Baylor post game thread

[Littlemin]

I saw two teams that were mostly even for 36 minutes of the game. In the last 4-5 minutes of the game 1 player (Smith) took over because UCONN had no one with the energy or athleticism on the floor to stop her. The most telling moment of the game was when Smith rebounded her own free throw miss.

I saw a Uconn team in the 4th quarter that looked confused on offense and slow to react on defense. If you attribute getting outscored by 13 points and having multiple possessions without even a decent look at the basket on one player taking over, we just disagree.

 

[hoopsfan22]

My take - Baylor is a really good team and in my opinion will get better as Cox get back in game shape. Baylor is a difficult match for any team and if they hit from outside, as they did tonight, they are a potential national champion. UCONN is also a potential national championship team but they have to be on from outside. My favorite moments in this game were when CD‘s eyes lit up with determination, she really wanted this game and it showed! This was just one game and the season has a long way to go, calm down, UCONN IS NOT DONE YET!

I don't know how you guard Cox. 6-5 big body wide wingspan that can step out and shoot 3s. Stef was like that though a slight bit less athletic than Cox to my untrained eye.

 

[msf22b]

-I noted the danger of Cooper last night and was derided; she missed her first couple of shots and then kept them in the game in the 2nd quarter. finished with 27 points...not bad. add Smith in the 4th quarter and we were seriously outgunned.

-Back when Tina was a freshman...she had an awful game in the Fresno Regional...it was then or possible the next season that Geno exclaimed (to the effect) that he didn't have a center.
He may have said that again tonight.

Charles’s freshman season ended humbly as she shot 0 for 5 from the field and managed a point against L.S.U. in a 73-50 defeat in the final of the 2007 Fresno Regional. The 6-6 Fowles dominated her with 23 points, 15 rebounds and 6 blocked shots.
JERÉ LONGMAN, NY Times: MARCH 30, 2010

Tina figured it out quite nicely..I think Liv will too.

-What concerned me the most was the lack of an effective half-court offense...Squeaks disguised it early with her terrific one-on-one efforts but it just wasn't effective at producing makable shots... especially in the 4th quarter with Olivia on the bench it was completely absent.

I think that that lack is what had been gnawing at 'yarders this season....Sure when you win, you can cover all faults; but tonight a sound half-court presence was surely required and was largely a no-show. Work to do.

-I thought that aside from not making shots Kyla played a smart, heroic game putting blame on her is silly. Baylor is a well coached, athletic team...more gifted personnel wise than ours...Some of their better players spent large parts of the game on the bench in foul trouble and their subs...Smith in the 4th quarter especially were terrific. They play with poise and as Sue said...They know how to win.
Can we beat them next time...Sure, if we play to our potential which tonight was exposed.

 

[CocoHusky]

I saw a Uconn team in the 4th quarter that looked confused on offense and slow to react on defense. If you attribute getting outscored by 13 points and having multiple possessions without even a decent look at the basket on one player taking over, we just disagree.

Look more closely. The UCONN defense was highly organized and held Baylor scoreless for the first 5 minutes of the 4th Quarter. Smith score 10 points in the next 4 minutes of that quarter=Game over because UCONN couldn't make a shot in that same stretch. Cooper hit 6 FTs in the last 1:17 of the game to stretch the MOV to 13.

 

[bballnut90]

Just a few take away from a very good game.

1. To beat UCONN you must make 3's.
Baylor hit big 3's all game.

2. Not sure why we allowed 6'6 Lauren Cox to play facilitator without any pressure. I rather put her in a panick and actually have her put the ball on the ground and make decisions.

3. What happened to UCONN defense? Keep your player in front of you and move your feet.

4. We were way to careless with the ball. Especially Megan. TURNOVERS killed momentum!

5. Big moment for ONO on the offensive end and she wasn't quite ready. If we get 8-10 points from her UCONN wins. She'll be back.

