A few thoughts on the game and a little (not much) smack talk...

[EricLA]

First I want to say what an enjoyable game it was and what a great atmosphere. It was also a great atmosphere at my house as I watched the game with Ken (Milfordhusky) and his sister. It was great enjoying the game with a pair of big time UCONN fans and we high fived every time UCONN did something really good (which was really often!)

The game was hyped almost as much as a NC game and for the first 10 minutes, was nip and tuck. I also love Staley's intensity - and her kick attitude. She's tough as nails and imparts that on her team as much as possible.

For UCONN - just a terrific game. SC pushed and banged and battled as hard as any team we've faced, and UCONN was up for it, and then some. I think it took UCONN a little bit to get their "sea legs" but after being down 18-15, it was all UCONN for most of the rest of the game.

Against good teams, we've said before, they might be able to play UCONN evenly for 32 out of 40 minutes, but there is that pair of 4-minute stretches where UCONN outscores the other team by 8-2 and suddenly it's a 15-20 point win.

In some other threads, people have talked about Moriah being the best PG and Stewie being the best forward (or best player) in the nation. I would add to that that KML is the best wing in the nation. I think she played terrific defense, and was nailing shots with hands in her face all night. I think she shot better from beyond the arc than from inside the arc.

Moriah was phenomenal. Can't say that enough. In the biggest WCBB game of the regular season, she was sensational. The way she comported herself... (did Doris use that word once tonight? No, but we did drink every time she said "exceptional" and got super wasted!!). Back to Mo... that crossover dribble in the 2nd half where she blew by that kid was just sick. She had at least 10 and possibly closer to 20 highlight plays - passes, steals, shots, you name it. Just wow.

Stewie - she was EVERYWHERE. Offense, defense, blocking shots, grabbing boards... oh and she scored a few points too. Did she even take a single 3 point shot? Maybe just one. All her scoring was done closer to the basket.

KML - can that kid play or what? terrific defense, otherwordly 3-point shooting, and she played 37 minutes. Clearly she's in terrible shape.

Morgan - Kid shoots 16% from beyond the arc all season and nails 2-3. In fairness, one was a bank shot. And a few of her drives were sloppy, but that's nitpicking. The kid was just so solid. I think she and Stewie can emphatically say to Geno "message received"

The rest of the team was solid and did what they needed to do. I want to mention Saniya - she had a fantastic play where she took the pass and instantly turned and shot - scored and was fouled HARD. There were several other times where she moved VERY well without the ball and was wide open - only to NOT be found by her teammates. I know she did not score a bunch, but she could have if her teammates found her. Also her defense on Mitchell was great.

SC was pretty much exactly what I thought they would be. Athletic guards (not as athletic as UCONN's), lots of one on one play, lots osf dumping the ball into the post when they weren't really open, and a TON of scoring off the ridiculous number of O-boards they got. Frankly I was surprised they scored as much as they did, and given the incredibly high degree of difficulty shots they actually made, it could have been much worse.

I think the gap between UCONN and everyone else is larger than most thought and while I predicted a 22 point win (72-50), the 25 point beatdown was not a surprise.

SC's huge "advantage" of their bench - if you replace starters Ibian and Dozier (2 points, 4 boards, and 1 assist) with Coates and Wilson, I think you get a better feel for what really happens at SC. Their players earning starters minutes are Sessions, Mitchell, Welch, Wilson and Coates. If you look at Ibiam and Dozier as bench players, their bench was literally no more productive than UCONN's.

And by the way, that play at the end of the first half where Cuevas knocked Stewie into the stanchion was 100% a foul, and would be called an offensive foul 100% of the time. I didn't always enjoy the SC fan's smack talk leading up to the game, but I trust that they would acknowledge that UCONN is better, and it's by a very wide margin.

Meet again in the NCAA's, and the outcome won't be any different. Having said that, I wish SC much success the rest of the season and hope they destroy Tennessee (and the rest of the SEC for that matter)...

 

[EricLA]

One other thing to add... On the "critical side"... there were several stretches - once in the first half when UCONN got the lead up to about 10, and once in the 2nd half, where they kind of stopped running offense. You could see Geno imploring them on the sidelines to move, and to pass the ball, but our offense sort of devolved in to one on one play - something we often point out in other "lesser" teams in terms of how they run their offense.

