Diamond Deshields officially to Tennessee

[RSHERMVIKES]

ND has had tremendous success against UCONN over the last few years. to say that it would not have made "ANY" difference is a little far fetched. Doris Burke's opinion is irrelevant. She's flat out obsessed with UCONN and always has been.

i can assure you if KML was out and UCONN for some reason lost, you would be saying KML would have made a dig difference in the game. again, i don't see the controversy in any of my comments. ND was a HELL of a team last year, led by experienced seniors who also had lots of experience beating UCONN. no team can lose their best rebounder, defender, and senior without it hurting their team. just a fact. it's OK for another team to be super talented too. you guys won anyway so i don't see the issue. anyway, that's all i am gonna say on it. night all

LadyVol9- - - As stated above much more eloquent than I can but, ok you add the injured Natalie Achonwa who IS a GREAT player and I'll double down with a HEALTHY KML and Brianna Banks and a full season for a healthy Morgan Tuck and UCONN would have won by 40 to 50 points! Yes, ND had a really good year till they finally met a GREAT WBB team! UCONN even shutup miss Muffitt postgame as she compared UCONN to the Miami Heat!
You people that defend ND or your TN LadyVols at all times because you're too jealous to admit that UCONN is the top of the collegiate world in both MBB & WBB! Read your SUMMITT posts sometimes and tell me that that Lady Vol crew isn't paranoid with their "Geno bought Maya Moore's Mom a house in CT", or "UCONN cheated to get Maya (flying in Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi to take MM out to lunch when in truth they were playing in Russia at that exact time) and other recruits to come to CT", What a bunch of bitter has-beens ND and TN fans have become! And how many NC's does ND have in the last 4 years!
The Golden Domers have nothing to brag about! Bringing up the 7-2 or whatever winning streak ND had on UCONN in the recent past! If you truly WATCHED those games you would have seen UCONN in control late and proceed to throw the games away! They must have seen ND press clippings or the Referees ignoring charges, flops, blocking fouls, etc. ND was artificially created into a powerhouse! When they finally played UCONN vintage BB CT kicked ND's A_S all over the court the last 3 times they've met!
THE SUMMITT has already given the next 10 National Championships to TN because Diamond DeShields signed on, when in fact they'll be lucky to MAKE the FF let alone win the NC!
And by the way Doris Burke IS SO IRRELEVANT that she does NBA games also, so once again you show your lack of knowledge by your comments!

 

[Icebear]

I know you're my BY elder Ice, and I mean no disrespect, but while the powers that be are working on a keyword filter, maybe you should start by skipping threads with Tennessee in the title?

Elder or not, I understand your point. I guess I am just missing many of the folks who used to post regularly and are missing today either by death like OC or other choices. I am giving a bit of voice to conversations that have taken place elsewhere.

I miss OSouth, as well, and he isn't here for other reasons.

Part of it is I also left the Summitt to avoid LV fans and since the pay days pleasant or not that has raised the number of posters here. It is what it is. But I am far from the only one who has this irritation just tired of the delusional appraisals of those feeling the need to defend the LV and voicing it. Every recruit for the last 6 years has been the next superstar returning them to the promised land and it hasn't happened yet. Will DD do it, maybe, but at this point my idea would to simply wait and see, but then I am not given to making much hype over our recruits either.

 

[easttexastrash]

Diamond is nowhere near the player that Candace is. She's very, very talented, but Candace is one of the top players in the world.

Are you comparing the DD of today to the Parker of today? Of course DD is not the player that Parker is...how many players in the world are, much less a soon-to-be college sophomore.

 

[WesternPaFan]

