I was also puzzled why Geno didn't try a box and 1 on Dungee and face guard her or a triangle and 2 on Dungee and Ramirez. I also didn't understand why he didn't call timeout in the second half when Arkansas first went up 5, not wait till 9 or 11. Also, letting them run down the shot clock all the way at the end with a 4+ second differential when you are down 3 is very risky and turned out to be fatal. What if there is an offensive rebound? Game over. I was expecting them to double the ball early when Dungee had it and then foul away from the ball or foul someone besides Dungee. They didn't call a single push off on her or the team the whole game. When Georgia was down against Arkansas in their last game they just pounded it under the basket to their bigs and it turned the game. That was not an option for us. I think we have to be very circumspect about the limitations we have with Liv and CW. They both have real weaknesses that are not going to change. It is better to work around them by limiting CW's 3s and having her drive and pull up, and planting Liv on the low block and telling her to receive the ball and get rid of it ahead of the double team instead of trying to dribble into it. I agree that Geno seemed detached last night but I am wondering if that was intentional since he wanted to see things play out to figure out a long range plan for the season. Finally, I hope we have put to rest the negativity about Nika. She played well in a high pressure game and is clearly "getting it".
Arkansas Postgame Thread
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Does Liv have the bulk to get position down low consistenly?
cohenzone
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Arkansas is a ranked team that plays well on its home court and scores against almost everyone. Our 3rd quarter D was possibly the worst in Geno’s tenure. And we lost by a bucket. Believe it or not, It is really hard to go unbeaten and for UConn’s erratic schedule doubly hard.
Nobody will ever know if Anna would have made any sort of difference. Of greater concern is how Olivia too often doesn’t show up against tough opponents on offense. Defense is a different issue. Bigs often have trouble against smaller, quicker teams that don’t have a true center. Aliyah was much more aggressive than Liv on O. She just needs to learn how to control her aggression. The sun still shines.
Nobody will ever know if Anna would have made any sort of difference. Of greater concern is how Olivia too often doesn’t show up against tough opponents on offense. Defense is a different issue. Bigs often have trouble against smaller, quicker teams that don’t have a true center. Aliyah was much more aggressive than Liv on O. She just needs to learn how to control her aggression. The sun still shines.
meyers7
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Stanford was rated #6 in both polls.
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Agree with the post, particularly the clutch efforts by Paige and Evina. Stepped up when the pressure was on.
Would expand your Geno comments:
-Talk to Williams/help her play under control. Depressing to watch her try to take over game and miss, and miss, and miss. Under pressure, the game seems to speed up for her.
-Get ONO some help down low. While this could have been her worst game at UConn, giving her a pick would have lessened the double teams and given her open 5 footers. Have the open player immediately cut for basket. Just having her stand there waiting for pass played into Arkansas's defense.
-Help Griffin. Her offense is based on steals and offensive rebounds. We saw that a disciplined team can eliminate both and a quick guard is difficult for her handle. Every time Geno took her out, UConn came back. Not sure what to do so she doesn't bog down offense - picks/cuts to basket, etc?
-Don't keep switching back to man to man when opposition keeps driving to basket. Not a stellar coaching effort.
Papa33
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. . . does not play "like a team at all"?! Bit of an exaggeration?
And I can imagine that as the youngsters settle into the demands of the college game, this UConn team stands a very good chance of getting at least to the sweet sixteen.
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Sorry, but the current exchange rate would reduce the 5 to 3 (possibly 2.5).
Sigh......for those heady days when it was on par......fun times.
UCONN is solid in every phase of the game. The recruiting has not suffered...it's been spread around. The high school programs are developing more and better players and UCONN can only take a few of those each season. The parity is good and I stated in another thread, UCONN is the reason WBB is a big part of the national scene. The UCONN 101 game streak brought national attention. The 11 titles in the broad national media age brought even more attention to WBB on every level. Parity is good now for WBB, where as UCONN's dominance was good for it the years prior. UCONN is going to be UCONN for years to come. They are just going to have to share the championships now with other programs. UCONN will be fine....
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A little perspective is in order. Over the past decade:
UConn 356-20
Baylor 340-25
ND 323-49
Stanford 301-58
South Carolina 281-65
Tennessee 254-89
UConn 356-20
Baylor 340-25
ND 323-49
Stanford 301-58
South Carolina 281-65
Tennessee 254-89
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All these comments about what Geno could have done, should have done, etc are nothing new. But I remember after a game this season (Georgetown or TN maybe) Geno stated that the guys just can't be coached. Geno can only prepare them for certain scenarios but the guys have to execute. I think one thing that we are learning (or have learned) is that if anyone is not executing, they will find themselves sitting. And I think this tends to lead to every player's "over the shoulder" or "deer in the headlights" attitudes. Meaning if they know that they just messed up, they spend the next few minutes looking over at the scorer's table to see if they are going to be sitting. It's a UConn fact of life. So I guess the solution is for the guys to just try a little bit harder to execute each and every play, offense and defense. But, alas easier said than done, especially for the underclassmen.
