Could a short bench be UConn's downfall?

[Fightin Choke]

That question is considered HERE.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Nah, it may cramp their legs a bit, but the Huskies will overcome it.

 

[doggydaddy]

That question is considered HERE.

Nope. I fully expect Uconn to have an eight player rotation when the tourney starts.

 

[MilfordHusky]

The ONLY way we lose is due to injuries or foul trouble.

I agree with Doggy--an 8-player rotation. I wish we had Morgan available too.

 

[tomcat]

Well, the question is COULD it happen, and the only answer, really, is sure, it could happen. I hope Doggydaddy is right and they have a "full" contingent of 8 when the tournament starts. But a really good team (and by the way, ND is a really good team) could successfully get one or more players in foul trouble, effectively reducing the bench to 6 for, say the last minutes of the first half. That won't kill a UConn team that is much better than the others, but if they go cold -- and let's face it, we've all seen times when that's happened, there COULD be a problem.

That said, having the best coach in the game helps at times like that. If the team listens to Geno and does what he says, they should be okay.

 

[DaddyChoc]

I wouldnt put my money on #9 this season... another injury and foul trouble could derail everything, along with Notre Dame's swag!

 

[Zorro]

Ah, c'mon Daddy; if you had to just HAD to bet the homestead either on #9 or against it, you KNOW which you would go with!

 

[hoophuskee]

Anybody from the boneyard could have written that article. This is news? Get UCONN in foul trouble and you might have a chance? How is UCONN suppsed to get into foul trouble if you don't take the ball to the basket?

We'll just have to see if it's what the writer thinks that "Louisville found something." Or was it UCONN took their foot off the gas becuase of just 6 players and maybe the refs were a little more friendly to Lousiville late after game was decided?

I wonder why Walz said the following, "'Wow. If they're allowed to do a few things on the floor as well as they are right now, then it's tough.'."

What does he mean by "if they're allowed . . ."???????????

 

[Blueballer]

I don't seem to recall a short bench ever being our downfall in the past. If we have had great teams and were expected to win generally it's when one or more of our stars gets hurt that does us in. Heck, when we won our first NC in 95 to say we had a short bench would be quite an understatement. We essentially won that tournament with 7 players (And Only 6 playing major minutes). Pam Webber started but Sales usually came in for her quickly and Webber didn't get a lot of minutes particularly as it got deeper into the Tourney.

 

[arty155]

...I wonder why Walz said the following, "'Wow. If they're allowed to do a few things on the floor as well as they are right now, then it's tough.'."

What does he mean by "if they're allowed . . ."???????????

................JJe. Jeff an' Refs

‘Working refs’ is an old, common hoodwink,

Yet, the gentleman doth protest too much, methinks.

Further complaint carries less weight, you see,

When spoken right after, getting a ‘T’
.
.
.
.

[My apologies to Gertrude, Hamlet, & the entire Danish national team]

 

[doggydaddy]

I wouldnt put my money on #9 this season... another injury and foul trouble could derail everything, along with Notre Dame's swag!

How is ND in a different position with injuries than Uconn?

 

[doggydaddy]

From another board.....

Is the longer bench a factor? I went back and looked at the championships UConn has won this century.


yr...#players...sub mins.sub pts.sub rb


02.....8..........20.........4.........3

03.....7..........36.........3.........6

04.....7..........30.........6.........3

09.....6..........15.........1.........2 .............5 other players got 1 min or less.

10.....6..........25.........7.........7..............McLaren also played 2 min all zero stats

13.....8..........*..........*.........*..............Buck & Stokes also played 7 mins total

* in 2013 Doty started but only played 13 mins while "sub" Hartley played 24.


So UConn has won 2 playing 6, 2 playing 7 and 2 playing 8. No convincing evidence that having only 8 players is a negative for CT. Interestingly, last year was the first time this century when subs played significant minutes. The other years UConn's bench averaged about 4 mins a game and 4 points a game for the entire bench production.

 

[Suebird10fan]

If the question is, is a short bench likely to keep UConn from winning the championship? the answer is clearly no IMO. As DD has documented we do fine with 8, 7 or even 6 players. So to have a big enough impact to keep us from winning the championship, you'd have to have multiple things happen like two injuries to post players where we are thin, or two injuries plus foul trouble. Or an injury to a post and foul trouble with a post. Low probability stuff.

If the question is, if we were to lose would it most likely be due to a short bench? then the answer might be yes. If we are healthy and we don't have foul trouble ND is the only team that has more than a remote chance and I think we beat them 9 times out of 10 (again, if healthy and no foul trouble). So, although I don't expect it to be a problem, the possibility of a short bench becoming a factor IS my biggest concern.

 

[rvwsleep]

I wouldnt put my money on #9 this season... another injury and foul trouble could derail everything, along with Notre Dame's swag!

What does that mean "another injury AND foul trouble" ? Does that mean both have to occur in order to derail UConn's NC quest ? And aren't other teams equally susceptible to injuries and foul trouble ? Yes, anything is possible but I am interested in what is most likely to happen. And from where I'm sitting, that's NC # 9. As DD's post makes clear, having an 8 player rotation is not an obstacle to a championship run.
On another note. If the past is any indication, the possibility of you wagering on anything, for or against UConn, is as likely as the Huskies dropping a conference game this season.

 

[Sonny44]

"But the depth problem is not a new one for UConn: "We’ve been there ever since Morgan Tuck had her surgery," Auriemma conceded."

Actually this has been an old issue for UCONN for years now.

 

[phil sampieri]

I wouldnt put my money on #9 this season... another injury and foul trouble could derail everything, along with Notre Dame's swag!