 

[MilfordHusky]

For the record, my lucky charm sister is 8-0 when attending Final Four games. I'm 13-1. We'll be in Tampa. I'm also 4-0 while watching at Eric's house.

Dude, it's not "exceptional." It's "extrawdinary." It makes for a great drinking game. We had an extrawdinary amount of beer, and our comportment went downhill fast.

When the score got to Eric's prediction of 72-50, I said we should just turn off the TV and have more beer.

 

[geneticrex]

By games end, there must have been some sore hands in that house.

One can only "high 5" so many times before it takes a toll.

 

[Waquoit]

Let's face it, this was a total destruction. Staley looked and sounded clueless. Voepel was pushing the line pregame that Staley could be a difference maker. Not even close, she's still mostly a recruiter.

 

[EricLA]

Let's face it, this was a total destruction. Staley looked and sounded clueless. Voepel was pushing the line pregame that Staley could be a difference maker. Not even close, she's still mostly a recruiter.

I hate to be critical of Staley - I think she's a solid coach and she does work with Geno on Team USA. It's likely she will be the next Olympic head coach. I also appreciate that she's not afraid to play UCONN (unlike some other coaches) and look forward to continuing the series for many years. Having said that, I want to touch on her recruiting - maybe this will end up in its' own thread...

Staley had a terrific class in 2014 - this year's freshman class with Wilson, Cuevas and White. However, in 2015, she basically got zero. Landed one kid not even in the top 100 - 3 star PG Shay Colley. While UCONN has a terrific trio coming in, SC has no one who will help them. I can understand after a super class not a lot of kids wanting to come in right behind them (see our class of Faris, Chong, Kennitra Johnson, etc), but that means they should clean up in 2016.

Not so much. 5 of the top 10 kids have verbaled and 10 of the top 20. None to SC. By all accounts, Holmes, Ionescu, and Chou will likely stay close to home. I don't know if SC is a big player for Cox (I still think it's unlikely she leaves Texas), and none of the remaining top 20 kids are from the south. Most are from CA or Texas, with McCoy from Illinois and Hollie from Minnesota.

My point on that is she's made a living, so to speak, of getting kids out of SC. 2017 is no better for kids from SC, while Texas and Georgia clean up with the volume of top kids from those areas. So bottom line, unless she's able to start recruiting nationally, and fast, she's going to sink back down quickly. She loses Gaines, Welch and Ibiam this year, and Sessions, Roy, Mitchell and Dozier the following year. The class following A'ja Wilson is very weak for SC and so far it looks like they may be shut out of 2016.

That means Wilson's junior year they would have Coates, Farmer, Davis, Wilson, Cuevas, White, Duckett and Cliney. A top 5 team for sure if you start Cuevas, Wilson, White, Coates and ??? (another guard), but who comes off the bench? And how will a team like that fare against UCONN when we have Chong, Tuck, Williams, Nurse, Butler, Collier, Samuelson, Boykin, Dangerfield, Ekmark and Irwin?

Of course the 2016 recruiting is far from done. But SC needs to recruit some top kids, and pronto...

 

[CocoHusky]

KML - can that kid play or what?

Eric,
I was going to start a new thread "Favorite parts of last's night game" For me it was KML so casually shedding Tiffinay Mitchell on her backside looking at Mitchell and draining a 3. Priceless, Iconic! Equal to DT popping the UCONN on her shirt against Tenn.

 

[CocoHusky]

Eric,
"Hollie from Minnesota"? Is she's on UCONN radar? I have heard/read Willoughby, Ionescu, and Chou in that Wing role 5'10"-6ft range but never Hollie.

 

[meyers7]

Eric,
"Hollie from Minnesota"? Is she's on UCONN radar? I have heard/read Willoughby, Ionescu, and Chou in that Wing role 5'10"-6ft range but never Hollie.

Nia Holley W 5-10, #15 Prospect Nation, #14 Hoopgurlz

Haven't heard or read anything about her with UCONN.

