Finally

[Tonyc]

We've been waiting a long time. Over the past few games we've seen improvment in bits and pieces. We finally came together and Passed the Damm ball, moved and hit shots and it was everybody else who did it. The flow of the game was the best Ive seen this season and everybody was involved. Now we build on that. Anna is showing consistency. Im hoping CW has broken out of her slump. If she has this UConn team is going a long way over the next month.

We were clicking on almost all cylinders. Patience tempo breed confidence and our defense to offense, finally we seemed to trust everybody on the court and passed the ball so everyone got touches and was involved and not just standing around waiting for somebody to create a shot. There was alot less dribbleing. We've seen glimpses of greatness and last nite it came together. Anna is a diamond in the ruff. She can do alot. Shes not really quick but she can play the game and her shooting has become deadly. Now we need to get Liv healthy and CW must continue to play with confidence and trust her shot. Focusing on defense and passing the ball will do that for you.

I really liked what I saw. Not so much the scoring which was a direct result of our passing which got everyone involved but the way we executed and trusted each other. We've come a long way, and we're not their yet but we are gaining momentum at the right time. While other top teams are struggleing UConn is peaking at the right time. I beleive we are a 1 seed and I posted why I think that yesterday. Last nites game makes me even more confident that we are a 1 seed. Saturday and Monday will show us where we are and where we're headed. Gotta Believe.

There are 2 types of people in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant and theyre both right.

 

[hart2hart]

Great post Tonyc! This game was just so much fun to watch. So proud of all these kids. Anna’s defense is improving leaps and bounds! You can tell how pumped she is playing and is starting to direct other players as well. She had a touching moment with MW if you noticed! Sweet. CW best all around game and loved that Geno kept in her in the game. Can’t wait until Saturday’s game and hope it’s even more FUN to watch! Just love these gals!

 

[veryolddog]

Your optimism must have spilled over into their ears and they performed as you hoped.

It was really nice to see this type of game performed. For me, it was a long time coming. It really would be nice to see them perform like this for the all of the rest of the games they play and going into the tournament.

Last nights win was a "beautiful" win. Every other win they had was "ugly" compared to the one that they had last night. Play like that and an upset may be in the making among the top 3 to 5 teams. However, consistency will be the key.

 

[oldude]

While I’ll take any UConn win, even an ugly one, I have to admit it’s a lot more fun watching a game like last night’s where the Huskies are firing on all cylinders.

It’s my hope that the Cincinnati game gives the team a much needed boost in confidence of what they’re capable of that carries forward into the tough games to come in the Big Dance.

 

[meyers7]

There are 2 types of people in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant and theyre both right.

As usual Tony, good post but,

There are 10 types of people in the world, those that understand binary and those that don't.

 

[oldude]

As usual Tony, good post but,

There are 10 types of people in the world, those that understand binary and those that don't.

ISWYDT

 

[Dokey]

When the season started for some reason my attention focused on Anna. She came in without the prestamped approval given by the recruit rating gods, almost viewed as a Hail Mary in a failed recruiting year. To my eye, there was something about her that drew me and I picked her as my focus of the year, the player to whom I devote most of my attention.

Dismissed as too slow, I saw her use bb iq to move on the floor. Some criticized her defense but by watching her every movement, I saw a player who was seldom scored on. Given that the Euro game is not big on defense, her adjustment was significant. Early on as she went 0 for America, she displayed superior passing ability and led team in assists. She also began racking up rebounds, gathering in 11 in one game, two shy of all time UConn record.

Then the lid came off the basket. She took only a few shots from beyond the arc but began hitting them. Then she hit 8 of 10, once again 2 short of UConn record. The 11 assists came during a brief hiatus from scoring but there was no question her performance drove the team. Some said she had no shot inside the arc, mainly because she passed instead of pulling up, then she started pulling up and hitting those shots. They said she was a perimeter shooter, then she started driving (Geno called it a “fast walk”), drawing fouls and we discovered she was deadly at the line.

Her defense continued to improve, culminating in six steals in a single game. For many games, boneyarders noticed that the team performed at their best when she was on the floor. But could she be a consistent scorer? In last three games she hit 18, 17, and 20. And the assists continued. CW came out of her slump and guess who often fed her the ball? And still people counted her out as a starter next season, seeing her pushed aside by people who have yet to put on a UConn uniform, but never considered how few freshmen have had her impact and ignoring she is still getting better and better. I suspect her ceiling isn’t in sight.