As long as we keep the opponent at the below 60 points on avarage, there is noone can beat us. Only 4 teams scored over 60 and the highest was 64. We can score 70 in our sleep.

 

[semper]

It's a problem, but as long as we keep getting top recruits, with our coaching it can be overcome, as we know. Makes for some nail biting over recruits though, as with Wilson.

 

[doggydaddy]

The only reason folks are writing articles and blogs about this topic and posters post about it is because it's the ONLY way Uconn loses. Sorry ND fans, but it's how I feel and I won't apologize for it.

The reality is not all players are created equal and not all injuries impact the team in the same way.

There is a big difference between Banks being out and KML being out. And this is what makes me crazy......there isn't a team that isn't in the same situation.

Let's look at Uconn's most likely opponent in the championship game.

Notre Dame Rotation - 5 starters listed first

McBride
Loyd
Achonwa
Allen
Braker
Reimer
Mabrey
Cable
Wright

Deep bench, right?

Well, kinda. In competitive games they have played mostly 8 players with 15 minutes+. Either Cable or Wright have had those minutes in these games. Never both. But a closer look shows that these two player, the 8th player off the bench, don't contribute to the stat sheet, just minutes. Important to give the starters rest, but in a championship game, it's not as important.

Uconn also uses it's bench to mostly fill minutes and give players a blow. And again, in a championship game, as Hartley said, they are all prepared to play 40 minutes.

So, why is Uconn the only team that needs to be concerned about injuries? Because it's the only way they lose.

 

[doggydaddy]

As long as we keep the opponent at the below 60 points on avarage, there is noone can beat us. Only 4 teams scored over 60 and the highest was 64. We can score 70 in our sleep.

They must have been in a coma agains Baylor.

 

[huskeynut]

The article is another in the long mantra of UConn has weaknesses.

I for one am getting a little tired of this. We beat two ranked teams soundly with Morgan and Kaleena out. And we receive no credit for it. We do not foul like other teams. No one seems to notice or mention that.

I guess the "talking heads" need this line to keep people interested in the game. After all UConn is bad for WCBB!

 

[alexrgct]

Well, the question is COULD it happen, and the only answer, really, is sure, it could happen. I hope Doggydaddy is right and they have a "full" contingent of 8 when the tournament starts. But a really good team (and by the way, ND is a really good team) could successfully get one or more players in foul trouble, effectively reducing the bench to 6 for, say the last minutes of the first half. That won't kill a UConn team that is much better than the others, but if they go cold -- and let's face it, we've all seen times when that's happened, there COULD be a problem.

That said, having the best coach in the game helps at times like that. If the team listens to Geno and does what he says, they should be okay.

This is true and critical. Geno almost pulled off an NC as the team's HC in 2010-11 with effectively six kids. I would have considered that coaching feat monumental, and if the bench is similarly thin, it will be both a) monumental from a coaching standpoint, and b) a testament to how good the team is beyond Maya Moore. Maya was spellbindingly good, but I think kids like Stewie will have other teammates backing her up, even with relatively few teammates. Bria, KML (God willing 100%), Mo, Stef, and even Kiah and Saniya, can be weapons. Not to point fingers, but other than Maya's 36 points, UConn in the 2011 national semis didn't get what it needed from the freshmen Bria and Stef, Tiff, Lorin, or even Kelly. That 2010-11 team was NC-caliber, but this one is looking to be a little better, thus far.

 

[Teacherdeb]

Well, conventional wisdom would state that the problem with fewer players during the season could be that the starters play too many minutes, as is happening, and coming into tournament time they are worn out. It is a long season. However, superbly conditioned athletes like the UCONN women should be able to play all the time, one would think. Wear and tear? They are young and resilient, yes?

 

[JoePgh]

I don't seem to recall a short bench ever being our downfall in the past.

Hmmm, what about 2011 (I think that was the year -- Maya's senior year), when UConn lost to ND in the semifinals with 6 effective players? (And nearly lost to Georgetown in the Sweet 16.) Stef got in foul trouble in the semifinal game and it was probably decisive. And the same thing might be said for 2008 when UConn lost to Stanford in the semifinals. Stanford was vulnerable to the press that year, but without Kalana and Mel, there wasn't enough depth to allow a pressing style to be used for major portions of the game.

That, in fact, is a significant consequence of a short bench -- you can't press as much as you would like to. More pressure against Louisville's guards last Sunday might have led to a bigger margin of victory, but with Brianna Banks unavailable, that option didn't really exist.

If we have 8 fully healthy players throughout the tournament, I don't think it should be a major factor. But opponents will not have to spend as much time preparing for UConn's pressure on the ball.

 

[Sonny44]

Hmmm, what about 2011 (I think that was the year -- Maya's senior year), when UConn lost to ND in the semifinals with 6 effective players? (And nearly lost to Georgetown in the Sweet 16.) Stef got in foul trouble in the semifinal game and it was probably decisive. And the same thing might be said for 2008 when UConn lost to Stanford in the semifinals. Stanford was vulnerable to the press that year, but without Kalana and Mel, there wasn't enough depth to allow a pressing style to be used for major portions of the game.

That, in fact, is a significant consequence of a short bench -- you can't press as much as you would like to. More pressure against Louisville's guards last Sunday might have led to a bigger margin of victory, but with Brianna Banks unavailable, that option didn't really exist.

If we have 8 fully healthy players throughout the tournament, I don't think it should be a major factor. But opponents will not have to spend as much time preparing for UConn's pressure on the ball.

We have to recruit more; five guards in two years, not enough.

 

[huskybill]

I wouldnt put my money on #9 this season... another injury and foul trouble could derail everything, along with Notre Dame's swag!

You still have money?