45:07 is what excites me about the coming year

[FridaFriend]

Someone earlier in this thread referred to the four years of losses in the tournament between the 1995 and the 2000 championships. Those four teams had pretty good personnel:



1996: Eliott, Rizotti, Berube, Wolters, and Sales

1997: Berube, Wolters, Sales, and Ralph

1998: Sales, Ralph, Abrosimova

1999: Abrosimova, Ralph, Cash, Williams, Jones



The 1996 and 1997 teams had a dominant center, another point that was mentioned as lacking in more recent UCONN teams. Only the 1996 team made it to the final four and the 1999 team lost in the sweet 16 game. The 1996 and 1997 teams lost to Tennessee in the tournament, who had Chamique Holdsclaw, and no one else did.



I don’t know that I would say that the UCONN teams in the 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021 tournaments were better than those 1996-1999 teams and yet Geno took the latter all to the Final Four. Perhaps I am wrong and Geno has gotten old and has forgotten how to motivate his teams, but I think we should probably just give credit to Mississippi State, Notre Dame, and Arizona as just being better on those days. I think that saying UCONN wasn’t properly motivated or weren’t trying hard enough unfairly takes away from the accomplishments of the teams that defeated them.

 

[hoopsfan22]

So it must be somebody’s fault that UConn lost those games? It can’t be that the other teams were better and deserved to win?

UConn has made it to 13 straight FF appearances. Many of us consider that to be the greatest achievement in the history of college basketball. The one “consistent” was the coach.

Generally the opponent has to play out of their minds and UConn has to have a really off day to have a shot. Given a large enough sample size David will eventually beat Goliath. We play Arizona 100 times we win that game probably 95 times. Same for Arkansas. The better team was UConn - just not on those days.

 

[oldude]

Generally the opponent has to play out of their minds and UConn has to have a really off day to have a shot. Given a large enough sample size David will eventually beat Goliath. We play Arizona 100 times we win that game probably 95 times. Same for Arkansas. The better team was UConn - just not on those days.

I agree with your assessment of AZ. But in UConn’s losses vs ND & MS St you could make a good case that the opponents were as good if not better. ND in particular fielded a team with five first round draft picks.

 

[LoboDays]

So it must be somebody’s fault that UConn lost those games? It can’t be that the other teams were better and deserved to win?

UConn has made it to 13 straight FF appearances. Many of us consider that to be the greatest achievement in the history of college basketball. The one “consistent” was the coach.

The teams weren’t better. They won because they played like they wanted it more. Why?

The coach’s past success is unchallengeable.. if you give him credit for past success but no blame for recent failure…..that seems a bit unrealistic.

 

[oldude]

The teams weren’t better. They won because they played like they wanted it more. Why?

The coach’s past success is unchallengeable.. if you give him credit for past success but no blame for recent failure…..that seems a bit unrealistic.

I don’t consider getting to the FF to be a failure. I’m guessing the majority of fans, players and coaches agree with me on that.

 

[LoboDays]

I don’t consider getting to the FF to be a failure. I’m guessing the vast majority of fans, players and coaches agree with me on that.

Threads like this one with many posts wouldn’t exist if the past 4 seasons were considered great successes. Let’s be real here. UCONN recruits, practices and prepares with one goal in mind. The NC. Those who try to convince themselves that getting to the semifinal and losing is a success for this program are not being honest with themselves.

 

[oldude]

Threads like this one with many posts wouldn’t exist if the past 4 seasons were considered great successes. Let’s be real here. UCONN recruits, practices and prepares with one goal in mind. The NC. Those who try to convince themselves that getting final and losing is a success for this program are not being honest with themselves.

Winning championships is certainly a goal of UConn WBB, but it has never been the only goal, nor is it “the most important goal.” You really need to listen to Geno talk about what’s most important to him. It is quite simply to help all of his players achieve their potential. The idea that anything short of a national championship is a failure is an unrealistic expectation of overzealous fans like yourself.

 

[LoboDays]

Winning championships is certainly a goal of UConn WBB, but it has never been the only goal, nor is it “the most important goal.” You really need to listen to Geno talk about what’s most important to him. It is quite simply to help all of his players achieve their potential. The idea that anything short of a national championship is a failure is an unrealistic expectation of overzealous fans like yourself.

I think you’re a good guy Old Dude and I don’t want to appear offensive. But any coach that tells you that winning is not the most important thing to him, will want to talk to you about a gold mine in Hoboken NJ you should invest in.

