Couple of thoughts after the game

[meyers7]

Kevin Durant.

OOPS!

I forgot. He's not a "true" or "pure" center.

Nor a woman.

Nor even a center.

 

[Icebear]

Could it be that she gets double and triple teamed more than anyone on the team ?

Exactly, post players often have <1 A/TO ratios.

 

[meyers7]

And it also doesn't mean they are more important. At this point, I don't think any Uconn player is more crucial than the other, especially given the depth.)

And you would be wrong.

 

[meyers7]

I don't think this team could win a championship without Hartley, Stewart, or Dolson.

And again you would be wrong.

But at the end of the day, this team has a better shot without Dolson than it does without Stewart or Hartley.

And once again, wrong.

You're on fire today.

 

[DobbsRover2]

All this for a playoff system that allows everyone to make it regardless of where you finish in standings for the Conference Tourney. I realize the Big East was similar but with all the extra teams they had not everyone made it. This year even on the men's side what's the point of the regular season if no one is eliminated from conference playoff contention? I realize you play to make the Big Dance, but these meaningless tourneys can hurt your Seed in March Maddness if a top team just has an off night against an also ran bottom dweller of the " American "

Yeah, the tourney for the big conferences can result in problems for some teams, but where do you draw the line about who gets to go? If you have 10 teams and you only allow in 8 for a three-day tourney, that just seems like musical chairs cheapness. And though the huge Big East would never have kept it at only 8 in past years, if they had done so in 2011, a certain UConn MCBB team might never have been selected to go to the NCAA tourney as the pre-BEast-tourney #9 team.

But yeah, the regular season in WCBB as in the NHL particularly is a bit cheapened by the conference tourneys. But we all tend to love those really ugly duckings that win their small conference tourney with a 13-17 record and get to the national stage. I don't think that's ever going to change, even if some deserving teams blow their chance in their tourney and are forced to go make a bid for an NIT crown instead.

 

[miked1958]

Yeah, the tourney for the big conferences can result in problems for some teams, but where do you draw the line about who gets to go? If you have 10 teams and you only allow in 8 for a three-day tourney, that just seems like musical chairs cheapness. And though the huge Big East would never have kept it at only 8 in past years, if they had done so in 2011, a certain UConn MCBB team might never have been selected to go to the NCAA tourney as the pre-BEast-tourney #9 team.

But yeah, the regular season in WCBB as in the NHL particularly is a bit cheapened by the conference tourneys. But we all tend to love those really ugly duckings that win their small conference tourney with a 13-17 record and get to the national stage. I don't think that's ever going to change, even if some deserving teams blow their chance in their tourney and are forced to go make a bid for an NIT crown instead.

I guess this day an age it's about money as well. Having all those bottom teams make it even though they know they will be quickly eliminated gets them extra revenue in purchased tickets, food, hotels for fans of those lower teams.

 

[miked1958]

The other issue is the Top Tier teams like Uconn, Stamford, ND , Baylor etc are going to be number one in a Region regardless when the Big Dance starts. Prob is these teams have to go through the motions and play a bunch of teams a third time they've already blown out twice. Nothing good can come of if out her then one of your stars tweaking something and not being 100 percent for the games that matter. It's happened before

 

[msf22b]

But while you're at it, why don't you ask MoJeff why she's so far behind Stef in the blocks and rebounds totals? That makes about as much sense as your gripe about Stef's A\TO ratio.

Thanks for reminding me, I was just going to ask her that?

Great post!

 

[Buzzyboy]

what-if stef didn't turn the ball over 7 times in that game? maybe uconn would have won by more. who knows? of course, much is made of stef's importance in the flow of the offense , and her passing. but looking at this years stats, though, her A/TO ratio is 1.4, the lowest of the starters.

