Final Four Team?

[Mike72fl]

Tina Charles was a good center her frosh year. If you recall as a freshman Tina matched Sylvia Fowles in their reg season head-to-head. In Tina's frosh year she was Honorable Mention All_Amercian. In her soph year she was 3rd Team All-Amercan. This is not close vs Ice and Jana.

I didn’t say Tina wasn’t a good center, nor did I try to compare Ice and Jana to Tina’s first two years. I just mentioned what Geno said to Tina in her junior year made her a much better player for the rest of her time at Uconn. Any competitive great players take it to heart when their coaches call them out. I guess what I was trying to say is Geno and CD should find the buttons on our two bigs and press them HARD. The question is could Jana and Ice want to be pressed and what would they do about it.

I know this year is only Jana’s first year playing and Ice’s second year, and I also know that it takes longer for the bigs to develop than the guards, but still, I expect to see more from those two, especially Ice. She had done so well in last year’s BE tournament.

 

[Zonepress]

They are absolutely a potential Final Four team. UConn always has the best roster, if not the best player so talent isn't holding them back as much as developing the post players. Ice has not played the way I thought she might and Jana hasn't really been given the keys yet so I don't know what to think of her.

What I do know is they are not starting their best 5 players and they rely heavily on Paige and Sarah to offset the weaknesses of the other players. To win they will need a good post player and two othe players that are consistently good to go with the stars. Good news is they play in a very weak conference so they will have time to develop what they need to be a power.

Saying “UConn always has the best roster”
Is inaccurate
Hanna Hildago and Juju Watkins were clearly the best players on the floor
Also would take the opposite view that a weak conference helps the team develop

 

[EricLA]

It's a fair question. As the roster stands now, no we are not. Having said that, getting Azzi back will help. Then Aubrey in January. We will be a different team come March. Every team in the nation will be improving, just like we will, but one potential thing that sets us apart is that we add some terrific pieces - one offensive, one defensive - in the next month.

Keep in mind that against ND, we had no Azzi. Ash started, played 21 minutes, scored 0 points and went 0-5. A lot of things hurt us, but that was among the worst in our attempted comeback... ND killed is in Q4 when we got close...

Keep in mind that people will "ooh and aah" as we roll thru the big east slaughtering a very weak conference, and we faced the hardest portion of our schedule already. We will know a lot more about this team IF Azzi and Aubrey come back 100% and can contribute in the way fans know they are capable of. IF they can and do, I like our chances. If not, then I say we bow out in the elite 8...

 

[uconnever]

It's a fair question. As the roster stands now, no we are not. Having said that, getting Azzi back will help. Then Aubrey in January. We will be a different team come March. Every team in the nation will be improving, just like we will, but one potential thing that sets us apart is that we add some terrific pieces - one offensive, one defensive - in the next month.

Keep in mind that against ND, we had no Azzi. Ash started, played 21 minutes, scored 0 points and went 0-5. A lot of things hurt us, but that was among the worst in our attempted comeback... ND killed is in Q4 when we got close...

Keep in mind that people will "ooh and aah" as we roll thru the big east slaughtering a very weak conference, and we faced the hardest portion of our schedule already. We will know a lot more about this team IF Azzi and Aubrey come back 100% and can contribute in the way fans know they are capable of. IF they can and do, I like our chances. If not, then I say we bow out in the elite 8...

I agree that what we do in the big east won’t necessarily impress me at all. I would like to see the team become more cohesive and gain some mental toughness. Also see if Ice and Jana can gain some knowledge or confidence about what this team needs from them. In the limited time against USC I liked what I saw from Jana. Maybe Geno knew that we needed more offensively and she wouldn’t provide that in our comeback attempt. I do think she can be a reliable rebounder for us down the road. I also think Ice may join the party also but I’m not sure it will be this year. I think they both can and will help us in a big tourney win, but I think the USC lineup should be our primary lineup going forward

 

[SLY63]

I am usually the first to hammer our 3 point defense, but in the USC postgame press conference Geno made an interesting comment. HE said something to the effect, "Our strategy was to focus on their (USC/ND) stars and make their role players take 3's and beat us. And when they make the (open) shots, we are in trouble".