 

[CocoHusky]

My point on that is she's made a living, so to speak, of getting kids out of SC. 2017 is no better for kids from SC, while Texas and Georgia clean up with the volume of top kids from those areas. So bottom line, unless she's able to start recruiting nationally, and fast, she's going to sink back down quickly. She loses Gaines, Welch and Ibiam this year, and Sessions, Roy, Mitchell and Dozier the following year. The class following A'ja Wilson is very weak for SC and so far it looks like they may be shut out of 2016.

Of course the 2016 recruiting is far from done. But SC needs to recruit some top kids, and pronto...

Eric could it be as simple as; Dawn was committed to SC because the talent pipeline was right there in her own back yard. If the pipeline dries up she will go elsewhere. Her first big get (Kelsey Bone) was from TX. Her first get was Lekeshia Sutton from NJ. The commitment to lock down on SC paid off big time. That commitment got them to number 1-alegedily! The commitment to SC was not without misses-she missed out on Xylinda McDaniel a HS teammate of Asia Dozier. Every school even UCONN needs to keep getting more talent in to sustain a program. I am not seeking any opportunities for playing time immediately at SC. They graduate 2 starters next year but ready replacements and backups are already on the roster=no hurry to sign anyone.

 

[CocoHusky]

Nia Holley W 5-10, #15 Prospect Nation, #14 Hoopgurlz

Haven't heard or read anything about her with UCONN.

Thanks, HoopGurlz has a slightly different spelling Nia Hollie but pretty sure we talking about the same young woman.

 

[EricLA]

For the record, my lucky charm sister is 8-0 when attending Final Four games. I'm 13-1. We'll be in Tampa. I'm also 4-0 while watching at Eric's house.

"They're always after me lucky charms" (must be said in thick Irish accent!)

 

[EricLA]

Eric could it be as simple as; Dawn was committed to SC because the talent pipeline was right there in her own back yard. If the pipeline dries up she will go elsewhere. Her first big get (Kelsey Bone) was from TX. Her first get was Lekeshia Sutton from NJ. The commitment to lock down on SC paid off big time. That commitment got them to number 1-alegedily! The commitment to SC was not without misses-she missed out on Xylinda McDaniel a HS teammate of Asia Dozier. Every school even UCONN needs to keep getting more talent in to sustain a program. I am not seeking any opportunities for playing time immediately at SC. They graduate 2 starters next year but ready replacements and backups are already on the roster=no hurry to sign anyone.

That makes total sense, and as I noted, in 2 years, they'd have Cuevas, Coates, White and Wilson - a fantastic quartet of starters. But after that, there is almost nobody. Given the way UCONN (and ND and maybe a few others) recruit, it's almost impossible to "miss out" on 2 consecutive classes and still remain in the hunt for a NC. They struck out on 2015. If they swing and miss on 2016, it's only a matter of time before they fall back down and all the hype surrounding landing Wilson, and being ranked #1, will be a thing of the past...

UCONN did after landing the TASSK team, getting only Kennitra Johnson (who eventually transferred). Then again after Caroline, Tiff, EDD, and Buck - they only landed Faris. Then after Tuck, Stewie and Jefferson, they "only" landed Chong. We are fortunate from a "players by year" standpoint that Morgan's unfortunate injury bumped her down effectively to Saniya's class.

 

[CocoHusky]

[QUOTE="ericsandiego, post: 1222064, We are fortunate from a "players by year" standpoint that Morgan's unfortunate injury bumped her down effectively to Saniya's class.[/QUOTE]
Don't forget transfers, we were even more fortunate to land Butler-IMO

 

[Huskies Rule]

I hate to be critical of Staley - I think she's a solid coach and she does work with Geno on Team USA. It's likely she will be the next Olympic head coach. I also appreciate that she's not afraid to play UCONN (unlike some other coaches) and look forward to continuing the series for many years. Having said that, I want to touch on her recruiting - maybe this will end up in its' own thread...

Staley had a terrific class in 2014 - this year's freshman class with Wilson, Cuevas and White. However, in 2015, she basically got zero. Landed one kid not even in the top 100 - 3 star PG Shay Colley. While UCONN has a terrific trio coming in, SC has no one who will help them. I can understand after a super class not a lot of kids wanting to come in right behind them (see our class of Faris, Chong, Kennitra Johnson, etc), but that means they should clean up in 2016.

