Damn. Let the 2nd guessing begin | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Damn. Let the 2nd guessing begin

I was so nervous the entire game, I never was confident with any lead we had. Great Game, Notre Dame always brings their best to us!
 
iri10 said:
I wouldn't call it a choke, which I associate with last minute, huge mental errors and losses of confidence. There were errors and crises scattered throughout the game, but UConn also had periods where they were doing well. There was some very clutch play toward the end of the 4th and OT that let us tie it, and some moderate mistakes and/or clutch ND shots after that. But the mistakes don't reach the level of a choke.

I would say that UConn was just out-toughed in this game. They were tough in bursts, but not for the sustained periods needed to win.
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Tough=hack
 
This fanbase really needs to handle losses better. The blame game sickens me especially when it's targeted at young women who play their hearts out. Geno can handle the criticism, but what I've seen tonight is really disgraceful comments directed at young women who give their all. Basketball is a game and nothing more. Get over it. On to next season. Wow.
 
Paesano said:
Watch the turnovers closely. Why were our players hesitant to drive? Why were they hesitant to pass? Because they would get hacked on every drive and because the passer would get hacked on the pass and/or the intended recipient would get bodied and hacked while try to catch the pass. After this happens a few timed, players get hesitant. That gives the defense time to close or recover or jump lanes.

This isn't about any specific play. It is about what the refs allow and the tone that is set.
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Oh come on. Give it a rest. The refs didn't lose this game for UCONN, UCONN did. The UCONN ladies worked hard, but they just didn't come with the same intensity and focus as ND. Give credit where credit is due and accept the loss for what it is.

Ogunbowale and Young were 19-36. Nurse and Dangerfield went 7-24. Enough said.
 
Rewster said:
Notre Dame drove the ball and that is the reason you get more foul calls.
UConn passed around the perimeter and didn't get the ball to the cutters.
UConn was content with outside shots. Not enough of them fell.
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ND drove because they got the foul calls. We didn't because we didn't get the calls. It isn't about being content with outside shots. It is about knowing what will happen when you drive.
 
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Sorry, but refs don't decide ball games. Any good coach will admit that bad calls tend to even out. ND made one more big play than we Uconn and believed in themselves the entire game. Go watch the minute before tipoff when the teams broke their huddles. ND was loose and confident, Huskies looks scared and then played poorly.
 
NOI33 said:
Oh come on. Give it a rest. The refs didn't lose this game for UCONN, UCONN did. The UCONN ladies worked hard, but they just didn't come with the same intensity and focus as ND. Give credit where credit is due and accept the loss for what it is.

Ogunbowale and Young were 19-36. Nurse and Dangerfield went 7-24. Enough said.
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Nope. You are wrong. The refs set the tone. The tone allowed ND to win. We have seen this before. It. is. not. coincidence.
 
This was a typical Notre Dame game and it’s been the way they play for years. Not a single thing ND did tonight surprised me, as this is how they’ve played since diggins stepped on campus and UConn should have known that and been ready for it and the fact that they weren’t is on the coaches and the players, not the refs.

Notre Dame has become experts on working the refs and it’s how they’ve managed to win against us over and over again. We needed players to box out late, no one was there. We needed someone to just drive and shoot, no one did. We needed someone to step up like Young did, no one did.

Kudos to Notre Dame; they had their game plan and they know how to execute. Our players couldn’t execute late.

It breaks my heart that this is how Gabby and Kia go out, but the players were outplayed and Muffet out coached Geno.
 
vowelguy said:
Dont get the choke comments.
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It's 2 years in a row of playing like deer in headlights on the biggest stage after being unbeaten in the regular season.

"Choke" is harsh, but is absolutely appropriate.

It's bewildering that players like Nurse and Williams, who epitomize toughness, have their teams perform like this.
 
We got beat 19 to 4 at the foul line. That was the big difference in the game.
Credit to Notre Dame, they played great and Jackie Young killed us.
 