LadyVol9- - - As stated above much more eloquent than I can but, ok you add the injured Natalie Achonwa who IS a GREAT player and I'll double down with a HEALTHY KML and Brianna Banks and a full season for a healthy Morgan Tuck and UCONN would have won by 40 to 50 points! Yes, ND had a really good year till they finally met a GREAT WBB team! UCONN even shutup miss Muffitt postgame as she compared UCONN to the Miami Heat!
You people that defend ND or your TN LadyVols at all times because you're too jealous to admit that UCONN is the top of the collegiate world in both MBB & WBB! Read your SUMMITT posts sometimes and tell me that that Lady Vol crew isn't paranoid with their "Geno bought Maya Moore's Mom a house in CT", or "UCONN cheated to get Maya (flying in Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi to take MM out to lunch when in truth they were playing in Russia at that exact time) and other recruits to come to CT", What a bunch of bitter has-beens ND and TN fans have become!
The Golden Domers have nothing to brag about! And please don't show your ignorance by bringing up the 7-2 or whatever winning streak ND had on UCONN in the recent past! If you truly WATCHED those games you would have seen UCONN in control late and proceed to throw the games away! They must have seen ND press clippings or the Referees ignoring charges, flops, blocking fouls, etc. ND was artificially created into a powerhouse! When they finally played UCONN vintage BB CT kicked ND's A_S all over the court the last 3 times they've met!
THE SUMMITT has already given the next 10 National Championships to TN because Diamond DeShields signed on, when in fact they'll be lucky to MAKE the FF let alone win the NC!
And by the way Doris Burke IS SO IRRELEVANT that she does NBA games also, so once again you show your lack of knowledge by your comments!

One small comment......Achonwa was a GOOD player in college.She was NOT great .I think the word great is thrown around so much in sports that it cheapens the term great.When I listen or watch a ballgame basketball,football or any sport ---This was GREAT,That was GREAT,His catch was GREAT ,on and on.The people calling the games seem to see nothing but GREAT.She was only a good ball player!! This is not meant to insult anyone.Please understand.She was just a good basketball player.But not great.GO UCONN!!!

 

[easttexastrash]

One small comment......Achonwa was a GOOD player in college.She was NOT great .I think the word great is thrown around so much in sports that it cheapens the term great.When I listen or watch a ballgame basketball,football or any sport ---This was GREAT,That was GREAT,His catch was GREAT ,on and on.The people calling the games seem to see nothing but GREAT.She was only a good ball player!! This is not meant to insult anyone.Please understand.She was just a good basketball player.But not great.GO UCONN!!!

I agree. I get frustrated when a player makes a good pass and the TV commentators go "WOW...WHAT A PASS!!!" And I'm thinking, yeah that was a good pass, but there was no wow factore in that. And when that is done, particularly in women's sports, it makes the casual male audience member think "really, that deserves a WOW?"

 

[Fiftyish]

I know you're my BY elder Ice, and I mean no disrespect, but while the powers that be are working on a keyword filter, maybe you should start by skipping threads with Tennessee in the title?

Speaking of elder BY'ers , does anyone else wonder how this thread would have progressed if the inimitable other DD was participating? Just curious and hoping all is well. I'm sure he could add some solid dialogue and stats.

 

[CL82]

Cool. Now maybe UCONN will at last get a chance to take down Tennessee once again in a Final Four.

Love this post.

And when the losses and early exits continue the panic will return.

But I love this one a bit more.

The Tennessee faithful will view this as the piece needed to get them back to winning championships. When that doesn't happen, it's not going to pretty. Makes me kind of wish the Checkerboard was still public. Of course it will be Geno's fault...

 

[JS]

Speaking of elder BY'ers , does anyone else wonder how this thread would have progressed if the inimitable other DD was participating? Just curious and hoping all is well.

He's fine. Just taking some time off.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

WesternPaFan- - -Point taken! My bad!

 

[RadyLady]

Visitors feel unwelcome on the Boneyard, you have no idea the reception UConn fans received when posting on the summitt, For heaven sake they even made fun of things they read posted here. ...

very, very true. And the moderators are just as bad. There is no welcome for UConn fans there whereas here, as you can see and as JS said, we have many posters from different fan bases.

Disagreeing with someone isn't telling them that they are unwelcome. If that were the case, I would never have company over...

 

[easttexastrash]

very, very true. And the moderators are just as bad. There is no welcome for UConn fans there whereas here, as you can see and as JS said, we have many posters from different fan bases.

Disagreeing with someone isn't telling them that they are unwelcome. If that were the case, I would never have company over...

I have been a guest here for about three years now. This is by far the most welcoming (and forgiving) board I have been on. I no longer feel like a guest and I have come to respect the UCONN program more than ever.