It sounds like it might be more of a failure of strategy (by the coaching staff), rather than failure of execution (by the team).

 

[Shenandoah]

The problem lies in the fact that if our post players don't even attemot to score, unless they are directly under the basket, our opponents will slack off them and double Paige or Sarah. If the are open at the free throw line, they should be shooting and following their shots.

 

[hoophuskee]

I didn’t say Tina wasn’t a good center, nor did I try to compare Ice and Jana to Tina’s first two years. I just mentioned what Geno said to Tina in her junior year made her a much better player for the rest of her time at Uconn. Any competitive great players take it to heart when their coaches call them out. I guess what I was trying to say is Geno and CD should find the buttons on our two bigs and press them HARD. The question is could Jana and Ice want to be pressed and what would they do about it.

I know this year is only Jana’s first year playing and Ice’s second year, and I also know that it takes longer for the bigs to develop than the guards, but still, I expect to see more from those two, especially Ice. She had done so well in last year’s BE tournament.

I just don't believe there is a right buttun to push if the expectation is for either to be a relied upon scorer this year. I know that Geno tried ot push the right buttons for Tina as a frosh and soph (though imo he was at fault for her soph year NCAA Tourney). Sometimes you need to find another button to push for different players.

 

[Bone Dog]

I just don't believe there is a right buttun to push if the expectation is for either to be a relied upon scorer this year. I know that Geno tried ot push the right buttons for Tina as a frosh and soph (though imo he was at fault for her soph year NCAA Tourney). Sometimes you need to find another button to push for different players.

I also suspect there is a lingering conditioning issue for Jana. She’s been away from the game for awhile. I suspect she needs a little more time to get into game shape, and clearly she needs more time to recover her shooting touch If we are to judge from her free throws. At the end of the summer, I guessed (wrongly) that Geno would start Jana as early as possible merely to get her more game minutes. Now, having watched a dozen games, I can see that there’s still a lot of work to be done. I hope the BE schedule gives her plenty of time to recover her ‘beast mode.’

 

[itsasport]

Last year UConn lost to NC State and UCLA by 11 points, to Texas by 12, to Norte Dame by 15 and to SC by 18 and yet, was within a 3-point shot away, with the ball in Page's hands, from making it to the championship game.

One more three-point shot by UConn in a horrible shooting night against ND would have been a win. Very importantly, UConn came back strong in both quarters of the second half.

UConn has a lot of room for growth, both in team and individual play before March, particularly concerning Sarah and Morgan. Jana and ICE will also improve.

And, I think that by then both Aubry and Azzi will be back in all their glory; but, if even only one is, it will still have a massive effect.

So, what is all the doom and gloom?

 

[LGITB]

Last year UConn lost to NC State and UCLA by 11 points, to Texas by 12, to Norte Dame by 15 and to SC by 18 and yet, was within a 3-point shot away, with the ball in Page's hands, from making it to the championship game.

One more three-point shot by UConn in a horrible shooting night against ND would have been a win. Very importantly, UConn came back strong in both quarters of the second half.

UConn has a lot of room for growth, both in team and individual play before March, particularly concerning Sarah and Morgan. Jana and ICE will also improve.

And, I think that by then both Aubry and Azzi will be back in all their glory; but, if even only one is, it will still have a massive effect.

So, what is all the doom and gloom?

Thank you! Finally!

 

[DrummerDee]

We all remember that last year’s team with basically six players that came within a whisker of defeating Iowa and making it to the NCAA finals. With a loaded roster of 14 players for this season, the expectation of many of us was that this was going to be our season to win the 12th national crown. The results thus far have been disappointing with two losses against the team’s most formidable opponents.

Our vaunted depth has proven to be much less than anticipated. The Huskies started with 14 players, but 3 (Ducharme, Patterson, and Griffin) are out, 1 has had an injury ridden career (Fudd), and 2 (Samuels and Ziebel) are not currently part of the rotation. We are left then with 2 superb players (Bueckers and Strong), 1 5th year senior who has been inconsistent (Chen), 2 “centers” (Brady and El Afry) who have not performed up to expectations and were non-factors against USC, and 3 serviceable players (Arnold, Chelli, Shade).

