A couple of post-game thoughts.

[Kibitzer]

First, I am amazed at how UConn overcame many challenges during the past three days. Just guessing at some of the things they dealt with:

• We well know how short-handed they were with Kaleena and Morgan out.
• After going to Maryland on Thursday, then playing a very good team on their court on Friday, and whipping them soundly,
• They left Maryland after the game to travel to State College, Pa. By my calculations/guesstimates, they could not have left before 9:30 p.m. and probably had a bus ride of about five hours.
• After an early Saturday morning check-in (3 a.m. or so?) they had Saturday to get into the game plan for PSU and get in a practice on their court.
• Up early Sunday to get to the arena not later than 10:30 for a noon game,
• Which they won by 19 points. The #1 wcbb team has lots of heart.

And that brings me to another thought. After the game, the play-by-play guy claimed that the 19 point UConn victory was "closer then the score indicates."

Huh?

The only way the game could have been closer is if UConn won by 18 points or fewer. Had he wanted to give PSU credit for a late comeback or for fighting to the end, fine. But this "closer then the scoreboard indicates" is, to me, beyond disingenuous. It is downright silly.

 

[Goodgood]

According to one of the horde, JA I think, they flew to PS right after the Maryland game.

 

[toadfoot]

I believe it was Stephanie White that said just before the game started that Maggie Lucas was the best player on the floor

 

[choochoo]

I believe it was Stephanie White that said just before the game started that Maggie Lucas was the best player on the floor

It was the male announcer and it was right before the tip! I just sat up and said "did he just say that". Wonder what he thinks now after watching Bria eat Penn States lunch at their table!!!

 

[johnnyc]

And that brings me to another thought. After the game, the play-by-play guy claimed that the 19 point UConn victory was "closer then the score indicates."

Huh?

The announcer for the Penn State post game show on the radio said Penn State came up just a little bit short. Ya think?

 

[choochoo]

Maggie not only is not the best player in the gym she is not the best shooter either. That honor goes to the Uconn AA player on the bench with the sling on her arm! Would you take Maggie over Stewie. Didn't think so Mr. announcer.

 

[Kibitzer]

According to one of the horde, JA I think, they flew to PS right after the Maryland game.

I didn't know that. I forgot charter jet. So they may have gone to bed by midnight. Still a lot to deal with and I am proud of them for pulling it off.

 

[UcMiami]

I believe it was Stephanie White that said just before the game started that Maggie Lucas was the best player on the floor

But then she said Stewart was in the competition to be the best player in the country so she obviously had gotten a little tongue tied.
And I think that it is a valid thing to say that the game was 'more competitive than the final score might indicate' when a team does cut a 23 point lead down to 9 with 5 minutes to go. That he used the word 'closer' rather than 'more competitive' I am willing to let slide.
The reason I am being so defensive of the announcers is that I thought they and BTN produced a really good telecast. I have liked White every time I have watched a game she has worked - informative but into the game and not her stories and good analysis of the play. Thought the little piece on new rules calls was nice, and enjoyed the fact that a halftime of a WCBB team was actually about 80% about women's basketball and not upcoming mens games or whatever. And this from a football conference network. And for a Big10 network they were only mildly 'homer' and actually quite effusive about Uconn and Geno.

 

[msf22b]

I didn't know that. I forgot charter jet. So they may have gone to bed by midnight. Still a lot to deal with and I am proud of them for pulling it off.

They learned from last season's west coast travel fiasco.
This is not the staff to make the same mistake twice

 

[Geno-ista]

I believe it was Stephanie White that said just before the game started that Maggie Lucas was the best player on the floor

Yes- my brother heard the same thing as well- and I said she must have said the best player on the floor for Penn State. He said that is what he heard- best player on the floor.(period). Wow- I like her and think she is pretty good. But can you be that stupid. Bria Hartley will go higher in the draft. And Bria Hartley is one of the best players in America- never mind Maggie Lucas.

 

[msf22b]

Let's not denigrate Maggie, she's a gamer.
Just doesn't create her own shots, like uh, uh, Bria Hartley.

 

[Geno-ista]

Let's not denigrate Maggie, she's a gamer.
Just doesn't create her own shots, like uh, uh, Bria Hartley.

Stephanie Dolson and Breanna Stewart and Bria Hartley are playing Penn State- and what idiot would make the statement that Maggie Lucas is the best player on the court. I love Maggie Lucas! that isn;'t denegrating her, it is dengrating the person who said it.

 

[cferraro04]

Uhhh...on this day the best player in the gym was clearly Bria Hartley. That was the one who went off for 29 points while holding Maggie Lucas to just 18 points (10 points below her average coming into the game).

