4th Quarter ... What Happened???

[faithfulfan]

Azzi is only back 3 games and nowhere near what she was.
Caroline has been in-and-out all season and game to game.
Aubrey was out entire 2nd half.
Nova has had a roster a whole season to play together. UCONN has had much less continuity especially with Aubrey out.
There is little chance after 3 games with Azzi being back, that this team would play 40 minutes of super hoop vs such a high quality opposing team.
Expect some of the same in the near future

more likely it was 3 games in 3 days!
UCONN played great for 2 games, and 3 qtrs in 3 days, I'd say that was pretty good!

 

[hoophuskee]

more likely it was 3 games in 3 days!
UCONN played great for 2 games, and 3 qtrs in 3 days, I'd say that was pretty good!

The quality of the opponent was different in game 3.

 

[Littlemin]

Not sure why the understanding that time and score has a huge effect on the way an intelligent team may play seems to be lost on so many. I can imagine the same people complaining about the 4th quarter would have apoplexy if Uconn had continued to push the ball and someone got injured on a fast break. I thought slowing the game down to a crawl was very smart and the lead was never even remotely close to being challenged. Bettors being PO’d I get but couldn’t care less about, but people who think the margin of victory matters, I don’t even begin to understand.

 

[Carnac]

The quality of the opponent was different in game 3.

UConn and Villanova had identical won-loss records of 28-5 before the tip. I would say the difference between Villanova and
Georgetown/Marquette was significantly different.

 

[Boreifs]

On the verge of a 30 point blow out. Uconn seems to have stopped playing basketball in the 4th quarter. What was a 20 plus lead almost fell to single numbers...in ten minutes we scored 6 points to their 17 ...The smooth flow we enjoyed for the past three games... STOPPED and fell back to a stand aound , motionless look . What happen to the fire of the last 11 quarters..???
Someody Please???

Why do you care?!

 

[Soxx]

Villanova is a very good team and they didn't stop. The character of play changed in the fourth quarter. Villanova pressed and harassed. They hit some threes in quick succession and UConn didn't. But UConn closed the deal. And those first three quarters were pretty good,

Their press was soft. Not very effective.

 

[Bigboote]

Geez, this was a double-digit victory over an excellent team. The fact that UConn backed off and Villanova didn't isn't something to fret about.

As others have alluded, I expected/hoped to see Ines and Ayanna in the last few minutes, but I'm not second-guessing the UConn coaching staff.

 

[tower1]

Villanova is a very good team and they didn't stop. The character of play changed in the fourth quarter. Villanova pressed and harassed. They hit some threes in quick succession and UConn didn't. But UConn closed the deal. And those first three quarters were pretty good,

Not a very smart move by Uconn to finish off the game that way going into the NCAA Tournament.

 

[hoopsfan22]

Not a very smart move by Uconn to finish off the game that way going into the NCAA Tournament.

It's a dangerous strategy when the opponent has one of the country's most prolific scorers. Not saying the chances were good for a team to make up an 11 point deficit in 75 seconds, but why play with fire? A couple of quick Siegrist bombs, and it's a two possession game with let's call it conservatively 30-40 seconds left which is an eternity in that situation. If you're playing against a Xavier, then fine, run clock and trade buckets until time runs out.

 

[hjoerring]

It had to be clear that Nova had no chance of winning the game-- one might even say that the V was decided well before the 4th. In such a situation a well disciplined team is quite aware of injuries because you are running on high octane-- strange things can happen. Of course they can happen at any time, but they are more haunting when it seems that things have been decided. That is, the team didn't run out of gas and/or Nova had turned the game trajectory around favoring them.
The other, and equally important, is that you do not (should not) embarrass your opponents. (Would we have been happier w/ 40-points rather than 12?)
Lastly, it is probably the case that a high score L was not in the best interest for Nova via NCAA-Selection. I'm not saying that Uconn had that in mind and played accordingly, but as a Uconn follower and a BE fan, I'm happy not to showcase at the expense of fellow Conference allies. Go Huskies & Nova.

