Very cold, clammy, un-Egyptian like weather in Connecticut today but a pretty decent crowd made it to Gampel nonetheless.
Jana was introduced to the crowd in the first half and got a warm reception. Also a great roar when Ayanna came into the game.
I have seen two games at Gampel in three days and I can`t say enough about the defensive effort UConn is giving. They can be in any game including South Carolina with that defensive effort.
Other impressions:
Both Aaliyah and Dorka both outplayed Morrow, and by a lot. Heck, Amari didn`t fare too bad either.
Aubrey Griffin seemed out of sync early but wow that changed in a hurry. She is a unique player and can take it to the hoop like no one else I have seen currently playing college basketball. Makes everyone on defense seem like they are standing still.
If we hit our shots better in the first half Nika would have had at least 15 assists.
Lou is so great! I hope she gets a shot in the WNBA. She is just a scorer, a big time player. By the way, that contact in the second quarter with her and Morrow seemed way more than "incidental" when watching it in person. That was scary.
I liked how all of our bench players played. Ines is playing faster than she did earlier in the season. Amari is showing signs - she still does inexplicable things which seem to be due to lack of focus, or maybe nerves - but she may get there yet. Ayanna is also a work in process but the talent and effort is there.
Watching Doug Bruno is worth the price of admission. Tonight if he wasn`t angry at his players, he was angry at the referees. Exasperation personified.
I always worry when DePaul comes to town, and afterwards wonder why I was worrying. (I know, close call last year in Chicago.) This is not a vintage DePaul team. They are undisciplined and play weak defense even by DePaul standards. They miss Held and Morris.
We will need to cut down on the turnovers. The game seemed sloppy at the start. The turnovers seem to be mostly from mental lapses of one sort or another - lazy passes, passes to players who are guarded, low percentage passes. Correctible. I think. I hope.
Another game with players crashing to the floor left and right. I spend half the game holding my breath. I wish the game was less physical.
Now onto Tennessee and we seem to be in good shape for the shape we are in!