The optimists say, wait until Fudd and Griffin get back. Unfortunately, Azzi has been injured and unable to play for much of her UConn career and can we really expect that we will finally see her healthy enough to play to her potential? Griffin has lost two years to injury and we can hope, but can we expect, that when she returns that she will be the player that she has been in the past? Here are two big question marks.

Second, the team does not have a reliable center and we can only hope that beating up a series of weak Big East teams will help rectify this problem. Yes, El Afry is only a first year player and Brady is a sophomore with not a great deal of experience, but I remember freshmen Tina Charles and Stephanie Dolson who had much stronger first years.

Third, our team’s defense against the three against both Notre Dame and Southern California has been abysmal. How many open threes have these two opponents hit against our Huskies? Far too many. While on the other hand, both of these teams have been effective in defending the three. Both games were lost because of the team’s inability to hit long range shots.

Although the Huskies had a chance to win both games, in both, our opponents were the better teams and their best player out played our best player due to ND and USC’s strong defensive work against Bueckers.

Can the situation be turned around? The games at Tennessee and at South Carolina in February will answer this question. And the answer is, of course, yes, BUT, the team’s defense and rebounding must improve, the Huskies will have to be able to score from long range, there has to be marked improvement of the inside game, and we need more than two reliable scorers. If, and it is a big if, both Fudd and Griffin return to full strength, then a final four and national championship become real possibilities, otherwise?

Tina Charles had a strong freshman year? Geno might disagree with you. She came into her own in the tournament of her Junior year and never looked back. Prior to that....nah..

 

[GoUconn7961]

The USC post game thread is locked so I thought I'd post a tid-bit here.

There was an article in my local paper that said it was Willnett Crockett that scouted the Huskies for USC prior to their matchup. She did a great job! LOL

 

[Skeets]

Yes, UConn can and will be a FF team. But I'm going to get into something that probably won't make me very popular on the BY. I think way too much expectation is being pinned on the return of Azzi and Aubrey. If Azzi can: 1) stay on the court, and 2) play near what she has done in the past, then she will be a part of the equation. Understand neither #1 nor #2 are guaranteed. Aubrey was never a star and if very unlikely to be one on her return. Maybe she could be an important role player but that's about it. Aubrey is athletic but I am mystified why some posters seem to think she is the answer to our front court woes. She is not what I would call a "big".

The tone of many posters I fear are setting themselves up for a big disappointment as far as Azzi and Aubrey are concerned.

Having said all these bad things, I still believe UConn makes the final four with what they got.

 

[Bigboote]

How many times have how many Boneyard posters written off UConn for getting to the Final Four, and how many times has that worked out? (Quite a few, once in the past umpteen years.)

I absolutely think UConn can get there. Sure, there’s a handful of teams that can beat UConn, but UConn can beat those teams too. As has been pointed out in a few threads, matchups matter. And as Geno has said, it takes a little luck to win a national championship.

 

[SCyankee]

Yes, UConn can and will be a FF team. But I'm going to get into something that probably won't make me very popular on the BY. I think way too much expectation is being pinned on the return of Azzi and Aubrey. If Azzi can: 1) stay on the court, and 2) play near what she has done in the past, then she will be a part of the equation. Understand neither #1 nor #2 are guaranteed. Aubrey was never a star and if very unlikely to be one on her return. Maybe she could be an important role player but that's about it. Aubrey is athletic but I am mystified why some posters seem to think she is the answer to our front court woes. She is not what I would call a "big".

The tone of many posters I fear are setting themselves up for a big disappointment as far as Azzi and Aubrey are concerned.

Having said all these bad things, I still believe UConn makes the final four with what they got.

I agree. In my view the key issue is the development of the Bigs. Jana deserves more of an opportunity to play with the starters rather than a mix of reserves and starters. She also needs more time in the game. Ice is a 4 playing the five. Also, UConn is lousy at feeding Jana in the low post. Even Paige missed her at the end of the half against USC.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

I don't see why not. No more unlikely than any other team. Not sure why anyone needs reminding that this program is always in the hunt.

 

[packwrap]

Saying “UConn always has the best roster”
Is inaccurate
Hanna Hildago and Juju Watkins were clearly the best players on the floor
Also would take the opposite view that a weak conference helps the team develop

You are right.

