A Healthy UConn team is very hard to beat

[Tonyc]

First Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all and God bless. Well we've gone through alot the past season and a half and we are still really good and even better when we get healthy. I think we all know how bright the future looks. We saw signs of Caroline and Nika breaking out scoring and Aaliyah Dorka and Lou look like AA's. Folks for me it only looks like it gonna get better as the season moves forward. We never know why things happen and our devastating injuries have depleted our team. Still we found a way to win. It required changes in our lineup, our thought process and our execution. It seem like now its coming together. Yeah there will still be ups and downs which is only part of the growing process we go through to reach our final goal but we have seen how our players step up.

For me its pretty amazing what we've overcome. When I look at some of the teams ranked in the top 25 especially in the top 10 and look at their SOS and who they play and see where theyre ranked it baffles me. What criterial do the pollsters use to rank these teams? Then I look at our depleted team and our SOS and all the top teams we've played and we have only 2 losses. We have two losses with 50+ point that is or was sitting on the bench. Thats incredible. It also shows how good we really are. To be able to accomplish what we have with so many players out of the lineup then back in the lineup well I call that incredible. Then I think about some of these other teams at full strength that struggle against teams who's SOS (strength of schedule) is very low (cupcakes). So be it.

After watching the Seaton Hall game it appears we are starting to click as a team. The team flow is looking much better, not where we may wanna see it yet, but improving. Our team balance on both sides of the ball is looking much better too. Ines and Amari are getting minutes and just watching them talk to their team mates on the floor shows me confidence that they know what theyre doing out there. There playtime most likely wouldnt have happened without the injuries we've had. Moving forward the playing experience theyre getting breeds confidence not only to them but to our coaching staff who will have less fear of putting them in the game. It will also be able to give our starters a rest during the game without worries of how they will perform.

So later today our team heads back to UConn to get ready for the second half of the season. It should be a good one. The biggest question is when will Azzi be back? We can only hope sooner then later. She will be back when shes ready. I anticipate the doctors will say when she can begin to practice, then go 100% in practice, then she will tell the coaches when she feels shes ready to play in a real game. You cant put a date on that, we can only wait. Azzi gives us one more ball handler and one more scorer. Add in what Lou Caroline and Nika are doing from the outside and we've got a great ariel attack. Lets not forget either that Dorka is a threat from the outside as is Amari and Ines. Couple that with Aaliyah Dorka and our inside game and yeah we're pretty good. I gotta believe a healthy UConn team is gonna be very hard to beat.

 

[Bone Dog]

I share your optimism, @Tonyc. But I also think the SoS-based discrepancy with the other teams in the top 25 is becoming less relevant. They may have paid a price in delaying their own development of team chemistry. But soon enough this will not matter.

I watched a replay of the Ohio St-Oregon game and found them both to be impressive. They’ve each been depleted by injuries and have had to develop younger talent. Cotie McMahon on OSU and Grace van Slooten on Oregon are each playing very well, and will be integral parts of their respective teams very soon. OSU prevailed, largely because of great games by Mikesell and Mikulasikova. But either of these teams could give us a hard fought game in March.

We will be great in March if we’re healthy. We need Azzi and Caroline to be at 100%, as well as Lou and Nika and Aubrey and Dorka and Aaliyah. The one ingredient we don’t often mention is Ayanna. Come March, I think she could be key to our success against the more muscular teams. She’s not quite ready for that role yet, but she has time to develop the skills and confidence we’ll need from her. With Ayanna finding her potential in March, I think we’ve got a shot at an NC.

 

[JordyG]

But either of these teams could give us a hard fought game in March.

Here I agree.

 

[veryolddog]

At this point in time, I think that the Team is being re-engineered and as each new healthy member of the team re-joins the Team, it will adapt, improvise and overcome the adversities that it will confront along the way.

