Conditioning: Has UConn lost its edge?

[MSGRET]

After tonight’s game against Tenn I don’t believe that we have lost some conditioning. We wore Tenn down in the 4 th quarter to the extent that they could barely make a basket.

They could barely make a basket in the second half scoring only 14 points, 7 in the 3rd and 7 in the 4th quarters. It was the lowest scoring half in LV history.

 

[Two Sheds]

I think we just don’t have enough quality players to spell the starters. That was evident in the Baylor game. Baylor substituted freely and eventually pulled away. UConn just ran out of gas. If I’m not mistaken I saw Walker tugging at her shorts several times late in the third and fourth periods, a sure sign of fatigue.

Shorts tugging is not necessarily a sign of fatigue. In fact, I was tugging at my shorts earlier today and I was perfectly fine; normal respiration, heartrate, bloodpressure, etc. As a matter of fact, I'm tugging my shorts right now. No problem.

 

[eebmg]

Shorts tugging is not necessarily a sign of fatigue. In fact, I was tugging at my shorts earlier today and I was perfectly fine; normal respiration, heartrate, bloodpressure, etc. As a matter of fact, I'm tugging my shorts right now. No problem.

Problems start when you forget to put on your shorts.

 

[JonathanXIV]

Concerning this discussion on UConn's conditioning, thought a couple of views from outside the UConn family might offer some insight as to how the rest of college basketball views UConn's conditioning. Two quotes from VolNation following last night's game.

"Conditioning is one of the keystone trademarks of a UConn team. They can run all night."

"One of the core attributes of EVERY UConn team is conditioning."

There were more, but I think that conveys the impressions of Tennessee fans and whether UConn was the better conditioned team last night.

 

[meyers7]

Shorts tugging is not necessarily a sign of fatigue. In fact, I was tugging at my shorts earlier today and I was perfectly fine; normal respiration, heartrate, bloodpressure, etc. As a matter of fact, I'm tugging my shorts right now. No problem.

TMI.

 

[Cedar]

i was too caught up watching the game. Can someone help me out here? How was the UCONN strength and conditioning in the 2nd half of the Tennessee game tonight?

I think we can agree that UConn’s conditioning was superior to that of the Lady Vols.

Just two weeks ago, you were singing a different tune. After the Baylor game, you wrote that in the last 4-5 minutes of the game, Smith “took over because UCONN had no one with the energy or athleticism on the floor to stop her.”

 

[Cedar]

After tonight’s game against Tenn I don’t believe that we have lost some conditioning. We wore Tenn down in the 4 th quarter to the extent that they could barely make a basket.

I agree that we wore Tennessee down, and although the game was ugly, it was great to see UConn’s stingy defense in the second half. A victory over the Lady Vols is always satisfying.

That said, this was a game that many people expected us to win, against a team ranked #23. My discussion on conditioning was intended to be more focused on how UConn stacks up relative to the elite teams such as Baylor. After UConn played the Lady Bears on January 9, a number of posters observed that Baylor’s size, physicality, conditioning, and depth were important factors in the defending national champions’ win over the Huskies. Here is a sample of posters/posts: soxfan23, Checkmate 2.0, Sluconn Husky, BostonBay, Triad, willtalk, browns.

To UConn’s credit, the Huskies stayed within a point of Baylor until about the last five-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, an achievement that is even more impressive when one considers that the Huskies were essentially playing 3 on 5. But then Baylor pulled away from the tired Huskies, to a decisive 16-point victory.

It will be interesting to see how the Huskies perform against other top teams such as Oregon and South Carolina.

 

[VAUConnFan]

I do not believe UConn has enjoyed a conditioning advantage over the years as much as they have enjoyed a competitive advantage that has kept their starters from having to play deep into games. It would be hard for me to imagine other top athletic programs not devoting as much attention to conditioning as UConn; Especially programs that enjoy tremendous success in multiple sports.

 

[CocoHusky]

I agree that we wore Tennessee down, and although the game was ugly, it was great to see UConn’s stingy defense in the second half. A victory over the Lady Vols is always satisfying.

That said, this was a game that many people expected us to win, against a team ranked #23. My discussion on conditioning was intended to be more focused on how UConn stacks up relative to the elite teams such as Baylor. After UConn played the Lady Bears on January 9, a number of posters observed that Baylor’s size, physicality, conditioning, and depth were important factors in the defending national champions’ win over the Huskies. Here is a sample of posters/posts: soxfan23, Checkmate 2.0, Sluconn Husky, BostonBay, Triad, willtalk, browns.

To UConn’s credit, the Huskies stayed within a point of Baylor until about the last five-and-a-half minutes of the fourth quarter, an achievement that is even more impressive when one considers that the Huskies were essentially playing 3 on 5. But then Baylor pulled away from the tired Huskies, to a decisive 16-point victory.

It will be interesting to see how the Huskies perform against other top teams such as Oregon and South Carolina.

Your original post stated: the Huskies have struggled in the fourth quarter of some games, most notably in the Baylor game. When the UCONN team holds the Lady Vols to 14 points in the second half of a game you dismiss that because UCONN was "expected to win". Fine! I don't suppose we'll hear from you again until February 11-after the South Carolina game?

 

[Cedar]

Your original post stated: the Huskies have struggled in the fourth quarter of some games, most notably in the Baylor game. When the UCONN team holds the Lady Vols to 14 points in the second half of a game you dismiss that because UCONN was "expected to win". Fine! I don't suppose we'll hear from you again until February 11-after the South Carolina game?

Perhaps I could have been clearer, but I think you misinterpreted my remarks. As I mentioned, it was great to see UConn’s stingy defense in the second half against the Lady Vols. I didn’t dismiss the Huskies’ performance, rather, my intention was to put it into context. The Lady Vols are ranked #23—they are clearly not at the level of Baylor, Oregon, or South Carolina. If the Huskies play excellent defense (and offense) in their upcoming games against Oregon and South Carolina, I will be very pleased.

Just to keep you happy, I’ll try to contribute to the board before the South Carolina game.

 

[HopJim]

I believe UConn has always had a physical AND mental conditioning advantage. They expected to win and knew what to do to make it happen. Not sure why but against Baylor in last 4-5 minutes, they did not seem to maintain their mental advantage. The Tenn game will help in the future.

 

[Martin]

Problems start when you forget to put on your shorts.

Or tie them. Embarrassing I KNOW this one! )))