And the Academy Award goes to...

[OldAlum]

Just rewatched the game and it struck me how much the UConn players were selling the fouls. Not quite flopping, but lots of staggering and windmilling. I imagine the thought is that they have to be dramatic or they won't get the calls. Anyone else seeing more dramatics than in the past? Wonder if they are taking dramatic arts classes! (And Lou gets the Stewie award for most often hit without a call!)

 

[Sonny44]

You mean we're learning from ND?

 

[johnnyc]

I only remember two from UConn. Kia Nurse sold one but the Baylor player did push her. The other one I remember is Butler looking for a foul when Kalani Brown turned into her for a shot.

The only actual flop I remember is when Wallace from Baylor went flat out on the ground trying to get a charge call.

 

[Bestiarius]

Just rewatched the game and it struck me how much the UConn players were selling the fouls. Not quite flopping, but lots of staggering and windmilling. I imagine the thought is that they have to be dramatic or they won't get the calls. Anyone else seeing more dramatics than in the past? Wonder if they are taking dramatic arts classes! (And Lou gets the Stewie award for most often hit without a call!)

UConn just a matter of emphasizing there was a foul by giving the refs a bit of much needed extra help. Not actually flops as in many ND instances. However give credit to ND where credit is due, Geno is always willing to learn from the competition.

 

[msf22b]

I'm not a fan of this trend.
This board has traditionally decried such behavior.
Kia's over-selling the technical et al was unseemly.

 

[Bronxjeff]

I admit to viewing the reff'ing via a biased lens. But I think through the years we have generally been more tightly called than our opponents and still win with our heads held high. I never like watching the floppers trying to increase that imbalance particularly ND.

I hope we don't develop this approach ourselves, it doesn't jibe with our tougher than you karma. My Bronx role model is to emulate Gehrig rather than Ruth.

 

[CajunHusky]

there was some exaggeration but when you are small and they are really big, among other things you try to get them in foul trouble ...... that means drawing attention to contact.

 

[bags27]

Nothing wrong with flopping. It's like a catcher "framing" a pitch outside the strike zone. What's wrong is refs/umps calling it when there was no foul/strike. That's on them, not the players.

 

[HopJim]

Just rewatched the game and it struck me how much the UConn players were selling the fouls. Not quite flopping, but lots of staggering and windmilling. I imagine the thought is that they have to be dramatic or they won't get the calls. Anyone else seeing more dramatics than in the past? Wonder if they are taking dramatic arts classes! (And Lou gets the Stewie award for most often hit without a call!)

Would call the refereeing "friendly" in the Baylor game. I can think of at least 6 calls that could have gone either way and was pleasantly surprised that we got them all. We shouldn't count of this in future.

 

[Teacherdeb]

Just rewatched the game and it struck me how much the UConn players were selling the fouls. Not quite flopping, but lots of staggering and windmilling. I imagine the thought is that they have to be dramatic or they won't get the calls. Anyone else seeing more dramatics than in the past? Wonder if they are taking dramatic arts classes! (And Lou gets the Stewie award for most often hit without a call!)

I had the same fleeting thought myself, and, I agree, I don't like it, anymore than I like players complaining too much to the refs, or coaches complaining too much to the refs- too much emotion, good or bad, I don't like. CD having to reign in Geno always makes me uncomfortable, and as much as I loved Steph Dolson, she could be too animated. I liked how Stewie, Moriah and Morgan comported themselves. Of course, having big leads most of the time made it easier to stay calm. So with closer games, who knows? I still remember that post on Notre Dame, whose name escapes me, who, at the 2013 semi-final, fouled out, berated the ref and sulked and looked like an idiot.

 

[johnnyc]

I still remember that post on Notre Dame, whose name escapes me, who, at the 2013 semi-final, fouled out, berated the ref and sulked and looked like an idiot.

I think you are talking about Ariel Braker. She had the unpleasant task of trying to stop Stewart just as Stewart was showing the world that she was unstoppable.

 

[UcMiami]

Kia was definitely selling that foul hard, Natalie staggering I thought was real, she got a pretty serious body contact that put her off balance - I was fine with the no call there - sometimes the contact is mutual and one player just loses their balance which I thought was the case. And, yeah, the flop on Kia was a sell job by Baylor, that would have worked if Kia hadn't been balanced and able to keep from taking another step forward.

