Can Sunday be topped?

[Vowelguy]

Coming down from ydays high, a sobering thought:

• UConn was 14-26 from 3 (54%)
• Louisville was 42% from the field including 4-22 from 3 (18%)
• UConn outrebounded Lou 42-36
• UConn had just 13 fouls

And UConn won by only 7

Can UConn can play better than it did yesterday? I'm not so sure.

 

[Plebe]

Coming down from ydays high, a sobering thought:

• UConn was 14-26 from 3 (54%)
• Louisville was 42% from the field including 4-22 from 3 (18%)
• UConn outrebounded Lou 42-36
• UConn had just 13 fouls

And UConn won by only 7

Can UConn can play better than it did yesterday? I'm not so sure.

Hard to imagine them playing much better overall, but they can certainly close better than they did in the last 90 seconds.

 

[pvdoggy]

Coming down from ydays high, a sobering thought:

• UConn was 14-26 from 3 (54%)
• Louisville was 42% from the field including 4-22 from 3 (18%)
• UConn outrebounded Lou 42-36
• UConn had just 13 fouls

And UConn won by only 7

Can UConn can play better than it did yesterday? I'm not so sure.

If Uconn, particularly CD, had not made some bonehead decision towards the end of both halves, the margin would have been much wider. So Uconn does not have to play better, just not make dumb mistakes in crunch time.

 

[UConnCat]

Can Napheesa play better than she played yesterday?

 

[VAMike23]

Everyone else, no, but if Phee has a few more shots fall as is her usual, then that's another few buckets at least. Then that would be our ceiling.

Having said that, I think Phee is going to have to be back on her usual form or we can't advance no matter what.

 

[JoePgh]

Well, there were some things in the box score that can certainly be improved on:

1. Napheesa was 4-for-13, which is obviously way below her average or the expectation for her. I think that was because the Louisville coaches decided that she was the key to stopping UConn, and that if they did stop her, they could safely let 3-point shooters fire at will. It does show that her offense can be neutralized so that UConn MUST make 3-point shots to beat good opponents.

2. Louisville only had 5 turnovers for the entire game. They aren't such great ball handlers that they should be able to do that. It appeared that UConn was focused on covering the shooters rather than getting turnovers, which turned out (luckily) to be an effective strategy yesterday, since Louisville was 4-for-22 on 3-point attempts.

But your overall point is very valid: UConn basically won because they had a fantastic 3-point shooting game that is quite unlikely to be repeated. If UConn had shot 35% rather than 54% from the arc, would they have won the game? Most likely not. But that 35% is really all they can count on in the upcoming game(s).

I expect that UConn will face Notre Dame on Friday evening, and I rate that game as a tossup. UConn, including Napheesa, should score more easily against ND than against either Louisville or UCLA, and I don't think Mabrey will be able to defend either Crystal or Chrystyn. If ND decides to play zone because of that, many offensive rebounds should be available. If UConn shoots 35% from 3-point land, clears the defensive boards as well as it did against Louisville, avoids fouls, and doesn't let Ogunbuwale have a dominant game, they should win.

I don't see a winning strategy against Baylor that does not involve another cannonade from 3-point land. It would be nice if Oregon eliminates that problem on our behalf.

 

[Jeff H]

Once Azura decided not to come back I figured I'd be pretty satisfied if UConn made it back to the final four. Not sure I still feel that way, but I think it's going to be pretty tough to win two more. Not impossible, but I'm not expecting it. I like the odds a lot more if ND loses tonight and Baylor get's knocked off before the final.

 

[ABCDFE]

To beat the next two opponents everyone will have to play close to their best.

 

[Blue Huskie]

Yeah, NOT going to be easy. If we shoot threes like we did yesterday we can be right there with anybody. Perhaps now, with each game going forward, playing in the underdog role will help. No more pressure.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Hard to imagine them playing much better overall, but they can certainly close better than they did in the last 90 seconds.

I agree with the closing minute or so. But as the final bell was rung, I said openly: I don't think this team has played this well all year. Maybe statically, I don't know, but effort desire getting loose balls rebounding and stats that don't s show by number--well? If they play this game from here on out the only thing that will beat them is SIZE with talent in 3 positions.

 

[msf22b]

Yesterday, Phee was less then her best and Crystal (perhaps focusing on D) didn't attempt the scoring rampage that she brought on Friday.

Likely that our 3-point % will be less (in at least one of the next 2 games).
Likely that Phee's scoring will be back to normal (perhaps a wash).

For the others: the beauty of this team is that we now know that any of them can
go off really big time.

Also, they get an extra day of rest, compared to tonight's protagonists, were the early game
and reasonably close to their beds.

One game at a time, but I fancy their chances...and many will remember I'm not known for my over-optimism.

 

[BroadwayVa]

To beat the next two opponents everyone will have to play close to their best.

If Uconn plays their A game they will only be beaten by A plus games. These last 2 games show the difference between winning an losing is lost play on offense here and there. Neither team may take time away from the game, mentally.

