For all that UCONN fans are unhappy how close some quarters are...

[EricLA]

And I include myself in that group, I was looking at the box score of the Baylor game tonight. I think most would agree that Baylor is probably the 2nd best team in the nation (unless you think it's Maryland).

Either way... Baylor is playing Iowa State tonight. ISU is 10-7 and 1-5 in their conference. Baylor handily won the 2nd quarter 16-7, but "only" won the 1st 15-12 and the 3rd 21-15. I think ISU is much better than their record (they have close losses to Mississippi State- 5, Texas 7, and Oklahoma - 10. And yes Baylor is up 18, but I can't imagine to their fans it feels like a blowout.

Anyhoo... not saying Tulsa is as good as ISU, but I'm just trying for a little perspective...

Lastly, I know some will also correctly mention that playing UCONN is the biggest game of the season for most teams. If the game is at their home, it will be the largest crowd of the season by far. There is no greater measuring stick in all of WCBB at this time. So not only do we get every teams' best shot, but often they play inspired against us, no matter how "good" our defense is, or how much we score.

 

[Charliebball]

And I include myself in that group, I was looking at the box score of the Baylor game tonight. I think most would agree that Baylor is probably the 2nd best team in the nation (unless you think it's Maryland).

Lastly, I know some will also correctly mention that playing UCONN is the biggest game of the season for most teams. If the game is at their home, it will be the largest crowd of the season by far. There is no greater measuring stick in all of WCBB at this time. So not only do we get every teams' best shot, but often they play inspired against us, no matter how "good" our defense is, or how much we score.

That's often true but sometimes teams curl up in the corner under a table and hide........

 

[UcMiami]

Iowa State is one of those grind it out kinds of teams - disciplined and patient. Baylor scored a lot fewer points than their season average, and still won easily by 26.

When Uconn struggles it is usually related to substitutions and Geno experimenting or just calling off the pressure and playing zone. I get concerned only when it is a tight game against a good challenging team. I suspect the Baylor fans respond in similar ways.

 

[JoePgh]

Iowa State is one of those grind it out kinds of teams - disciplined and patient. Baylor scored a lot fewer points than their season average, and still won easily by 26.

When Uconn struggles it is usually related to substitutions and Geno experimenting or just calling off the pressure and playing zone. I get concerned only when it is a tight game against a good challenging team. I suspect the Baylor fans respond in similar ways.

The "struggle" against Tulsa was certainly not with the offense -- that was purring. Nor was it with the interior defense or the defensive aggression -- UConn got many turnovers and generated a ton of points off turnovers.

The closeness of certain parts of the game was due to Tulsa hitting a large volume of 3-point shots, and UConn doing very little to effectively defend the 3-point line. Geno attributed that to wear-and-tear at the end of a 5-day road trip. However, it has happened before -- remember last year when DePaul hit 13 of 17 3's in the first half, which resulted in a 1-point margin (as I recall) at halftime? And the Dayton Elite 8 game two years ago, in the first half, was also similar.

On the other hand, in the NCAA Final against Syracuse, which was known for jacking up 3's as a major part of its offensive strategy, UConn defended the 3-point line very well.

It seems to come down to the adrenalin that is flowing to make the physical effort to defend the three-point line. Most likely it will be there in "big games", but it is concerning that it is so inconsistent.

 

[Geew1992]

The "struggle" against Tulsa was certainly not with the offense -- that was purring. Nor was it with the interior defense or the defensive aggression -- UConn got many turnovers and generated a ton of points off turnovers.

The closeness of certain parts of the game was due to Tulsa hitting a large volume of 3-point shots, and UConn doing very little to effectively defend the 3-point line. Geno attributed that to wear-and-tear at the end of a 5-day road trip. However, it has happened before -- remember last year when DePaul hit 13 of 17 3's in the first half, which resulted in a 1-point margin (as I recall) at halftime? And the Dayton Elite 8 game two years ago, in the first half, was also similar.

