players and programs that made the night of March 6, 2001 so special.

As all UConn and Notre Dame fans -- and fans of women's basketball -- already know, UConn's 78-76 victory in the 2001 Big East women's tournament final was a seminal moment in the modern history of the women's game. Sue Bird's coast-to-coast buzzer-beater, just over the outstretched arm of national player of the year Ruth Riley, capped a thrilling and emotional evening at Gampel Pavilion. Played against the backdrop of a raging snowstorm and a raging rivalry, it was one of the most-watched games in ESPN2 history and became the first-ever women's Instant Classic.

And what a classic it was, with Bird, Riley, Diana Taurasi, Swin Cash and UConn coach Geno Auriemma all eventually representing the U.S. in the Olympics (and injured Svetlana Abrosimova doing the same for Russia). The game was the second of an epic trilogy between UConn and Notre Dame in 2001, with the Irish beating UConn for the first time in program history in January before the first sellout in Joyce Center history, then beating UConn again in the Final Four semifinals in St. Louis -- the hometown of Irish senior point guard Niele Ivey -- en route to their only national championship, denying the Huskies a shot at winning five national titles in a row.

But UConn's last-second victory in the middle game was the most dramatic of the three, and most tragic, with UConn senior Shea Ralph tearing her left ACL in the first half -- after playing her best 14 minutes of the season -- ending her All-American career already marred by two devastating right knee injuries as a freshman.

"Bird At The Buzzer" recalls the game with second-by-second detail, while also telling the backstories of the main participants and how they helped come together to produce the greatest night the women's game has ever known. It is my hope that you enjoy this blog, and most of all, enjoy the book that has been a labor or love the past 12 months.