UConn-South Carolina postgame thread

[BRS24]

Dawn deployed an interesting tactic by denying Nika the ball inbounds, forcing others to bring it up to front court, taking time off the clock before we could get into our offensive flow. Other coaches may try to do this, however Geno & staff are probably creating a counter to it as I'll bet it's attempted again as we get deeper into the NCAA tourney, especially with some of the top teams.

As i said in the chat, the -6 points (Geno's T, 2 missed FT, and the 2 FTs by Cooke on the missed inbounds call) were frustrating, and adding the no calls on Boston, no calls on Lou's defender, I'm still impressed by the result. Of course I wanted a W, however the team showed a lot of tenacity, grit, and a mental toughness today. Seems as they got a bit of their mojo back, as there were fewer WTH plays, and they all seemed dialed in. Ayanna may still be a bit lost on offense, however she mixed it up with the SC bigs, and that spared AE and Dorka for a bit.

Watching Nika on the bench after she fouled out - she will run thru a wall for this team, her eyes were steely as hell, there were a few $%^ with Lou, but you know what, I'll take her any day, and watch out if we're matched up with SC again.

And yeah, Geno's technical was a bit ill-timed, however it's not like he does this often. I don't know what he was complaining about, perhaps the bumping, but he stood up for the team in a game that won't affect much right now.

A few days rest and recovery, and onto Marquette.

 

[darrell]

 

[faithfulfan]

Game ended as I expected yesterday, but you gotta notice that again the difference is foul shots, just like last year's NCAA tournament, SC get more foul shots then anyone they play, and against the better teams, its the difference in the score!

 

[wingsfan055]

This game doesnt really matter much in the "big picture". UConn knew the game would be competitive, and it certainly was. We also knew SC is a very bad matchup with their talented twin towers, and it was. Game was won/lost on the boards. But, giving up 25 offensive rebounds in a game?? That has to change somehow. Too many easy points, and it would be difficult to outshoot a team like SC when everyone is tired in a FF game. Geno needs to cook-up a game plan.

Having a healthy CD/Azzi (a big if) can tilt things in a rematch if there is one on a neutral court. I would be patient with those two. Hopefully, we have enough to beat Villanova and get a #1 seed. But, bottom line is Geno needs to lessen the rebounding problem. I though AP would come along and help us there, but she hasn't shown much at all this season.

 

[Orc]

Great effort by the huskies. So glad we never have to play Boston ever gain. We Should be blow them out next year with everyone back and healthy

 

[JSB60]

Many positives, but when the other team gets more offensive rebounds than we get defensive rebounds, we will almost always lose.

 

[BRS24]

1000%. They put a halo on her for this game and have done it repeatedly in her career. She never commits a charge, she never commits a push/over the back, she never uses her painted bent arm that she rests on the defe4nsive player in a fouling way, she is just a perfect player. I am so sick of the referees being intimidated by her or Staley that it is beyond stomaching.

Someone more informed with SC players over last few years can opine on this, however if Boston has been officiated like this throughout her career, nothing much will change. There are players who either get calls consistently for them, and similar, players who always get calls against them, even if other players do the same. It's like guards pushing off when they are dribbling, as some of them do it all the time and never get called for it.

 

[AzzisBraids]

This game was fun to watch, despite the officiating. I don't have the energy to delve into that. It was a blockbuster, high drama and came down to the very end. This is the worst UConn will look all year as they gain more bodies back from injury and their freshman get more experience. These young ladies proved today that they are SC's biggest title threat even when they're not at full strength.

 

[phil sampieri]

I have never seen anybody work so hard to get open than Lou. She just could not get any separation from her defender. Yet, she ends up with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. Magic!

If you decide to watch the game Lou was bumped or grabbed not a few times but every time she cut, she became effective only after she received the ball outside and went one on one

 

[Cuango]

sub in ines to foul

That would be great if he had unlimited timeouts!

 

[MinneHusky]

Who knew inbound handoffs were legal?? AE held her own. Lou battling another rugby style game. It was a battle all the way around, but props to the entire team for their grit. It was a fun one to watch, so close yet so far. Come the rematch in a few weeks will be a different outcome.

 

[BRS24]

If you decide to watch the game Lou was bumped or grabbed not a few times but every time she cut, she became effective only after she received the ball outside and went one on one

Speaking of Lou, with 6:21 left in game, if anyone sees a different angle of Lou's shake, bake, fake, leaving the SC's sports bra on the court, please post it? The defender(s) blocked the cameral angle on CBS.

 

[HuskyNan]

Game ended as I expected yesterday, but you gotta notice that again the difference is foul shots, just like last year's NCAA tournament, SC get more foul shots then anyone they play, and against the better teams, its the difference in the score!

To be fair, the Huskies fouled Boston a lo in an attempt to move her away or keep her away from the basket. They we’re legit

i just wish Lou got the calls she should get. She was credited for a turnover because the defender was holding her and she couldn’t get to the ball

 

[Littlemin]

Don't apologize. Just rewatch the game.

