A reminder about late December to mid-January games…

[Alydar]

No… they live in their dorms. It is partially open for athletes

If they are in their dorms then it isn't much different from a full campus. These aren't ordinary students, other than practice, games classes there is little time for anything else. Right now they get a break from classes and can relax a little. I remember sliding down a hill behind McMann on a cafeteria tray. And trying to walk back to the dorm from a beer fest during which an inch of freezing rain fell. Fun times.

Of course they don't have a Shaboo Inn (The Old Mill when I first went there).

 

[Charliebball]

I have mixed feelings about this. Out of 200 total game minutes, the 3 bench players only played 9 minutes. And 5 of those 9 came only because Dorka was injured. I can't sympathize with Geno about his players bering tiured, if he won't sub them. How does Ines go from starting one game, to not DNP the next game. The second game CD coached, she was abler to work eveybody in, give the starters some rest. Yes, I know there have been injuries, but at the same time, the more minutes his starters play past their limits, the more susceptible they become to injuries.

In the previous game against Creighton, two and a half days earlier, on the road, with a 30 point lead, the two subs only played 22 minutes.

this nonuse of the bench when the starters are tired has been a pet peeve of mine for many years.........even a ninety-second breather can make a big difference, yet Geno rarely makes those short substitutions that can be timed strategically just before a tv timeout to maximize rest........

 

[uconnfan68]

this nonuse of the bench when the starters are tired has been a pet peeve of mine for many years.........even a ninety-second breather can make a big difference, yet Geno rarely makes those short substitutions that can be timed strategically just before a tv timeout to maximize rest........

None of you has 11 NCs. I give him the benefit of my doubt. He’ll even tell you when he’s wrong.

 

[Geew1992]

If they are in their dorms then it isn't much different from a full campus. These aren't ordinary students, other than practice, games classes there is little time for anything else. Right now they get a break from classes and can relax a little. I remember sliding down a hill behind McMann on a cafeteria tray. And trying to walk back to the dorm from a beer fest during which an inch of freezing rain fell. Fun times.

Of course they don't have a Shaboo Inn (The Old Mill when I first went there).

My daughter played in college. She lived in the dorms. There were 2 campuses. One was open during the break for athletes so they can eat. Yes… there is a difference

 

[HopJim]

this nonuse of the bench when the starters are tired has been a pet peeve of mine for many years.........even a ninety-second breather can make a big difference, yet Geno rarely makes those short substitutions that can be timed strategically just before a tv timeout to maximize rest........

I have always complained about Geno's preference to stay with starters but not recently. Patterson needs to get out of her funk and begin using her physical skills and Inez has had issues against the press. Love them both but neither has earned Geno's trust.

 

[LarryLegend]

Geez, I was wrong about the dorms in my OP. Sorry, sorry, sorry. It has nothing to do with my point.

20 lashes with a wet noodle
amazing how seriously some take this stuff.

 

[Forego]

It looks silly to complain about not having enough players and than barely playing them when they become available. Every player could use a minute or two. You don't get bonus points for playing 40 minutes and timeouts are available for players to rest.

What? Geno use a timeout to rest his gassed out players? I have never seen it. Although he might actually be considering it at this time because l heard him allude to doing it during a recent presser or media event.

 

[OldSchooler]

Geez, I was wrong about the dorms in my OP. Sorry, sorry, sorry. It has nothing to do with my point.

You have done so much for everyone in this BY, you needn't ever apologize for any slip of the tongue. But because you did, I'm going to call you HumbleHuskyNan!

 

[vtcwbuff]

I have a different take on this game. They won the game, albeit semi ugly, by double digits. I don't know if they were fatigued or hung over, after all it is the holidays . Only the players and the staff know that. I sure as hell am not going to question Auriemma on player rotation. I think he has shown his genius being able to patch together a winning lineup of the walking wounded.

Somewhere in all these comments about how UConn looked, maybe some credit should go to Marquette and a coach who had obviously watched tape of the Creighton game.

What I do know is that it is not uncommon for UConn to have a stinker following an impressive win. Usually they happen in February but this year they came a bit early. No big deal.

 

[Bone Dog]

As a working college prof, I see this issue from perhaps a different side. As schools have begun recruiting students (not just athletes) nationally, they have improved enrollment, but often neglected the problems these new students face on holidays. Lots of east coast schools especially still behave as though they only had a regional student body, which means they think they can shut down the dorms and the dining halls several times a year and leave students to fend for themselves. Not all students can afford to fly across the country 5 or more times a year. This problem is especially acute for international students.

From what I gather, the situation at UConn is better than at most schools when it comes to holidays, which is unusual for state schools. They seem to have thought ahead about how to accommodate students who can't go home at every break.

 

[Charliebball]

None of you has 11 NCs. I give him the benefit of my doubt. He’ll even tell you when he’s wrong.

Even Hall of Fame coaches aren't right 100% of the time...........Geno has admitted to making substitution mistakes before and in this instance, with a depleted bench, I think he has to loosen his strict playing requirements as long as the team is down to seven players........I'm only talking about ninety second to two minute stretches not half a quarter......

