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Message: [QUOTE="Cuango, post: 4404850, member: 3834"] If Paige were completely healthy I believe we would likely win the title this season. As it is, I still believe we have a good chance to win but it’s certainly much more “iffy”. We clearly have the talent and the coaching. I think winning this year is going to turn on whether we have regained the “eye of the tiger” vs South Carolina! We have always (certainly since 2001-2002 gone into games with this fearless (We’re UConn and we’re here to win) attitude. Obviously, there were stretches in games where we didn’t play well, we were off our game, unfocused etc but never, never were we scared or intimidated. The biggest concern for me is my memory of the game in The Bahamas where SC simply destroyed us in the first half and made us look scared and as if we didn’t even want to be there. That’s a bad, [B]bad[/B] memory for me because it was the first time I’ve seen that from our team. Now I know that was early in the season and we showed lots of moxie at other times but virtually all of those “moxie” games were with Paige on the floor. I think, more than anything else, our title chances will rest on whether that game was merely an aberration or whether a seed of doubt has crept into the team’s psyche. I’m not saying it has, but I do worry about it based on that €£¥§*# game! The question, in my mind, is whether this team can win a knock down, drag out kind of game with a team that has comparable talent but who plays physical, punishing defense for 40 minutes? I just hope that Geno has rooted out whatever it was that had the team playing scared that day, and that we are ready to get in the trenches and fight for every point next time we play SC! If we do that in February?, then, win or lose I’m gonna feel pretty good about our chances for #12. No one is better than Geno at shaping a team over the last couple of months of the season and getting them ready for March Madness! I just hope he emphasizes the “mentally and physically tough “ aspect a little more this season. I do realize of course, we might win the NCAA Tournament without even having to play SC but the consensus seems to be that they will defend their title. Personally, I think it is not nearly as likely as many seem to think but certainly possible. [/QUOTE]

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