6. Thought the whistle were unfavorable towards UCONN first half.

7. Baylor is long athletic and play to their strength. To beat them all 5 parts must contribute.

8. Hope this is the game that wakes us up and we get back to UCONN way of doing the little things that lead to bigger things.

Cox is 6-4 and is pretty nimble despite her appearance. If you pressure her she can put the ball on the floor and go to the basket. Or if you pressure her, it wouldve created an opportunity for Smith or whoever to make a back cut without ONO down there defensively for an easy layup. Cox couldn't hit a midrange shot to save her life vs UCONN last year and struggled shooting since coming back from injury. She hit a lot of perimeter shots tonight. It was the correct gamble IMO by Geno but Cox is a tough matchup with her size, ability to score and her passing. Not to mention her defensive length and presence inside.

 

[Carnac]

The better team won tonight. No crying, no blaming, no excuses. Congratulations to the Baylor Lady Bears on their impressive win. Congratulations to the posters that were bold and insightful enough to predict their win.

This will be the only comment I will make on this game. We all watched it, and saw what happened. On to Houston.

 

[Longtime fan]

Geno said we'd learn some things tonight, and he wasn't kidding. My biggest takeaway is that if your last name wasn't Dangerfield, Walker or Williams, you were in no way ready for prime time tonight.

I'm really glad he benched Aubrey and especially Olivia for the rest of the game. Hopefully that will kick-start their development in time to make a difference by this year. Too bad it left him with nobody to sub in for Kyla, though. Just not enough pieces.

I wonder how much longer the team has to underperform in both layups not in transition and foul shooting before Geno makes what I feel are long-overdue changes to his practice sessions to address the matter.

I haven't seen the numbers, but it seemed that we shot about 50% or less from the foul line. Usually UCONN is one of the best in the land at that core fundamental.

 

[bantamlaker]

I thought Sue Bird had a good game. She seems much more at ease now than early on in her broadcasting career.

 

[j66kicker]

The better team won tonight. No crying, no blaming, no excuses. Congratulations to the Baylor Lady Bears on their impressive win. Congratulations to the posters that were bold and insightful enough to predict their win.

This will be the only comment I will make on this game. We all watched it, and saw what happened. On to Houston.

Who the hell cares about Houston?

 

[uconnever]

People that have been watching basketball for any length of time, should have already figured out that players are not going to ever be that consistent game to game. Players are not robots and they have good games and not so good games. The reasons can vary from game to game. The opposition combined with how a player feels, and if their shots are dropping all play a part. This could just have been a poor to mediocre game for Ono. That along with facing a very long Lauran Cox. This is why it is important to have depth at every position. That way someone else can take up the slack when a player is not feeing it on any particular night. And you can count on any player having such a night now and then.

yes so true regarding the importance of depth. For me I feel bad for Crystal. She most likely will leave without a title on her resume.

 

[Dokey]

Game went very much as I expected. I figured Liv put up much of her stats against lesser opponents and that good bigs would push her around. Oregon could really mess with her and perhaps South Carolina. Getting her out of the game was right call. Same goes for Aubrey. She has a future but her present isn’t there yet. She needed to come out. Early on I kept asking why Anna wasn’t in the game. Inserting her earlier might have helped and possibly given us a lead going into the fourth. Christyn, however, had spectacular moments. It is basically what we have known all along. UConn is a very good team bringing in great players and some length starting next year. But there are better teams out there this year. We will still have great games ahead. The Final Four will take luck.

 

[enigmatic]

Who the hell cares about Houston?

I do just to see how the team will rebound after tonight

 

[Geesworld]

Cox is 6-4 and is pretty nimble despite her appearance. If you pressure her she can put the ball on the floor and go to the basket. Or if you pressure her, it wouldve created an opportunity for Smith or whoever to make a back cut without ONO down there defensively for an easy layup. Cox couldn't hit a midrange shot to save her life vs UCONN last year and struggled shooting since coming back from injury. She hit a lot of perimeter shots tonight. It was the correct gamble IMO by Geno but Cox is a tough matchup with her size, ability to score and her passing. Not to mention her defensive length and presence inside.

