6 points away from being 3-0 vs ND.

[bmayuc]

If you had stuck to facts like this I wouldn't have given you flack. I disagree with #3 and simply note that all three losses are sufficiently different to belie there being any pattern that is unfixable.

Thanks, but giving me flack wasn't my issue. It was the stick up your . And unless you have no understanding of basketball, you would understand that there is a very, very, crystal clear pattern.

Cause: Lack of Ball Handlers/PG
Effect: Terrible, awful turnovers under pressure, terrible clock management, lack of playmaking off the dribble, inability to get shots off late in the shotclock
Examples:
1. Last play of last loss(recap: Rather than do what every team does, give it to a guard and have them dribble for 14 seconds and then make a play, resulting in either a win or overtime, Geno drew up a play to try and score a quick-hitter to remove the ball-handling from the equation. Then, we got the joy of seeing our primary crunch time ball-handler dribble the ball directly into the baseline, not call a time-out, throw a wild cross-corner pass, which led to an off-balance KML, still not calling a time-out, falling backwards out of bounds just sort of toss the ball into the air in the vague direction of the center of the court.) This is the sort of all-encompassingly terrible ball-handling possession that characterizes a pattern.
2. last 1 minute of regulation and ALL 3 OTs of the previous loss, including the "the pick" from Dolson. Bigs don't make that play if your guard is not having trouble bringing the ball up. They do it to make space. Brianna had been picked 2 or three possessions earlier and I'm sure that was in her mind.
3. Every single game since diggins has been at ND and has bullwhipped our PGs over the past 4 years. girl has our number.
4. A very high incidence of shot clock violations late in games.

Now, since you are the arbiter of what passes as "sticking to facts", how can you contest that?

 

[trisailin]

Thanks, but giving me flack wasn't my issue. It was the stick up your . And unless you have no understanding of basketball, you would understand that there is a very, very, crystal clear pattern.
3. Every single game since diggins has been at ND and has bullwhipped our PGs over the past 4 years. girl has our number.
Now, since you are the arbiter of what passes as "sticking to facts", how can you contest that?

I'm not Ice, but since you bring up "facts" - I'll call you on your "fact" listed above. Every game since Diggins has been at ND huh?
I don't think so. If you go back and review the scores of all the games between UCONN and ND over those 4 years, I suggest FACTS would not back up "bullwhipped".
Lastly - you're the one who's being completely defeatist here...according to you, any supposed deficiency you've mentioned is completely uncorrectable.

 

[UConn990411]

Yes, it has been stated in several threads. The dumbest part was your assumption that there are things that cannot be fixed, as well, as that the games were lost by EPIC collapses.

If the guard play could be fixed, the solution probably would have resonated itself by March 12.

This team is really, really good - one of the three best in the entire country. But they have too many key players that are either too young to lead or too injured (namely Hartley).

They're a year away.

 

[Icebear]

I've coached and officiated and that is why I called you on your simplistic statement. I continue to this day to read two to three books a season on various aspects of the game. I can recommend to you The Art and Science of Coaching series if you'd like to deepen your understanding of the game. I can recommend for Bob Huggins book on the Five Man Open Post Motion Offense.

 

[Icebear]

If the guard play could be fixed, the solution probably would have resonated itself by March 12.

This team is really, really good - one of the three best in the entire country. But they have too many key players that are either too young to lead or too injured (namely Hartley).

They're a year away.

Depends on what you mean by fix. I am speaking of fixing the team as a whole by addressing the problem as is not fixing individuals games. With the line between winning and losing to ND and Baylor as fine as it is there are certainly still things to be done. A great example being the trapping D that Geno employed in the second half.

 

[UConn990411]

Depends on what you mean by fix. I am speaking of fixing the team as a whole by addressing the problem as is not fixing individuals games. With the line between winning and losing to ND and Baylor as fine as it is there are certainly still things to be done. A great example being the trapping D that Geno employed in the second half.

That line may be "fine," but it's resulted in a 1-8 record against those two teams the past couple seasons. That's not a statistic you can simply gloss over - it's a full-blown pattern.

What UConn needs to win it all is a healthy Bria Hartley (or an improved Moriah Jefferson) and a more consistent Breanna Stewart.

Unfortunately, I don't see either of those things happening until next season.

 

[Icebear]

That line may be "fine," but it's resulted in a 1-8 record against those two teams the past couple seasons. That's not a statistic you can simply gloss over - it's a full-blown pattern.

What UConn needs to win it all is a healthy Bria Hartley (or an improved Moriah Jefferson) and a more consistent Breanna Stewart.

Unfortunately, I don't see either of those things happening until next season.

No, all they have needed is to make one more foul shot (Breanna, Tuck), one more 3 pointer by the best 3 point shooter in the country (KML), deny one more shot (KML), and rebound one more ball (KML) and the record would be 5-3 and none of that by a guard.

 

[Wbbfan1]

Your points are accurate, but I would say that if Geno had a true PG that was ready to play, then he wouldn't have needed the those plays. UConn would have had a more comfortable lead and been able to maintain it. ND won the games because of Superior Guard Play. I'll give Griner as the reason for the Baylor losses, but a true PG might have made a difference.

No, all they have needed is to make one more foul shot (Breanna, Tuck), one more 3 pointer by the best 3 point shooter in the country (KML), deny one more shot (KML), and rebound one more ball (KML) and the record would be 5-3 and none of that by a guard.

 

[Icebear]

Your points are accurate, but I would say that if Geno had a true PG that was ready to play, then he wouldn't have needed the those plays. UConn would have had a more comfortable lead and been able to maintain it. ND won the games because of Superior Guard Play. I'll give Griner as the reason for the Baylor losses, but a true PG might have made a difference.

Of course, having that PG would have made things easier. No one denies that a great PG is an invaluable asset but the question is can these games be won as this team is presently constructed and the answer is a resounding, "Yes."

 

[meganmatthews]

I always try o keep my sense of humor but, wow. You would think that we had been blown out by 20 they way some of these posts read. WE LOST BY TWO! Aside from maybe Baylor, ask any team what they would rather do in this upcoming tournament: Play a full game against ND, or be tied at the end of the game with less than a 30 seconds left and it's your ball. I'm sure 99% would take tie game with possession. One wrong move by ND, one slip up, one bad ref call or if Geno belched really loud, causing a momentary distraction, and we win! But it didn't happen. Sigh. Still, I love this team. GO UCONN!!

 

[vtcwbuff]

Everyone keeps pointing to the final score as reason to think that the 3 losses weren't that bad. In my mind the margin of loss was much less meaningful than the manner in which the games were lost.

However, when it's all said and done the only numbers that count isn't 6 - its 0 for 3.

 

[Sonny44]

Last night they shot poorly (no 3 pointers made) and in last ten minutes a defensive change to trap and cause turnovers lead UConn to eliminate a 13 point deficit.

Sure they need to work on offensive execution late in games when you're tired, but the season is not over yet. They can still fix it.

If we meet them again, we can fix it. That's what happened to UConn 3 years ago but UConn was beating them by even more than that. Closest game then was 3 points and yet ND beat UConn in the NCAAs. There is still time to fix what ails them.

Our problem is that we get rattled under their pressure, especially late in the games. They stay composed for the most part. They seem to have the same game plan every game with the same starters, etc. and they stick with it through some tough stretches. We vary ours in our desperation to find something that works against them. Maybe this is confusing to our younger players.