 

[AnotherVolFan]

I for one have never thought the recruits we've had in the past have been enough to lead us into the promise land. The year we should have all met in the touney iMO was when ND took us out in the EE, Angie Bjorklands senior year...I'm a firm believer in having a superstar to win a NC in WCB...yes the team concept is also a very important factor but when you have a "Star" player on your team to make shots in crunch time and the othee team doesn't, more than likely the team with the "Star" wins...ie "We have Diana and they don't". Tenn hasn't had that since Candace Parker. Mercedes was a start but she's a post player. I didn't expect her to come in her Freshman year as the "glasses wearers" thought and put up 20 and 10 and lead us back to the FF. We needed team ball to win games and Meighan was considered our "Star" player however as much as I appreciate Meighan and her time given to Tenn, she just wasn't a very trustworthy "Star" player. Alot of Tenn people are getting excited because we feel like landing DD gives us a "Star" player that while might not have had the most prolific shooting % at UNC but brought other intangibles to the table...one of the most important, a will to win. I've grown to love this board and some posters that have been a part of it. If I've offended anyone because of my excitement of finally, maybe having a chance to compete against the best at the particular moment (UCONN) then I apolgize. Its just an exciting time in basketball when Tenn can be a contender and I think this puts us back in the hunt at least.

 

[uconnell]

I am sure no one wants to rain on your parade,but it hasn't been any secret as to where Diamond would end up. I guess as fans we get excited when a "star" commits but let the game play out. As far as playing Tenn. again, I don't think the time is right, there are too many open wounds and I really don't see the need as we have developed other rivals!

 

[WesternPaFan]

WesternPaFan- - -Point taken! My bad!

No,NO,No,Friends.Thats OK.Just some of my old man odd ball thoughts.Were Uconn fans...Lets Go UCONN!!!

 

[bballnut90]

I'll ask again.....

Do you think it would have made a difference had KML not missed chunks of the season with injury and illness, both affecting her condition and natural progression and Banks not tearing her ACL, followed by an ankle injury, completely derailing her effectiveness and had Morgan Tuck not been lost for the season???

What we saw in the previous year's FF was a game where Achonwa was healthy, but Dolson was not and in that game, Tuck was a bigger factor than Achonwa. Achonwa couldn't stop an injured Dolson, Stewart, Tuck, or KML then and she wouldn't have been able to stop them this year.

The success ND's senior enjoyed against UCONN is well documented and in almost every one of those wins, it came down to the last second, overtime, or multiple overtimes. Those days were over the day Stewart found her way and ND stopped getting every call on every flop, as we all witnessed in their last 2 meetings, with all the money on the line.

While losing a player of Achonwa's ability surely hurt ND, losing Tuck, having Banks go from making a huge jump in her sophomore season to an afterthought due to multiple injury and KML unquestionably behind where she would have been barring her issues, FAR outweigh the Achonwa injury, IMO. I only wish I could wave a magic wand and have both teams play again at full strength.

Of course I'd also like to go back and see if ND would have won their only title had UCONN not lost not one, but TWO All-Americans to career ending injuries in DT's freshman campaign, but unfortunately, the world doesn't work like that, so for any team, or fan to bemoan over injury, kinda' makes UCONN fans like me..smile.

I'll bite at this post--I don't think anyone believes that Notre Dame would have won against UCONN with Achonwa, but I do believe with Achonwa it is a much more interesting game. UCONN suffered injuries throughout the season, but the impact of losing Achonwa at the end of the Elite 8 is far greater than losing Tuck, KML for stretches and Banks for stretches. UCONN was still able to develop as a team throughout the season without these players, where losing Achonwa meant that Notre Dame lost their leader and only strong interior presence at the very end of the season. Notre Dame's success depends more on Achonwa than UCONN's success depended on KML/Banks/Tuck. If Natalie went down early in the season, Notre Dame has more time to develop on court chemistry without Achonwa.

Achonwa wasn't a defensive star, but you're underestimating her impact on the defensive end. She is a far superior defender and defense presence compared to her replacement, Taya Reimer. Reimer was an inexperienced role player who had to step in and try to defend the likes of Dolson and Stewart, both of whom are bigger, smarter, better and more experienced than she is. I don't see Achonwa shutting down Dolson, but I also don't see Dolson putting up her crazy statline of 17 points, 16 boards, 7 assists, 3 blocks and just 2 turnovers against Achonwa. Additionally, I think Achonwa puts up better numbers than Reimer's 6 points and 4 boards.