 

[bluedevil]

Agree except when you say other teams are struggling? Are Baylor, Oregon, and South Carolina struggling? Is Maryland struggling? Please clarify...

 

[meyers7]

Dismissed as too slow, I saw her use bb iq to move on the floor. Some criticized her defense but by watching her every movement, I saw a player who was seldom scored on. Given that the Euro game is not big on defense, her adjustment was significant. Early on as she went 0 for America, she displayed superior passing ability and led team in assists. She also began racking up rebounds, gathering in 11 in one game, two shy of all time UConn record.

I do like Makurat too. However, 11 rebounds, 2 off UCONN record? No, the single game record for rebounds is 25 (Rosemary Borsuk - long time ago).

13 IS the single game record for assists though (has happened 3 times).

 

[DaddyChoc]

I miss HuskyBill

 

[LCConnFan]

We've been waiting a long time. Over the past few games we've seen improvment in bits and pieces. We finally came together and Passed the Damm ball, moved and hit shots and it was everybody else who did it. The flow of the game was the best Ive seen this season and everybody was involved. Now we build on that. Anna is showing consistency. Im hoping CW has broken out of her slump. If she has this UConn team is going a long way over the next month.

We were clicking on almost all cylinders. Patience tempo breed confidence and our defense to offense, finally we seemed to trust everybody on the court and passed the ball so everyone got touches and was involved and not just standing around waiting for somebody to create a shot. There was alot less dribbleing. We've seen glimpses of greatness and last nite it came together. Anna is a diamond in the ruff. She can do alot. Shes not really quick but she can play the game and her shooting has become deadly. Now we need to get Liv healthy and CW must continue to play with confidence and trust her shot. Focusing on defense and passing the ball will do that for you.

I really liked what I saw. Not so much the scoring which was a direct result of our passing which got everyone involved but the way we executed and trusted each other. We've come a long way, and we're not their yet but we are gaining momentum at the right time. While other top teams are struggleing UConn is peaking at the right time. I beleive we are a 1 seed and I posted why I think that yesterday. Last nites game makes me even more confident that we are a 1 seed. Saturday and Monday will show us where we are and where we're headed. Gotta Believe.

There are 2 types of people in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant and theyre both right.

And A Good Time Was Had By All! This was a long time coming, hopefully it isn't a 'one time thing' just to make us hopeful and feel good. SNY's continuation next year for TBE was also great news, especially for those who are spoiled here in the NE with SNY and don't like to pay extra for ESPN+.

I too liked what I saw last night and agree with you for the most part. Anna is coming along nicely, even though she is somewhat slow (that can be worked on next summer though). Hopefully CW's hard work in the gym is finally paying dividends (her driving to the basket 'instinct' was also a welcome relief) and MW is continuing her success as a guard who can drive to the basket like a bulldozer and pull down rebounds as well! CD is also continuing to produce. It must have been a sigh of relief for her to play the PG position again w/o worrying about being the premier scorer as well! I wasn't worried about seeing assists too much, as it's hard to compile them when most aren't making normal shots.

Liv still troubles me. She has, IMO, terrible hands! It seems to me she can't hold onto the ball, especially when catching it or when battling with others for it! Her footwork has improved a lot, but since she lacks the strength to battle, she needs to make up for it by getting smarter when shooting or rebounding. All in all the game last night made for an enjoyable time (like it used to be), watching UCONN be...........UCONN again!

 

[HuskylnSC]

We've been waiting a long time. Over the past few games we've seen improvment in bits and pieces. We finally came together and Passed the Damm ball, moved and hit shots and it was everybody else who did it. The flow of the game was the best Ive seen this season and everybody was involved. Now we build on that. Anna is showing consistency. Im hoping CW has broken out of her slump. If she has this UConn team is going a long way over the next month.

We were clicking on almost all cylinders. Patience tempo breed confidence and our defense to offense, finally we seemed to trust everybody on the court and passed the ball so everyone got touches and was involved and not just standing around waiting for somebody to create a shot. There was alot less dribbleing. We've seen glimpses of greatness and last nite it came together. Anna is a diamond in the ruff. She can do alot. Shes not really quick but she can play the game and her shooting has become deadly. Now we need to get Liv healthy and CW must continue to play with confidence and trust her shot. Focusing on defense and passing the ball will do that for you.

I really liked what I saw. Not so much the scoring which was a direct result of our passing which got everyone involved but the way we executed and trusted each other. We've come a long way, and we're not their yet but we are gaining momentum at the right time. While other top teams are struggleing UConn is peaking at the right time. I beleive we are a 1 seed and I posted why I think that yesterday. Last nites game makes me even more confident that we are a 1 seed. Saturday and Monday will show us where we are and where we're headed. Gotta Believe.

