40 Minutes of Hell!

[Sluconn Husky]

It's no surprise that players who normally are virtually automatic at the line miss them under the circumstances UConn faced in the Miss. St. game. There were also extremely few regular season games when we absolutely had to make some FTs near the end of games, so the situation was one we hadn't experienced. Our lack of depth which caused some level of fatigue was likely the reason for those clutch free throw misses.

The only Huskies that exceed 36 minutes in that game were Chong, KLS, and Gabby. The first two were 7-8 from the line and KLS made both of hers with the game on the line in OT. It was Williams and Collier who were 9-15 with Collier missing the big one late in regulation and Gabby two at the beginning of OT. So, not sure I buy fatigue. Either way, UConn played a very poor game. It's really that simple. 199 out of 200 times UConn is going to win when holding their opponent to 37% shooting.

 

[UConnNick]

The only Huskies that exceed 36 minutes in that game were Chong, KLS, and Gabby. The first two were 7-8 from the line and KLS made both of hers with the game on the line in OT. It was Williams and Collier who were 9-15 with Collier missing the big one late in regulation and Gabby two at the beginning of OT. So, not sure I buy fatigue. Either way, UConn played a very poor game. It's really that simple. 199 out of 200 times UConn is going to win when holding their opponent to 37% shooting.

There are two kinds of fatigue, physical and mental. Every player has their own levels of tolerance for both. I think everyone will agree there was not a moment in the Miss. St. game where the players weren't feeling pressured due to the tight score and competitiveness. Each player has their own breaking point. Looking at mere minutes played doesn't tell the whole story.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

There are two kinds of fatigue, physical and mental. Every player has their own levels of tolerance for both. I think everyone will agree there was not a moment in the Miss. St. game where the players weren't feeling pressured due to the tight score and competitiveness. Each player has their own breaking point. Looking at mere minutes played doesn't tell the whole story.

Well, if you're saying they missed free throws because of the situation and pressure that's pretty much akin to choking.

 

[UConnNick]

Well, if you're saying they missed free throws because of the situation and pressure that's pretty much akin to choking.

No, not what I'm saying at all. That was more the premise of the original post I responded to, which indicated that great players shouldn't miss clutch free throws. I'm suggesting that game conditions which perhaps create additional physical and mental fatigue can cause great players to miss clutch free throws. That's the opposite of choking under pressure. If all our players had the benefit of ample rest throughout the game because we were going 10 or more deep off the bench, then maybe there would be no explanation for normally reliable shooters to miss late game free throws, but that obviously wasn't the case for UConn in this particular game.

 

[oldude]

Well, if you're saying they missed free throws because of the situation and pressure that's pretty much akin to choking.

Pheesa certainly didn't have her best game, but Gabby was magnificent. UConn is not even close at the end of regulation without Gabby's fantastic all-around play. I'm not sure choking is the appropriate adjective.

As I have pointed out several times in this thread, during the 2010 championship game, Maya & Tima were a combined 2/7 from the line during the last 2 minutes of the game when Stanford was making a run. At the same time, Maya exploded from the floor in the 2nd half and was the key to UConn coming back from a 9 pt 1st half deficit. Tina was a terror on the boards and a defensive force in the paint.

No one would ever accuse Maya & Tina of choking just because they missed some foul shots in a big game.

 

[UConnNick]

Pheesa certainly didn't have her best game, but Gabby was magnificent. UConn is not even close at the end of regulation without Gabby's fantastic all-around play. I'm not sure choking is the appropriate adjective.

As I have pointed out several times in this thread, during the 2010 championship game, Maya & Tima were a combined 2/7 from the line during the last 2 minutes of the game when Stanford was making a run. At the same time, Maya exploded from the floor in the 2nd half and was the key to UConn coming back from a 9 pt 1st half deficit. Tina was a terror on the boards and a defensive force in the paint.

No one would ever accuse Maya & Tina of choking just because they missed some foul shots in a big game.

Great points, oldude. It reinforces the premise that great players can miss free throws. I was at the Stanford game in 2010 and again, we were forced to expend a lot of energy to come back from the first half deficit. Didn't we only score 12 points in the entire first half?

Again, you have to consider game conditions. We had to overcome a significant deficit in the second half, and that takes more effort and energy. Normally reliable free throw shooters who miss an unusually high number of them are generally either physically or mentally fatigued late in the game, depending upon how the game has gone, substitutions, etc.

 

[CajunHusky]

Pheesa certainly didn't have her best game, but Gabby was magnificent. UConn is not even close at the end of regulation without Gabby's fantastic all-around play. I'm not sure choking is the appropriate adjective.

As I have pointed out several times in this thread, during the 2010 championship game, Maya & Tima were a combined 2/7 from the line during the last 2 minutes of the game when Stanford was making a run. At the same time, Maya exploded from the floor in the 2nd half and was the key to UConn coming back from a 9 pt 1st half deficit. Tina was a terror on the boards and a defensive force in the paint.

No one would ever accuse Maya & Tina of choking just because they missed some foul shots in a big game.

Gabby's performance reminded me of Maya's performance in the Stanford game that ended the 90 game streak.

Maya tried very hard to will the team to that victory but it just wasn't enough. Some might say that single handed performance as great as it was, signalled the breakdown of the team dynamic at least in that one game.