Best Uconn team to NOT win the title

[hoophuskee]

So, you're saying you don't know what Shea and Sveta could have done in the third game defensively that they didn't do in the first game. Fair enough. They weren't especially good defensive players.

The 2nd game is the obvious outlier, so, yes, it means less. That's how those things work.

Huh?

What did I say about the defense? I'm not sure where you are referencing that I said something about the defense. Can you tell me where I said it? I'm not arguing.

Now that you mention it -- I have to say two things about defense righr now though - one is both Ralph and Sveta were good enough the prior year to win a title and secondly I'm not sure their defense would have been much cause for concern vs ND. You think our defense was better when we had to play DT more? Did you know she fouled out of every game vs ND and once when we lost to Tenn and the game we beat Tenn she had 4 fouls in 22 minutes? And this is the type of player we have to rely on for a full game without Sveta and Shea? It's one thing to beat2nd tier teams another to rely on a frosh to come through vs eleite teams, isn't it? ND's major offense was a lot of Ruth. Ratay scored off of Ruth a bit didn't she? Ivey could score but that was Bird's "man," wasn't she? I don't get where you are referencing what I said about Shea/Sveta's defense. The Shea's defense in game 2 I was good enough- didn't hurt UCONN did it? So why would it hurt them in game 3?

This is where we disagree (on your reference of outlier). UCONN already showed in game 2 with Ralph (without Sveta) that we got over the hump and improved. Ralph's improved play was a testament to that. As I've indicted to you in the history of basketball we have seen teams lose earlier in year only to come back later and they beat that team in NCAA's. Teams improve. Game 2 was no outlier. Game 2 was about the defending champs finding their stride until the 2nd of their all-americans went down, then they hung on for dear life.

I just have to say I find it odd that you made the following statement below in bold yet from every post you make, you don't seem like you think UCONN missed them at all because you certainly aren't giving Ralph any love for her awesome game 2. You think it would revert back to game 3. SO how then did UCONN exactly "miss" Ralph and Sveta as you suggested earlier if you keep referencing a game in January as the barometer despite having overwhelming evidence that Ralph was awesome in game 2 and Sveta was peaking in her senior year while both were far superior passers to DT? And Sveta was a far superior shooter to DT in her senior year, a far superior rebounder, a far superior passer and a better scorer. SO what exactly is DT bringing as frosh that Sveta didn't already have at a superior level?

Obviously, at the end of the season, UConn missed Sveta and Shea.

 

[Wally East]

Huh?

What did I say about the defense? I'm not sure where you are referencing that I said something about the defense. Can you tell me where I said it? I'm not arguing.

That's my point: You didn't say anything. Their defense is literally the entire point.

ND's major offense was a lot of Ruth. Ratay scored off of Ruth a bit didn't she? Ivey could score but that was Bird's "man," wasn't she?

EXACTLY. YES. ND was going to score 52 or 53 points on UConn in a half regardless of whether Shea or Sveta played AND DID. They weren't defending ND's main offensive threats.

See. This is the thing. They both played in the first game and UConn got hammered. Then, neither played in the third game and UConn got hammered. Do you see how their playing or not playing literally made no difference? It was the play of other players that mattered.

In the three games, UConn scored 76, 75, and 78 points. Obviously, UConn didn't miss the offensive production of Sveta and Shea. The team made up for what Sveta provided in the first game and Shea in the first game and a chunk.

The difference was the defense and they didn't guard ND's main offensive threats, did they?

And, guess what? I've changed my mind. Maybe UConn didn't miss Sveta and Shea at the end of the season. The stats seem to support that. They scored the same number of points against Notre Dame with them and without them.

 

[Wally East]

Look. In six halves of basketball, UConn won two (one with Shea, one without, neither was with Sveta). Notre Dame was clearly the better team than UConn, regardless of who UConn put on the court. That's all I'm trying to say.

The team had a load of talent, although no one was playing at the top of her game. For whatever reason, Notre Dame was able to handle UConn and was two Sue Bird buzzer-beaters away from sweeping them.

 

[hoophuskee]

Look. In six halves of basketball, UConn won two (one with Shea, one without, neither was with Sveta). Notre Dame was clearly the better team than UConn, regardless of who UConn put on the court. That's all I'm trying to say.

The team had a load of talent, although no one was playing at the top of her game. For whatever reason, Notre Dame was able to handle UConn and was two Sue Bird buzzer-beaters away from sweeping them.

In how many games did ND beat UCONN two years ago? 3 out of 4? Same with Baylor over TAM? Same with UCONN over ND a couple of years ago. How about Tenn beating Baylor then Baylor taking them down in NCAA's.

And ND beat UCONN in 2001 ONCE when UCONN was at full strength and that was in January. THAT imo is not indicator the next games would have gone ND's way just as the above games went the other way from reg. season to NCAA's. In fact UCONN did beat them the 2nd time without our best player. Who won the halves is not the object of the game, We split 2 games when we had just one of our all-americans - Ralph play just part-time.

ND was NOT better than UCONN in game 2. UCONN beat ND in game 2.

And again you were the one that said UCONN missed Sveta and Ralph and now you're just glossing over them as if they don't matter when in fact in game 2 Ralph DID matter.

And yes-- Sveta was playing the best basketball of her career. Many seniors have that moment and Sveta was having hers.

Got to crash. Love the discussion- thanks. Don't think either of us are going to change the other's opinion.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Some WCBB fans, even some BONEYARDERS have said that the 2000-2001 UCONN team cannot be considered the best team of all time because they DIDN'T win a NCAA title or that they lost to ND and TN earlier in the season! But think of it this way, that UCONN team had 7 first-team All-Americans on the roster! Shea Ralph
Svetlana Abrosimova
Tameka Williams
Diana Taurasi
Sue Bird
Asjha Jones
Swin Cash
No other team had that many 1st team AA's on the roster at the same time, so if first team AA is the highest award a player can attain during a season, they have to be considered the best Women's College BB team of all time!

 

[Wally East]

Some WCBB fans, even some BONEYARDERS have said that the 2000-2001 UCONN team cannot be considered the best team of all time because they DIDN'T win a NCAA title or that they lost to ND and TN earlier in the season! But think of it this way, that UCONN team had 7 first-team All-Americans on the roster! Shea Ralph
Svetlana Abrosimova
Tameka Williams
Diana Taurasi
Sue Bird
Asjha Jones
Swin Cash
No other team had that many 1st team AA's on the roster at the same time, so if first team AA is the highest award a player can attain during a season, they have to be considered the best Women's College BB team of all time!

The problem with that is that really only Sveta was named an All-Americans that season (Sue did make the AP All-American 3rd Team). No one of those seven players had their best season in '00-'01. Shea and DT were furthest from their peaks, albeit in different chronological directions, but the other five all had better seasons in other years.

I'd have no problem saying it was the greatest collection of talent or potential or something along those lines. The greatest team? No, clearly not.

(And Player of the Year is a higher honor than All-American.)

 

[calpedaler]