There are 2 types of people in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant and theyre both right.

Not so fast my friend. Remember the second Memphis game. 38 field goals on 31 assists verses 39/27 yesterday. CW shot 7/12, 4/6 on 3's and 2/2 for FT's. That was the game of Anna's 11 assists and 4 steals. Then came the loss to SC and 3 mediocre games. My pessimistic side says it was a sparkle of a game, but I want a gold streak. We've got 5 games until the dance, let's see what happens.

Agree we are a 1 seed. If we are the 4th or 5th overall then it's a wash. I'm curious how the rankings will hold up after Stanford's loss to Oregon and their next lost in the PAC-12 tourney. My money says we are 1 or 2 in Ft. Wayne with L'ville.

 

[DefenseBB]

When the season started for some reason my attention focused on Anna. She came in without the prestamped approval given by the recruit rating gods, almost viewed as a Hail Mary in a failed recruiting year. To my eye, there was something about her that drew me and I picked her as my focus of the year, the player to whom I devote most of my attention.

Dismissed as too slow, I saw her use bb iq to move on the floor. Some criticized her defense but by watching her every movement, I saw a player who was seldom scored on. Given that the Euro game is not big on defense, her adjustment was significant. Early on as she went 0 for America, she displayed superior passing ability and led team in assists. She also began racking up rebounds, gathering in 11 in one game, two shy of all time UConn record.

Then the lid came off the basket. She took only a few shots from beyond the arc but began hitting them. Then she hit 8 of 10, once again 2 short of UConn record. The 11 assists came during a brief hiatus from scoring but there was no question her performance drove the team. Some said she had no shot inside the arc, mainly because she passed instead of pulling up, then she started pulling up and hitting those shots. They said she was a perimeter shooter, then she started driving (Geno called it a “fast walk”), drawing fouls and we discovered she was deadly at the line.

Her defense continued to improve, culminating in six steals in a single game. For many games, boneyarders noticed that the team performed at their best when she was on the floor. But could she be a consistent scorer? In last three games she hit 18, 17, and 20. And the assists continued. CW came out of her slump and guess who often fed her the ball? And still people counted her out as a starter next season, seeing her pushed aside by people who have yet to put on a UConn uniform, but never considered how few freshmen have had her impact and ignoring she is still getting better and better. I suspect her ceiling isn’t in sight.

Really nice post Dokey, nice perspective and perseverance-from you and Anna!

 

[Dokey]

I do like Makurat too. However, 11 rebounds, 2 off UCONN record? No, the single game record for rebounds is 25 (Rosemary Borsuk - long time ago).

13 IS the single game record for assists though (has happened 3 times).

13 is correct on assists. The rebound figure was a senior moment, i was thinking of her being 2 short of UConn 3 point a game record, held by three at 10, including Lou’s 10 for 10. I am actually shocked that the UConn assist record is so low, perhaps because UConn plays team ball.

 

[Justavisitor]

Maryland and Louisville both seem to have the inside track on the 4th one seed and the first 2 seed, especially if they each win out and win their conference tournaments.

 

[BBallF]

We've been waiting a long time. Over the past few games we've seen improvment in bits and pieces. We finally came together and Passed the Damm ball, moved and hit shots and it was everybody else who did it. The flow of the game was the best Ive seen this season and everybody was involved. Now we build on that. Anna is showing consistency. Im hoping CW has broken out of her slump. If she has this UConn team is going a long way over the next month.

We were clicking on almost all cylinders. Patience tempo breed confidence and our defense to offense, finally we seemed to trust everybody on the court and passed the ball so everyone got touches and was involved and not just standing around waiting for somebody to create a shot. There was alot less dribbleing. We've seen glimpses of greatness and last nite it came together. Anna is a diamond in the ruff. She can do alot. Shes not really quick but she can play the game and her shooting has become deadly. Now we need to get Liv healthy and CW must continue to play with confidence and trust her shot. Focusing on defense and passing the ball will do that for you.

I really liked what I saw. Not so much the scoring which was a direct result of our passing which got everyone involved but the way we executed and trusted each other. We've come a long way, and we're not their yet but we are gaining momentum at the right time. While other top teams are struggleing UConn is peaking at the right time. I beleive we are a 1 seed and I posted why I think that yesterday. Last nites game makes me even more confident that we are a 1 seed. Saturday and Monday will show us where we are and where we're headed. Gotta Believe.

