A few post-game thoughts

[CMC'72]

Maybe we're seeing too many mouthes to feed for minutes available?

Possible real problem this year?

 

[Florida Fan]

Oh jeez, is any other team in any other sport subjected to such judgment? They had a blowout win against a very good, not great, young team. It was the first game, so some nerves at times, and it was against a coach whom Geno respects, so, not only is he rotating players, he's not coaching up his team when they're making mistakes. It's a game. UConn won big. Next game.

Yeah, what does it take to satisfy the UCONN faithful? Remembering the first game last year was enough for me. That we can get better is scary enough, Gabby getting better with the 15-18 footers, and Z learning to bang underneath are fun to anticipate.

 

[oldude]

Yeah, what does it take to satisfy the UCONN faithful? Remembering the first game last year was enough for me. That we can get better is scary enough, Gabby getting better with the 15-18 footers, and Z learning to bang underneath are fun to anticipate.

Great point about last year’s 1st game vs FSU. Even though the Huskies won in a nail biter, I remember being deflated afterwards, believing that UConn just didn’t have it after losing their top 3 players. I was certain that a big and deep Baylor team would overwhelm the Huskies in their next game and the possibility of a 5th straight championship was a pipe dream.

But what I learned is that UConn WBB should never be sold short. The Huskies are capable of tremendous improvement from year to year, game to game and practice to practice.

After watching UConn dismantle Stanford in game 1, I can only imagine just how good this Husky team could be in March.

 

[eebmg]

Maybe we're seeing too many mouthes to feed for minutes available?

Possible real problem this year?

In the post game interview, Geno had mentioned why Crystal did not get as many minutes as a freshman as se might have. His answer says all you need to know about Geno's philosophy regarding freshman.

I don't believe in giving freshman minutes if they are not doing what I know they can do. If I do that, I can never coach them again.

 

[meyers7]

My God people, what in the hell is the matter with you??? We were up by 35 at the half over the #10 team in the nation. Game over, on to the next lamb to slaughter. Some of you need a whole cart full of cheese for all that whine. Grow up a little.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Great first half, not so much the second half.

My goodness--all the semi negatives about a very good game--good games are wins over top 20---great games are wins over top 4--super games are wins in the final NCAA. Danger DEFENSE, 24 points, Katie Lou 19 points, Z swatted one away from a Stanford big--to me that's a good sign. Stanford was held in check in the first half. Second with a 35 point lead ---think folks---35 point lead???? With that lead Geno mixed and matched and played chess with hit pawns to see what workable combination work in games. 4th quarter nearly all were bench and Frosh. Frosh: I didn't see a wilting Lilly in the bunch. Molly dispelled all my negatives about her. This goes right into the W column---that anytime is a great game; a super game would be W in the final game of the NCAA

 

[the Q]

I don't know either, and I think you are making a commom mistake, equating shooting poorly (UCONN shot 40 %) with playing poorly. UCONN missed a ton of open shots today and free throws, overall the execution to get the right person the right shots in thier sweet spots was very good. Defensively the team was brilliant in the first half, very hard to sustain that kind of intensity for 2 halves and why bother. Is it just me, can't anyone else see the beauty of holding the #10 team in the country to 1 FG in the 2nd quarter? In what universe can this be considered a poor game for UCONN?

Yeah, the shot making was not there. But man, it's REALLY hard for me to complain about much.

A few too many awkward looking 3s (that never had a prayer of going in) by Z and Collier.

Gabby was probably over aggressive on D and getting into the passing lanes. She ran herself out of position a few times, especially early on.

The interior defense i thought was really strong. Even when Stanford got in the lane they were taking tough contested shots.

The girls definitely got out in the passing lanes, and one of my favorite possessions was when they had 3 tipped passes in about a 10-12 second span before the last tip sent the ball OOB. Not a steal, but that was just bad luck that it wasn't.

Collier didn't look great again. That's 2 in a row. Not sounding alarm bells, but it's just something to mention.

Also, the girls looked to be in tremendous shape. Gabby, Nurse and Collier are all noticeably trimmer IMO.

 

[BroadwayVa]

My God people, what in the hell is the matter with you??? We were up by 35 at the half over the #10 team in the nation. Game over, on to the next lamb to slaughter. Some of you need a whole cart full of cheese for all that whine. Grow up a little.

See my post below---I concur! Danger's performance was extraordinary.

 

[BroadwayVa]

While I certainly would have liked to have seen a better 2nd half from the Huskies, here are a few random thoughts for what it's worth.

• The Husky defense in the 1st half was as good as I've seen in a very long time.
• Stanford's defense played up under Lou, Pheesa & Kia to take away the 3. Lou did hit a couple 3's but really made Stanford pay by taking the ball to the basket.
• On the other hand, Stanford picked their poison by laying off Danger & Gabby. Gabby hit a couple nice jumpers, and played her usual solid game. Danger absolutely killed Stanford from way down town.
• While I love Z's versatility, I want to see her play stronger around the basket. I think that will come in time.
• Geno tried some unusual rotations in the 2nd half, particularly Gabby, Danger, Kia, Molly & MW vs Stanford's starters

This team will play a whole lot better in the games vs Cal & the Turtles next weekend.....a truly scary thought for the rest of WBB.

All around you are right. The second half was a positive to me; Geno mixed and match and played different lineups AND Molly and Walker got nice PT as did all the rest of the team--think about this--against a TOP Dangerous team--he had the low end of the bench playing against them. \
I agree Z needs more down low time and Defense, but she played hard D and I liked what I saw. The team was playing totally different offensive set than last year, it takes time to adjust

 

[mhshuskies]

Thoughts: awesome first half showing where this team could be by March; Dangerfield is a go to scorer but within the flow of the game, a certain announcer would say she comports herself very well; Geno is working on his core (7) players mixing and matching but Molly is the first sub beyond the core; Gabby gambles a lot on steals and it sometimes leads to easier scores for the opponent; KLS is looking like THE player on this team and continues to round into a complete player

 

[MilfordHusky]

In the post game interview, Geno had mentioned why Crystal did not get as many minutes as a freshman as se might have. His answer says all you need to know about Geno's philosophy regarding freshman.

I don't believe in giving freshman minutes if they are not doing what I know they can do. If I do that, I can never coach them again.

That suggests his plan for this year’s newbies.

 

[CMC'72]

I don't believe in giving freshman minutes if they are not doing what I know they can do. If I do that, I can never coach them again.

I saw that quote and loved it!

But that is the opposite of my question and not relevant...

Could it be that Geno has so many worthy players this year that giving out one consistent team will prove impossible?

Just wondering...

 

[Tonyc]

Some of you are in a panic mode. Some are concerned. Some are worried. Hey the first half showed what UConns got and although the offense had its spurts the defense was overwhelming. This was a top 10 team. Look what UConn did out of the gate to them . Next is Cal and MD . Its gonna be really ugly. Expect some improvement but dont expect what we're going to witness in January and March. Some of the newbies including the transfers will progress quickly then others. Some will take longer...accept that.

We have alot of things to work on this week. Layups over passing, over penetrating and movement of the offense so not so many players are on top of each other. That will happen but understand Stanford a top 10 team scored 14 pts in first half. We scored 49 and werent gellin like we can. The second half was a practice game with experimentation of players and plays. We were up over 35 most of the second and third qtrs. First game and we were a little rusty and it will take time for MW and Z to get in the flow. It will take longer for everybody else. Accept it and move on. Geno will make the adjustments and correct the mistakes. The big thing is our players have open minds which means they understand what they need to do to win as a team to make the team better. They are students of Geno's. Youve need to realize that the newbies will take time to catch up. Remember last season Crystal was up and down and yesterday looked like an AA. Well shes only a soph and she may not look that good every game but we now know what she is capable of in a big game. So we need to be patient and let the team develop. No other team in WCBB is at our level.

 

[eebmg]

I saw that quote and loved it!

But that is the opposite of my question and not relevant...

Could it be that Geno has so many worthy players this year that giving out one consistent team will prove impossible?

Just wondering...

I just don't believe the freshman are stepping up in any way that Geno thinks warrants time. I think Geno's mindset is that unless they wow me and do something the team needs really well, he will not give them meaningful minutes. It's almost totally on the player to sink or swim. This approach is so foreign to any other place where trying to develop freshman (and perhaps appeasing) by giving them minutes seems to be standard practice. I think most people are uncomfortable in a true meritocracy and would not implement it so unyieldingly but that is why UConn is so unique. Everyone needs to deal with it and if some players transfer, C'est la vie

 

[huskyd]

Stanford's defense was set up to deny entry passes. Tara is a genius at devising defensive schemes. UConn took their usual number of 3's. The starters were 9-16, not exactly chopped liver. Out-rebounded? meh, mostly in the second half. 40% of Stanfords shots were 3's and that % was higher in the first half. That means long rebounds. And they were sending 5 players to the defensive boards so that explains why UConn didn't get many OB's. Out scored in the second half? Yes, but they led 70-35 early in the 4th period and it was when the bench was on the floor that the scoring stopped. If the freshmen were allowed to play street ball like freshmen on some other teams are allowed to do they would score more. But they are learning to play in Geno's offensive system and that means they look like crap at first. As much as Stanford got destroyed in the first half, they aren't Stetson or E Tenn St.

Stinker? Come on.

Thanks for your thoughts; I'm certainly not looking to disparage the team, just expressing my opinion of what I saw. As Juliet says in R&J when she's asked to look favorably on a suitor (not Romeo): "I'll look to like, if looking liking prove." I, too, look to like what UConn does--actually to LOVE what the Huskies do. After my post yesterday it also occurred to me that these late game lapses were a factor last year--with the excuse that the subs were subpar then. Geno spoke often about finishing off teams. I hope it's something the team learns to do, so fans can leave savoring not only a victory but also the quality of play--throughout the game.

 

[CMC'72]

Agree totally.

But that second half was full of freshmen instead of our regular all stars is all I'm sayin'.

 

[Golden Husky]

I was certain that a big and deep Baylor team would overwhelm the Huskies in their next game

"But not tonight."

 

[UcMiami]

My one 'downer' was Napheesa picking up her 4th foul - last year she had a tendency to group her fouls into individual games and she did it again in this game. For the rest ...
Good first win based on a great first half - holding any team to 4 points in a quarter is impressive.

Stanford typically plays really sound defense and that was on display - the reason the first half was so lopsided was 1) Crystal was on fire from three, and 2) Uconn created a ton of live ball turnovers and scored in transition. In the second half they clean that up significantly and the scoring became a lot harder.

Second half was not great but Geno was working on things and not pushing the pace while playing a lot of the bench. This is a completely new team, not a continuation of last year's FF team. (Anyone remember the last early season game against Stanford? This was significantly better and Stanford was in the same situation that last time playing with a very young team.)

 

[Bigpetunia]

Geno is famous for espousing a philosophy that "we don't play to the scoreboard," meaning that he expects the same performance on the floor whether leading by two points or thirty-two. That sounds good, but we all know the reality is that the intensity level that built a 49-14 first half lead will not be maintained indefinitely. The game at the half was not even really as close as the score indicated...UConn not only had a few shots they normally make rim out, but, uncharacteristically, missed a few free throws. Then, even though we ALL agree that defense is quite unimportant, and virtually insignificant in comparison to offense (!), there were those shocking lapses on that end that led to Stanford putting up, count 'em, TEN first quarter points. Fortunately, that problem got fixed, resulting in just a four point performance by The Cardinal in the second quarter. But, what the hell, why not be dissatisfied?

 

[ricky]

Collier moves better without the ball than most but not this time. She made a couple good outside shots but wasn't her normal strong inside presence. She may be hurting. Maybe it's the hip surgery from last year. She has way too much heart to make it obvious but it may be showing. It could be trouble in the long run if she is not 100%.

 

[oldude]

Collier moves better without the ball than most but not this time. She made a couple good outside shots but wasn't her normal strong inside presence. She may be hurting. Maybe it's the hip surgery from last year. She has way too much heart to make it obvious but it may be showing. It could be trouble in the long run if she is not 100%.

A few days ago, Geno talked about some kind of foot injury going back to the Italy trip. He didn't sound overly concerned, but it sounded as if it's a nagging injury that may be affecting Pheesa's play.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Collier moves better without the ball than most but not this time. She made a couple good outside shots but wasn't her normal strong inside presence. She may be hurting. Maybe it's the hip surgery from last year. She has way too much heart to make it obvious but it may be showing. It could be trouble in the long run if she is not 100%.

Geno said that Pheesa has had a recurring leg or foot issue since the team was in Italy. I hope she's ok.

 

[meyers7]

After my post yesterday it also occurred to me that these late game lapses were a factor last year--with the excuse that the subs were subpar then. Geno spoke often about finishing off teams. I hope it's something the team learns to do, so fans can leave savoring not only a victory but also the quality of play--throughout the game.

They pretty much did.....by half-time.

 

[EricLA]

A few days ago, Geno talked about some kind of foot injury going back to the Italy trip. He didn't sound overly concerned, but it sounded as if it's a nagging injury that may be affecting Pheesa's play.

Geno said that Pheesa has had a recurring leg or foot issue since the team was in Italy. I hope she's ok.

I'm sure the trainers know best, but I'd love to see her sit until it's 100%. She was a shell of her former self out there. Sometimes having a star sit out for a few weeks actually is better for the subs and others as they are "forced" to step it up.

 

[JoePgh]

The Cassandra voices on this thread seem not to be aware of a few basic statistical facts about Sunday’s game. The most important one was that for the first 7:20 of the third quarter (the period of time when the “first 7” played without the end-of-the-bench players), UConn outscored Stanford by 18-11. That got the score to 67-25 with 2:40 left in the 3rd quarter — a 42-point lead. After that, the scoreboard really didn’t matter.

It’s true that even those first 7 minutes of the third quarter, particularly on defense, were not as pretty as the first half — how could they be? Considering who the opponent was, the first half ranks with the great halves in recent UConn history, certainly comparable to the first half against DePaul or South Florida last year. In the third quarter, UConn did have some defensive lapses and gave up some backdoor plays. I assume that relates to whatever defensive adjustment Geno decided to make at halftime, and the fact that they didn’t implement it as he envisioned. That will get fixed.

UConn “lost” the third quarter by one point, which means that in the last 2:40 Stanford cut 8 points off the lead. But considering that the lead was then 42 points, is that really worth being concerned about? UConn lost the 4th quarter by 9 points with the bench players getting most of the time. That means that by the end of the game, they had given back 10 points of the 35 point halftime lead. That hardly seems like a good reason for the kind of handwringing that has been offered by some of the posters on this thread.