Buffalo post game thread (merged thread)

[Gus Mahler]

Great song even though it is a Vietnam war protest song (I am a Vietnam Era Veteran).
(I hope that this isn't against the "no politics rule .)
Back to the OP...

I'll vote that you be allowed to stay.

 

[Carnac]

Lou was 1-6 for three pointer, I don’t know if more passes to her would help.

I join with others here that are of the opinion that Lou was not 100%, but gutted it out. Her 1-6 from beyond the arc would support that position.

 

[jaydee602]

I was very surprised Mikayla Coombs didn’t play. A fast defender was needed.

I wonder if Geno was afraid that these foul- happy refs wouldn't allow Mikayla to play her stifling defense. Without that part of her game, she wouldn't contribute much.

 

[lebronfan23]

If Dillard did this to us imagine what Durr is going to do to us again. Geno has to play Coombs because Dangerfield defense is good for 1 quarter and that’s about it

 

[Gus Mahler]

As for the officiating, refs who call a lot of fouls one way often try to even things out. Buff fouled a lot early yet only Williams had to sit. The turning point was when Morrison got called for a legit foul, whined and got a T. She had to sit with 4 fouls. That's when Geno should have put in Irwin or Coombs with orders to foul because the refs were going to call a couple to "even things out". By the end 4 of UConn's 5 starters had 4 fouls. That alone is an aberration not seen since last they played in Maples.

I think I yelled "makeup call!" three times during the game.

 

[CL82]

When we start missing shots, it can fall apart in a hurry. Was surprised to see how “off” Walker seemed tonight.

She looked consistently to deep (under the basket). If so, that's readily correctable.

 

[donalddoowop]

Thank god for Collier. We couldn’t buy a bucket late in the game. I thought Lou played hard but her offense is limited from her injury I think. Lots of open looks and misses and when near the basket she can’t jump high enough to separate for a 6’3”. Dangerfield did not play well and Megan didn’t either. In the end it’s win and advance but we need crystal and Megan to play better. I do believe that Lou will get better each game. Let’s hope for a consistent effort for the entire game going forward.

KLS had an excuse. But Megan and Dangerfield do not. Some of the things Dangerfield did was inexcusable. Walker played the same way against Baylor. If she and Dangerfield had played and shot better, UConn could have scored close to 100 points and there would not have been so much tension. The team that had Stewart and Tuck on it were trailing by one point at half time in a game against I believe, Drake, but went on to win it all. Last year's team did not struggle before the FF. Maybe this is a good sign. They won a game in which they were out played for much of the game and still won. I hope this is the last bad game they play from here on out, unless they win the next bad game they play.

 

[Topsail]

Our offense was not a problem until the 4th Q. We were missing shots and they were closing the gap. we appeared to be panicked as the 4th Q went on. Instead of being patient and running the offense we were driving into a bunch of players, throwing bad passes or taking ill advised shots . Buffalo was killing us all nite on the offensive boards and this kept them in the game. I don't know how many times I saw two of our players standing there on the back side and let a Buff player swoop in and grab the rebound with no attempt to box out. Pheesa was having her way pretty much inside and we did not take enough advantage of this in the 4th. Our defense is not going to become great overnite. we are going to have to rely on scoring to win going forward. This could work out unless we have a 4th q like last nite again.

 

[Topsail]

KLS had an excuse. But Megan and Dangerfield do not. Some of the things Dangerfield did was inexcusable. Walker played the same way against Baylor. If she and Dangerfield had played and shot better, UConn could have scored close to 100 points and there would not have been so much tension. The team that had Stewart and Tuck on it were trailing by one point at half time in a game against I believe, Drake, but went on to win it all. Last year's team did not struggle before the FF. Maybe this is a good sign. They won a game in which they were out played for much of the game and still won. I hope this is the last bad game they play from here on out, unless they win the next bad game they play.

I think that you are referring to the Dayton game not Drake.

 

[mbr33ct]

I'll just say last nights game the refs won.

 

[Ukonnfan]

I just hope Megan plays better next game.

 

[Ukonnfan]

I'll just say last nights game the refs won.

Yes, I’ve seen some questionable officiating. I watched the South Carolina game and I felt so bad for the Florida State women. There were fouls called that I thought secured the win for SC.

 

[HuskyNan]

Gotta say it again. Been saying it all year.
Keep the tempo up! Why does Geno stop pressing? It’s the style we like best. What’s he afraid of? Fatigue? Foul trouble? Give up easy shots? All bad reasons.
Is Geno conservative in his old age? His lineage is Philly! Before he started getting the best players in the history of WCBB, he was Philly through and through. McKinney, Westhead, Lynam, etc. Uptempo! Aggressive!
We shoot well when we’re moving and moving the rock and shooting in rhythm.
BTW you’re allowed to double a perimeter player. Trap them, make them give it up. Besides rebounding, who else was going to hurt us. Double the ball, make them give it up and then recover to your man.
Damn, I love Geno, but I think he slows this team down.