And in regards to Notre Dame-UCONN in 2001, the one time both teams met at full strength, Notre Dame crushed UCONN by 16 in a game that was never in question. Shea Ralph was absolutely outstanding in 2000, earning some POY awards and being a consensus All-American, but she was not the same player in 2000-01 where she only made HM All-Big East. In the Final Four, Notre Dame outscored UCONN 53-26 in the 2nd half. Having Abrosimova and a 2001 Shea Ralph would have contributed offensively and provided relief for Bird and Taurasi who both struggled that game, but I still think it is unlikely that UCONN wins that matchup with a healthy roster, just like it is very unlikely that Notre Dame beats UCONN with Achonwa this past season.

 

[cabbie191]

Read your SUMMITT posts sometimes and tell me that that Lady Vol crew isn't paranoid with their "Geno bought Maya Moore's Mom a house in CT", or "UCONN cheated to get Maya (flying in Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi to take MM out to lunch when in truth they were playing in Russia at that exact time) and other recruits to come to CT", What a bunch of bitter has-beens ND and TN fans have become! And how many NC's does ND have in the last 4 years!

Sorry but I find this post overly strong. The Tenn guests who regularly post here are NOT like those on the Summitt who have been the subject of some of the posts on this thread. And pointing out that Notre Dame might have made it a closer game had NA been healthy is not defending the Irish, it's expressing an opinion about what might have happened, and on it's own merit (i.e., not getting into the "ifs" on UConn's side) and in my opinion, it is not an unreasonable hypothesis. I don't recall anyone here saying that Notre Dame would have won if NA had played.

 

[bballnut90]

I for one have never thought the recruits we've had in the past have been enough to lead us into the promise land. The year we should have all met in the touney iMO was when ND took us out in the EE, Angie Bjorklands senior year...I'm a firm believer in having a superstar to win a NC in WCB...yes the team concept is also a very important factor but when you have a "Star" player on your team to make shots in crunch time and the othee team doesn't, more than likely the team with the "Star" wins...ie "We have Diana and they don't". Tenn hasn't had that since Candace Parker. Mercedes was a start but she's a post player. I didn't expect her to come in her Freshman year as the "glasses wearers" thought and put up 20 and 10 and lead us back to the FF. We needed team ball to win games and Meighan was considered our "Star" player however as much as I appreciate Meighan and her time given to Tenn, she just wasn't a very trustworthy "Star" player. Alot of Tenn people are getting excited because we feel like landing DD gives us a "Star" player that while might not have had the most prolific shooting % at UNC but brought other intangibles to the table...one of the most important, a will to win. I've grown to love this board and some posters that have been a part of it. If I've offended anyone because of my excitement of finally, maybe having a chance to compete against the best at the particular moment (UCONN) then I apolgize. Its just an exciting time in basketball when Tenn can be a contender and I think this puts us back in the hunt at least.

Very good post. The biggest quality Diamond adds is being a quality goto player. I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Tennessee runs a nice offense, but adding in Diamond means we have an extremely athletic, talented player who can create for herself when the shot clock is running down. Much better to have her creating good scoring opportunities for herself than Simmons. DeShields is also the first "superstar" caliber player Tennessee has had since Parker. If you held the WNBA draft today and made all players who graduate in 2015-2017 available, I bet you'd see Stewart go one with DeShields 2nd. How everything shakes out is completely unknown, but this is certainly a huge step in putting Tennessee back in the hunt for a Final Four bid.

 

[Zorro]

agree... accept people as human beings not for the color of their jersey.

Yes, WCBB is great when you can put all the nonsense in the closet This kind of thinking might even have some applicability beyond the basketball court...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, ok; as long as the jersey in question ain't orange or green. Gotta draw the line somewheres.

