Final 4 is still gr8 success!

[wbball novice]

With regard to the AAC, couldn't the same be said of Baylor? Kim Mulkey doesn't seem to have big recruiting issues. And then Baylor beat Oregon -- I thought a lot of teams in PAC12 were tough outs.

 

[HuskyPhan]

I"m sorry, did I miss the announcement that Geno has put out a casting call for his new musical farce, The Ultimate Spoiled Fan! My goodness, our incredible women's hoops program has an amazing regular season and makes it to a record 12th straight Final Four and we have multiple posters claiming our players lack intensity, don't really want it? Huh??? What team have you been watching the last 30+ years? Congratulations to our UConn women for another absolutely outstanding basketball season!!!! Can't wait for next year and more excellence!!!

 

[Shorty Dee]

Win, lose or draw I bleed blue!!

 

[Papa33]

I think UCONN's biggest problem is Geno. Not the conference or who they play on their schedule.
Geno refuses to play anyone unless he has to. Because of that he can't trust his bench when he really needs them. . . No way you can tell me Mikayla's defensive presence couldn't have helped us the last three games. BriannaTurner spent a good portion of the game on the bench first half. Wonder how much that rest was needed for her to come up big down the stretch. Fresh legs, Fresh minds

"No way you can tell me . . . ." Then I won't even try.
". . . Fresh minds." This stale analysis echoes the too often over-simplified charge vs. Geno.

 

[Papa33]

So the UConn players in the last few years are not as intense as those in the past. They also are not as tall.

Can you cite a few examples when UConn players played without their usual intensity? When they were coasting or trotting up and down the floor, watching opponents gather in rebounds? I did note examples of omissions of boxing out or finishing layups under pressure, but those were most often momentary lapses of focus or rookie errors, but not failures to give full UConn-level effort. Now "tall" I could see as a recurring problem, but even then we mostly held our own-- or better-- against bigger centers and guards.

 

[boontonbomber]

It absolutely is a very disappointing loss, but the score is what counts, and all that talent on paper was not ready to hold onto that lead against that team in those last few minutes. I still maintain that (unless you are Taurasi or Maya of someone like that) you cannot turn intensity on like water from a faucet. You also cannot command it that way in others, even if you are Geno Auriemma.

If you have it in you at all (and some kids don't), it's a learned behavior, and you get better at it if you have to use it more often. This, IMHO, is the real and insidious reason why being in the AAC is a problem.

Absent UConn, the AAC is a pretty balanced league in which many teams are competitive with one another. UConn throws the whole thing off because 3/4ths of the time, if not more, UConn can coast to victory. Now back before recruiting got tougher, UConn blew everyone out, or almost everyone. Still, even though the AAC is better than it used to be (and the South Florida team that should have been would have given UConn a real game this year) it is not the proving ground that an NCAA Final Four team needs.

It is not a coincidence that when UConn joined the AAC, it stopped participating in joke tournaments -- Remember "competing" against Fairleigh-what-the-hell?-Dickinson at in December at the Civic Center? Geno recognized he needed to test has players as often as he could. So UConn has this great OOC schedule and hopefully will continue to do so. But, IMHO, it's not enough, either to keep the recruits coming in enough numbers to automatically remain at the top or to prepare most of UConn's players for the rigors of competition against the Notre Dames and Baylors of the world.

This is not doom and gloom, folks. It is the New World Order. UConn had a great year -- better that some expected. Given the talent we know will be there, next year will be a real challenge. I have a lot of confidence that Geno & Company will adapt, but there may be just so much they can do.

you choose to throw all the blame at the players for lack of intensity, and lay no blame on the coaching staff. don't agree . it's at the end of games like this that the best coaches get the job done. I'm not sure that Geno is quite as good at that as he once was. he may be a bit worn down, which you can't fault him about. I certainly agree that being in the AAC is a disaster, especially in getting ready for those tight games. but it's not just the players that need that experience in order to handle competitive games in the tourney. I really feel for Samuelson and Collier. they deserved a better outcome.

 

[Buzzyboy]

I trust we will be back. But these last three final fours we really should’ve won, but players have to make plays and we didn’t so credit goes to ND who did on almost every possession down the stretch

Their domination of the boards, particularly the offensive boards, was easily the difference in this game. The pounding physicality that UConn absorbed really eventually decided the game. UConn did not have the bangers inside and those second and third and sometimes fourth tries kept the Irish in until the last minute of the game when the game was finally decided.

 

[Geesworld]

"No way you can tell me . . . ." Then I won't even try.
". . . Fresh minds." This stale analysis echoes the too often over-simplified charge vs. Geno.

Can you please elaborate How that's a simplified charge?

 

[tomcat]

Can you cite a few examples when UConn players played without their usual intensity? When they were coasting or trotting up and down the floor, watching opponents gather in rebounds? I did note examples of omissions of boxing out or finishing layups under pressure, but those were most often momentary lapses of focus or rookie errors, but not failures to give full UConn-level effort. Now "tall" I could see as a recurring problem, but even then we mostly held our own-- or better-- against bigger centers and guards.

I thought the Tulane game at Tulane was a pretty good example of playing below their class, and the Central Florida game at Central Florida. UConn won both games, but Tulane this year was a really bad team (not at all the team that held UConn close a couple of years ago), and UConn just did not look sharp for extended periods of that game, IMHO. At UCF, I know that team's style would give anyone a haard time, but UConn made it hardwer on themselves than they needed to, I believe.