If you really honestly think that those numbers reflect what Stef Dolson is to this team, then I feel you are very sadly mistaken. You can't take a person out of a game and magically play that same game over so as to prove point A or point B but there is absolutely no question of how essential Stef IS and HAS BEEN to this team over the past couple of years. I've been known to get upset with her for a "bonehead play" on occasion but I think she is a piece of the UConn puzzle that I think no one who loves the Huskies would ever not want to have on that court in crunch time. She's a great leader, a great hustler and an inspiration, particularly based on how she performed through horrific pain during the Huskies run to their National Championship last year. The girls in the locker room know it and the coaching staff knows it and there are many many Huskie fans that know it, though you're obviously not one of them. I remember (being an old man) of players who were astonished watching trainers taping up Mickey Mantle with yards and yards of guaze and bandages, how he'd be able to go out and perform at the extraordinarily high level that he did, game in and game out, when obviously in so much pain and how it inspired them. Ditto for Stef!

 

[DobbsRover2]

She's a great leader, a great hustler and an inspiration, particularly based on how she performed through horrific pain during the Huskies run to their National Championship last year. The girls in the locker room know it and the coaching staff knows it and there are many many Huskie fans that know it, though you're obviously not one of them.

Good point. One thing stats can never quantify is the inspirational effect a veteran has on her teammates when she's giving her all while in a painful state.

You look at Jayne Appel's stats in the 2010 NC game and you might think no way should she be out there and she's hurting her team. But in reality her effort under painful circumstances helped spark Stanford to tough defensive first half against UConn that almost carried them to the title if not for some Mayan magic. The fact that Jayne occupied Tina and vice versa was reason enough for her to be playing.

 

[Icebear]

The other thing that is remarkable about Stef is that despite her bigger than life personality she is completely willing to suppress personal numbers and goals to the benefit of teammates and more importantly team. More than anything else that character trait is the mark of why she lead the team last year to the NC and why her numbers are different this year. She does whatever is necessary and whatever Geno and staff asks of her. That is the mark of a true team player and AA.

 

[boontonbomber]

If you really honestly think that those numbers reflect what Stef Dolson is to this team, then I feel you are very sadly mistaken. You can't take a person out of a game and magically play that same game over so as to prove point A or point B but there is absolutely no question of how essential Stef IS and HAS BEEN to this team over the past couple of years. I've been known to get upset with her for a "bonehead play" on occasion but I think she is a piece of the UConn puzzle that I think no one who loves the Huskies would ever not want to have on that court in crunch time. She's a great leader, a great hustler and an inspiration, particularly based on how she performed through horrific pain during the Huskies run to their National Championship last year. The girls in the locker room know it and the coaching staff knows it and there are many many Huskie fans that know it, though you're obviously not one of them. I remember (being an old man) of players who were astonished watching trainers taping up Mickey Mantle with yards and yards of guaze and bandages, how he'd be able to go out and perform at the extraordinarily high level that he did, game in and game out, when obviously in so much pain and how it inspired them. Ditto for Stef!

i agree with your most of what you say. the only reason i threw in a comment in this thread was because of your assertion that they could not have won the championship last year without stef. there i disagreed with you. i think they would have won the last 4 games without her, including the nd game, where, in spite of her 5 blocks, i don't think that she was a big factor. many think that her meer presence is so very huge that they don't win without her. that's pretty hard to measure, and i just don't buy that. rather than my downplaying stef's contributions, i really just felt that the rest of that team was so strong that they could have won without her.

 

[Icebear]

i agree with your most of what you say. the only reason i threw in a comment in this thread was because of your assertion that they could not have won the championship last year without stef. there i disagreed with you. i think they would have won the last 4 games without her, including the nd game, where, in spite of her 5 blocks, i don't think that she was a big factor. many think that her meer presence is so very huge that they don't win without her. that's pretty hard to measure, and i just don't buy that. rather than my downplaying stef's contributions, i really just felt that the rest of that team was so strong that they could have won without her.

I think you are completely wrong on that. Our offense would have ground to a halt.