 

[HuskyNan]

I’ve seen Liv play better but it’s hard to go in and out of a game like it hat, especially for a young player. But if she can take up more space and make the player driving to the basket hesitate, it could be huge for the team

 

[Los24]

I have to laugh because after most games people are in a state of glum because the team did not play great. Now we are concerned because they played to good. The bottom line was that UConn controlled that game despite the final score. Not saying we win any or all the FF games, but the best two things is that Pheesa to my recollection has not had back to back bad games in quite some time and two, Lou looks the best she has all year.

 

[Monte]

I thought there were a lot of mental mistakes:
-bad passes+some failures to pass at the right time
-not boxing out on defense
-not picking up a loose player under the basket

 

[Dokey]

Can Napheesa play better than she played yesterday?

Of course. Louisville tried to shut her down, opening it up for Megan and Lou. If you blanket them, Pheesa takes over.

 

[BroadwayVa]

If Uconn, particularly CD, had not made some bonehead decision towards the end of both halves, the margin would have been much wider. So Uconn does not have to play better, just not make dumb mistakes in crunch time.

I don't recall Danger doing anything "boneheaded" in the first half, maybe a selective memory. The trap in the final minutes wasn't on Danger: it was on her teammates ,where she was told to be; it was a perfect trap asking to happen. Teammate scream TRAP, present themselves for the pass. Nothing significant came out of it, maybe it could have , but it didn't.

 

[Jeff H]

Oh my god here we go again!!! More doubt.. do u guys seriously ever stop?? Yesterday all gloom and doom.. no chance Lou isn’t herself, this team isn’t deep enough , bla bla bla ... it hasn’t been one day and we’re all at it again... this is a UCONN board to support our team and stay positive .. if u can’t do that then leave the board. We have no idea what the final four will bring?? Lastly did we not beat ND this year at there place?? We are a much better team.. and it’s not like we got blown out at Baylor did we? We didn’t have our best game. Enough with what can be.. like my husband says to me all the time.... live in today not tomorrow. Enjoy relax people. Geno is right when he says this all the time..UCONN fans are spoiled and expect perfection all the time!!!! I guess breaking the NCAA record for men’s or women’s straight final fours in division 1 History isn’t enough!!

I don't have a problem with speculation about UConn's chances in upcoming games. Might be a bit of a boring board without it. I just can't stand the blame game after the rare loss or the all too often "supposedly" not good enough win.

 

[Aluminny69]

Well their next opponent is either Notre Dame or Stanford. They have already proved they can beat Notre Dame. ( Not saying they will with certainty, but they have this season, FWIW). Don't know too much about Stanford, but that's always a great matchup. At least Stanford doesn't have a huge center like Baylor, so that's one less thing to worry about. One game at a time.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Some of you crack me up. I'd hate to be trying to get your eggs right in the morning. What terrible tension! I was watching the Louisville game and something kept niggling on my brain as Lou did one terrific Lou thing after another and at the same time I watched the look on Phee - a look of worry or unease. She had taken this quest on for Lou and the shots were not falling. You could see it in her face whenever they put the camera on her.

Still, Phee put up a solid all around game. Wanna bet against her the next time, when just maybe she'll think her side kick in crime may be up to another bank robbery? I've got the door, you get the safe sis'.

Point is, when you all just saw Lou pluck a miracle out of the stars, why would you feel it necessary to plummet to earth?

And, going back to what was gnawing on me as I watched Lou pluck that game out of the place where she keeps such things in reserve, well it was corny, but magnificent too. This is what it was.



Just another couple of miracles Lou. Everyone on the team will be there for you.

 

[huskyd]

Once Azura decided not to come back I figured I'd be pretty satisfied if UConn made it back to the final four. Not sure I still feel that way, but I think it's going to be pretty tough to win two more. Not impossible, but I'm not expecting it. I like the odds a lot more if ND loses tonight and Baylor get's knocked off before the final.

IF ND and Baylor lose, and Megan Gustafson breaks her leg, and Sabrina falls out of the plane somewhere between Oregon and Tampa, I give the Huskies a fair chance of winning 2. BUT if ND and Baylor win (as they will), the hill gets steeper. Unless, of course, the ND and Baylor buses slip into the Gulf of Mexico on the way to the arena, or . . .
Then there's deus ex machina (god in the machine) that intervenes at the last second to secure a preferred outcome: (examples from Google):

1. Cinderella's fairy godmother comes and solves all of her problems by magically creating a dress,...
2. Pinocchio's blue fairy rescues him several times during the course of the story.
3. Gandalf seems to return from the dead just when Frodo needs him so that he can survive...
4. In the ancient Greek myth about Jason...

Bonus comment: FAKE NEWS--the NY Times wrote that UConn cut down the net after the Louisville game, and the Washington Post noted that the Huskies have already won 6 NCs. Maybe they can write that UConn won this year's NC before the event transpires . . .