 

[GoUconn7961]

Reading this thread and shaking my head that 90% of you focused on where they’re living (some rather rudely) which is entirely missing Nan‘s point about schedules and fatigue. Good grief.

 

[LoboDays]

Geno said (either at halftime or post game interview with Maria) that he knew the players were tired but would just have to fight their way thru it. I interpret this as saying “ we aren’t subbing you out. Your staying on the court.” There are bench players that a coach feels confident in at crunch time and, there are players who he doesn’t want on the floor at crunch time. Until Azzi and Aubrey return, basically, UCONN doesn’t have a bench.

 

[Aluminny69]

None of you has 11 NCs. I give him the benefit of my doubt. He’ll even tell you when he’s wrong.

Everything reminds me of a song

 

[ctkaiser]

Geno said (either at halftime or post game interview with Maria) that he knew the players were tired but would just have to fight their way thru it. I interpret this as saying “ we aren’t subbing you out. Your staying on the court.” There are bench players that a coach feels confident in at crunch time and, there are players who he doesn’t want on the floor at crunch time. Until Azzi and Aubrey return, basically, UCONN doesn’t have a bench.

As Kara Wolters said on one of the post games yes Geno likes to play seven but it has to be the right seven. Azzi and Aubrey would help make that the right seven.

 

[Alydar]

Even Hall of Fame coaches aren't right 100% of the time...........Geno has admitted to making substitution mistakes before and in this instance, with a depleted bench, I think he has to loosen his strict playing requirements as long as the team is down to seven players........I'm only talking about ninety second to two minute stretches not half a quarter......

Timeouts these days are at least 2 min long. (except a 30 sec TO which lasts only a minute. UConn players get at least four 2 min+ rests midway through each period game and more if coaches call TO's. Then it's usually more like 4 min between periods and 20 min at the half.

 

[LoboDays]

As Kara Wolters said on one of the post games yes Geno likes to play seven but it has to be the right seven. Azzi and Aubrey would help make that the right seven.

Definitely the right 7. That group healthy with time to play together is a Final Four team.

 

[Charliebball]

Timeouts these days are at least 2 min long. (except a 30 sec TO which lasts only a minute. UConn players get at least four 2 min+ rests midway through each period game and more if coaches call TO's. Then it's usually more like 4 min between periods and 20 min at the half.

Out of curiosity I just checked on some well know players from other highly-ranked programs to see what their minutes have been like in comparison to the UConn players so far this season. These teams certainly have deeper benches than UConn at the moment......

Muhl - 34.8 mpg
Edwards - 33.7 mpg
Juhasz - 33.0 mpg
Senechal - 31.6 mpg
Fudd -31.1 mpg
Griffin - 28.5 mpg
Ducharme - 25.1 mpg

Haley Jones - 28.3 mpg
Cameron Brink - 21.1 mpg
Aliyah Boston - 23.0 mpg
Zia Cooke - 23.0 mpg
Brea Beal - 22.0 mpg
Angel Reese - 31.0 mpg
Ale4xis Morris - 31.0 mpg
Caitlin Clark - 33.4 mpg
Monika Czinano 28.9 mpg
Olivia Miles - 29.9 mpg
Sonia Citron - 32.3 mpg
Maddy Westbeld - 23.4 mpg
Ashley Joens - 32.6 mpg
Taylor Mikesell - 33.2 mpg
Jacy Sheldon - 30.3 mpg
Deja Kelly - 32.6 mpg

 

[DefenseBB]

@Charliebball -you lost me on your conclusion....Stanford and SC do have a deep bench BUT both have played many cupcakes allowing for spread out minutes-check the SC-Stanford game for more competitive minutes especially for Stanford where Jones, Jump and Lepolo all played 40 Min or more (Brink played 22 but fouled out). ND is not deep, hence Citron playing 32.3, Miles has also had a lot of foul trouble this year, limiting her minutes. Jacy Sheldon has played in all of 5 games this season. Taylor Mikesell is logging 33.2 min and tOSU is not deep. Clark, Joens, and Deja Kelly are all in the 32+ min like our players so, what is the point you are trying to make? Star players play a lot.

 

[Charliebball]

@Charliebball -you lost me on your conclusion....Stanford and SC do have a deep bench BUT both have played many cupcakes allowing for spread out minutes-check the SC-Stanford game for more competitive minutes especially for Stanford where Jones, Jump and Lepolo all played 40 Min or more (Brink played 22 but fouled out). ND is not deep, hence Citron playing 32.3, Miles has also had a lot of foul trouble this year, limiting her minutes. Jacy Sheldon has played in all of 5 games this season. Taylor Mikesell is logging 33.2 min and tOSU is not deep. Clark, Joens, and Deja Kelly are all in the 32+ min like our players so, what is the point you are trying to make? Star players play a lot.

my conclusions regarding playing time have been stated before to the point of monotony.............not really trying to make a particular point with that post............just passing the information on to those curious to see where some of the best non-UConn players are at in terms of playing time so far this year.......