Not so much. 5 of the top 10 kids have verbaled and 10 of the top 20. None to SC. By all accounts, Holmes, Ionescu, and Chou will likely stay close to home. I don't know if SC is a big player for Cox (I still think it's unlikely she leaves Texas), and none of the remaining top 20 kids are from the south. Most are from CA or Texas, with McCoy from Illinois and Hollie from Minnesota.

My point on that is she's made a living, so to speak, of getting kids out of SC. 2017 is no better for kids from SC, while Texas and Georgia clean up with the volume of top kids from those areas. So bottom line, unless she's able to start recruiting nationally, and fast, she's going to sink back down quickly. She loses Gaines, Welch and Ibiam this year, and Sessions, Roy, Mitchell and Dozier the following year. The class following A'ja Wilson is very weak for SC and so far it looks like they may be shut out of 2016.

That means Wilson's junior year they would have Coates, Farmer, Davis, Wilson, Cuevas, White, Duckett and Cliney. A top 5 team for sure if you start Cuevas, Wilson, White, Coates and ??? (another guard), but who comes off the bench? And how will a team like that fare against UCONN when we have Chong, Tuck, Williams, Nurse, Butler, Collier, Samuelson, Boykin, Dangerfield, Ekmark and Irwin?

Of course the 2016 recruiting is far from done. But SC needs to recruit some top kids, and pronto...

Nice, E. I think ultimately one of the biggest benefits to come out of last night's whooping will be in terms of recruiting. With all the ESPN hype, I imagine there were lots of elite high school hoopsters glued to their TV's, impressed as hell with the level of play they saw, and imagined themselves running the floor at Gampel, getting coached to their max potential by the game's greatest staff, and winning NCs. And then to see two of WBB's superstars on The Geno Auriemma Project afterwards, Diana and Maya, expressing their gratitude, love and respect for GA, CD and the UConn experience- wow, how could you not want to go to Storrs? This might well inspire a Cox or Holmes or Megan Walker to join the preeminent program in WCBB history and realize their greatness.

(what's up with all the dogs- you own a kennel?)

 

[bballnut90]

That makes total sense, and as I noted, in 2 years, they'd have Cuevas, Coates, White and Wilson - a fantastic quartet of starters. But after that, there is almost nobody. Given the way UCONN (and ND and maybe a few others) recruit, it's almost impossible to "miss out" on 2 consecutive classes and still remain in the hunt for a NC. They struck out on 2015. If they swing and miss on 2016, it's only a matter of time before they fall back down and all the hype surrounding landing Wilson, and being ranked #1, will be a thing of the past...

UCONN did after landing the TASSK team, getting only Kennitra Johnson (who eventually transferred). Then again after Caroline, Tiff, EDD, and Buck - they only landed Faris. Then after Tuck, Stewie and Jefferson, they "only" landed Chong. We are fortunate from a "players by year" standpoint that Morgan's unfortunate injury bumped her down effectively to Saniya's class.

The difference is, UCONN always follows up a weaker class with a monster haul. Even though they only landed Johnson after TASSK, they picked up Taurasi the next year. After they only landed Faris, they haul in Dolson/Hartley/Walker, and after landing just Chong in 2013, they reload with Nurse, Williams, and Ekmark. I don't know if USC is on anyone's radar who is top 20 in 2016. They had a good haul, landing Welch in 2011, Mitchell in 2012, Coates in 2013 and their big 2014 class, but they'll need to continue to land impact players in order to stay a top team. That's one area where Geno has excelled. As great of a coach as he is, he always has top players coming into the program.

 

[EricLA]

(what's up with all the dogs- you own a kennel?)

2 are mine, 2 are my friends. I thought they looked cute in their Christmas finery! The 2 big ones are mine - Zeus the lab, and Riley the doodle.

 

[meyers7]

Thanks, HoopGurlz has a slightly different spelling Nia Hollie but pretty sure we talking about the same young woman.

Oops. Sorry. Yea I written it down wrong at some point, carried it over here.