I agree except that the Sweet 16 would be a terrible disappointment. They can be a FF team but there have to be major adjustments on who is doing what and when. CW with limited 3s and Paige and Evina being the primary targets at the end of the game. ONO on the low block and becoming more of a passer from that position. As Geno said, the best shooters on the team should shoot the most. That applies to the 3 point line as well. For ONO, she turns the ball over whenever she is doubled and tries to score. She has to get rid of it quickly to set up a teammate not try one of her mechanistic dribble moves. There was a turnaround last year and there will be one this year as well. Look for a lot more Nika and Mir as we go forward.
My two cents: Paige and Evina were great. Aubrey should have been in the game at the end. UConn should have used their full court press a lot like they do sometimes - it never fails with Aubrey. Olivia should be under the basket more, not at the top of the key just handing off the ball like a quarterback. Nika showed a bit more, but nothing to write home about yet. Last year Anna only came around at the end of the season. I'm not sure she would have helped last night's situation. Maybe they could try starting Aaliyah, but tell her that after two fouls, she's on the bench. I think I agree that Christyn should take more shots closer to the basket, so she can get her own rebound if she misses. But the biggest thing is that Olivia, at 6'5", has to be within 8 feet of that basket on every play. Mir makes a good quick sub to spell the others for a quick short time.
oldude
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The timeout did in fact come from the bench. The problem is that the UConn bench was at the other end of the court from the play, and one of the 3 refs has to recognize the timeout request from the bench for the game clock to stop. if a player or, even better, all the players immediately signal timeout, one or more refs is far more likely to recognize the timeout request quickly.
With that said, I started a separate thread this morning wherein I change my opinion that Christyn should have immediately called timeout. After hearing Geno’s postgame comments on the play, I think it was more complicated
Argonaut
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Geno said in a recent presser (maybe after Tennessee?) that games weren't lost on a single play, but they sure could be won. So, no, CW's timeout mishap didn't cost us the game -- we really shouldn't have been in that situation to begin with, but, yes, EW's shot could have sent us into overtime. This loss can be boiled down to three points:
From my seat on the couch (so take this for what it's worth), I see Geno frustrated with a team that hasn't really executed a game plan all season, but has been able to win against lesser opponents. If Tennessee kept shooting in the second half like they did in the first, this loss would have happened there. The scout means less when skill and athleticism will win you nearly every game that you play. Hopefully, they'll have a different mindset going forward and this is the wakeup call they needed.
It also proves what many of us already knew but few are willing to admit to -- if UConn was in a better conference, we'd be used to them losing a few more games per year.
- Chelsea Dungee (that woman was on a mission)
- Abysmal defense with a real lack of aggression on the boards
- Disappearing ONO
From my seat on the couch (so take this for what it's worth), I see Geno frustrated with a team that hasn't really executed a game plan all season, but has been able to win against lesser opponents. If Tennessee kept shooting in the second half like they did in the first, this loss would have happened there. The scout means less when skill and athleticism will win you nearly every game that you play. Hopefully, they'll have a different mindset going forward and this is the wakeup call they needed.
It also proves what many of us already knew but few are willing to admit to -- if UConn was in a better conference, we'd be used to them losing a few more games per year.
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She just isn't progressing. It was painful to watch her in the first half, because she commits the same mistakes so often: first, she waits about three seconds before doing anything, giving the defense time to move to her. Then she starts dribbling. That permits the double- and triple-team to just go for the ball, and steal it from her. Incredible!!! She can't figure out that she has to move fast when she gets the ball, and minimize dribbling. She either gets the ball stolen, or else she has to stop her dribble and pass to someone else. ONO is a liability against good teams. And with just a freshman backup, our lack of bigs hurts us against strong teams. That dearth in the middle cost us the game.
We didn’t play defense well enough. Some good stretches but way too many easy drives and open shots, especially Ramirez. Our offense lacked that attacking mentality and didn’t show that dawg of aggressiveness on the boards or penetration. We settled for too many jump shots and didn’t try to get them in foul trouble.
CW had three missed free throws and some missed open shots and that final timeout that was a mistake. Aubrey missed too many open shots and Liv was a non factor.
In the end 3 of our starters didn’t play up to their capabilities and our defense was very suspect. We hung in there and fought back multiple times. That to me is what we take away from this game. We came back from some big deficits and made a game of it. Paige is a beast and I feel she can take over a game at any time and also hit the game winner and that is what you need for the tournament, a bonafide star to carry you in tight games.
