tOSU postgame Thread

[Fairfield Fan]

The most bitter of seasons. The most painful of seasons. The most heartbreaking of seasons. And for the courageous Dorka to lose to the team from which she transferred has to be a most humiliating of endings.

Yet this could be considered one of Coach Geno's greatest coaching fetes. He began the season by losing to injury the two best guards in the nation, and what could have been one of the finest freshman front court players in the America. And that was just the beginning of the injuries and tribulations. Yet Coach Geno managed this team not just to another 30-win season, but to three blow-out wins and the title of Big East Champion, and to Connecticut's 29th straight place in the Sweet Sixteen.

It simply wasn't in the stars this year. But these players never lacked for courage, for heart, for tenacity. They fought magnificently.

They made us proud.

 

[salvagedsam]

Ohio State was the aggressor and we lost our composure. I feel bad for Lou and Dorka.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Not their best game, but this has been one of the most memorable seasons. Proud of them.

 

[topogigio]

These bad March Madness losses don't really shock me much anymore, but I do wish we could have got some better performances out of some of your guys. Lou played really well.

Yeah, I got over this in like one and a half beers (10 mins). The first few years of Final Four losses I would have been mental for days or even weeks!

 

[iri10]

There's two ways to look at a loss like this - was it "about the best we could do with the team we've got," or was it "Things could have been better if circumstances were different?"

I think it's more of the latter, which sucks because the latter is more of a bummer. I think this team would have been less vulnerable to opponents like this if they had had a whole season to play together without various players coming in and out of the roster for injury recovery.

OSU, for its part, executed exactly as they needed to to win. So credit to them. Even if I can't help but to look askance at some of those officiating decisions. But yeah. This is a team that could have had more oomph in it, that they didn't get to refine and perfect like they normally would over a season.

With that said, I'd like to especially thank our transfers for playing their last game - and most of the season - like lions.

 

[Conndog]

There’s getting beat, and then there’s folding immediately the first time a team punches you.

This was one of the most inexplicable performances I can remember. The coaching staff and starting backcourt shoulder most of the blame, but no one outside of Senechal came to play today.

This will be a very long offseason for these coaches and players.

I wonder if they had colds, flu or something. Geno had a tissue at start of game and camera showed him blowing his nose. Lack of energy throughout the game. Just a theory

 

[Littlemin]

Wish Azzi would not have gotten gun shy in the 4th qtr. She passed up so many shots you would never see she passed up before. Win or lose you need to go down swinging. She definitely does not have the same killer instinct as Paige.

Neither does Bueckers sometimes or did you miss her not hunting shots against Arizona and SC the last 2 years? Both games begged for that and she didn’t do it in either of them. It happens, they are human.

 

[HuskieDawg]

Not everyone has that killer attitude. Not everyone wants the ball in their hands to decide games. She might just be a complementary type player, and there is nothing wrong that.

Maybe or it might just be something she needs to learn from an grow. I remember Geno screaming at Taurasi when she was a freshman and in the tourney wouldn’t shoot. She turned out to be pretty good. I think Azzi will too.

 

[Blueballer]

Heartbreaking hearing Lou at the presser. It's on the radio. What a class person she is. LOVE ya LOU!

 

[Littlemin]

Utter nonsense, Muhl was not the only Uconn player that played poorly.

 

[ME Husky Fan]

This may well have settled who our point guard is next year? Azzi will not survive at the next level being as tentative as she showed at times. Great ride ladies. No team in the country had to overcome what this team did. Great having Lou aboard and Dorka was a great addition and both were stand up women.

 

[Conndog]

Ohio State just flat outplayed us. It happens. This wasn't a nail bite - it was clear after the first quarter that a UConn win wasn't likely. If there is a lesson to be learned it is that nothing good happens when you turn the ball over well more than 20 times.

Lou showed up and went out in style. She needed help.

Dribbling issues plagued us today, stopping too soon, making poor passes. Maybe some new talent next year will bring more assertive dribblers and passers.

 

[CTBballfan243]

Nika will be the point guard. Geno is not playing a freshmen over a senior.

 

[donalddoowop]

With all that went wrong, if UConn had hit more free throws and Azzi had hit just half her shots, it would have ended differently. I hope Nika gets from this game that she has to run her team with more confidence and control. I don't see why anyone is shocked. Some posters overrated UConn. They were a good team and played their hardest but, there were a number of streaks that this team allowed to be broken and there are a lot of other good teams in the country. However, I really thought they would break the press with ease and score lay-ups off it.

 

[Fore!]

We were unprepared , and played poorly. I love this team, but this was a terrible loss. Better luck next year.

