This was a very good win against a hot shooting team. These things are going to happen. Early on Butler surprised UConn with how deft they were from the arc. From the 2nd period on UConn played much tougher on the perimeter. UConn looked their best when they picked up the pace at the end of the 3rd period. Here they looked like a championship team. They played tough defense on the perimeter, switched like demons and denied anything off the dribble. Once they got the ball they pushed to the rim and ran the lane like hellions.
Yes AE played a treat and was a beast inside all night. Yes Evina finally hit some shots, and I hope this gets her going offensively. I was so happy for her. Yes Nika hit some three's and made some great passes. Yes, CW played well on both ends. This was one of her best defensive games. And Paige had eyes in back of her head on some of those assists.
But.
But oh my did Nika play matador defense all night, and off the ball she had issues in and around screens. For the second straight game Paige's on ball defense was poor, and she was consistently schooled off the dribble. Again. And 95% of Paige's missed shots over the last 3 games have been short. That to me screams tired legs. Freshmen have more than just a new school, a new system and new teammates to figure out. The fact is most freshmen have poor sleeping habits, poor dietary habits and poor practice habits. Now I don't think Paige has poor practice habits at all, but I think she still has much to learn about how to care for her body, and to me, it's starting to show. That for me is very much a part of the freshmen wall.
But.
Again, a good win against the type of team that had nothing to lose and was hot from the arc. As someone mentioned in the game thread, this is the type of thing that happens time and again in the NCAA's. Teams need to see this type of stuff and figure it out in order to win a championship.
