The truth is though that if you've seen us play so well vs so many tough teams, and you realize that these are kids and not pros, - yet you called this game "scary" and made a comment "Against a good team, not so good a result." I find it odd.
So why I said- you were so tough is that you used the word "scary" for players that aren't pros in which we blew them out early even though you've seen with your own eyes that they have played terrific vs top teams. They've shown you they have consistently stepped up to the occasion when needed. So when they literally "BLOW OUT" the opposing team in the 1st quarter -- and with all the games you've already seen from non-pros that they have shown a constant consistency of stepping up when needed - and we are undefeated --
our blow out today was "scary?"
You can't enjoy 36-38 point wins?
So perhaps I wasn't clear. Of course I can enjoy a 36 point victory. I love watching them play, regardless of the score. And I agree with the poster who said we're spoiled. But IMHO, we are spoiled not be winning all the time, but by the way UConn wins. I -- and I am sure there are others -- buy into Geno's concept of coaching them toward perfection. Not demanding perfection, but realizing that the members of any UConn team -- even this flawed one -- have it in them to be perfect for a few fleeting moments. I have seen (in person) it happen a few times, including one memorable 10-minute stretch in a game at Villanova one year when the UConn players could, almost literally, do nothing wrong. It was breathtaking.
What was scary at CFU was, obviously, not the margin of victory, but the fact that after the first five players, who are pretty damn good, we have Crystal and Natalie and then the two freshmen who don't play very much. And I don't know how that lineup will do when the crunch time comes and measurably improved teams like Baylor and maybe Maryland are on the schedule.
Crystal can and probably will be very good within a year. I love that play when she drives in, elevates and kisses the ball off the glass for a score. Many players could try for years and not master that shot, and she has it down pat. Her current level of play, though, includes what we all refer to as "dumb freshmen mistakes," and she makes her share of them. On this team, against a first-rate opponent (and I believe there will be at least four of them by the end of the season) UConn does not have the depth to afford that many.
Butler is a different story. I have defended her play in numerous BY posts before, especially against that poster who has essentially claimed she is talentless, which she is not. But it was my impression that against Central Florida she was way off her game. She lost a pass that was thrown hard but accurately. It just inexplicably bounced off her hands. At another point, she was delivered the ball, tried to turn to the basket, was blocked, turned the other way, was blocked, tried to go back to the first path and was called for three seconds. Her instinct was not to go up and shoot, and that's a problem, too. As other BYers have posted above, there's going to come a time against really big players, when UConn needs her to do more than be a tall tree. I;'m just hoping the coaching staff can get her to react more instinctively and not stop and think about every move first.
The good news is there is a whole AAC schedule fort the team to run through and do some serious learning and improving.
So yes, we are spoiled because we've seen what players like Butler and Dangerfield can do and we want to see them use that as their baseline performance level and achieve even more. And when they don't do that in a particular game, it reminds us that this is not a deep team, and that could be our Achilles heel in the tournament. And THAT is what's scary.