UConn's style of play in the regular season doesnt translate in these FF games recently. Need to consistently have guards drive & have a constant presence on the boards. Had none of that tonight. Instead, if you rely on the finesse, quick passing, jump-shooting game, you have to be "on" against a good, physical team. This is almost an exact copy of last year's season. More talent overall, but same result. Got to blame Geno for not changing things up & anticipating this. Last year he had a pass. This year, UConn should have won it all but didnt & he deserves a lot of the blame. Inexecusable to lose to such an undermanned team.
 
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Congrats to ND!
UCONN mistakes were made but it was no way a choke as they battled back several times.
They had their chances to win it in regulation but outside shots were off!
ND won it on the foul line!
The refs stink every game for both teams so it didn't have a factor as both teams were burned by incompetent refs!
This one of those instances where a team, ND, has all the odds against them and somehow the final result becomes a plus! There are times in sports where it's like it's pre-ordained who is going to win! It'll be interesting if ND can pull out the Championship vs MISS ST.
 
Lets face it - playing in the garbage American conference hurts us in these FF games. Gives a false sense of security & doesnt get the players mentally or physically ready for FF games. Worst thing to happen to UConn basketball (both women & men teams).
 
Yeah, some bad calls, but not a horrible job in total by the refs. My observations:
  • The biggest impact the refs had on the game was calling four on KLS, causing her to stop defending. I know the 4th was a poor call. Will have to replay it to judge the other three.
  • UConn failed to penetrate the zone for most of the 4th quarter, and ND defended the perimeter very well.
  • Jackie Young with 32 points? She was not in UConn's defending plan, and she had a career night.
  • Regardless of opinions on the balance of foul calls, ND was great from the line - 19 for 23.
  • Too many of UConns 17 turnovers were just really bad passes.
I think in summary that to beat UConn you have to be one of the other best teams, play your best game, get a few bad calls in your favor, and have UConn not play their best game. You need all four of those elements, and tonight, ND had all four.

Sad for UConn and us rabid fans, but life goes on. And I pick ND to beat Miss St by a bunch, just as UConn would have done.
 
BostonFan said:
Lets face it - playing in the garbage American conference hurts us in these FF games. Gives a false sense of security & doesnt get the players mentally or physically ready for FF games. Worst thing to happen to UConn basketball (both women & men teams).
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Disagree. We still were playing top teams as recently as last month - a #2 and a #1 seed. We just don't have the ability to put top teams away anymore, and frankly why should we? Our talent isn't head and shoulders above the other teams.
 
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vowelguy said:
Dont get the choke comments.
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Agree. If anyone choked it would be Geno. But choke is not the right word. Aggressiveness is the word. ND was more aggressive and took the game to UConn. I mention Geno because, like last year, he did not press the opposing team, in order to speed up the game. Not once if I remember. Even so, ND scored 91 points! If you can score against UConn, either because you play lights out on offense with career games from unexpected players, or, UConn plays without intensity on defense, UConn is in trouble. Geno will also be second guessed on keeping AZ on the bench longer than needed in the 3rd quarter. Oh well. ND deserved the win. They wanted it more and you can sense that from the 1st minute of the game.
 
HoopsFan21 said:
Disagree. We still were playing top teams as recently as last month - a #2 and a #1 seed. We just don't have the ability to put top teams away anymore, and frankly why should we? Our talent isn't head and shoulders above the other teams.
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We played 2 good teams in the last 3 months of the season. Louisville and South Carolina. And S Carolina doesn't match up with us. The league doesn't matter when u have a Stewie and are playing Syracuse and Oregon State.

You can bet your bottom dollar it mattered the last 2 years.
 
Tenspro2002 said:
It's 2 years in a row of playing like deer in headlights on the biggest stage after being unbeaten in the regular season.

"Choke" is harsh, but is absolutely appropriate.

It's bewildering that players like Nurse and Williams, who epitomize toughness, have their teams perform like this.
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You wanna see a true choke job, go back and watch the tenn nd game earlier in the season.

Uconn made some amazing clutch shots and great defensive plays to get the game to overtime...ND played possibly their best game of the year, but still only win by 2 points..if you wanna have any chance of beating uconn you have to bring your triple plus a game and a lucky irish leprechaun
 
My last comments til next season. I think maybe the weakness of their conference hurts them in situations like tonight. I think it's hard to develop the mental toughness to succeed in games like this if you're essentially blowing people out the last month of the regular season. Geno can work their butts off physically, but how do you build the mental toughness to win the super close ones? Who knows.