 

[Forego]

As "strength of competition" is a major influence on the rankings, it's not smart to stomp an opponent by 30 points as they will drop in the polls and you won't move up. As is, Nova moved up to 10 and UConn moved up to 7.

It seems to have worked well for Iowa who blew out pretender Ohio State by running up 105 points. They moved up five places in the AP poll and into second place. The pollsters may not have seen the game but they probably took notice of the final score. I think UConn made the right choice for the reasons presented in this thread but it didn’t catch the eyes of the pollsters

 

[npignatjr]

No, this is factually incorrect. Per the box score at uconnhuskies.com, Villanova was 1 for 7 from the arc in the fourth quarter, and only 5 for 15 overall in the quarter.

The story was at the free throw line, where Villanova was 6 for 8 while UConn did not attempt a free throw in the quarter. Eigunht of Villanova's 14 free throw attempts occurred in the final quarter. Why would a team with a big lead be committing so many fouls at the end of the game?

If you want to find things to be concerned about, look at Villanova's 17 offensive rebounds compared to UConn's 7. That led to 70 field goal attempts by Villanova vs. 55 by UConn.

On the plus side, UConn shot nearly 50% and held Villanova to 30%. It didn't help the Wildcats that they took 29 3-point attempts and only made 5. Their three main gunners (Siegrist, Olsen, and Maddie Burke) were 3 for 20 from distance. Their output was matched much more efficiently by Azzi alone, who was 3 for 8 from the arc (and we all thought she was having a bad shooting night).

To me, the biggest concern is the failure of UConn's forwards to clear the defensive boards against a smaller Villanova frontcourt. Christina Dalce grabbed 11 rebounds, 6 of which were offensive.

Committing or getting called for alot of fouls? Nova pressing aggressive to get back get called for less fouls?

 

[Tonyc]

I am confident that the selection committee as they always do will take into consideration how teams have played lately, who is out of the lineup and who is back in the lineup, as well as NET SOS etc. When they are trying to figure where to put UConn, they will have to take into consideration, this is a different UConn team then was on the floor in the second half of the regular season. If your impressed with Iowas thrashing of Ohio St and that was one game then you have to be very very impressed with UConns 3 games in the BET where they overwhelmed some pretty good teams especially Creighton and Nova. UConn has been able to win because of defense. Now with Caroline and Azzi back they are a different team. We will see how the NCAA positions UConn on Sunday @ 7pm

 

[ochoopsfan]

I am confident that the selection committee as they always do will take into consideration how teams have played lately, who is out of the lineup and who is back in the lineup, as well as NET SOS etc. When they are trying to figure where to put UConn, they will have to take into consideration, this is a different UConn team then was on the floor in the second half of the regular season. If your impressed with Iowas thrashing of Ohio St and that was one game then you have to be very very impressed with UConns 3 games in the BET where they overwhelmed some pretty good teams especially Creighton and Nova. UConn has been able to win because of defense. Now with Caroline and Azzi back they are a different team. We will see how the NCAA positions UConn on Sunday @ 7pm

Where will they put UConn.

 

[sun]

The other, and equally important, is that you do not (should not) embarrass your opponents. (Would we have been happier w/ 40-points rather than 12?)
Lastly, it is probably the case that a high score L was not in the best interest for Nova via NCAA-Selection. I'm not saying that Uconn had that in mind and played accordingly, but as a Uconn follower and a BE fan, I'm happy not to showcase at the expense of fellow Conference allies. Go Huskies & Nova.

Especially considering that Lynn Tighe, senior associate athletics director at Villanova holds a seat on the 12 member Div. 1 women's BB committee.