Geno and CD after each game will better understand what we can accomplish amd what we have in our young players and put us in a better position come March. I truly believe that Paige and Evina are the top options for scoring with Liv and CW playing to their strengths and not try to be something that they are not. A Edwards I believe will improve on her foul issues and most surprisingly Nika didn’t seem out of place in a game against a ranked opponent decent points and playing under control. Mir is a ball of energy and I love her enthusiasm, she has tremendous athletic ability and has the potential to be a good defensive player. I know it stinks to lose but at least we can see the potential for much better days. We are not done yet.
CW had three missed free throws and some missed open shots and that final timeout that was a mistake. Aubrey missed too many open shots and Liv was a non factor.
In the end 3 of our starters didn’t play up to their capabilities and our defense was very suspect. We hung in there and fought back multiple times. That to me is what we take away from this game. We came back from some big deficits and made a game of it. Paige is a beast and I feel she can take over a game at any time and also hit the game winner and that is what you need for the tournament, a bonafide star to carry you in tight games.
Geno and CD after each game will better understand what we can accomplish amd what we have in our young players and put us in a better position come March. I truly believe that Paige and Evina are the top options for scoring with Liv and CW playing to their strengths and not try to be something that they are not. A Edwards I believe will improve on her foul issues and most surprisingly Nika didn’t seem out of place in a game against a ranked opponent decent points and playing under control. Mir is a ball of energy and I love her enthusiasm, she has tremendous athletic ability and has the potential to be a good defensive player. I know it stinks to lose but at least we can see the potential for much better days. We are not done yet.
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CW does not follow through with her shot all the time. When she misses flips her wrist. I noticed that on her 10-15 ft pull up shots.
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Connecticut has a way of really struggling with teams that play like they do: swarming defense, quickness, excellent outside shooting, and-critical- teams that really hustle. Think Notre Dame and Rutgers of old.
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I think she'll figure out that part. But she has strength, quickness, and supreme aggressiveness. She'll be a star.
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Stanford went on to lose 10 games that season, and finished #14. I would argue that they were not a firm “Top 10” team that year. Anyway; it’s a moot point. The point is that Arkansas played a fabulous game, and deserved the win over UConn.
RockyMTblue2
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Number 1 thing wrong in that game was Paige Bueckers not taking enough shots. No, well the number 1 problem just may be incurable and it is that hard to define thing that Geno increasingly makes veiled references to. Hard to find a Bueckers. Hard to find a Muhl. Where you going to find a Faris? Easy to find a CW (or C).
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I won't read through 15 pages of comments before I post my thoughts on the game last night so I apologize if this is a rehash of what has already been posted.
Disappointed with the loss. The first half of the third quarter killed them. Several players did not have a good night. I'm sure there will be multiple threads discussing that. Looking at the box scores, the two teams were pretty close statistically. The main disappointment for me was the Huskies performance on the boards.
Arkansas played very well. They may be the best 12-6 team in the country. If they are defensively challenged, they didn't show it last night. Their experience showed as their guards gave some of our youngsters a clinic on how to draw fouls and make playing defense a challenge they haven't seen before. A good lesson for them. As my first boss used to say "old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill." A bit of a stretch but you get the point.
BUT...
I saw some good things last night that bode well for this team moving forward.
The team came back to briefly take the lead from a 12 or 13 point deficit. Unfortunately they could not hold it. Paige and Evina led the charge in the comeback. Very controlled and composed. No panic in those two. The youngsters played well. Aliyah, Nika, and MIr made positive contributions that can only help with their confidence moving forward. They all played very well for freshmen. Aliyah obviously needs to learn how to avoid unnecessary fouls. Arkansas set her up on her fifth foul. Smart play by a veteran.
Disappointed with the loss. The first half of the third quarter killed them. Several players did not have a good night. I'm sure there will be multiple threads discussing that. Looking at the box scores, the two teams were pretty close statistically. The main disappointment for me was the Huskies performance on the boards.
Arkansas played very well. They may be the best 12-6 team in the country. If they are defensively challenged, they didn't show it last night. Their experience showed as their guards gave some of our youngsters a clinic on how to draw fouls and make playing defense a challenge they haven't seen before. A good lesson for them. As my first boss used to say "old age and treachery will overcome youth and skill." A bit of a stretch but you get the point.
BUT...
I saw some good things last night that bode well for this team moving forward.
The team came back to briefly take the lead from a 12 or 13 point deficit. Unfortunately they could not hold it. Paige and Evina led the charge in the comeback. Very controlled and composed. No panic in those two. The youngsters played well. Aliyah, Nika, and MIr made positive contributions that can only help with their confidence moving forward. They all played very well for freshmen. Aliyah obviously needs to learn how to avoid unnecessary fouls. Arkansas set her up on her fifth foul. Smart play by a veteran.
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Looking at it from both sides, Arkansas only shot 11-20 FT.
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