 

[oldude]

I think you’re a good guy Old Dude and I don’t want to appear offensive. But any coach that tells you that winning is not the most important thing to him, will want to talk to you about a gold mine in Hoboken NJ you should invest in.

Let’s agree to disagree on this.

 

[Alydar]

I would agree with the sentiment of Littlemin's post. Unfortunately Nika was still not recovered from the ankle injury for the Arizona game, that was obvious by how she moved. I truly believe that had she been she would have started and it would have been a different game. I think Geno believed that as well. She was out there playing, in the limited way she could and obviously not yet recovered, not because she was fully back but to motive her teammates. Geno said during the season that it was a different team with her on the floor, and that it was a better team. She was the fire, an unquenchable energy - a player that could play angry. Ari may have gotten around her a number of times but help may have been there more, double teams harassing her more - the huskies may have adjusted early in the game to play 'angrier' and fought harder with more indignation if the pre injury Muhl showed up for that game.

Nika repeatedly in various interviews during the season said what she brought to the team was 'being that energy guy'. Geno commented that Nika's exuberance at setting a great pick was like she had hit a three to win the NC. At any huddle on the court you could see her arms around her teammates and her lips moving. Remember the game, during the last few seconds when the opposing player was actually trying to steal the ball when she was dribbling down the clock - post game at his interview Geno was cracking up saying Nika was really pissed. Geno has said that no one took the Arizona loss harder than Nika and she has said she never wants to feel that way again. She is intensity personified, and in my opinion we badly needed that in the Arizona game. Maybe we still lose that game -not downplaying Arizona's game - but it would have been a different game with a healthy Nika Muhl.

I also think that the Baylor game wouldn't have been close with Mühl playing.

 

[msf22b]

I wish I was inciteful enough to precisely express my thoughts this evening
but I think something can be discerned from the two young ladies making hay
in Queens, the last few weeks..

There is something about their combination of skill and desire on display here
Fearlessness, aggression, problem solving. preparation, talent. And yes, wonderful coaching.

That has been a general character of our program...somehow one or more of those attributes
have been more prevalent in our opposition in major games of late...

I don't expect it to be an issue this season. The right combination of skill and desire is at hand.

And I expect that the lessons being taught in my hometown...Flushing NY, are being carefully considered in all
corners in which woman compete.

MSF
far away in Spanish Wells, Bahamas

 

[Alydar]

Generally the opponent has to play out of their minds and UConn has to have a really off day to have a shot. Given a large enough sample size David will eventually beat Goliath. We play Arizona 100 times we win that game probably 95 times. Same for Arkansas. The better team was UConn - just not on those days.

On the mens side UConn's last title came when they were a 7 seed going into the tournament. They were 9 pt underdogs in their first title win against Duke.

I think there is a lot more talent playing wcbb today than 25 years ago.

 

[Stymie]

To put it simply and somewhat bluntly:
Coach Geno puts them in a position to grab the brass ring.
The players need to grab it with both hands and rip it from their opponent.
They haven’t done that in the past several years.
Maybe it was for lack of talent or experience, but it was in their reach.
I will never attribute it to lack of effort.
Or coaching....

 

[LoboDays]

Let’s agree to disagree on this.

Fair enough.

 

[Alydar]

Threads like this one with many posts wouldn’t exist if the past 4 seasons were considered great successes. Let’s be real here. UCONN recruits, practices and prepares with one goal in mind. The NC. Those who try to convince themselves that getting to the semifinal and losing is a success for this program are not being honest with themselves.

And anyone who considers losing in the final four as a failed season needs to reassess. Geno says all sorts of things for effect and suggesting that anything less than a title is a failed season is one of his whoppers.

To me every season is a success. UConn usually plays 36-40 games a year and 35-38 are beautiful things to watch.
On a trip to Maui we took the trip to Hanna, a small town on the west coast. Hanna itself is nothing special. A quiet hideaway. Hanna is the destination but the point of doing it was the journey, not the destination. The ride is a series of spectacular views (and a few terrifying moments for someone with a fear of heights). I don't have a problem with the players feeling like they failed but as a fan I take my joy from the journey. Year after year after year UConn provides me and their fans with so many spectacular views that it's easy to begin to take them for granted. And that is what I read into this thread.