 

[Buzzyboy]

But then she said Stewart was in the competition to be the best player in the country so she obviously had gotten a little tongue tied.
And I think that it is a valid thing to say that the game was 'more competitive than the final score might indicate' when a team does cut a 23 point lead down to 9 with 5 minutes to go. That he used the word 'closer' rather than 'more competitive' I am willing to let slide.
The reason I am being so defensive of the announcers is that I thought they and BTN produced a really good telecast. I have liked White every time I have watched a game she has worked - informative but into the game and not her stories and good analysis of the play. Thought the little piece on new rules calls was nice, and enjoyed the fact that a halftime of a WCBB team was actually about 80% about women's basketball and not upcoming mens games or whatever. And this from a football conference network. And for a Big10 network they were only mildly 'homer' and actually quite effusive about Uconn and Geno.

I wasn't able to watch or listen to the game here in Florida but I had been thinking about some of UConn's vaunted runs over the years, where a game seems to be competitive and all of a sudden, UConn goes on a 16-2 run and the game is now a blowout type game. For example a 14-10 game is now a 30-12 game and almost lights out for the opponent. I also was thinking that it's been many years since I can recall a team having one of those type runs against UConn. It may not have been as prominent but Penn State was down by something like 23 points and in short order, that lead was down to 9 points with scads of time left. I thought that was a little unsettling but thankfully, the team responded quite well and we won comfortably. Just a little irony that I had been thinking that no one makes runs on the Huskies like we do on others.

 

[h2Oburyhuskyfan]

The reason I am being so defensive of the announcers is that I thought they and BTN produced a really good telecast.

Now all they need is a director and camera operator that knows how to use the zoom control so we can see the players as if we are courtside and not in the top row of seats!

 

[RockyMTblue2]

First, I am amazed at how UConn overcame many challenges during the past three days. Just guessing at some of the things they dealt with:

• 
  [ ]We well know how short-handed they were with Kaleena and Morgan out.
  [ ]After going to Maryland on Thursday, then playing a very good team on their court on Friday, and whipping them soundly,
  [ ]They left Maryland after the game to travel to State College, Pa. By my calculations/guesstimates, they could not have left before 9:30 p.m. and probably had a bus ride of about five hours.
  [ ]After an early Saturday morning check-in (3 a.m. or so?) they had Saturday to get into the game plan for PSU and get in a practice on their court.
  [ ]Up early Sunday to get to the arena not later than 10:30 for a noon game,
  [ ]Which they won by 19 points. The #1 wcbb team has lots of heart.

And that brings me to another thought. After the game, the play-by-play guy claimed that the 19 point UConn victory was "closer then the score indicates."

Huh?

The only way the game could have been closer is if UConn won by 18 points or fewer. Had he wanted to give PSU credit for a late comeback or for fighting to the end, fine. But this "closer then the scoreboard indicates" is, to me, beyond disingenuous. It is downright silly.

I'm with you Kib on that knee jerk homer "closer than" remark. Credit to Penn for making a run, but then they were definitively left behind and U Conn stalled out the clock or it could have been worse. At the end Penn was gassed and gone.

 

[tomcat]

I've been very impressed with Big Ten Network, and thought their announcers did a pretty good job, as homers go. I didn't think the telecast was terrible -- perhaps not the best, technically, but not awful, either. (We've seen some of those over the years). The network is a big time operation with lots of reasons to keep fans engaged. Of course, it helps to have big league football, something the Big East never did very convincingly. It was also a hoot to listen to the local midwest commercials, with Chicago lingo and a different slant on things that our commercials have. If I lived out there, I'd subscribe.

 

[tomcat]

"Gassed and gone." Great quote, RockyMTblue. Love it.

 

[ocoandasoc]

I wasn't able to watch or listen to the game here in Florida but I had been thinking about some of UConn's vaunted runs over the years, where a game seems to be competitive and all of a sudden, UConn goes on a 16-2 run and the game is now a blowout type game. For example a 14-10 game is now a 30-12 game and almost lights out for the opponent. I also was thinking that it's been many years since I can recall a team having one of those type runs against UConn. It may not have been as prominent but Penn State was down by something like 23 points and in short order, that lead was down to 9 points with scads of time left. I thought that was a little unsettling but thankfully, the team responded quite well and we won comfortably. Just a little irony that I had been thinking that no one makes runs on the Huskies like we do on others.

Back in the early 90's when Geno had his first really good teams they would get 15 - 20 points up in the second half and he'd send in the "second unit" (UConn didn't have the depth then that they have (or usually have) now, so once you got past the sixth player the offensive talent dropped off a bit. After a few games in which the "subs" seemed to squander a big lead he announced that CD would start keeping track of how the late game replacements did vis a vis the scoreboard and factor that into playing time decisions. He wasn't looking for them to build the lead, just not make him nervous enough to start thinking about sending the starters back in.