 

[geneticrex]

I'll bite at this post--I don't think anyone believes that Notre Dame would have won against UCONN with Achonwa, but I do believe with Achonwa it is a much more interesting game. UCONN suffered injuries throughout the season, but the impact of losing Achonwa at the end of the Elite 8 is far greater than losing Tuck, KML for stretches and Banks for stretches. UCONN was still able to develop as a team throughout the season without these players, where losing Achonwa meant that Notre Dame lost their leader and only strong interior presence at the very end of the season. Notre Dame's success depends more on Achonwa than UCONN's success depended on KML/Banks/Tuck. If Natalie went down early in the season, Notre Dame has more time to develop on court chemistry without Achonwa.

Achonwa wasn't a defensive star, but you're underestimating her impact on the defensive end. She is a far superior defender and defense presence compared to her replacement, Taya Reimer. Reimer was an inexperienced role player who had to step in and try to defend the likes of Dolson and Stewart, both of whom are bigger, smarter, better and more experienced than she is. I don't see Achonwa shutting down Dolson, but I also don't see Dolson putting up her crazy statline of 17 points, 16 boards, 7 assists, 3 blocks and just 2 turnovers against Achonwa. Additionally, I think Achonwa puts up better numbers than Reimer's 6 points and 4 boards.

And in regards to Notre Dame-UCONN in 2001, the one time both teams met at full strength, Notre Dame crushed UCONN by 16 in a game that was never in question. Shea Ralph was absolutely outstanding in 2000, earning some POY awards and being a consensus All-American, but she was not the same player in 2000-01 where she only made HM All-Big East. In the Final Four, Notre Dame outscored UCONN 53-26 in the 2nd half. Having Abrosimova and a 2001 Shea Ralph would have contributed offensively and provided relief for Bird and Taurasi who both struggled that game, but I still think it is unlikely that UCONN wins that matchup with a healthy roster, just like it is very unlikely that Notre Dame beats UCONN with Achonwa this past season.

Fair point about the time frame losing Achonwa and the difficulty jelling in a short period of time, but Achonwa played in the previous FF and was no match for UCONN's frontcourt. As a matter of fact, since Stewart found her sea legs in last years tournament, Nobody has been a match for UCONN. Would the game have been closer if Achonwa played??? Perhaps, but if UCONN had Tuck, KML and Banks either available, or at 100%, the outcome could have been worse, even with Achonwa on the floor.

If the hypothetical game is to be played on why ND got blown out of Tennessee, the entire injury scenario should be included. Morgan Tuck is the TOP 6th player in America and would start for ANY team in the nation not named UCONN........ND included. Her loss and the injuries to Banks affected UCONN to a degree that left them unable to employ a 90ft defensive strategy due to a ridiculously short bench, as well as the offensive production from one of the true 4s in the country that can stretch the defense to the 3pt line.

I'm in no way saying the loss of Achonwa did not seriously impact ND, but while her loss was huge, so was the loss of Tuck and severe setbacks to Banks, basically rendering her a complete non-factor. IMO, both teams at absolutely full strength, UCONN beats ND by 25+, but of course it's only my opinion.

As for the 2001 season, I believe there were additional UCONN/ND games that year you've omitted.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Fair point about the time frame losing Achonwa and the difficulty jelling in a short period of time, but Achonwa played in the previous FF and was no match for UCONN's frontcourt. As a matter of fact, since Stewart found her sea legs in last years tournament, Nobody has been a match for UCONN. Would the game have been closer if Achonwa played??? Perhaps, but if UCONN had Tuck, KML and Banks either available, or at 100%, the outcome could have been worse, even with Achonwa on the floor.

If the hypothetical game is to be played on why ND got blown out of Tennessee, the entire injury scenario should be included. Morgan Tuck is the TOP 6th player in America and would start for ANY team in the nation not named UCONN...ND included. Her loss and the injuries to Banks affected UCONN to a degree that left them unable to employ a 90ft defensive strategy due to a ridiculously short bench, as well as the offensive production from one of the true 4s in the country that can stretch the defense to the 3pt line.

I'm in no way saying the loss of Achonwa did not seriously impact ND, but while her loss was huge, so was the loss of Tuck and severe setbacks to Banks, basically rendering her a complete non-factor. IMO, both teams at absolutely full strength, UCONN beats ND by 25+, but of course it's only my opinion.

As for the 2001 season, I believe there were additional UCONN/ND games that year you've omitted.