 

[Next 12]

I have said it before and I will say it again " Thank God we have Geno and CD!" The way the team has been devastated with injuries and Uconn is still a viable team is amazing. Geno's recruiting is the very essence of this team in that Geno picks who he believes will be a Uconn player according to his standards and "WoW " has he been successful! Uconn's future is looking bright and will go a long way. The Final Four does not look out of reach. Neither does the NC , irregardless of SC and Boston or Stanford. We are jelling as a team ( Seton Hall game an example ) at the right time, treading water until Azzi comes back and Caroline getting close to her Freshman year. Have faith in the team and enjoy the rest of the season. GO HUSKIES!!!

 

[ctkaiser]

Agree so much on Tony's comments on these highly ranked teams and their weak SOS. Maybe they think because they supposedly play in such strong conferences they should play weaker teams early on the season. They don't deserve the super high rankings. Uconn seems to have developed a strong dislike from the rest of the country for no other reason than being successful. I see Caroline coming along and Nika being in the discussion as the top PG in the country. Other teams have to be looking at Aaliyah as being scary good. I'd like to see Dorka be as effective on layups as she seems to be on shot blocking and rebounds. Aubrey needs to be more consistent in her overall play. This team has some serious upside. Get Azzi back, cut down on turnovers and a little more out of Ayana sounds like a plan.

 

[sun]

There's some weaknesses with not only UConn but with WCBB in general that leads to inconsistent play and also reckless play as a result of bad decisions made during the heat of competition that can lead to injuries.

There was a somewhat reckless play that led to Aubrey hitting the floor hard enough to potentially cause her to shatter her collarbone.
I didn't think that it was caused by a push, but rather Aubrey wanting to rebound a ball so much that she would have invaded another player's space and possibly landed on top of her as a result of going after the ball with too much vigor at too difficult of an angle to successfully accomplish.
I'm not going to go back and look at the score at the time to see how big UConn's lead was at the time to see whether that amount of risk was necessary or not.
I thought that the other player may have been trying to defensively shield herself from being landed on.
It shows that there's more to winning a game than athleticism, it takes mental discipline to realize whether making a risky play is worth the risk or not at the time that it's attempted.
And it wouldn't be the 1st time that a player on either team has made a risky move that could end a UConn player's season.
When playing a cup cake Big East team like Seton Hall, what's the point of taking unnecessary risks?
That's where the mental part of playing enters how UConn needs to play a smart game to be able to finish the season healthy and intact.
Yes, I have some worries about whether UConn can stay healthy for the whole season.
If it's not the result of mistakes by our own players, there's also players on other teams making reckless moves to injure our players.
And I don't see how any of our players being confrontational can lead to any good results, whether the confrontation is initiated by UConn or as a reason to get even.

Each UConn player has shown some inconsistencies in some facet of the game.
For some it's just being able to stay healthy.
For others it can be a matter of offense or defense, fouls, turnovers, ball handling or shooting.
I'm not seeing UConn display it's full depth yet because not all of the players have been readied to play their best game at the same time yet.
Not only do they all need to have enough athleticism & talent, but they all need to have the mental discipline and fortitude to make the right decision at the right time.
By right decision I mean that they need to make the smart decisions.
Like when to make risky plays. risky passes, risky rebounds, when there are alternative plays and options that are smarter & safer and when they already have a sizable lead.

The team still needs to learn how to mesh when Azzi comes back on the court.
When she does its going to be like she was never on the court with them all before because quite frankly they weren't all playing together before when she was there with them.
Some were missing and some weren't playing their best.
Even Azzi only appeared to be playing her best for 1 half of each game.
There's still a lot of progress that needs to be made for UConn to be a championship team.
They need to stay healthy and they need to get smarter.
Not as many turnovers and not as many risky plays.