There are 2 types of people in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant and theyre both right.

We are certainly playing like a #1 Seed now but the final decision may not be in our hands. This is a very different team now and as been pointed out it all starts with the very aggressive team defense we are playing now. As Kara Wolters said, you emphasize defense, you don't worry about offense and there becomes a looseness about it. You saw it last night with everyone but especially with MW, CW, and AM. This is the UCONN basketball we all love and have missed this year. Well guess what everybody--- WE'RE BACK!!!!!

 

[meyers7]

13 is correct on assists. The rebound figure was a senior moment, i was thinking of her being 2 short of UConn 3 point a game record, held by three at 10, including Lou’s 10 for 10. I am actually shocked that the UConn assist record is so low, perhaps because UConn plays team ball.

Yea, UCONN has 6 seasons over 800 assists. But it's all spread out.

 

[huskyd]

We've been waiting a long time. Over the past few games we've seen improvment in bits and pieces. We finally came together and Passed the Damm ball, moved and hit shots and it was everybody else who did it. The flow of the game was the best Ive seen this season and everybody was involved. Now we build on that. Anna is showing consistency. Im hoping CW has broken out of her slump. If she has this UConn team is going a long way over the next month.

We were clicking on almost all cylinders. Patience tempo breed confidence and our defense to offense, finally we seemed to trust everybody on the court and passed the ball so everyone got touches and was involved and not just standing around waiting for somebody to create a shot. There was alot less dribbleing. We've seen glimpses of greatness and last nite it came together. Anna is a diamond in the ruff. She can do alot. Shes not really quick but she can play the game and her shooting has become deadly. Now we need to get Liv healthy and CW must continue to play with confidence and trust her shot. Focusing on defense and passing the ball will do that for you.

I really liked what I saw. Not so much the scoring which was a direct result of our passing which got everyone involved but the way we executed and trusted each other. We've come a long way, and we're not their yet but we are gaining momentum at the right time. While other top teams are struggleing UConn is peaking at the right time. I beleive we are a 1 seed and I posted why I think that yesterday. Last nites game makes me even more confident that we are a 1 seed. Saturday and Monday will show us where we are and where we're headed. Gotta Believe.

There are 2 types of people in the world. Those who think they can and those who think they cant and theyre both right.

Always appreciate your optimism, Tony. However, I've kind of learned this season not to make judgments about this team based on how well or not well they play against lesser opponents. The reality is that they've beaten all the bad teams and lost to all the good ones. In my mind, until they beat someone really really good there's nothing to get excited about. The tournament will not be a success if UConn knocks off the teams they should beat and loses to the first good one they face. If there is a turning point, it will be on the occasion that they win a BIG game--or things will end as they began: "not with a bang, but a whimper."

 

[mbr33ct]

Always appreciate your optimism, Tony. However, I've kind of learned this season not to make judgments about this team based on how well or not well they play against lesser opponents. The reality is that they've beaten all the bad teams and lost to all the good ones. In my mind, until they beat someone really really good there's nothing to get excited about. The tournament will not be a success if UConn knocks off the teams they should beat and loses to the first good one they face. If there is a turning point, it will be on the occasion that they win a BIG game--or things will end as they began: "not with a bang, but a whimper."

The notion UConn has beaten "all the bad teams and lost to all good ones", is that really the case? Yes granted they did lose to Baylor, Oregon and South Carolina, those three teams are the cream of the crop.

UConn also has played 5 other teams, in the so called Quadrant 1 and won them 5 games (currently 5-3 Q1). You (and some others) must believe these 5 teams are bad teams. I won't get into the Q2 where UConn went 8-0 where surely these Q2 teams they beat were bad. So, unless you consider ONLY 3 teams good...all the rest are bad, therefore lots of other teams have "beaten all bad teams and lost to all good teams...if these other teams played Baylor, Oregon and South Carolina.

 

[msf22b]

Always appreciate your optimism, Tony. However, I've kind of learned this season not to make judgments about this team based on how well or not well they play against lesser opponents. The reality is that they've beaten all the bad teams and lost to all the good ones.

Hard to argue with this premise even if it's a generalization.

People can claim that we've played some pretty good teams based on Massey and various other measures...
I've even had posters try to make the case for Cinci being a decent team...Perhaps they are against their level
but they sure rolled over the other evening.

Two points (maybe three) I'm hopeful that what we saw the other eve is not a mirage. I actually think it was real...a tremendous leap forward...but the essence is; Is it reproducible? Can they do it again? Can they do it consistently against the best teams? Or will the confidence fade under pressure? Even if it does, which is possible, this season will be an important, positive, building block for the future as reinforcements come streaming in.