High points for me this season: Crystal out of the shadows and showing everyone how great she can become. Z showing progress toward becoming a more complete player. And just watching this team over the last two years as they've come together.

Low points: Gabby and Kia going out like this, particularly Gabby who'll be seeing that last shot in her dreams. But they're good strong young women and this is just the end of one phase for them. Lots more goodness to come.

I think the era of UConn's so-called domination is probably about done. Look at the closeness and caliber of the Final Four teams & coaches - starting to look a lot like parity. Bound to happen sooner or later. But what a 20+ year run. So great to have been able to witness it all.

And I can finally say that I've been holding my breath for 4 years that Gabby's knee would make it thru 4 seasons of WCBB. She has been such a joy to watch. What an athlete & person.

Enjoy the spring & summer.
 
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Zanzman said:
Stop blaming the refs did u see gabby hit arike’s hand for the blOk no call uconn blew it bottom left be no one else to blame but themselves
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The hand is generally considered part of the ball.

ND was called for 11 fouls in an OT game. Think about that for a second. The played "tough D" and managed to overdo it 11 times in 45 minutes. ND has an amazing ability to do that...against UConn...in semi-final games. They played "tough" enough to rattle a team as good as ours into not driving and they only committed 11 fouls in an OT game. Really? Are some of you that unwilling to see what happened here?

And I could be wrong but didn't they commit only 5 fouls over the entire second half plus OT? I can't find the totals by half to verify that. But amazing if true.
 
tomcat said:
The word "choke" is harsh, but I'm pretty sure it's deserved. Reminds me of the game UConn lost in the semis to Notre Dame in Denver years ago. We all stood around asking ourselves why UConn was losing, and they lost.
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At least those were two evenly matched teams. This UConn team is much better than Notre Dame.

Maybe this will dispel the notion that close wins during the season somehow makes teams ready for close games late. Geno was so thrilled by eeking out wins against Texas and Notre Dame. Just doesn't mean anything.
 
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Here is my outsider's opinion - Notre Dame was tougher down the stretch - Jackie Young was better than UConn expected and Arike was everything ND needed her to be. I will not lie, I was rooting for the Irish and I really think you need to be worried about them next year. They were down significant players this year and they don't graduate anyone important. You lose Gabby and Kia. Should be interesting, Oh, IMO - this ND win is good for wcbb, but I do feel bad for all of you UConn fans. Losing is never fun.
 
ScarlettB said:
Here is my outsider's opinion - Notre Dame was tougher down the stretch - Jackie Young was better than UConn expected and Arike was everything ND needed her to be. I will not lie, I was rooting for the Irish and I really think you need to be worried about them next year. They were down significant players this year and they don't graduate anyone important. You lose Gabby and Kia. Should be interesting, Oh, IMO - this ND win is good for wcbb, but I do feel bad for all of you UConn fans. Losing is never fun.
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Yeah ND is gonna kick our you know what next year that was always expected.
 
GoUconn7961 said:
This fanbase really needs to handle losses better. The blame game sickens me especially when it's targeted at young women who play their hearts out. Geno can handle the criticism, but what I've seen tonight is really disgraceful comments directed at young women who give their all. Basketball is a game and nothing more. Get over it. On to next season. Wow.
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Like they played better, scored more points; great season, the end
 
UConn lost the game because they had no answer for the Notre Dame guards. They needed Z in the game on offense, but in no way they could match up on the defensive end when she was in for Dangerfield. The unforced turnovers both on out of bounds & in the half court offense gave ND extra possessions and they are too good on offense to do that. The ND guards drove it downhill against UConn and got to the line, while UConn shot only 6 free throws in 45 minutes. UConn played at least 4 defenses in the game- 1-3-1 zone, 2-3 zone, triangle and two, and man, and couldn’t get consistent stops in any of them. The play of Jackie Young was the biggest factor in ND’s win. It’s tough to swallow, but ND played tough, and the 3rd quarter was what came back to haunt UConn.
 
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