A lot of their mistakes are because they like to run hot.
And when they run hot they are more prone to making mistakes and errors in judgment.
Some of it may be a little too much reliance on athleticism and not enough BB IQ.
They're still young and rather inexperienced.
And other teams are targeting them with reckless acts too.
I don't see how any team can defend themselves against the reckless acts of others.
When playing the cupcake Big East teams, some of the UConn players just need to cool it a little bit and maybe let some of the bench players get more experience.
If they get to play a little bit more then maybe the starters will be able to cool off enough to stay healthy for the duration of the season.
When they're playing with a sizable lead they don't need to play like they're in a NACAR race.
IMO that's being athletic, that's not being smart.
I'd hate to see players take pot shots at UConn just because the game is a blow out.
I'm not sure that UConn has the depth of talent to deal with intentional injuries the long run.

 

[sun]

And when other teams are forced to run too hot then they can make mistakes & errors in judgment too.
So injuries caused by opponents don't always need to be intentional.
They can result from forcing other teams to run too hot, hotter than they're ability to compete with UConn.
It's a long season for everyone to stay healthy that UConn needs to stay healthy.

 

[Bone Dog]

I disagree about Aubrey’s fall. The player to her right pushed her while she was in the air. You can see it in the replays. It didn’t look “intentional,” in the sense of a flagrant foul. But you can’t start boxing out once the other player has already jumped. The reason Aubrey hit the floor so hard was the angle. He was pretty high when the other player knocked her off balance.

 

[Next 12]

Players are being more aggressive in the last 3 or 4 years resulting in more collisions and contacts. The biggest factor is the charging player to the rim to score and the player who faces her to take the charge. I have noticed that certain players going towards the rim has picked up speed to intimidate the defender and the result is heavy contact with both players hitting the floor. I believe on some of those contacts, a deliberate foul should be called on the player trying to score.Finesse is Geno's way of playing basketball and not too many coaches have the ability to coach a finesse game.

 

[TeamFirst!]

Caroline looked so much better against Seton Hall and that was encouraging as heck. She looked like she was moving better and was just sharper. Getting her back to form would be huge for this team.

 

[sun]

I disagree about Aubrey’s fall. The player to her right pushed her while she was in the air. You can see it in the replays. It didn’t look “intentional,” in the sense of a flagrant foul. But you can’t start boxing out once the other player has already jumped. The reason Aubrey hit the floor so hard was the angle. He was pretty high when the other player knocked her off balance.

If you noticed on that play, Aubrey leaped toward the far side of the basket from where she was standing. She didn't leap straight up but at an angle toward the defender.
I believe that the defender was trying to shield herself, and protected her own space to not be landed on which could have hurt her.
Sure she got a foul, but Aubrey almost busted her bones.
Who was put at risk by making a poor decision in a game where the rebound wasn't needed?
Aubrey could have timed her jump differently or simply tipped the ball out of bounds.
The SH player risked nothing at all by barely pushing on Aubrey's back.
Aubrey was already going off kilter by trying to rebound off the far side of the basket from her position.
It's as clear as day on the replay.
That's why there wasn't any flagrant foul called, and Aubrey took all of the punishment except for the meaningless foul shots if she was awarded any.
It was a totally meaningless move against a weak opponent in a game that was a blowout.

And to talk about inconsistency, UConn was outscored by SH in the 4th quarter.

From the 1st game Geno said that he had to tell the team to slow down because they don't slow down on their own.
They lack some throttle control which results with so many turnovers.
At times I think they play too fast for Dorka to be able to catch longer precision passes.
It can be exciting to watch when it works but she may only be able to catch the ball to finish the play 1/2 the time.
Patterson & others still miss bunnies, as a team they still have a long way to go.

 

[Woof 101]

@sun with all due respect absolutely no attack but your ramble and follow up of your own post could have been expressed in one sentence. "I think the coaching staff sucks and has not a clue".
A forum of opinions obviously and yours is welcomed but I find some of what you state as fact hard to believe.

And to talk about inconsistency, UConn was outscored by SH in the 4th quarter.

They got out scored by six points in a 98 / 73 blow out and you think UConn had not subbed or taken the foot off the gas?

