UConn did not lose this game because of poor shooting, although they did miss a number of makeable shots. The Huskies actually outshot the Irish 43% to 39%. UConn did not lose the game because of turnovers either, committing only 7 to ND’s 9.
UConn was -17 on the boards. The Huskies lack of size finally caught up with them. Geno understood the problem all too well when he sat Crystal down for Liv. That created a new problem of offensive execution, so he put Crystal back in the game. Under the circumstances, losing the rebounding battle by 17, it’s a small miracle that UConn hung in there as long as they did.
UConn has some outstanding talent returning next year. Christyn will eventually be a better player than either Ogunbowle or Durr. With Paige and maybe Azzi coming in behind her, the Huskies could have a series of outstanding guards capable of taking over games.
With all that talent, UConn just has to do a better job recruiting Bigs. They missed on Wilson, Cox and others over the past few years. Either one of those players probably changes the outcome of the last few tournaments. Losing out on Boston this year continues the unfortunate trend with Bigs.
I expect Liv will be very good, but she needs some help. UConn needs another Big or two who can play next year and beyond. Geno needs to aggressively pursue grad transfers, international players and HS 2020 recruits who can play up front.
If you look back to UConn’s 11 championships, most of them involved one or more dominant Bigs: Rebecca, Kara, Asa, Swin, Tamika, Tina, Steph, Tuck & Stewie.