 

[UcMiami]

I wasn't able to watch or listen to the game here in Florida but I had been thinking about some of UConn's vaunted runs over the years, where a game seems to be competitive and all of a sudden, UConn goes on a 16-2 run and the game is now a blowout type game. For example a 14-10 game is now a 30-12 game and almost lights out for the opponent. I also was thinking that it's been many years since I can recall a team having one of those type runs against UConn. It may not have been as prominent but Penn State was down by something like 23 points and in short order, that lead was down to 9 points with scads of time left. I thought that was a little unsettling but thankfully, the team responded quite well and we won comfortably. Just a little irony that I had been thinking that no one makes runs on the Huskies like we do on others.

Easy solution to this problem - for all our sanity ...STOP THINKING ... you have no idea how powerful you mind is!
Notre Dame and Baylor have both done that it in the past and I think it is definitely a good sign for Washington that her team was able to make that run late in the game. A lot of teams in the last decade have just folded up there tents and left the building when the lead got beyond 20.

 

[chrissaran]

Maggie played with Caroline, is extremely competitive, and she seems like a nice person. However, I would take Bria over Maggie. Bria not only takes, but makes shots, when the pressure is on. That says a lot about her that she kept on shooting. Bria and Saniya could be a top scoring guard tandem.

 

[EricLA]

Let's not denigrate Maggie, she's a gamer. Just doesn't create her own shots, like uh, uh, Bria Hartley.

Not sure about creating her own shot - you are probably correct, but she can get her shot off incredibly quickly, and with a terrific amount of accuracy. I love Lucas' game. It is my sincere hope that Eckmark becomes a Lucas type player. I have heard she's a terrific shooter, but not athletic, and unlikely able to create her own shot in college. But no one will work harder, and there are many many worse players you could be compared to than Maggie Lucas. That kid's got a lot of heart too.

I totally agree with the folks who said they'd take Stewie or KML or Bria over Maggie - but why not take them all? Oh wait, we have.

I'm super excited about the kids we have coming in. Gabby is a great great athlete and a super player. Edwards seems like she came out of nowhere and has worked really hard on her PG skills the past year and suddenly she's in several top 10 lists. And Ekmark is a lights out shooter most of the time, a coaches kid, and one of the hardest working kids we will ever see - a-la Kelly Faris. A real cerebral player and student of the game. It's a great variety.

I really hope we land Nurse as I believe she's one of the top 5 kids in the class. She's going to be special. Offense like Sveta, defense like Faris. I think the atmosphere and game she attended will make it harder for her, but I'm still cautiously optimistic we land her.

 

[msf22b]

Maggie played with Caroline, is extremely competitive, and she seems like a nice person. However, I would take Bria over Maggie. Bria not only takes, but makes shots, when the pressure is on. That says a lot about her that she kept on shooting. Bria and Saniya could be a top scoring guard tandem.

Maggie is perhaps the better pure shooter
But Bria reminds me of Bob Cousy the way she obsessively pushes the break.
So fast, so relentless, so discouraging to the other team.
And her nasty ball-hawking
She may wind up the premiere guard in the land this year.
She told us about the chip on her shoulder, that she was determined to be a force.
Well, here it is, the Bria Hartley show.
It's going to be a pleasure watching her perform
She's been the heart and soul of the team.
Go Bria.

 

[katiecrum1992]

Not sure about creating her own shot - you are probably correct, but she can get her shot off incredibly quickly, and with a terrific amount of accuracy. I love Lucas' game. It is my sincere hope that Eckmark becomes a Lucas type player. I have heard she's a terrific shooter, but not athletic, and unlikely able to create her own shot in college. But no one will work harder, and there are many many worse players you could be compared to than Maggie Lucas. That kid's got a lot of heart too.

I totally agree with the folks who said they'd take Stewie or KML or Bria over Maggie - but why not take them all? Oh wait, we have.

I'm super excited about the kids we have coming in. Gabby is a great great athlete and a super player. Edwards seems like she came out of nowhere and has worked really hard on her PG skills the past year and suddenly she's in several top 10 lists. And Ekmark is a lights out shooter most of the time, a coaches kid, and one of the hardest working kids we will ever see - a-la Kelly Faris. A real cerebral player and student of the game. It's a great variety.

I really hope we land Nurse as I believe she's one of the top 5 kids in the class. She's going to be special. Offense like Sveta, defense like Faris. I think the atmosphere and game she attended will make it harder for her, but I'm still cautiously optimistic we land her.

Really digging that second paragraph...

 

[CL82]

The announcer for the Penn State post game show on the radio said Penn State came up just a little bit short. Ya think?