One thing we haven't seen is UConn prevailing over a team that's hot...It would be good if one of the conference team has a real hot streak and we still win...That would be a good, initial test.

My second point is: There will be a major test prior to facing one of the big three...We should not overlook the B+ A- teams...The Oregon State, various Arizona's, Arkansas. These guys have game too. If we can get by a couple of them in the regional's it will go a long way towards establishing our true level...If not, my previous point about having this season being a positive building block towards a new succession of final-4's and Natty's holds

 

[oldude]

Hard to argue with this premise even if it's a generalization.

People can claim that we've played some pretty good teams based on Massey and various other measures...
I've even had posters try to make the case for Cinci being a decent team...Perhaps they are against their level
but they sure rolled over the other evening.

Two points (maybe three) I'm hopeful that what we saw the other eve is not a mirage. I actually think it was real...a tremendous leap forward...but the essence is; Is it reproducible? Can they do it again? Can they do it consistently against the best teams? Or will the confidence fade under pressure? Even if it does, which is possible, this season will be an important, positive, building block for the future as reinforcements come streaming in.

One thing we haven't seen is UConn prevailing over a team that's hot...It would be good if one of the conference team has a real hot streak and we still win...That would be a good, initial test.

My second point is: There will be a major test prior to facing one of the big three...We should not overlook the B+ A- teams...The Oregon State, various Arizona's, Arkansas. These guys have game too. If we can get by a couple of them in the regional's it will go a long way towards establishing our true level...If not, my previous point about having this season being a positive building block towards a new succession of final-4's and Natty's holds

Don’t know if you would consider either of these teams “hot” when UConn beat them. UCF had won 5 straight games when UConn beat them at Gampel, and they subsequently beat a pretty good Temple team. As for Cincinnati, the Bearcats had not lost on their home court since November.

 

[Majic Hands]

Against Cincinnati I saw a UConn team that played like what expect to see when UConn's on the floor.

I know Chysten has brought the ball up in previous ganes this year. However, it seems to me to be an emphasis on her having the ball in her hands untill crossing half court. Getting her comfortable? Ready to shoot when the ball touches her hand a few moments later? Coaching strategy?

Constant movement by every player with purpose. Players taking good shots from everywhere. Really quick passes to players just before their in scoring position not a second after they arrive

What I did not see was four players standing around outside the three point line trying to toss the ball in to Liv. Hopefully when Liv is feeling better she can be in the game and the team can continue with effective offensive movement with all five players on the floor.

Every player working their butts off on the defensive end of the floor without stopping.

Just my take on the last game our ladies played

 

[j66kicker]

The notion UConn has beaten "all the bad teams and lost to all good ones", is that really the case? Yes granted they did lose to Baylor, Oregon and South Carolina, those three teams are the cream of the crop.

UConn also has played 5 other teams, in the so called Quadrant 1 and won them 5 games (currently 5-3 Q1). You (and some others) must believe these 5 teams are bad teams. I won't get into the Q2 where UConn went 8-0 where surely these Q2 teams they beat were bad. So, unless you consider ONLY 3 teams good...all the rest are bad, therefore lots of other teams have "beaten all bad teams and lost to all good teams...if these other teams played Baylor, Oregon and South Carolina.

Pretty much, yeah. Might rephrase it: UConn has lost to 3 "great" teams, hasn't played any other "good" teams, and has beaten only "bad" teams. IMO we have not beaten any good teams.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Pretty much, yeah. Might rephrase it: UConn has lost to 3 "great" teams, hasn't played any other "good" teams, and has beaten only "bad" teams. IMO we have not beaten any good teams.

Then you have a really, really strict definition of what are the "good teams."

 

[j66kicker]

Then you have a really, really strict definition of what are the "good teams."

Yes I must. Like, “Teams that are a threat to actually beat you” or something like that.

So, by my definition DePaul or Tennessee or Ohio State would be the best “bad” team we have played. IMO these are bad teams. On any given weekend in the tourney they would have NO chance of upsetting a great team. For me, I don’t really get much entertainment out of watching bad teams play (unless it’s getting their annual UCONN spanking).

“Good” teams might include Maryland, Louisville, NC State, Mississippi State, etc. On a given weekend in the tourney they will have some chance of upsetting a great team.

At this point I feel UCONN is a “good” team but, honestly, it’s hard to come up with much evidence for it.