DI Women’s Basketball Committee announces 2023 championship format

The NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee completed its annual summer meeting last week, with planning for the 2022-23 season and championship front and center.

www.ncaa.com

Three new members named to NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee for 2021-22

The Division I Women’s Basketball Committee announced that two existing members will have their terms extended for one year, while three new committee members will be added for the 2020-21 season.

www.ncaa.com

 

[Littlemin]

It seems to have worked well for Iowa who blew out pretender Ohio State by running up 105 points. They moved up five places in the AP poll and into second place. The pollsters may not have seen the game but they probably took notice of the final score. I think UConn made the right choice for the reasons presented in this thread but it didn’t catch the eyes of the pollsters

You don’t play the game to impress pollsters, the polls and the people who vote in them mean absolutely nothing. Uconn will get their chance the only place it matters, the court.

 

[meyers7]

Especially considering that Lynn Tighe, senior associate athletics director at Villanova holds a seat on the 12 member Div. 1 women's BB committee.

 

[Fairfield Fan]

On the verge of a 30 point blow out. Uconn seems to have stopped playing basketball in the 4th quarter. What was a 20 plus lead almost fell to single numbers...in ten minutes we scored 6 points to their 17 ...The smooth flow we enjoyed for the past three games... STOPPED and fell back to a stand aound , motionless look . What happen to the fire of the last 11 quarters..???
Someody Please???

This isn't the first time that the team experienced a major let-up in the fourth quarter. Indeed, as Coach Geno remarked earlier in the season, with virtually no bench, the team's best quarters are the first (when they're most rested) and the third, when they've had time to rest up at half time. The second and fourth quarters are their worst.

In the fourth, Aubrey Griffin had been benched for her painful back. So UConn had just two players who could spell the five starters. Perhaps that contributed?

 

[mhshuskies]

Villanova is a very good team and they didn't stop. The character of play changed in the fourth quarter. Villanova pressed and harassed. They hit some threes in quick succession and UConn didn't. But UConn closed the deal. And those first three quarters were pretty good,

UCONN would have buried them in the fourth quarter if they needed or wanted to.

 

[Forego]

You don’t play the game to impress pollsters, the polls and the people who vote in them mean absolutely nothing. Uconn will get their chance the only place it matters, the court.

Perhaps you misunderstood my post. I never said that the game should be played to impress the pollsters. The post only points out that three digit scores catch the eye of the pollsters regardless if any of them actually watched the game. The post also says that UConn did the right thing by not attempting to run up the score.

 

[msf22b]

I'm concerned again about the absence of participation of the bench

No need for the non-performing 7 to be out there in the 2nd half of the 4th quarter.

I can't fathom why the kids weren't played.

Weren't we all just saying that Inez looks like a player?

I know, I know...bellyaching about a game that won a championship...maybe in a bad mood...Stuck in Reno, travel to the ski areas next to impossible, without 4-wheel drive and good snows...My rental has one, not the other...and the monsoon is scheduled for tomorrow 'till Sunday...Talk about weather...wowsa

 

[SVCBeercats]

Game in hand, Villanova was in crisis mode, not the case with UCONN and we stopped with the pressure we put on them for the previous 3+ quarters. Was a bit worrisome for a bit but we were able to put up a couple of baskets which put the game well in hand.

Never saw a UCONN championship team that stopped attacking their opponents irrespective of the score. None of them ever eased up.

 

[TCC Kid]

Game in hand, Villanova was in crisis mode, not the case with UCONN and we stopped with the pressure we put on them for the previous 3+ quarters. Was a bit worrisome for a bit but we were able to put up a couple of baskets which put the game well in hand.

There was never a worry about losing the game. Geno, rested his top 3, allowed 3 newbee's to get "Tourney time". Compassion for a Good team a good coach. Extra points got no extra credit. Allowed Siecrest to hold her head high with better numbers. It was a Win Win Win. Nothing compares a player better for the tournament than having played in one--historic Geno.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

gas pedal - foot = 6

 

[Littlemin]

Perhaps you misunderstood my post. I never said that the game should be played to impress the pollsters. The post only points out that three digit scores catch the eye of the pollsters regardless if any of them actually watched the game. The post also says that UConn did the right thing by not attempting to run up the score.

Understood; actually I didn’t misunderstand your post but I see where my reply made you think that. It was meant to read as an agreement with your post but I did not make that very clear at all, my bad.