And yes, I was at both those games. They were the two games I saw in person this year, and I came away with the same impression both times: No killer instinct and the ability to play down to the opponent's level.

As for tall, if UCF had even one big with any skill, UConn would have had a serious problem.

And as for tall, yes, UConn did well against taller players all year, but they did not do that against taller and bettrer players. Against a full complement of Notre Dame forwards and against a monstrously large Baylor front line, UConn did not do well. I believe we could have beaten MSState in spite of their quality big woman, but it would be a scramble.

My argument is not with the players or the coach. It is with the level of competition that their league gives them and the fact that they cannot prepare for tough competition unless they are competing against such most of the time. That's all. It's no condemnation of players who played their hearts out or a coaching staff that's as good as there is. I'm proud to be a UConn fan and will continue to follow the team through what I believe will be a really challenging season next year.

 

[Adios]

The AAC is a developmental platform for some schools. The lowest women's bball programs are recruiting 3 star players now. We obviously could use more 4 star players.

 

[Adios]

Memphis and UCF have landed 1 top 100 recruit each over the past 2 years. So have Penn and Yale.

The conference is improving.

 

[Papa33]

My argument is not with the players or the coach. It is with the level of competition that their league gives them and the fact that they cannot prepare for tough competition unless they are competing against such most of the time. That's all. It's no condemnation of players who played their hearts out or a coaching staff that's as good as there is.

Maybe we have very different takes on what "intensity" means. If it is something other than "playing their hearts out," then you and I have no quarrel.

 

[Papa33]

Can you please elaborate How that's a simplified charge?

It simply echoes the same claim that the Huskies "biggest problem" was that Geno "refused" to use his bench more liberally, inserting them into games with the starters. For one thing, other top tier teams often used no more than six or seven players while their games were still in doubt. For another, this team's core three players did not easily integrate with the two new starters—Williams and Walker. That was still a work in progress right into the NCAA tournament, so even the starters needed maximum time to find their way as a unit, both on offense and defense. The drop-off in bench ability meant too great a sacrifice in quality of play at both ends of the court. Geno did use Mikayla for spots of defensive juice, and Ono got serious time with the starters when she proved her worth. Geno might have found more imaginative ways of using the bench more often, but the team's vulnerabilities were not caused simply because he stubbornly refused to use the bench more often.

 

[Geesworld]

It simply echoes the same claim that the Huskies "biggest problem" was that Geno "refused" to use his bench more liberally, inserting them into games with the starters. For one thing, other top tier teams often used no more than six or seven players while their games were still in doubt. For another, this team's core three players did not easily integrate with the two new starters—Williams and Walker. That was still a work in progress right into the NCAA tournament, so even the starters needed maximum time to find their way as a unit, both on offense and defense. The drop-off in bench ability meant too great a sacrifice in quality of play at both ends of the court. Geno did use Mikayla for spots of defensive juice, and Ono got serious time with the starters when she proved her worth. Geno might have found more imaginative ways of using the bench more often, but the team's vulnerabilities were not caused simply because he stubbornly refused to use the bench more often.

Great scribe my friend and I now better understand your point.
Yes, Geno has been trashed for not being more liberal with the minutes in the past and I think at times the criticsm is unjust. However, this season was great opportunity for him to exercise a different approach. Mikayla and ONO definitely should've been integrated in the rotation not only did we need them or other capable subs but they are the future. I get it, its not an easy process. But maybe we sacrifice streaks to get better development overall thru out the team. So that we can get to the tourney with fresh legs. I know it was due to necessity, but I think we had a good glance of what trusting players looked like when KLS was out during AAC tourney. I'm not talking all twelve players see the court but finding a capable 8 that maybe shrinks to 7 come tourney time. Relief doesn't mean long minutes but some minutes. Carve out a rolls and fit them in the mix.

 

[Oldbones]

Also, Notre Dame killed UCONN's season for the fourth time in the past 8 years and for the third time in this four failed to close the deal. (and IMO they were incredibly lucky with year's no-call foul on Mabrey, and [probably should have lost) Griner's Baylor team would have been an upset, but the Aggies and tonight's Baylor were beatable. I wonder how they are feeling, coming up short so many times.

 

[Papa33]

Great scribe my friend and I now better understand your point.
Yes, Geno has been trashed for not being more liberal with the minutes in the past and I think at times the criticsm is unjust. However, this season was great opportunity for him to exercise a different approach. Mikayla and ONO definitely should've been integrated in the rotation not only did we need them or other capable subs but they are the future. I get it, its not an easy process. But maybe we sacrifice streaks to get better development overall thru out the team. So that we can get to the tourney with fresh legs. I know it was due to necessity, but I think we had a good glance of what trusting players looked like when KLS was out during AAC tourney. I'm not talking all twelve players see the court but finding a capable 8 that maybe shrinks to 7 come tourney time. Relief doesn't mean long minutes but some minutes. Carve out a rolls and fit them in the mix.

I appreciate your temperate and close analysis. And I am not attempting any sort of rebuttal by mentioning that I noticed this morning that the box score from the Baylor-ND game shows both teams giving only 7 players time on the floor, and that includes extra time for Baylor's Smith after Lauren Cox was injured in the third quarter.

 

[Roger G]

Or last year. Or the year before. I love them both, but they came up short 3 times.

Pick a team that you think has a greater chance of winning the most championships (in just about any sport) in the next five years and root for them. I don't think there is one.

 

[j66kicker]

Pick a team that you think has a greater chance of winning the most championships (in just about any sport) in the next five years and root for them. I don't think there is one.

???? Whatever does that have to do with what I said??