A team can be prepared but still play poorly; this was a bad matchup for them and it bit them in the behind

 

[BRS24]

Maybe or it might just be something she needs to learn from an grow. I remember Geno screaming at Taurasi when she was a freshman and in the tourney wouldn’t shoot. She turned out to be pretty good. I think Azzi will too.

DT went 1-15 in the national semis. She kept shooting and nothing went in. Geno was consoling her at the end of the game. This lead to the 2001-2002 season, and we know how that went.

 

[UDann]

DT went 1-15 in the national semis. She kept shooting and nothing went in. Geno was consoling her at the end of the game. This lead to the 2001-2002 season, and we know how that went.

Diana was a freshmen. These players were more seasoned to play this poorly. That said they will be good next year.

 

[Flyegirl]

Great season given what this team went with injuries but even so this was the worst UConn performance (and I’ve been a UConn fan since the early 90’s) in my memory, much of it self inflicted. As an aside the officiating was dreadful but wasn’t the reason UConn lost.

Been a fan since the early 90s too. Never saw anything like that second quarter.

 

[ktuck911]

Tough loss, but phenomenal season considering all you've been through ladies...Feel sorry for the league when we're all healthy next season. #Payback

 

[PAHuskeyFan]

Some thoughts on the tOSU game:

• This was a difficult game to watch. After UConn raced to a 10-2 lead forcing the Buckeyes to call timeout, the roof collapsed on the Huskies.
• tOSU is a guard-oriented team that starts 5 players, who are all approximately 6’ tall, which is good if you’re pressing, creating turnovers and scoring in transition. That’s exactly what happened today against UConn who has struggled with the turnover bugaboo all season.
• While turnovers were a big part of the problem, so too was the fact that UConn felt the pressure, was rushed on offense and took some really bad shots. With that said, UConn missed a bunch of wide-open looks and even struggled on the foul line.
• Unfortunately, many UConn fans will get pretty ugly in their criticism of Geno and some of his players for this loss. I CHOOSE NOT TO. The Huskies overcame adversity and persevered all season long. The team feels far worse about today’s game than any of us could possibly feel.
• tOSU clearly flopped whenever Aaliyah was in the same zip code. If the refs call it, it’s a successful strategy to take an AA player off the court.
• As I watched Azzi struggle for much of the game, all I could think of was DT’s play her freshman year during the national semifinal. Just like DT, Azzi will be back with a chance at redemption.
• Yes, If Paige was healthy, she changes the entire complexion of this game, singlehandedly. She makes all the right decisions against the press and settles down Azzi and her teammates.
• Nobody wants to lose the last game of the season, and yet, just about every team in the country does. The loss today is disappointing for sure. But it should not obscure the overall success and perseverance of this UConn team.
• Sincere thanks and best wishes in the future to Dorka & Lou, our two wonderful graduate transfers, who both played their hearts out today.
• Finally, channeling my inner Brooklyn Dodger fan, “Wait til next year!” As of right now UConn’s 2023-24 roster looks incredibly strong: Paige, Azzi, Nika, Aaliyah, Aubrey, Caroline, Ayanna, Ines, Amari, Ice, Jana, KK, Ashlynn & Qadence. How many days until next season starts?

You called it @oldude ... lots of "blaming" going on. There were some very questionable calls especially fantom calls on AE. Funny how in 3rd qtr, pass to Dorka under the hoop, she catches it, OSU defender behind her "FALLS down:"... without any movement in her direction by Dorka trying to get a charge called. Refs called that one right... no foul. Dorka for 2.

I am disappointed.... Mike's Mango let me down this game. BUT I love the UCONN Huskies Womens Basketball Team. I look forward to next year and what could happen if they can keep people healthy for a change. Looking forward to the next version of the UCONN HUSKIES Women's Team... I can't wait to see a healthy Paige and what Ice can do... who will replace Dorka? Do we have someone who will be the next Lou?? What can our new freshmen offer... perhaps Jana is Dorka's replacement?? or Ice?? or Amari works so hard over the summer that he is a new and improved player. Nika had a season for the history books... Most Assists in a Single Season...passing the Great Sue Bird.

I can't wait till next Season.

GO HUSKIES

 

[Monte]

It's hard to win when you get outplayed on both defense and offense.

 

[maple]

Teaches us not to get too emotionally involved with a sports team

I learn this lesson every year (with multiple teams), but it never sticks.

 

[NoSpamHere]

One word to describe this game is “Aggression”. I’ve seen it mentioned in previous posts. It’s the one thing missing from UConn today. Be aggressive in everything you do and let the chips fall where they may. We never were the aggressors. Didn’t try to impose our will. Reacted. I think that’s what has so many of us in shock and/or frustrated.

Aggression is a UConn trademark. Rediscover it and we’re fine.