I rather her be a point center on the move verses standing and surveying the court without pressure. That would Mean she's going more one on one and taking the ball out of perimeter players comfort zone.

 

[j66kicker]

I do just to see how the team will rebound after tonight

It's Houston - all they have to do is show up

 

[CocoHusky]

What concerned me the most was the lack of an effective half-court offense...Squeaks disguised it early with her terrific one-on-one efforts but it just wasn't effective at producing makable shots...

The half court offense was actually not bad. The offense achieve it primary purpose which was to create shots. UCONN just did not make enough of those shots. You can credit Cox for a big part of that she played all 40 minutes and she did an excellent job of blocking (4) and challenging shots (12) at the basket. Cox was definitely in Liv's head but she also in Megan's and Kyla's as well. BTW the sequences when Squeaks takes over is and has always been part of the half court offense. You can always tell when UCONN is going to that sequence because Squeaks is in the middle of the floor vs starting on a wing.

 

[CocoHusky]

I haven't seen the numbers, but it seemed that we shot about 50% or less from the foul line. Usually UCONN is one of the best in the land at that core fundamental.

UCONN was 10-16 for 62%. Only two UCONN players (Megan and Christyn) went to the Foul Line.

 

[uconnfan68]

The better team won tonight. No crying, no blaming, no excuses. Congratulations to the Baylor Lady Bears on their impressive win. Congratulations to the posters that were bold and insightful enough to predict their win.

This will be the only comment I will make on this game. We all watched it, and saw what happened. On to Houston.

At least yours wasn’t deleted.

 

[Huskyfan63]

If "heft to push away from the basket" is the best that can be said about someone, we are in big trouble...

No, I think understanding of the offense is what she alluded to first - but the "heft" does matter in a positive way too (Willis Reed for instance, only 6'9"). Irwin clearly knows where to be (and when) and how to facilitate the flow of ball movement. So, yes, she is valuable to have in there even if she doesn't contribute to the stat sheet directly every night. I would not say she was anywhere near one of the biggest reasons why the team lost the game tonight. She could have played a lot better, as could all of them. Baylor's a good team.

 

[BBallF]

The game has changed these last few years. Finesse has given way to power. The players have become bigger and stronger and a small team, no matter how talented, is going to get out muscled in the last quarter when energy levels are lower. You either make them play your game or shoot lights out when you have a serious height disadvantage. We did neither. Until the height and power of the front line changes for us it is hard to see anything more than a Semis exit.

 

[Littlemin]

Look more closely. The UCONN defense was highly organized and held Baylor scoreless for the first 5 minutes of the 4th Quarter. Smith score 10 points in the next 4 minutes of that quarter=Game over because UCONN couldn't make a shot in that same stretch. Cooper hit 6 FT in the last 1:17 of the game to stretch the MOV to 13.

Well, I guess just agreeing to disagree is not in your blood. Unfortunately, a quarter is 10 minutes not 5, just like a game is 40 not 35. And playing defense for half of the 4th quarter and then giving up 11 points in the next 3 minutes with the game on the line is not playing good defense. Rationalize it as you see it, I will do the same. I saw a Uconn team that basically couldn’t get a good shot for too many possessions in the 4th quarter, and they missed the ones they got, 6 points for the quarter speaks for itself. And with the game on the line their defense fell apart. It does not necessarily mean much in the long term, hopefully they grow from it, but that’s how I saw this game. Uconn has a really good team obviously but not for much of the 4th quarter tonight.

 

[Bronxjeff]

We missed six free throws and how many layups?

 

[Basketball23]

As a Baylor Fan, I will say this much. I respect the heck out of UCONN, Geno and the fans. Great program and I appreciate the ability of you guys to discuss Baylor without calling us all sorts of names.

 

[CocoHusky]

We missed six free throws and how many layups?

9 per the ESPN play by play.

 

[wolfe613]

no more Alphas on this women's roster

 

[VAMike23]

Danger: