Expectations vs. Reality for the team...

[ERWUC65]

Short term, understandable that Azzi takes playing time from Ashlynn; long term, a huge mistake. Likewise, putting Chen over KK is another strategic mistake. The two sophomores are the near- and long-term future of the team. They should be allowed to spread their wings now.

And you are speaking with how many years of coaching? And how many championships?

 

[Skeets]

An excellent summation, EricLA, with the exception of your sliding into hyperbole with the statement that Paige could score 40 points per game if she wanted to.

40? For so many reasons, no way...

30? Maybe, but that said, we'll happily take 20-25 per game from Paige as long as she gets support from teammates and the Huskies keep winning.

I disagree. If she played 40 minutes and was pissed off, I think Paige could score 40 points especially against buy games and BE teams. Do you really doubt that?

 

[Skeets]

I'm Tony-esque in my view of this team
The pieces are all there
-The leading scoring guard in the land
- A monster 3-point shooter who has added quickness,
D and effectiveness in the lane...rust will soon come off
- A freshman strong forward who is effective+ in most
aspects
- Two centers of significant ability...remember it takes
time for the bigs to fit in and be capable
- A vet point guard, who has not had a huge game
yet, but she will
+ lots of others I haven't mentioned

It's like a great Beef Bourguignon or a Tuscan Bolognese...It takes time for the flavors (and a team) to come together...

I recall the first year of the mighty 3...Stewie went home depressed and contemplated giving up...Geno had reservations about Jefferson and used her sparingly; Tuck was Tuck from the beginning and almost saved one of the terrible defeats by ND all by herself. But when it was tourney time, they were all ready...This team has all the potential pieces.

It takes a bit of time...game experience and coaching.

This can (should be) one of the outstanding UConn teams.

Patience.

​

Tony-esque. I like that.

 

[Skeets]

Short term, understandable that Azzi takes playing time from Ashlynn; long term, a huge mistake. Likewise, putting Chen over KK is another strategic mistake. The two sophomores are the near- and long-term future of the team. They should be allowed to spread their wings now.

Except in a game when the wheels come off (and I hope we don't see that) I believe it will be Chen with the lug wrench to put the wheels right.

 

[KCD]

Great comments by all. For me the team, given the small sample size of games, is kind of where I expected them to be at this point of the young season.

Paige- Great leader. Great player. Great teammate. She is playing above expectations.

Sarah- Has the season goes; she improves each game. Her confidence is growing. Command of the rebounds. She can beat you off the dribble, which is impressive for us post players playing on the wings. She is going to be force.

Jana-Love this young lady! High energy. Vocal. Still very raw skill wise but you can see she wants to learn and that is a good thing.

Azzi-Glad that she is relatively healthy. I just love seeing her on court these past 2 games. I expected Azzi to come off the bench and be that spark for the 2nd unit. We need that type of offense coming off the bench and Azzi provides that extra fire power from the 2nd unit.

Ashlynn- Like Jana, I love Ash. She is a team first player. She understands the assignment. She can read the room. She understands her role within the team dynamic and role clarity is a big picture idea. It means a team understands what the person to her left and to her right is responsible for. Ash understands how the machine works. I am surprised that she has not taken a free throw yet this young season. But that is connected to things outside of her control.

Ice- She is where I expected her to be after her increase play from last season. She looks and is playing with confidence. Her passing ability (the hi/lo game with Sarah or Jana) is great. The guards don't look for her when she sets picks from them but that will improve in time. Keep up the great work, Ice!

Kaitlyn- She is all that and then some. Much like Ashlynn, KC knows how to read a room. She just goes about her business playing defense and getting balll into the proper hands when it matters. The sad part, much like Hailey Van Lith at LSU last season, KC is going to suffer that same narrative of "she isn't doing more of X". KC is doing what is expected of her at the time.

KK- I am so proud of this young lady! Much like KC, KK is doing the same thing. She is doing what is expected of her at the time. She plays solid defense. She is not forcing shots. She is playing within the system. You have to applaud that.

Allie- I kind of expected, along with Morgan, would fall victim to the numbers game and would have to be members of the 20/20/20 club. Up or down by 20 points or 20 seconds on the clock.

Q- I kind of expected her to get some minutes this season. Play with a chip on her solider. Command some playing time. Sadly, like Allie and Morgan, she will be a member of the 20/20/20 club. She reminds me of Caroline's playing time situation. The wheels have to fall off before Q can get some serious minutes out there.

Overall, 6 games into the season and most of the team is healthy or recovering, I expected a 6-0 start. This season's schedule and the development of players has allowed a 6-0 start.

I like your summary, just as I like EricLA's summary.

I just want to add a couple a of my own thoughts.

Paige - playing like the POY as expected. Beautiful and fun BBall and so, so enjoyable to watch.

Sarah - Is playing (and starting) as expected. Her 3 pt shooting will improve (because she is a good shooter), her average will average out over the year. She will be a mid to high 30s 3 pt shooter by the end of the year. And she will continue to improve in every aspect of her game. She is quiet, but she is quietly competitive and wants to be great.

Jana - I love what I have seen from Jana so far. I love the fire. I think that she will settle down and settle in. She will continue to improve throughout the year as well (she also wants to great).

Azzi - I love what I have seen from Azzi so far. This is the healthiest that she has been since she has been at UConn. You can tell from her movement. She was a great defender in HS (and AAU) and you could see some flashes in previous seasons (but injuries slowed her). You could always see her incredibly quick hands, but this year the rest of her body seems to be healthy enough to oblige also. In previous years, it was obvious that she was frustrated on defense because she was not able to play like she was used to playing. She is known for her offense, but I think that she takes a great deal of pride in her defense. I'm really, really excited to see what a healthy Azzi can do in a UConn uniform. Because you know that her offense is going to be coming along quickly (she is a 3 level scorer). This is going to be fun.

Ashlyn - I'm very happy with the jump that I've seen from Ash. Her defensive aggressive is massively improved from last year and exactly what Geno was asking of her. On offense, she showed early on this year what she can do. Especially with the mid-range shot. She is not just a spot up 3 pt shooter. She can get a mid-range shot pretty much any time. I don't know why she (or they) went away from it because it is almost automatic. Geno needs to get her to be a bit more aggressive on offense as well. But she has not been getting the ball much other than spot up 3 pt shots. I think that Azzi will be starting soon and Ash might be coming in off the bench. Geno might stress that she needs to get more aggressive on offense in that case. Which Ash is more than capable of doing. As JellyBean stated, she understands her role and will do whatever the team needs of her.

Ice - I agree with both. Ice is playing well and playing with confidence. She will continue to improve throughout the year as well. Last year was really more like a third of a year playing time because the first 2/3s were conditioning and coming to grips with playing with her injury and deciding how much she could still do because of the injury. In the last third of the season, you could see her start to gain her confidence and really start to trust her knee and start to play for real. This lead to her play in the tournaments and her continued good play this year.

Kaitlyn - I think that we are getting exactly what we need out of her. She is who she is and that isn't half bad. She is giving us an assist to TO of 2. I'll take that. She brings experience to a very young team (other than Paige and now Azzi). She gives us some periodic scoring. Most of all she can share the bulk of the point guard duties with KK and allow Paige to pick and choose what Paige wants to do and when. For a scoring Paige (not the assisting Paige) this is huge. This makes Paige that much more difficult to guard, because it allows Paige to pick and choose her when and where.

KK - I agree with both. I think that we are getting what we need out of KK. And when we are evaluating these players, we have to remember that we don't the individual instructions that Geno is giving to each player and what he is expecting for each game. These expectations might be at extreme odds of what us fans are expecting of each player in each game.

Allie and Morgan - I liked what I have seen so far. I want to see more of each. I want to Allie keep firing (because she is too good of a shooter and they will start falling), but I also want to see her shooting some middies and driving as well. I just want to see more of Morgan, because she can do so many things.

Q - I was expecting Q to come out with an explosion demanding of playing time, but it seems that will have to wait for the BE season.