 

[JoePgh]

Threads like this one with many posts wouldn’t exist if the past 4 seasons were considered great successes. Let’s be real here. UCONN recruits, practices and prepares with one goal in mind. The NC. Those who try to convince themselves that getting to the semifinal and losing is a success for this program are not being honest with themselves.

You still haven't responded to the question that I posed earlier, and that others have posed in similar discussions on The Boneyard:

If getting to 12 or 13 consecutive Final Fours, including all of those since the Stewie class graduated, is a failure, then what WCBB coach has been successful since 2016? Is there some other coach that has a better record in those years? Or are you saying that all 300+ WCBB coaches have failed in that time period, including Schaeffer / McGraw / Adia Barnes -- who got victories over UConn in one or two of those four years but failed to make the Final Four in other years? That is also true of Vandeveer at Stanford, who won the NC last year but did not make the Final Four in other years.

I'm not sure how you could watch Arizona play and describe them as not particularly physical. Height isn't everything, they had several players who were very muscular and strong.

I will admit that I don't follow Arizona on a regular basis and in fact never saw them play except in the two Final Four games last season, but I did watch the UConn - Arizona game again recently, and I did not get an impression of unusual physicality in that game -- certainly not in comparison to the UConn - Baylor game in the Elite Eight.

Statistically, looking at the box score of the AZ game, UConn got 6 offensive rebounds to 4 for AZ -- which is usually a rough indication of who is being more physical in the paint. AZ did get 2 more total rebounds than UConn (36 vs. 34), but of course UConn missed more shots (and took more shots) than AZ. In fact, UConn had the same number of total made field goals as AZ, and AZ had only two more 3-point makes. The real difference was at the free throw line, where AZ was 22-for-31 and UConn was 14-for-20.

To me, that does not paint a picture of UConn being physically pushed around and dominated by the Wildcats, as was suggested in BostonBay's post to which I was responding.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I will admit that I don't follow Arizona on a regular basis and in fact never saw them play except in the two Final Four games last season, but I did watch the UConn - Arizona game again recently, and I did not get an impression of unusual physicality in that game -- certainly not in comparison to the UConn - Baylor game in the Elite Eight.

Statistically, looking at the box score of the AZ game, UConn got 6 offensive rebounds to 4 for AZ -- which is usually a rough indication of who is being more physical in the paint. AZ did get 2 more total rebounds than UConn (36 vs. 34), but of course UConn missed more shots (and took more shots) than AZ. In fact, UConn had the same number of total made field goals as AZ, and AZ had only two more 3-point makes. The real difference was at the free throw line, where AZ was 22-for-31 and UConn was 14-for-20.

To me, that does not paint a picture of UConn being physically pushed around and dominated by the Wildcats, as was suggested in BostonBay's post to which I was responding.

Statistics can paint a picture, but not always tell the whole story. Watching Arizona quite a bit during the season, I would say they played an aggressive, physical style of defense. Most of the teams in the Pac 12 do. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Skeets]

And anyone who considers losing in the final four as a failed season needs to reassess. Geno says all sorts of things for effect and suggesting that anything less than a title is a failed season is one of his whoppers.

To me every season is a success. UConn usually plays 36-40 games a year and 35-38 are beautiful things to watch.
On a trip to Maui we took the trip to Hanna, a small town on the west coast. Hanna itself is nothing special. A quiet hideaway. Hanna is the destination but the point of doing it was the journey, not the destination. The ride is a series of spectacular views (and a few terrifying moments for someone with a fear of heights). I don't have a problem with the players feeling like they failed but as a fan I take my joy from the journey. Year after year after year UConn provides me and their fans with so many spectacular views that it's easy to begin to take them for granted. And that is what I read into this thread.

People ask me "how can you watch UCONN WBB blowout after blowout"? The answer is simple, I watch it because it's a beautiful thing.

 

[Bald Husky]

Oldude reflects the opinion of just about every WBB fan in America, that getting to the Final4 is a huge success for that program. Well, UConn isn't any program, and since they have made it 13 consecutive times, the goal has to be higher than most of these other programs. Getting to the Final4 for us is almost like others just making the tournament. We are the victims of our own success, we expect to get there, and once we get there we expect to win, so not going all the way is a disappointment. Yes, we are proud of this program, and we are lucky to have a team and coach that thrive for the ultimate goal, so maybe we are frustrated by not achieving our goal last year, and the year before, etc.

There is nothing wrong with our expectations, because I know Geno has the same although he may not publicly say that. We are so used to winning that anything less seems empty, and unfortunately the last few years I have ended the WBB season, well, empty. We are the most successful program in history, we are proud of that, but as I already said, we are the victim of our own success.

 

[Jim R]

Oldude reflects the opinion of just about every WBB fan in America, that getting to the Final4 is a huge success for that program. Well, UConn isn't any program, and since they have made it 13 consecutive times, the goal has to be higher than most of these other programs. Getting to the Final4 for us is almost like others just making the tournament. We are the victims of our own success, we expect to get there, and once we get there we expect to win, so not going all the way is a disappointment. Yes, we are proud of this program, and we are lucky to have a team and coach that thrive for the ultimate goal, so maybe we are frustrated by not achieving our goal last year, and the year before, etc.

There is nothing wrong with our expectations, because I know Geno has the same although he may not publicly say that. We are so used to winning that anything less seems empty, and unfortunately the last few years I have ended the WBB season, well, empty. We are the most successful program in history, we are proud of that, but as I already said, we are the victim of our own success.

Chris, how did you manage to hijack Bald Huskie's account?

 

[hoophuskee]

Oldude reflects the opinion of just about every WBB fan in America, that getting to the Final4 is a huge success for that program. Well, UConn isn't any program, and since they have made it 13 consecutive times, the goal has to be higher than most of these other programs. Getting to the Final4 for us is almost like others just making the tournament.

No--- it doesn't. It's "a goal" but shouldn't be "THE only goal."

The other teams have scholarship players and great coaching too.

When UCONN loses at last minute Stephens who leaves quicker than expected and Charli Collier who decides not to come at last minute due to horrific storm in her area - those issues hurt the program. Even during their championships one team usually gives them a battle- all basketball takes is one player. Just one to have an enormous impact. Sometimes these issues can't be overcome. And just because they wear the UCONN uniform it doesn't automatically turn them into "Wonder Woman."

 

[PacoSwede]

To put it simply and somewhat bluntly:
Coach Geno puts them in a position to grab the brass ring.
The players need to grab it with both hands and rip it from their opponent.
They haven’t done that in the past several years.
Maybe it was for lack of talent or experience, but it was in their reach.
I will never attribute it to lack of effort.
Or coaching....

remember, two of those outcomes in overtimes came on last-minute baskets ... so attribute them simply to fate. it was just the way things were meant to be for unknowable reasons. no point in placing 'blame'

 

[hoopsfan22]

remember, two of those outcomes in overtimes came on last-minute baskets ... so attribute them simply to fate. it was just the way things were meant to be for unknowable reasons. no point in placing 'blame'

But the team put themselves in that position where a last minute basket mattered. What is it Geno always says one play doesn't decide a game or something like that?

 

[MooseJaw]

I think Nika’s starting position is hers to lose.
Her tenacity and attitude is something not readily identifiable in a box score-but she brings it each and every time I’ve seen her play.

I agree with your premise, the job is hers to lose. She may be the starter for the entire year, does that mean she is the best player to be our 1? I think that we all know that she wasn't that player last year and it's a stretch to think she will be this season. Nika is a pit bull defensively, I love watching her quick hands and aggressive mind set. Consider for example Azzi takes the majority of time instead of Nika, she scores in the mid teens and we give up 4-5 more points per game we have a sizable plus in offensive fire power. Of the returning players Nika missed the most games with injury, a one year occurrence or is she injury prone? Time will tell on the injury front as well as whether she shows progress as a more complete offensive player.
What we don't know, will any of our freshmen come in let their play demand that they be on the floor like Paige and AE did this past season. I hope we have 2-3 freshmen who come in shine, putting the burden on Geno's shoulders to figure out the best 5 to start, the best subs and the best rotations. I know most of us fell in love with Nika last season, I did as well, I want her to be that player. will she be that player, maybe. I know I will be a Nika fan if she starts or comes off the bench, it only matters that Geno plays the players that give us the best chance to win.

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Agree, but physical is contagious and doesn’t start or end down low, many examples of small tough players. Calvin Murphy and Norm Van Lier from my era of ball come to mind immediately.

Attitude can be adjusted in the weight room. The strength coach was brought back to be that "Fire Starter" and I believe we will see the ability to match physicality, an dish out more than we are taking this year.

With all the rehab going on, I hope the teammates are joining them to have 'tude exhancement sessions, and take out frustrations on the weight stacks with purpose in the next six weeks...