But Tuck is not better than Stewie, Stef, Bria, KML, or Mo. Having her or not doesn't really make a difference for UConn unless there was an injury or someone got into foul trouble. And Banks was not even first off the bench when she could play. The thing to keep in mind in this debate is that UConn got to play the game with its five best players while ND could not.

 

[bballnut90]

Fair point about the time frame losing Achonwa and the difficulty jelling in a short period of time, but Achonwa played in the previous FF and was no match for UCONN's frontcourt. As a matter of fact, since Stewart found her sea legs in last years tournament, Nobody has been a match for UCONN. Would the game have been closer if Achonwa played??? Perhaps, but if UCONN had Tuck, KML and Banks either available, or at 100%, the outcome could have been worse, even with Achonwa on the floor.

If the hypothetical game is to be played on why ND got blown out of Tennessee, the entire injury scenario should be included. Morgan Tuck is the TOP 6th player in America and would start for ANY team in the nation not named UCONN...ND included. Her loss and the injuries to Banks affected UCONN to a degree that left them unable to employ a 90ft defensive strategy due to a ridiculously short bench, as well as the offensive production from one of the true 4s in the country that can stretch the defense to the 3pt line.

I'm in no way saying the loss of Achonwa did not seriously impact ND, but while her loss was huge, so was the loss of Tuck and severe setbacks to Banks, basically rendering her a complete non-factor. IMO, both teams at absolutely full strength, UCONN beats ND by 25+, but of course it's only my opinion.

As for the 2001 season, I believe there were additional UCONN/ND games that year you've omitted.

Last year in the Final Four against ND with Achonwa, Dolson has 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks and 7 turnovers. This year against Notre Dame without Achonwa, she has 17 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks and 2 turnovers. Dolson is a better player now than she was last year, but Achonwa surely slows down Dolson more than Reimer was able to.

As far as Tuck/Banks, I don't think they would really make a big difference. UCONN rolled with their 5 All-American caliber starters playing all but 17 minutes in the championship game. Banks and Tuck are good players, but I don't think them taking 15-20 minutes each necessarily makes UCONN better. It makes UCONN deeper, but UCONN's starters were all capable of playing 40 minutes and all were better players than Tuck or Banks. In regards to putting on a full court press, UCONN allowed 47.8 ppg this year. I don't think they could have been much better defensively than they already were.

And in regards to 2001, there was one other game that season. It was the BE Championship in Storrs where Bird hit a lay up at the buzzer to win the game. Ralph played in the first half before tearing her ACL (and she actually played very well that half.) So, the three games were as follows:
Game 1 @UND-Notre Dame 92, UCONN 76 at full strength
Game 2 @ UCONN-UCONN 78-76 with UCONN missing Abrosimova and Bird for a half
Game 3 Final Four-Notre Dame 9075 with UCONN missing Abrosimova and Ralph

 

[calpedaler]

Last year in the Final Four against ND with Achonwa, Dolson has 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks and 7 turnovers. This year against Notre Dame without Achonwa, she has 17 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks and 2 turnovers. Dolson is a better player now than she was last year, but Achonwa surely slows down Dolson more than Reimer was able to.

As far as Tuck/Banks, I don't think they would really make a big difference. UCONN rolled with their 5 All-American caliber starters playing all but 17 minutes in the championship game. Banks and Tuck are good players, but I don't think them taking 15-20 minutes each necessarily makes UCONN better. It makes UCONN deeper, but UCONN's starters were all capable of playing 40 minutes and all were better players than Tuck or Banks. In regards to putting on a full court press, UCONN allowed 47.8 ppg this year. I don't think they could have been much better defensively than they already were.

And in regards to 2001, there was one other game that season. It was the BE Championship in Storrs where Bird hit a lay up at the buzzer to win the game. Ralph played in the first half before tearing her ACL (and she actually played very well that half.) So, the three games were as follows:
Game 1 @UND-Notre Dame 92, UCONN 76 at full strength
Game 2 @ UCONN-UCONN 78-76 with UCONN missing Abrosimova and Bird for a half
Game 3 Final Four-Notre Dame 9075 with UCONN missing Abrosimova and Ralph

In last years FF Dolson was dealing with a stress fracture in her right leg and plantar fasciitis in her left. She wasn't moving well. This year she was healthy.