Christyn was out with two fouls. Liv can’t play the way Christyn can

 

[Siestakeyfan]

"It's said" that every team in the field will play one stinker. Often it's the second round. Tonight qualifies.

I think UConn lost interest late in the 1st period when Williams got called for a feather foul for the 2nd time. From then on till the end, with a couple of short stretches in the 2nd half, UConn settled for open 3's, and the loss of focus carried over to their shooting and their defense. They forgot that at the end of the 1st period Buff realized that there were but 30 minutes left to their season and they played desperately and effectively.

There is still a tendency for the 3 upperclassmen to try and "do it themselves" late in tight games. They aren't that sort of players and when they try it ends up with long scoreless streaks. Tonight it didn't hurt them but only because Buff's offense was one player. UConn needs to put a dagger in teams when they get up to big leads.

As for the officiating, refs who call a lot of fouls one way often try to even things out. Buff fouled a lot early yet only Williams had to sit. The turning point was when Morrison got called for a legit foul, whined and got a T. She had to sit with 4 fouls. That's when Geno should have put in Irwin or Coombs with orders to foul because the refs were going to call a couple to "even things out". By the end 4 of UConn's 5 starters had 4 fouls. That alone is an aberration not seen since last they played in Maples.

Refs are a SERIOUS Embarrassment

 

[pspr11]

When you play poorly and yet win at this stage, it is usually a good sign.

 

[eebmg]

A side note. I was watching on TV and it seemed the Buffalo fan support was intense by the 4Q (outsceaming the UConn faithful). By headcount, what fraction of the crowd were Buffalo supporters?

 

[Jim R]

Yes, I’ve seen some questionable officiating. I watched the South Carolina game and I felt so bad for the Florida State women. There were fouls called that I thought secured the win for SC.

I hate to say it, but recently, when they play, its like Dawn is starting to get the PHS, or MM treatment. When it needed, the zebras take action.

 

[veryolddog]

It seemed like someone took out the voodoo doll during this game and stuck pins in it to change the physical play of the Team. They shot so well in the first game that during the second one they ran out of steam for even the simplest of plays. Then they forgot about getting the ball inside to Pheesa and started missing from the outside consistently. It was only when they started to get the ball inside to Pheesa to score again. This almost seemed like a replay of the end of the Louisville and Baylor games except this recorded a W. Maybe this episode will tilt things into a more positive direction.

 

[blaqtech]

Congrats on your win.....

Now, let's win a championship

 

[oldude]

A few years back, UConn struggled some in both Regional games against an unranked BYU team and TX A&M, but still managed to make it to the FF. Once UConn got to the FF, the Huskies hammered traditional powerhouses Stanford & an undefeated ND team. That UConn team ultimately had 6 AA’s on the roster and finished 40-0.

Over the weekend, UConn faced 2 athletic teams in Storrs that challenged their depth, rebounding and conditioning. Both Towson and Buffalo had a quick, talented guard who could light it up.

Frankly, I can’t think of a better way for UConn to prepare for potential challenges from MD and Louisville this coming weekend.

 

[inthisopinion]

This was one strange game. Some random observations:

1. It is a testament to Napheesa’s ability that some, including Chris Daley in her postgame interview, thought she was off her game. 27 and 16, plus 8 assists. Some big hoops late when the arena was feeling very uncomfortable. Ok, she missed 4 free throws, that wasn’t good, thought that problem had been resolved. An added dimension of her game that never gets mentioned is her ability to bring the ball up the court and do it quickly.

2. The 1-3-1 defense took away our offensive flow but we were still able to get some decent shots, just weren’t making many. Megan 4-16, we are a different team when she isn’t contributing. ONO rushes those point blank shots,those should be automatic. It appeared that we were playing quick and loose early, slow and tight late.

3. Lou got whacked early on, clearly caused discomfort, but soldiered on and mixed it up a lot. Missed some wide open shots as well. She has become a creative rebounder offensively on free throw misses. Unfortunately she got a lot of practice at it tonight. I know she has had a lot of 4 point plays, this may have been her first 5 point play. I’m glad we played tonight and not Monday, gives her and everyone else an extra day of rest.

4. Was Lou wearing a cloaking device on offense in the second half? There were at least four times when she was wide open and her teammates didn’t get her the ball.

5. Being there in person I did not have the benefit of replay, but it seemed to me and many others there that there were a lot of phantom calls being made, some against Buffalo but more against us. Very poorly officiated. Kind of a perfect storm, with Dillard driving and trying to create contact and officials calling virtually any level of contact as a foul. The best thing to do was drive the ball to the basket since the refs would call a foul out of habit.

6. This was the first time the dance team got booed. It appeared that game action was set to go and they were still out there dancing their little hearts out. I don’t know if that was picked up on television.

7. Surprised Coombs got a dnp, especially with all the foul trouble we were in. Ended up 4 starters with 4, one with 3.

8. Their 5’3” point guard, Hall, got two fouls quickly and they took her out. That actually probably worked to Buffalo’s advantage.