 

[faithfulfan]

UCONN with Paige would be a lock for number 1, without Paige and the rest healthy, they are equal to South Carolina, and better then the rest depending on the officiating!
If the game is allowed to be a football game like last years final, SC has the edge, if not UCONN has the edge!

 

[MD#12Fan]

There's some weaknesses with not only UConn but with WCBB in general that leads to inconsistent play and also reckless play as a result of bad decisions made during the heat of competition that can lead to injuries.

There was a somewhat reckless play that led to Aubrey hitting the floor hard enough to potentially cause her to shatter her collarbone.
I didn't think that it was caused by a push, but rather Aubrey wanting to rebound a ball so much that she would have invaded another player's space and possibly landed on top of her as a result of going after the ball with too much vigor at too difficult of an angle to successfully accomplish.
I'm not going to go back and look at the score at the time to see how big UConn's lead was at the time to see whether that amount of risk was necessary or not.
I thought that the other player may have been trying to defensively shield herself from being landed on.
It shows that there's more to winning a game than athleticism, it takes mental discipline to realize whether making a risky play is worth the risk or not at the time that it's attempted.
And it wouldn't be the 1st time that a player on either team has made a risky move that could end a UConn player's season.
When playing a cup cake Big East team like Seton Hall, what's the point of taking unnecessary risks?
That's where the mental part of playing enters how UConn needs to play a smart game to be able to finish the season healthy and intact.
Yes, I have some worries about whether UConn can stay healthy for the whole season.
If it's not the result of mistakes by our own players, there's also players on other teams making reckless moves to injure our players.
And I don't see how any of our players being confrontational can lead to any good results, whether the confrontation is initiated by UConn or as a reason to get even.

Each UConn player has shown some inconsistencies in some facet of the game.
For some it's just being able to stay healthy.
For others it can be a matter of offense or defense, fouls, turnovers, ball handling or shooting.
I'm not seeing UConn display it's full depth yet because not all of the players have been readied to play their best game at the same time yet.
Not only do they all need to have enough athleticism & talent, but they all need to have the mental discipline and fortitude to make the right decision at the right time.
By right decision I mean that they need to make the smart decisions.
Like when to make risky plays. risky passes, risky rebounds, when there are alternative plays and options that are smarter & safer and when they already have a sizable lead.

The team still needs to learn how to mesh when Azzi comes back on the court.
When she does its going to be like she was never on the court with them all before because quite frankly they weren't all playing together before when she was there with them.
Some were missing and some weren't playing their best.
Even Azzi only appeared to be playing her best for 1 half of each game.
There's still a lot of progress that needs to be made for UConn to be a championship team.
They need to stay healthy and they need to get smarter.
Not as many turnovers and not as many risky plays.

A lot of their mistakes are because they like to run hot.
And when they run hot they are more prone to making mistakes and errors in judgment.
Some of it may be a little too much reliance on athleticism and not enough BB IQ.
They're still young and rather inexperienced.
And other teams are targeting them with reckless acts too.
I don't see how any team can defend themselves against the reckless acts of others.
When playing the cupcake Big East teams, some of the UConn players just need to cool it a little bit and maybe let some of the bench players get more experience.
If they get to play a little bit more then maybe the starters will be able to cool off enough to stay healthy for the duration of the season.
When they're playing with a sizable lead they don't need to play like they're in a NACAR race.
IMO that's being athletic, that's not being smart.
I'd hate to see players take pot shots at UConn just because the game is a blow out.
I'm not sure that UConn has the depth of talent to deal with intentional injuries the long run.

What the heck. Who’s gunna read all that.
All is talk of “playing smart”. That’s even hard in golf, which moves at a glacial pace. Basketball is instinct, that can be learned with repetition.
We’ve discussed on here, players not afraid to make mistakes and moving freely together and learning how to gel together.
“Playing smart” is being fundamentally sound to be able to play strong and aggressive and knowing the offensive and defensive concepts and what other players on the court are doing.
A lot of training goes into that.
Stop acting like it’s golf or chess and the players just robotically move around and make these smart or dumb decisions. You ever play?