On the other hand, in the NCAA Final against Syracuse, which was known for jacking up 3's as a major part of its offensive strategy, UConn defended the 3-point line very well.

It seems to come down to the adrenalin that is flowing to make the physical effort to defend the three-point line. Most likely it will be there in "big games", but it is concerning that it is so inconsistent.

I also think adjustments, which Geno is the master of. DePaul and Notre Dame last year were on all cilenders in regards to hitting 3s, which were back to back games or close to it. Geno made the adjustments needed and that didn't happen again last year. I'm sure the similar adjustments will be made this year.

 

[Carnac]

And I include myself in that group, I was looking at the box score of the Baylor game tonight. I think most would agree that Baylor is probably the 2nd best team in the nation (unless you think it's Maryland).

Either way... Baylor is playing Iowa State tonight. ISU is 10-7 and 1-5 in their conference. Baylor handily won the 2nd quarter 16-7, but "only" won the 1st 15-12 and the 3rd 21-15. I think ISU is much better than their record (they have close losses to Mississippi State- 5, Texas 7, and Oklahoma - 10. And yes Baylor is up 18, but I can't imagine to their fans it feels like a blowout.

Anyhoo... not saying Tulsa is as good as ISU, but I'm just trying for a little perspective...

Lastly, I know some will also correctly mention that playing UCONN is the biggest game of the season for most teams. If the game is at their home, it will be the largest crowd of the season by far. There is no greater measuring stick in all of WCBB at this time. So not only do we get every teams' best shot, but often they play inspired against us, no matter how "good" our defense is, or how much we score.

Because of their recent success in dominating the competition, and thus being the gold standard in WCBB that all other teams aspire to be, UConn is ALWAYS the biggest game of the year for ALL of their opponents. That was evident on Tuesday night in Tulsa, when the Huskies came to town. 1391 fans showed up. The TV announcer (Eric Frede) said that normally, the women's team only draws about 250 people for a game. That's 5 times more than they normally get. That's a small number by UConn's standards, but large for a town like Tulsa (As of July 2015, the population was 403,505).

You also had a large number of local UConn fans (along with those that flew in just for that game) that were only there to see and support them, who normally don't go to Tulsa's games. I watched Notre Dame's loss to Tennessee earlier this week. They played poorly, lethargic and uninspired. They never play that way against UConn. They looked horrible!!! As you said, We ALWAYS get a team's best effort. They'll get up for UConn when they won't for anyone else. It's not everyday when the #1 team in the country comes to your arena, or you go to theirs. No one considers UConn "Just another game".

 

[Bronxjeff]

UConn's standards, but large for a town like Tulsa (As of July 2015, the population was 403,505).

That's nearly three times bigger than Hartford

 

[JoePgh]

I watched Notre Dame's loss to Tennessee earlier this week. They played poorly, lethargic and uninspired. They never play that way against UConn.

I think if you asked Muffitt, she would say that their game last month against UConn fit into the "lethargic and uninspired" category. In the past, ND teams have had players like Skylar, K-Mac, the Cable Girl, and Achonwa with a very visible competitive edge. I'm not sure that is so visible in Lindsay Allen, Briana Turner, and Marina Mabrey -- although I do see it in Ogunbuwale and Young.

I think ND is playing below their talent level this year. Since Muffitt herself is less edgy than Geno, she may not be as good as he is at waking up the competitive echoes in players who are naturally laid back. Geno's recent interaction with Lou is an example -- badgering her in the pre-Tulsa shootaround so that she would be determined to prove him wrong in the game. (And it sounds as if she fully understood what he was doing.) Lou has a laidback personality not dissimilar to those of the ND players mentioned above, but since they don't have Geno to irritate them into playing well, they don't seem to rise up the way Lou and Pheesa have. This is more apparent against unranked opponents than against UConn, but they didn't look like they were functioning on all cylinders in the 4th quarter against UConn either.

 

[easttexastrash]

And I include myself in that group, I was looking at the box score of the Baylor game tonight. I think most would agree that Baylor is probably the 2nd best team in the nation (unless you think it's Maryland).

