Tweak or No Tweak?

[Waquoit]

From this article in the South Bend Trib:

"Auriemma lauded McGraw's strategy to turn key parts of the game into one-on-one situations, allowing the talented Irish players to use their skill and quickness against his Huskies."

"McGraw scoffed at the suggestion. “It was not our intention to play one-on-one,” said McGraw. “That was the problem. We didn't share and move. Our frustration showed early.”

My first take was that Geno is still so inside Muffet's head she takes a compliment as insult. But was Geno tweaking her there? One-on-one play is the right strategy sometimes.

 

[jcoton56]

If you have the players to run iso and can create foul trouble for your opponent, then it is a viable strategy.

 

[UcMiami]

Geno was running ISO for Lou in the third/fourth quarters, so I think he was playing it straight up. Arike is a tough guard and it certainly looked like they were intentionally letting her go at her defender for periods of the second Q. If it wasn't intended on a Uconn team a player would be sitting pretty quickly and I think he presumed the same for Muffet's reaction to freelancing.

 

[sarals24]

That was definitely a backhanded compliment.

 

[Schoup]

If you have the players to run iso and can create foul trouble for your opponent, then it is a viable strategy.

Speaking of Iso, if were coaching ND, I would have gone at Collier all 3rd quarter to try to get her fouls. That was their best hope to win. The matchups favor ND when Collier is out. ND were on the verge of letting the game get away in the 1st half till Collier went out.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I thought Geno was referring to the amount of times ND played man-to-man defense instead of zone.

Now that I see it as one-on-one/iso Offense.....I think he is just in her head to the degree she takes anything he says as insult.

 

[JordyG]

Muffet is a great coach who, like every other coach in WCBB just can't seem to get over the Geno hump. The most telling quote to me in her presser was how "surprised" she was by the game. She really felt this was her chance, finally her year to beat UConn. Then she saw this young, inexperienced team that was tougher, smarter, more disciplined and more athletic than she imagined. I think her response is typical of how most of the coaches in WCBB feel right now. This just can't be happening. If not now, when? If not soon, why? I remember last year during the Dance when LaPhonso Ellis was doing color commentary for some games. He said, and I paraphrase, "I've seen UConn on TV, but man, they're a different beast in person". Every team they've faced this year felt they had a shot, but UConn is a different beast in person.

 

[Intpseeker]

I was surprised on the second (and third) viewing of the replay, to watch ND's studs, especially Arike, simply standing on the line calling for the ball when it was on the other side of the court.

Clearly, I'm used to a motion offense that continually moves.