Otherwise I thought both teams played it pretty straight - Lou definitely got crunched a couple of times without drawing a foul, and there were a few Baylor players who probably wanted a foul that wasn't called.

The only play that I thought the refs really blew was Kia drawing the T - the ref that made the call was somewhat unsighted by Kia herself and I had the feeling that the refs took so long to review because what they really wanted to do was just give Baylor the ball to inbound, but the ref had clearly signaled a foul and you cannot overturn a foul call on review.

 

[Gus Mahler]

I don't think Chong's windmilling was acting. I do think Nurse was overly dramatic on the technical and I didn't like it.

Like others, I would prefer this not become a trend.

 

[chuck.r]

I think you are talking about Ariel Braker. She had the unpleasant task of trying to stop Stewart just as Stewart was showing the world that she was unstoppable.

Ariel Braker's reaction upon fouling out was a build-up of frustration over the course of the game. There were at least a couple of her foul calls that looked "unlucky" or could have been no-calls. Braker was a workhorse, but she just wasn't as graceful as Devereaux Peters, the ND big she replaced. Awkward movement and klutzy play always draws attention from ref's.

 

[tomcat]

Not fond of this trend at all. There's a fine line between showing that the other guy has hit you and competing for an Emmy and Nurse, IMHO, has crossed it a couple of times. The one involving Chong, not so much. And I agree that the technical foul should have been no foul at all. UConn did not need this hometown break, and I'd have preferred it did not get it.

 

[johnnyc]

. Awkward movement and klutzy play always draws attention from ref's.

That and guarding someone who could beat you inside on one play and then take you outside and hit a three on the next. I recently watched that game and at the beginning of the second half they quoted McGraw as saying Stewart hurt them because Braker was on the bench in foul trouble and now that Braker was back in the game that should resolve itself. Benefit of hindsight I know but it did give me a chuckle.

 

[Teacherdeb]

I think you are talking about Ariel Braker. She had the unpleasant task of trying to stop Stewart just as Stewart was showing the world that she was unstoppable.

Ah, yes! That was her. Thanks!

 

[Plebe]

Would call the refereeing "friendly" in the Baylor game. I can think of at least 6 calls that could have gone either way and was pleasantly surprised that we got them all. We shouldn't count of this in future.

I don't agree. Right away I can think of two very obvious fouls that should've been called on Baylor in the 4th quarter, one when Kalani hip-checked Lou on her drive to the bucket, and another arm grab (I forget on whom or by whom) at the top of the key that, as the commentator pointed out, had Geno talking excitedly to the refs.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Nurse got burned and was on skates... the push-off helped her but sometimes that's a no-call

 

[bags27]

I don't agree. Right away I can think of two very obvious fouls that should've been called on Baylor in the 4th quarter, one when Kalani hip-checked Lou on her drive to the bucket, and another arm grab (I forget on whom or by whom) at the top of the key that, as the commentator pointed out, had Geno talking excitedly to the refs.

I remember both those, too. Lou especially got hammered and I think the commentators noted it at the time. But hey, basketball is a contact sport.

 

[HuskyNan]

Kia was definitely selling that foul hard, Natalie staggering I thought was real, she got a pretty serious body contact that put her off balance - I was fine with the no call there - sometimes the contact is mutual and one player just loses their balance which I thought was the case. And, yeah, the flop on Kia was a sell job by Baylor, that would have worked if Kia hadn't been balanced and able to keep from taking another step forward.

Otherwise I thought both teams played it pretty straight - Lou definitely got crunched a couple of times without drawing a foul, and there were a few Baylor players who probably wanted a foul that wasn't called.

The only play that I thought the refs really blew was Kia drawing the T - the ref that made the call was somewhat unsighted by Kia herself and I had the feeling that the refs took so long to review because what they really wanted to do was just give Baylor the ball to inbound, but the ref had clearly signaled a foul and you cannot overturn a foul call on review.

Gabby flopped on the call on Mompremier that fouled her out of the game. There was conract but not that much.