 

[Cuango]

There have been a lot of references to last year, both players and team performance, both about UConn and the corresponding other major schools. I would take a measure of caution here, because I think we are looking at a substantial increase now in overall talent and competition that make comparisons risky. For example, SC, who was #1 all last year is now at best top 10 and Iowa who was in the final four might not be in the top 20. Add in ND, USC, UCLA, Texas, TCU, LSU, Maryland, Ohio State, Kentucky and of course UConn and you have a plethora of worthy contenders making for an exhausting and edge-of-seat season.

I’m not sure if you saw Dawn’s team completely dominate and demoralize Iowa State but I‘ll just say this, SC is at worst, top 5! Yes, they looked pretty bad against UCLA but I think that game was a “perfect storm” game for UCLA! They were gonna beat any team in the country on that day! SC no longer has their security blankie in Cardoso but make no mistake, they are still a very tough out and will only get better as the season goes on! I love our team and believe we have the most talent in the country but I’m still scared of SC!

 

[BBallF]

UCONN will be a super team once Sarah begins to consistently hit from the perimeter and Jana can hit her free throws. The rest will fall into place. OFC it might not happen but this shouldn't be dismissed either. If Sarah hits her outside shots then UCONN has three All_American caliber players of which one is POY and with Azzi maybe 2nd or 3rd best college player. . By the very nature of "POY" as with Azzi, even if she is "only top 10" (of which Paige makes her better and to a degree Azzi will make her better.), they will make Sarah better. Then by extension they make each other better. You have three players this good in which they can score well, pass well, and handle the ball well in which they don't get in each other's way, then it means your on the cusp of a jugernaut. They may lose before the new year but the team is built for March.

I like "the team is built for March". It really is especially when you consider potential "growth spurts" for others like Jana and Morgan, the return of Ayanna and Aubrey( not to be underestimated if she is even 85% of her usual self) and the continual "fitting in" of KC and Ash. Plus, Geno does his magic spell thing in March and reinvents the team, usually by ratcheting down the defense.

 

[yhun89]

Personally from what I've seen:

Azzi, Paige, and Sarah have exceeded my expectations. I did NOT know SS was that good a defender, and Azzi has improved on that factor by 100000%. Off a leg injury and she's somehow 10x as fast as she was before.

Chen is meeting my expectations. She's beginning to stretch beyond them, because finally, she's making smart passes rather than taking contested drives. Need her to be more invovled in the offense somehow though.

KK's intensity on D against Ole Miss was pretty great. Defensively, she's impressing. Offensively...

Ash is looking solid, but Azzi is likely taking that starter spot.

Ice is exceeding my expectations. At first, she looked shaky, but her confidence is back and she's really putting effort into getting rebounds and fighting for position. Big improvement over last year.

Jana is meeting them. She's off injury and is doing fine, besides one bad game. Those rebounds saved us against Ole Miss.

Q strikes me as a bench rider for a while until she can hold onto the ball more carefully and not be behind on defense.

Allie and Mo are doing fine for the 10 MPG they get. Mo seems like she can grow to be a nice slasher and Allie can be a good spacer.

By March, we should have a solid starting 5 in PB, Chen, SS, Azzi, and Ice. Solid bench in Jana, Ash, KK, and (?) bench in Ayanna, Caroline, Aubrey, Mo, and Allie (we don't know how the injured ones will look yet).

 

[jabstep]

Lockdown defense can take you far in the dance. We were much more offensively challenged last year than we are now. With new players and a different starting lineup, which most of us believe will change with Azzi taking over the shooting guard from Ash and Jana taking over the 5 from Ice. Is the offense better or worse and is the defense better or worse. Can we play big or small better than last year.
My player comments will be based on how they affect our defense and offense from a year ago.

Paige- Her defense is always getting better and her offense this year is going to be better since she is motivated to be the primary scorer.
Azzi- If she continues to show what she is capable on both offense and defense and ball handling it will make us much stronger than last year on both ends of the court. She can also be the primary scorer if teams shut Paige down which can happen from time to time based on the Past.
Sara gives us the edge on most power forwards with all of her abilities such as driving to the hoop with an extremely quick first step. Great passer from the high post area. Great on defense with extremely quick and disruptive hands.
So those three I think make us much better than last year at those three positions.
The point guard was KK for the most part last year and as of the beginning of this season, that position hasn't changed much from last year on either side of the court yet. Chen hasn't added better defense of offense yet.
At Center, we had Aliyah last year and Ice or Jana haven't improved our team over Aliyah yet. We are bigger with Jana.

So in Summary, I think as of now with the players we have we are better and will be more prepared to win it all. With 3 improved positions over last year and one neutral and one not quite as good.
The players that come back from injury such as Aubrey and Ayanna could be factors down the road but we have to see that before factoring them into the team's overall performance. Allie, Morgan and Q will get their opportunities in the Big East and could factor down the road as well.
The team with the most improvement so far is UCLA by teaching Betts to play inside and out meaning if she's triple teamed by help defense she can kick it out to GOOD 3 point shooters.
South Carolina used to be the bully on the block but not anymore. They are good but beatable.
Teaxas with the way Vic's team play defense they worry me as well.

 

[GoUconn7961]

IDK - what are they, 6 games in to a 39(?) game season?? Kind of hard to tell what's what when Geno is tinkering with the lineup, but I'll play along:
Paige - I'd like to see a little more Taurasi in her still. Her efficiency, shot selection and defense are what I expected.
Sarah - Exceeds expectations. Keep shooting the 3, it'll fall.
Kaitlyn - Better decision making. She picks up her dribble too early and then gets caught. I'd like to see her drive and shoot v. drive and pass. She could pick up a lot of fouls if she had more confidence.
Ash - Once the 3 drops consistently, she's good. Again - needs confidence
Ice - I see an improvement. Her rebounding is much better, as is her passing.
Jana - Going to be a beast w/more playing time.
Azzi - just needs more minutes and the rust will shake off.
KK - Great off the bench - she is not afraid, and is a pest on defense.
Q - something going on in practice in my opinion
Allie/Morgan - A learning season w/limited opportunity when Yanna and Aubrey return. They'll get key minutes when UConn is winning by a lot, or others are in foul trouble. But - that's how you learn.

The team - I really miss the days when the team had a true killer instinct; when they landed the first punch and then just kept on punching. I haven't seen a team like that in a very long time. Those are championship teams.

 

[MooseJaw]

It doesn't........I was responding to this post.......I think UConn has as good a chance as any top program to win the NC if they can shoot consistently and play great defense inside and out..........let's see how they fare against Louisville and ND.......that will tell us more about how good this year's team really is....

"It seems as though the "super" team concept is very real in the desire of the top schools to create one thru portal, nil, conference realignment, etc. But, like NCAA football and NCAA Men's basketball, it has fallen upon itself and created one mess of equivalency which one can say is either very exciting or very depressing?"

OK, I like it but with it's own thread it may have been a hit.

 

[Lambeau]

Jana averages 15 mpg and is therefor underestimated--per minute she doubles anyone else in rebounds and is second in in scoring.
A little more than raw potential.

 

[rugbymate]

I had hoped we would see a team that focused on its running game. Instead, we have a half court , swing the ball mentally that will works best when the 3 pointers drop. Perhaps that will improve. However, with the depth we have this year(compared to short benches of previous years) and the anticipated return of uber athletic AG and Yanna, perhaps we can turn it up a notch. Candidly, it’s more fun to watch.

 

[Bigboote]

I had hoped we would see a team that focused on its running game. Instead, we have a half court , swing the ball mentally that will works best when the 3 pointers drop. Perhaps that will improve. However, with the depth we have this year(compared to short benches of previous years) and the anticipated return of uber athletic AG and Yanna, perhaps we can turn it up a notch. Candidly, it’s more fun to watch.

I think that will change. Half-court offense hasn't been a strong point the last couple of years, and I think Geno is deliberately concentrating on that early in the season.

In Geno's pregame interview posted yesterday, he said about KK that he'd like her to be even more aggressive on defense to "create more opportunities", which I took to mean he wants more opportunities to run.

 

[Bone Dog]

In Geno's pregame interview posted yesterday, he said about KK that he'd like her to be even more aggressive on defense to "create more opportunities", which I took to mean he wants more opportunities to run.

I wonder if this is what he means by the second unit, the one that will push the transition game.

 

[David54]

Have only seen the top teams once or twice each but my thought are there are at least 5 teams with a real chance to win it all. UConn is definitely one of them and maybe the best. I was very impressed with ucla no positional weaknesses real good point guard that number 2 guard from Finland I think is an impressive player and there ftont court may be the best. South Carolina has a team full of proven winners all skilled and a great coach. USC has too much talent to count out and they’ve got plenty of time to put it together. ND Also has a wealth of talent and could win it all. But if our 3 number one ranked players continue to play like number one ranked players I think we’ve got the best chance.

 

[ashfan]

And you are speaking with how many years of coaching? And how many championships?

Zero and zero. . . . Just the opinion of a fan, like the millions of other fans and commentators who observe and opine.

 

[temery]

And you are speaking with how many years of coaching? And how many championships?

At this point Geno has few, if any peers. Second guessing any move he makes is little more than fodder for anxious fans.

 

[DefenseBB]

Short term, understandable that Azzi takes playing time from Ashlynn; long term, a huge mistake. Likewise, putting Chen over KK is another strategic mistake. The two sophomores are the near- and long-term future of the team. They should be allowed to spread their wings now.

Not sure I agree with the totality of this comment. Azzi, from what I hear is coming back next year so under any circumstance she would trump Ash and when you add in playing potential for next year, Ash's role is off the bench. Chen over KK is another story. Chen did have her best game of the year against Holy Cross, which frankly, should be expected as HC is the type of opponent KC has been facing for 3 years. My worry is KC against the better and elite players of quality P4 schools like ND, SoCal, SCar, Louisville and even Tennessee.

My concern of support for Sarah and Paige was so great that I pulled all the box scores from last year to see how Ash, KK, Ice, Q and Kaitlyn did against NCAAT teams. That gave me 13 games for the returning UConn players but only 5 games for Kaitlyn. Let me tell you, this group of 5 under performs in the big games.

• Ash, for all her accolades against the BE schools had the biggest drop off against elite teams. Using Games score points (all the positives a player does on the court-points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and subtracting the negative of missed shots and turnovers), Ash averaged 11.3 for all 38 games last year. In the 26 non NCAAT team games, she averaged 13.0 but in the 12 quality games (Ash did not play in the NC State game), she only averaged 7.7 which is a big drop off.
• KK was better, she had 11.7 for 39 games, 12.5 in 26 non-quality games and 10.1 in 13 Quality games. Most important was her assist to turnover ratios of 1.62; 1.64 and 1.58 assist to turnovers in quality games so not much of a drop off
• Ice was 6.3 for 39 games, 7.9 in 26 non-quality games and 2.5 13 in quality games.
• Q was 5.3 for 36 games, 6.5 in 26 non-quality games and 2.2 in 10 quality games.

Kaitlyn sample of 5 games includes UCLA, MTSU, Oklahoma, Indiana and West Virginia. She played a total of 30 games with a very nice game score of 16.3 (Paige was 25.7 last year) but in these 5 games she was 12.2 games score, the 25 other games she was 17.1 game score. Most disconcerting is her assist to turnover ratios. In her 30 game season, she was 1.73 (147 assists to 85 TOs) in the 5 key games she was .737 (14 assists to 19 turnovers) and in the 25 non-key games 2.02 (133-66). Simply put, she can't have more turnovers than assists in our big games.

To recap my concern-how will she handle the likes of strong defending and athletic guards these teams trot out. (Hannah Hidalgo of ND scares me to no ends).

We won't know until we see it and I will be optimistic, just be aware.

Lastly, so I can clarify the narrative:
@oldude made a statement that Chen "torched Columbia" which is not quite true. She played 3 years against the Lions going 6-2 in the 3 years (no games her freshman year due to Covid). Her best year was her Sophomore year where she went 3-0 with an outstanding games score of 19.3 (by far the highest 3 games of her career) with 21 PPG, 10 Assists to 3 Turnovers.
However, her Junior and Senior years were below her season game score averages- Junior year 1 win 1 loss 11.0 game score vs season game score of 14.9 (she did have 18 PPG, 7 assists, 9 turnovers) and Senior year 2 wins 1 loss, 13.0 game score while her season game score was 16.3 (her 3 games against Columbia were 18 Assists, 10 turnovers).
Again, she played ok against Columbia but Columbia is a mid-Major school (a good mid-major but still a mid-major) and not ND, SoCal, SCar or Louisville. How she fared against these schools is akin to Ash and company against the BE teams.

Let me emphatically state: I don't dislike Chen, I just am not enamored the way the rest of this forum thinks she's "outstanding" when the numbers state otherwise. I only hope Geno's faith in her is rewarded. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings.

 

[BobbyJ]

Not sure I agree with the totality of this comment. Azzi, from what I hear is coming back next year so under any circumstance she would trump Ash and when you add in playing potential for next year, Ash's role is off the bench. Chen over KK is another story. Chen did have her best game of the year against Holy Cross, which frankly, should be expected as HC is the type of opponent KC has been facing for 3 years. My worry is KC against the better and elite players of quality P4 schools like ND, SoCal, SCar, Louisville and even Tennessee.

My concern of support for Sarah and Paige was so great that I pulled all the box scores from last year to see how Ash, KK, Ice, Q and Kaitlyn did against NCAAT teams. That gave me 13 games for the returning UConn players but only 5 games for Kaitlyn. Let me tell you, this group of 5 under performs in the big games.

• Ash, for all her accolades against the BE schools had the biggest drop off against elite teams. Using Games score points (all the positives a player does on the court-points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and subtracting the negative of missed shots and turnovers), Ash averaged 11.3 for all 38 games last year. In the 26 non NCAAT team games, she averaged 13.0 but in the 12 quality games (Ash did not play in the NC State game), she only averaged 7.7 which is a big drop off.
• KK was better, she had 11.7 for 39 games, 12.5 in 26 non-quality games and 10.1 in 13 Quality games. Most important was her assist to turnover ratios of 1.62; 1.64 and 1.58 assist to turnovers in quality games so not much of a drop off
• Ice was 6.3 for 39 games, 7.9 in 26 non-quality games and 2.5 13 in quality games.
• Q was 5.3 for 36 games, 6.5 in 26 non-quality games and 2.2 in 10 quality games.

Kaitlyn sample of 5 games includes UCLA, MTSU, Oklahoma, Indiana and West Virginia. She played a total of 30 games with a very nice game score of 16.3 (Paige was 25.7 last year) but in these 5 games she was 12.2 games score, the 25 other games she was 17.1 game score. Most disconcerting is her assist to turnover ratios. In her 30 game season, she was 1.73 (147 assists to 85 TOs) in the 5 key games she was .737 (14 assists to 19 turnovers) and in the 25 non-key games 2.02 (133-66). Simply put, she can't have more turnovers than assists in our big games.

To recap my concern-how will she handle the likes of strong defending and athletic guards these teams trot out. (Hannah Hidalgo of ND scares me to no ends).

We won't know until we see it and I will be optimistic, just be aware.

Lastly, so I can clarify the narrative:
@oldude made a statement that Chen "torched Columbia" which is not quite true. She played 3 years against the Lions going 6-2 in the 3 years (no games her freshman year due to Covid). Her best year was her Sophomore year where she went 3-0 with an outstanding games score of 19.3 (by far the highest 3 games of her career) with 21 PPG, 10 Assists to 3 Turnovers.
However, her Junior and Senior years were below her season game score averages- Junior year 1 win 1 loss 11.0 game score vs season game score of 14.9 (she did have 18 PPG, 7 assists, 9 turnovers) and Senior year 2 wins 1 loss, 13.0 game score while her season game score was 16.3 (her 3 games against Columbia were 18 Assists, 10 turnovers).
Again, she played ok against Columbia but Columbia is a mid-Major school (a good mid-major but still a mid-major) and not ND, SoCal, SCar or Louisville. How she fared against these schools is akin to Ash and company against the BE teams.