9. We will need to rebound better on the defensive end and can’t give up second chance points like that - 28, I think they said, most of the season.

The cloaking device is on all too often. She rarely gets the ball down low. I assume that is only Collier's territory. I have never thought a player with the offensive versatility of KLS is enough of a central figure on this team going back the past 3 seasons. She did not play poorly in those 2 semi-final losses. In both games she shot 50% from the field & from 3. However, in 90 minutes she took just 22 shots. That should have been her total for EACH game. She can score equally inside, outside, with the ball. without the ball and of course, she is a great FT shooter & great passer. The coaches get the big bucks to figure out how to counteract any tactics from from the opponents as each game unfolds in order to get the most out of best their offensive player. Do they even think she is their best offensive player? If not, they are not seeing things the way they really are. This is not brain surgery. It is the most simple of the team games.

 

[MD#12Fan]

Christyn was out with two fouls. Liv can’t play the way Christyn can

Mikayla can. Besides bigs play back as the safety in a press. Us old farts remember when basketball had true centers. Like a 1-3-1 full court set up or 1-3-1 half court trap or 1-2-1-1.
The 1 is the center. She could block shots from that spot.
We have to alter a winning strategy because our freshman has 2 fouls. Sorry, not buying it!

 

[Shenandoah]

I have never seen so many balls change possession around the basket, in the lane and on a rebound with no "reach in" foul being called.

Especially since the refs seemed to call everything else...

 

[Shenandoah]

I was thinking that Felisha Legette-Jack would be a great choice at TN if Fulmer decides to part ways with HW.

I see them getting Kelly Jolly Harper from Missouri State, and Missouri State moving Jackie Stiles up to HC.

 

[jdb50]

2 things stick out from last nights game. 20-32 on free throws. Buffalo played 10 players, 9 more than 10 minutes. UCONN played 6 players, 3 for 40 minutes.

 

[Ralph]

Question on the KLS foul where she seemed so shocked, but then again, she does act that way often. Kara said it was definitely a foul. If Lou had her hand below her shoulder in front of her and Dillard moved towards her and brought her shooting hand up to hit Lou's arm, Kara said that is a foul even if Lou does not move at all. I did not know that at all. Does anyone have a good description of the rule in that situation? I sure hope Durr and others don't start doing that. Or maybe they already do and that is why they draw so many fouls. One of the problems with our offense is that as we keep passing until we find a wide open shot, if successful we don't get many shooting fouls and get the other team in enough foul trouble. Conversely a team like Buffalo, Louisville, ND, can draw a lot of shooting fouls and get us in foul trouble or make us retreat to a very soft defense. I guess in the 4th with so many in trouble with 4 fouls, we are lucky we got any stops.

 

[HuskylnSC]

I kept thinking Geno would use Coombs to slow down
Dillard

 

[oldude]

For comp

Question on the KLS foul where she seemed so shocked, but then again, she does act that way often. Kara said it was definitely a foul. If Lou had her hand below her shoulder in front of her and Dillard moved towards her and brought her shooting hand up to hit Lou's arm, Kara said that is a foul even if Lou does not move at all. I did not know that at all. Does anyone have a good description of the rule in that situation? I sure hope Durr and others don't start doing that. Or maybe they already do and that is why they draw so many fouls. One of the problems with our offense is that as we keep passing until we find a wide open shot, if successful we don't get many shooting fouls and get the other team in enough foul trouble. Conversely a team like Buffalo, Louisville, ND, can draw a lot of shooting fouls and get us in foul trouble or make us retreat to a very soft defense. I guess in the 4th with so many in trouble with 4 fouls, we are lucky we got any stops.

Players generally are permitted freedom of movement on the court. Players are also entitled to the vertical space they occupy. If Lou's hands were straight up and Dillard jumped into her, the foul should have been called on Dillard. In this instance, Lou's hands were extended 2 feet in front of her. Dillard was entitled to that space whether Lou was moving her arm or not. Dillard's move was a "pro move" you often see from really good shooters in the NBA, to force the contact.

Another way to explain the foul is to compare it to a foul that is called on a screen. The screener may have her feet set well in advance, but if they are set too wide, and the defender trips over one of their legs, the foul should be called on the offensive player. This is a problem that Liv has had often this season when she sets a screen with those two long legs of hers set wide.

 

[Husk04ies]

A side note. I was watching on TV and it seemed the Buffalo fan support was intense by the 4Q (outsceaming the UConn faithful). By headcount, what fraction of the crowd were Buffalo supporters?

Maybe 50ish? I was at the game and a lot of them were awful. I saw fans almost get escorted out by security on two separate occasions. One for flipping UConn fans off continously and the other for throwing pom poms on or near the court. Worst fan group I've seen besides Syracuse against our men at MSG earlier this year.

 

[SVCBeercats]

If UCONN had been the #1 seed, would Louisville have beaten Buffalo?

Yes and by at least 20 points. UCONN had trouble with Dillard. Durr won't be easier. Better put Coombs on Durr.