Either way... Baylor is playing Iowa State tonight. ISU is 10-7 and 1-5 in their conference. Baylor handily won the 2nd quarter 16-7, but "only" won the 1st 15-12 and the 3rd 21-15. I think ISU is much better than their record (they have close losses to Mississippi State- 5, Texas 7, and Oklahoma - 10. And yes Baylor is up 18, but I can't imagine to their fans it feels like a blowout.

Anyhoo... not saying Tulsa is as good as ISU, but I'm just trying for a little perspective...

Lastly, I know some will also correctly mention that playing UCONN is the biggest game of the season for most teams. If the game is at their home, it will be the largest crowd of the season by far. There is no greater measuring stick in all of WCBB at this time. So not only do we get every teams' best shot, but often they play inspired against us, no matter how "good" our defense is, or how much we score.

I think some Baylor fans think that every conference game should be a 40 point win. There will be nights when your shots are not falling so you better play good defense. Baylor held ISU to 23% from the field outrebounded ISU 50-25. Baylor shot a respectable 48% so it's not like Baylor couldn't make a shot.

I think Fennelly is one of the best coaches in the nation and his teams always play Baylor very tough. I didn't expect Baylor to score 90 points because I know how Fennelly can ugly up a game.

 

[DefenseBB]

Eric not sure what you're saying as your header is contradicted a bit with comments about Baylor-ISU quarter scores. I am an avid UConn AND Baylor fan (UConn 1st!) so I am on both boards and am acutely aware of their angst towards East Coast Media. Your comments trend towards why are UConn and BU dominating every Qtr of every Game vs. significantly lesser opponents. Which if true, shows how spoiled we may have become. It's the final score that ultimately matters and evolution during the season. Tulsa shot lights out from 3 pt land so despite their poor record, they are a young team developing and we still dominated. Geno make comments about trip fatigue and defensive effort but all in all a great effort. Enjoy the process that just like Kia's shooting woes at the beginning, it all averages out in the end. The team may miss shots early but then second half on fire. It is a game played by humans regardless of how robotic Geno and staff have made the program these last 15 years. Enjoy the ride. And yes, I would be SHOCKED if Baylor was not in the final against UConn. Just like us, they have improved significantly during the year with Cox now displaying her status as #1 Prospect. Chou is playing but similar to Crystal Dangerfield up and down. Mompremier is on bench behind Cox and Brown is starter. Nina is showing signs of AA status.

 

[MilfordHusky]

And I include myself in that group, I was looking at the box score of the Baylor game tonight. I think most would agree that Baylor is probably the 2nd best team in the nation (unless you think it's Maryland).

Either way... Baylor is playing Iowa State tonight. ISU is 10-7 and 1-5 in their conference. Baylor handily won the 2nd quarter 16-7, but "only" won the 1st 15-12 and the 3rd 21-15. I think ISU is much better than their record (they have close losses to Mississippi State- 5, Texas 7, and Oklahoma - 10. And yes Baylor is up 18, but I can't imagine to their fans it feels like a blowout.

Anyhoo... not saying Tulsa is as good as ISU, but I'm just trying for a little perspective...

Lastly, I know some will also correctly mention that playing UCONN is the biggest game of the season for most teams. If the game is at their home, it will be the largest crowd of the season by far. There is no greater measuring stick in all of WCBB at this time. So not only do we get every teams' best shot, but often they play inspired against us, no matter how "good" our defense is, or how much we score.

LOL! I have to talk you down off the ledge every time we have a bad quarter and remind you that even our best teams played poorly in stretches.

Regarding the Tulsa game, the freshman appeared to be fearless and sank several treys. They appeared to shoot over their heads, but that happens. I agree that the defense was poor, but we still won by 40. There are some games that we win by 30 but play the opposition even for 28 minutes. In those other 12 minutes, we have 18-4 and 16-0 runs and win by 30. It's a strange game--we don't win every 5-minute segment, but we win some of them by more than enough to offset some poor segments.