 

[DobbsRover2]

The other thing that is remarkable about Stef is that despite her bigger than life personality she is completely willing to suppress personal numbers to the benefit of teammates and more importantly team. More than anything else that character is the mark of why she lead the team last year to the NCAA and why her numbers are different this. She does whatever is necessary and whatever Geno and staff asks of her. That is the mark of a true team player and AA.

And also, in her limited state last year, she was smart enough to recognize what she could do to help her team and to not to extend herself past a point that could really aggravate her injuries. So she took only 4 shots in the ND game, just the ones that were pretty much gimmes. She got some blocks, assists, and rebounds, set picks, and played strong defense, all the stuff that was vital for UConn. Yeah, she had some TOs, but anyone trying to play with lower leg stress fractures and plantar fasciitis is going to find it a little tough to throw a smooth pass or secure a rebound from a grasping defender. A team takes the good and the bad in those situations, but the results were mainly good, and there's no what-if about whether UConn won the NC.

 

[boontonbomber]

I think you are completely wrong on that. Our offense would have ground to a halt.

are you saying that you think uconn would have lost that nd game?

 

[DobbsRover2]

I'm just wondering if UConn really needed Geno this year. I mean, they're winning games at a 37.8 margin clip, so do you think they could have won the 24 games without him? He's pretty short, hasn't scored a point all year, and admits he doesn't feel good more than two days a month, so is he essential? Maybe UConn just need Stewie and Bria and the gang to go out on the floor for a done deal.

What-ifs and could-ifs really are for wankers and those who like to get blue in the face. What happened, happened. What didn't happen, didn't happen.

 

[Icebear]

are you saying that you think uconn would have lost that nd game?

Yes, most likely the would have.

 

[Phil]

I'm just wondering if UConn really needed Geno this year. I mean, they're winning games at a 37.8 margin clip, so do you think they could have won the 24 games without him? He's pretty short, hasn't scored a point all year, and admits he doesn't feel good more than two days a month, so is he essential? Maybe UConn just need Stewie and Bria and the gang to go out on the floor for a done deal.

What-ifs and could-ifs really are for wankers and those who like to get blue in the face. What happened, happened. What didn't happen, didn't happen.

I think it was Bird who mentioned that the 2002 team didn't really need Geno. I'm now wondering if she was hoping for a reaction, but IIRC, they just moved on.

 

[Buzzyboy]

The other thing that is remarkable about Stef is that despite her bigger than life personality she is completely willing to suppress personal numbers to the benefit of teammates and more importantly team. More than anything else that character is the mark of why she lead the team last year to the NCAA and why her numbers are different this. She does whatever is necessary and whatever Geno and staff asks of her. That is the mark of a true team player and AA.

So True!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Buzzyboy]

Kib - by current criteria both Stef and Bria have made the wall and the jerseys go up on senior night. KML made the wall last year along with Stef so that will happen on her senior night and one has to believe Stewie earns it this year. I do believe that 4 of the five starters are worthy of selection this year and I suspect three get onto the 10 player squad - the two seniors and Stewart. The reason I say 4 of 5 is that Kaleena missed so many games and struggled when she returned that she is only starting now to play up to that level. She has a month to impress and I think she will, but at this moment in time she hasn't done enough this year to justify AA selection.

You're so right. It'd be quite hard to have Kaleena make it due to her lost time and her stats, which don't quite show who she is. I can't see how Stef doesn't make it as just about everyone knows that she is the best center in the country though her stats don't necessarily blow you away. Bria struggled a bit early and she's coming off a year where she struggled mightily. From UConn's perspective, she deserves raves for her grit and determination and the way she's turned things around. The past couple of weeks or more, she's been sensational but it is enough???? Breanna is such a lock that it's not even funny. She's everybody's All-American. So, I'm saying yes for Breanna and Stef and possibly Bria, as well but definitely no Kaleena this year.