 

[Alydar]

Without speculating on what might have happened if Achonwa played I think it's fair to say they were a better team with her than without her.

Instead of playing what if, lets compare what UConn and ND actually did when face with injury(s). What happened to the Irish was that they hammered Maryland 86-61. This was a Maryland team that had just done their own hammering by beating Tenn 73-61 and then beat Louisville on the Cardinals home court. So Notre Dame was still a very powerful team when they took the court against UConn.

UConn had their own challenge earlier in the year when they lost KML in the Stanford game and also lost Tuck at about the same time. They traveled to Maryland and won when it would have been easy to lose and followed it up with a win at Penn State. And remember that in the MD game, Dolson committed her 4th foul with 16:00 left in the game. A lot of excuses IF they had lost. But they won. Notre Dame faced a challenge in the FF semi and overcame it. They couldn't against UConn. Of course losing Achonwa hurt. But transcendent teams (like UConn '14) overcome adversity. It's not easy to do. UConn couldn't do it in 2001. Failure to do it is no disgrace. Overcoming injuries to key players to win a NC is very rare and their play last year showed UConn to be an exceptional team.

 

[geneticrex]

Last year in the Final Four against ND with Achonwa, Dolson has 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 blocks and 7 turnovers. This year against Notre Dame without Achonwa, she has 17 points, 16 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks and 2 turnovers. Dolson is a better player now than she was last year, but Achonwa surely slows down Dolson more than Reimer was able to.

As far as Tuck/Banks, I don't think they would really make a big difference. UCONN rolled with their 5 All-American caliber starters playing all but 17 minutes in the championship game. Banks and Tuck are good players, but I don't think them taking 15-20 minutes each necessarily makes UCONN better. It makes UCONN deeper, but UCONN's starters were all capable of playing 40 minutes and all were better players than Tuck or Banks. In regards to putting on a full court press, UCONN allowed 47.8 ppg this year. I don't think they could have been much better defensively than they already were.

And in regards to 2001, there was one other game that season. It was the BE Championship in Storrs where Bird hit a lay up at the buzzer to win the game. Ralph played in the first half before tearing her ACL (and she actually played very well that half.) So, the three games were as follows:
Game 1 @UND-Notre Dame 92, UCONN 76 at full strength
Game 2 @ UCONN-UCONN 78-76 with UCONN missing Abrosimova and Bird for a half
Game 3 Final Four-Notre Dame 9075 with UCONN missing Abrosimova and Ralph

Dolson's totals in the previous FF could have been attributed to playing on no legs, more than anything Achonwa may, or may not have done. This year, Dolson was saddled with no such maladies.

While it's nice to have 5 AA "type" starters, it's even nicer to have a 6th as the 1st player off the bench along with another who possesses blistering speed. Unfortunately for UCONN, they were stripped of that luxury due to the injury bug and while the 47.8ppg is stingy (to say the least), it could have been much worse had they been able to employ their stifling defense in the full court and not have to fall back into a zone to protect from foul trouble and keep players fresh.

Would I have loved to see both teams at 100%??? No question, as I've no doubt the outcome would have been far worse for ND, just as the regular season totals would have been even more lopsided against everyone else, had KML, Tuck and Banks been on the floor all year at full strength.

Oh how ugly it would have been......

Minor historic corrections......

In the game 2 UCONN win in 2001, UCONN was missing Abrosimova and Ralph for the 2nd half, not Bird, but I know what you meant and Bird did not hit a layup. She hit a short jumper over Riley at the buzzer. Close enough though.

 

[msf22b]

I agree. I get frustrated when a player makes a good pass and the TV commentators go "WOW...WHAT A PASS!!!" And I'm thinking, yeah that was a good pass, but there was no wow factore in that. And when that is done, particularly in women's sports, it makes the casual male audience member think "really, that deserves a WOW?"

Trash

I also noticed it in the calling of a couple saves by Mo and Stewie, when they leapt out of bounds to swat balls back in play, sometimes bouncing it off a nearby defender.

Good, solid BB, done every day in a multitude of playgrounds across the country (at least in my day…the dark ages of the 50's).