I don’t need to, I saw it the first time and and 2 defensive rebounds speaks for itself. Muhl, Senechal and Griffin all had more defensive rebounds than Edwards did and it’s not like she was boxing out so others could go for the ball. Look, she is a really good player and I am not knocking her, just reacting to the game she played today. Great offense, nothing on the boards; like it or not, basketball is played on both ends of the court.

 

[Mike72fl]

So, now this game is out of the way, will UConn go undefeated until Final Four?

 

[Blond D.]

who was supposed to sub in?

Ines and Amari could have subbed in to foul then out again when we got the ball. Leaving Nika and Lou in to foul when they had 4 fouls each wasnt a great idea.

 

[cgshuskie]

A tough game and we played well as a team. Aubrey was amazing. Nika must develop a pull up; she's working on it. Lou needs to get used to being held, bumped, and accosted because that is what she will see in the WNBA all day. Still, she toughed it out. Dorka, needs to get stronger if she hope to play in the W. Use your height and weight. AE is on her way to greatness. Need a little more refinement and confidence with her jump shot. A great game by AE. Ayanna is not being handled properly. The staff should let her offense go. They're hurting her game. Refusal to use Amari against Cardoso is a travesty. How will she really improve if she not allowed to share in the action, i.e., the struggles of victory. Got to put her up against Cardoso...... Otherwise, a very good showing and we should win the NC with Azzi and Caroline.

 

[Topdawg]

Yep...these Huskies are the real deal... They just played the number one team in the country to a 4 point loss. Is there anyone in the country who has seen the replay that doesn't agree that the ball was handed off on the late game out of bounds play. It should have been a dead ball and a turnover...no 2 points for So. Car. I won't even get into the unnecessary technical that Geno took. With Azzi and Caroline...this would be a "W" for UConn.

This team just proved that they deserve a number one seed. Aubrey and Aaliyah have a very fast first step but, Aubrey adds to the first quick step...accelerating speed and athleticism...she is a one of a kind player. Aaliyah proved that she is an All American in this game...if she isn't added to the All American team I would be shocked...she may even be a 1st team AA. Lopez-Senechal...should go first round in the WNBA draft and she should be considered for 2nd or 3rd team AA. Muhl...while her assists were down she contributed offensively as well as defensively. Dorka played solid...she was great on defense getting 2 blocked shots and grabbing 7 rebounds.

I think this was a case of the team getting worn down...not being able to take a blow and having to play 30 plus minutes at an incredibly intense level. As far as South Carolina is concerned: Dawn...played 9 players; Cardoso had a break-out game; Boston woke up in the second half; Raven Johnson probably became Dawn's starting point guard; 25 offensive rebounds and 26 points from the foul line...by So. Car. really hurt.

Here is an interesting set of stats from this game UConn shot 51.9 from the field, 33.3 from three point and 76 from the line...beating So Car. in all three of these metrics (38.8 from the field, 20 from three point and 72.2 from the FT line) yet UConn still lost. I guess going 26 for 36 from the line to UConn's 19 for 25 didn't hurt So. Carolina at all.

All in all, even if I add 5 points to So. Carolina's 4 point win for winning on the Huskies court, I remain comforted in the knowledge that both Azzi and Ducharme are capable of scoring 9 points. If we have both of them on the court in March, we probably win this game by 9. I am very proud of our team...they played a great game but in the end...They were just too long and too deep.

To add to your story, South Carolina had 67 field goal attempts and 36 free throws. UConn had 54 and 25, respectively. Something to think about for the tournament.

 

[Littlemin]

Yes it was, respect to him for being stand up and admitting it. On to Marquette.

 

[fomalhaut]

I know Staley has a lot of admirers, but I loath the style of play she and Mulkey and others are bringing to women's basketball, threatening to turn it into a sport I won't want to watch anymore. Connecticut has been a powerhouse for decades playing fundamentally sound defense without fouling constantly. Some years ago the NCAA made a point of emphasis calling fouls for restricting player movement. That is completely gone now. South Carolina fouls on virtually every defensive possession. That's not even counting how many they commit offensively, pushing, throwing elbows, and displacing defenders (the same foul Edwards got called for a few games ago, with some Oscar-level acting by the defender, Boston did multiple times today). Today's game frequently resembled a rugby scrum rather than an artistic basketball contest.

Totally beside my main point: the NCAA needs to change the rules to eliminate reviews on out of bounds touches. If they can't decide on who clearly touched a ball last, just call a jump ball and use the possession arrow.

 

[Brewski]

If you decide to watch the game Lou was bumped or grabbed not a few times but every time she cut, she became effective only after she received the ball outside and went one on one

I think you are the only one that did not get my jest.

 

[darrell]

All that matters.

 

[Blond D.]

So, now this game is out of the way, will UConn go undefeated until Final Four?

No, they go undefeated until they win the Championship.

 

[npignatjr]

Not sure who you are watching. Aubrey was the best defender on the court and they could not stop her going to the hoop -
Too unselfish I think

The whole game. First play 2nd half gets beat bad gives up layup first SC lead then follows that up with the inbounds screw up. Then runs wrong way causes a a 5 second inbounds turnover. Those are a few of many. Sorry I burst your bubble. She is a very athletic player but still after almost 4 years at school the lack of some team awareness is troubling. She gets minutes because Azzi and Caroline are hurt.