 

[Atleast5char]

Oh my god here we go again!!! More doubt.. do u guys seriously ever stop?? Yesterday all gloom and doom.. no chance Lou isn’t herself, this team isn’t deep enough , bla bla bla ... it hasn’t been one day and we’re all at it again... this is a UCONN board to support our team and stay positive .. if u can’t do that then leave the board. We have no idea what the final four will bring?? Lastly did we not beat ND this year at there place?? We are a much better team.. and it’s not like we got blown out at Baylor did we? We didn’t have our best game. Enough with what can be.. like my husband says to me all the time.... live in today not tomorrow. Enjoy relax people. Geno is right when he says this all the time..UCONN fans are spoiled and expect perfection all the time!!!! I guess breaking the NCAA record for men’s or women’s straight final fours in division 1 History isn’t enough!!

Is this not a forum to discuss games and the team?

 

[Plebe]

Oh my god here we go again!!! More doubt.. do u guys seriously ever stop?? Yesterday all gloom and doom.. no chance Lou isn’t herself, this team isn’t deep enough , bla bla bla ... it hasn’t been one day and we’re all at it again... this is a UCONN board to support our team and stay positive .. if u can’t do that then leave the board. We have no idea what the final four will bring?? Lastly did we not beat ND this year at there place?? We are a much better team.. and it’s not like we got blown out at Baylor did we? We didn’t have our best game. Enough with what can be.. like my husband says to me all the time.... live in today not tomorrow. Enjoy relax people. Geno is right when he says this all the time..UCONN fans are spoiled and expect perfection all the time!!!! I guess breaking the NCAA record for men’s or women’s straight final fours in division 1 History isn’t enough!!

I'm encouraged to hear this positivity. A welcome departure...

 

[Longtime fan]

Coming down from ydays high, a sobering thought:

• UConn was 14-26 from 3 (54%)
• Louisville was 42% from the field including 4-22 from 3 (18%)
• UConn outrebounded Lou 42-36
• UConn had just 13 fouls

And UConn won by only 7

Can UConn can play better than it did yesterday? I'm not so sure.

Take a look at the turnovers, however, and you will see why the game stayed close.

 

[MainefanSC]

Take a look at the turnovers, however, and you will see why the game stayed close.

Believe me, I saw each TO as it happened. CD is our most reliable ball protector and she turned it over 4 times. My heart was breaking for her because I know she must have been devastated with each one. I won't make a prediction, I'll make a statement. CD will NOT turn it over 4 times ever again.

 

[KY Card Fan]

Louisville fan here.

We're not normally going 4-22 from 3 and you're not normally going 14-26, but that's what makes this such a great game. Lots of unpredictable and improbable things happen. We've certainly seen that on the men's side also - lots of blue-clad folks shaking their heads in Kentucky today.

You guys were deserving winners. I was mightily impressed by Samuelson's performance.

I haven't gone back and watched the game again yet, but it seemed to me that UConn got most of the contested balls, tipped-and-fought for rebounds, etc. Credit to your players for that hustle.

Good luck the rest of the way.

 

[Alydar]

Well, there were some things in the box score that can certainly be improved on:

1. Napheesa was 4-for-13, which is obviously way below her average or the expectation for her. I think that was because the Louisville coaches decided that she was the key to stopping UConn, and that if they did stop her, they could safely let 3-point shooters fire at will. It does show that her offense can be neutralized so that UConn MUST make 3-point shots to beat good opponents.

2. Louisville only had 5 turnovers for the entire game. They aren't such great ball handlers that they should be able to do that. It appeared that UConn was focused on covering the shooters rather than getting turnovers, which turned out (luckily) to be an effective strategy yesterday, since Louisville was 4-for-22 on 3-point attempts.

But your overall point is very valid: UConn basically won because they had a fantastic 3-point shooting game that is quite unlikely to be repeated. If UConn had shot 35% rather than 54% from the arc, would they have won the game? Most likely not. But that 35% is really all they can count on in the upcoming game(s).

I expect that UConn will face Notre Dame on Friday evening, and I rate that game as a tossup. UConn, including Napheesa, should score more easily against ND than against either Louisville or UCLA, and I don't think Mabrey will be able to defend either Crystal or Chrystyn. If ND decides to play zone because of that, many offensive rebounds should be available. If UConn shoots 35% from 3-point land, clears the defensive boards as well as it did against Louisville, avoids fouls, and doesn't let Ogunbuwale have a dominant game, they should win.

I don't see a winning strategy against Baylor that does not involve another cannonade from 3-point land. It would be nice if Oregon eliminates that problem on our behalf.

You say a lot of valid things but ...

On Dec 2 UConn beat Notre Dame by 18 when Collier was held to 16 and UConn was 4-17 23%) from 3. Just because they won with great 3 pt shooting last nite doesn't prove or suggest anything.
UConn also lost at Baylor by 11 on a day they shot 29%. If they had shot 40% (6 more baskets) or if the game had been in Storrs instead of Waco it could be UConn with the overall 1 seed. LOL. See how easy it is?