Let me emphatically state: I don't dislike Chen, I just am not enamored the way the rest of this forum thinks she's "outstanding" when the numbers state otherwise. I only hope Geno's faith in her is rewarded. Sorry if I hurt anyone's feelings.

Chen didn't underperform against the current #1 team in the country last year when UCLA had basically the same team. I don't think she'll be intimidated by quality opposition. And stats when playing on a team with Bueckers, Fudd, and Strong aren't going to stand out. At Princeton she had to be most of their offense and the opponents knew it so she earned everything she got against them. She's doing about everything Auriemma expects from her right now.

College Wrap: Princeton women’s basketball nearly upsets No. 3 UCLA

 

[ashfan]

UConn may or may not win the championship this year.
But UConn will be a more interesting team in the post-Paige, post-Azzi era.

 

[tomcat]

This is going to be a chemistry-coming-together kind of team. If it ll clicks, thingss'll be fine. Otheriwse, we will be complaining all year about all thetalent that jkust isn't playing well. Toi put things in perspective, end of the first quarter, NC State 19, Ole Miss 6. Yes, the Ole Miss team that gave UConn fits for quite a while.
There are a lot of big dogs out there, folks, and UConn hasn't even begun to see them yet. They'll a taste with Louisville, but the real big leagues contain maybe 10 teams, including TCU, UCLA, USC, ND, SC, TX and LSU. This will be a tough year for any of them, with UConn and its many inexperienced players having a harder road than many.

 

[Zonepress]

This is going to be a chemistry-coming-together kind of team. If it ll clicks, thingss'll be fine. Otheriwse, we will be complaining all year about all thetalent that jkust isn't playing well. Toi put things in perspective, end of the first quarter, NC State 19, Ole Miss 6. Yes, the Ole Miss team that gave UConn fits for quite a while.
There are a lot of big dogs out there, folks, and UConn hasn't even begun to see them yet. They'll a taste with Louisville, but the real big leagues contain maybe 10 teams, including TCU, UCLA, USC, ND, SC, TX and LSU. This will be a tough year for any of them, with UConn and its many inexperienced players having a harder road than many.

Still, don’t understand these comments about your car being an inexperienced
Two 5th year starters
Azzi 4th year

 

[JoePgh]

Still, don’t understand these comments about your car being an inexperienced
Two 5th year starters
Azzi 4th year

Paige is an experienced player. Kaitlyn is experienced, but not in the UConn system, with these teammates, or against this level of competition. Azzi may be in her fourth year, but the total number of games that she has played equates to about a season and a half of actual experience. Ice was a bench player last year and has very limited minutes for a starting center. Sarah and Jana are obviously inexperienced.

Other than Paige, the most experienced players on the roster are the two sophomores on the bench: Ashlynn and KK. And although they were starters last year, they were not relied on to carry the team. UConn was Paige's, Aaliyah's, and Nika's team last year.

 

[Cuango]

I just don’t understand this rush on the part of some here, to give up on Kaitlyn already? I think anyone transferring from an Ivy League school to the top program in the history of the game deserves more than five or six games to fit in with her new team! First, it’s gotta be pretty intimidating to suddenly be expected to run, not only the #2 team in the country, but also deal with the fact that it’s UConn!

She’s got to figure out her role, deal with the pressure and intimidation, learn all the likes and needs of eight to ten players, all of whom are likely better than anyone she’s ever played with, learn what Geno, the GOAT of coaches, expects from her, and do all this under a bigger spotlight than she has ever even dreamed of! I’m pretty sure she will continue to improve as we move forward. How much? I’m not sure.

However, I have very little doubt that she will be a solid contributor on this team and furthermore, I refuse to believe that her minutes, whether as a starter or off the bench, will negatively affect Ash or KK’s development as future leaders/stars on this team! How about we give her some time and grace? I don’t think we’ll be disappointed in the end.