...but for kids who get 0 playing time in big games, but 20 minutes in a BE game, they will develop more in the weak conference games.

Jana, Ice and Morgan just need more playing time.

In theory UConn still does have the most hs talent on the roster. Despite all the talent spread elsewhere, no other team can roll out 3 x #1 hs recruits and a #5 Ice, #6 KK and #7 Ziebell.

Yes, UConn can and will be a FF team. But I'm going to get into something that probably won't make me very popular on the BY. I think way too much expectation is being pinned on the return of Azzi and Aubrey. If Azzi can: 1) stay on the court, and 2) play near what she has done in the past, then she will be a part of the equation. Understand neither #1 nor #2 are guaranteed. Aubrey was never a star and if very unlikely to be one on her return. Maybe she could be an important role player but that's about it. Aubrey is athletic but I am mystified why some posters seem to think she is the answer to our front court woes. She is not what I would call a "big".

The tone of many posters I fear are setting themselves up for a big disappointment as far as Azzi and Aubrey are concerned.

Having said all these bad things, I still believe UConn makes the final four with what they got.

Sure, there is risk that Azzi and Aubrey won't come back. There is also risk that Betts - UCLA and Citron, Koval and Westbeld - ND all won't come back from recent injuries either.

It's hard to plan, or have a vision if the outlook is so negative though.

If Azzi is healthy, she plays at an All-American level. If not we have Ash.

Aubrey when healthy is our best defender, and she can get 10 and 10 just from the run of play even with limited minutes. She is not a true #4, but like Gabby Williams can play there. If no Aubrey, we continue to develop Morgan.

May be shocking, but Aubrey most likely also a 2nd or 3rd round WNBA pick.

 

[bbfanLA]

Tina Charles had a strong freshman year? Geno might disagree with you. She came into her own in the tournament of her Junior year and never looked back. Prior to that....nah..

She won one of the National Freshman of the Year awards.

 

[BrianUC]

How many times have how many Boneyard posters written off UConn for getting to the Final Four, and how many times has that worked out? (Quite a few, once in the past umpteen years.)

I absolutely think UConn can get there. Sure, there’s a handful of teams that can beat UConn, but UConn can beat those teams too. As has been pointed out in a few threads, matchups matter. And as Geno has said, it takes a little luck to win a national championship.

Look at the other contenders. USC? Bad loss to ND. ND? Lost to TCU and Utah (!) South Carolina? bad loss to UCLA. UCLA? looked pretty mediocre against my hometown team UH (I was at the game.) LSU? we'll see when they play someone tough.

I agree with your point. i'm confident we'll make it quite far in the tournament.

 

[Cuango]

Saying “UConn always has the best roster”
Is inaccurate
Hanna Hildago and Juju Watkins were clearly the best players on the floor
Also would take the opposite view that a weak conference helps the team develop

Surely, you are not arguing that USC‘s or Notre Dame’s rosters are better than ours? Yes, Hidalgo was the best player on the court in that game and JuJu played better as well. However, that is a far cry from establishing that their respective rosters are better than ours! I would say we are obviously not playing as well as I would have hoped this season (so far) but that does not negate the fact that we have the best roster in the country! What this team (imo) is missing, is attitude!
I think it is abundantly clear we have no swagger! I am hoping that we can get Azzi and Aubrey back soon, that Morgan keepscontributing/improving, that Paige gets pissed and starts playing much more aggressively! Finally, we desperately need either Jana or Ice (or both) to step up and give us consistent post play!
This season is far from over! As I recall, we were in much worse shape last season and came within a moving screen/inappropriate call, of being in the finals last year! This too shall pass, and we will be a better team for it! I still like our chances to be in position to win #12 this season! You really cannot ask for more than that in a sport that currently has more really good teams in it than I’ve seen in a very long time! Perhaps ever!

 

[cgshuskie]

It's time for Geno to give Jana a real chance that the starting 5. Also, he shoule give the go ahead and not punish her for every mistake. He has got to allow her to get the feel of being the starter and the responsibility. Confidence grows with the relation with her teammates. I have confidence that Jana can do the job if allowed the flourish! Also, start Morgan and let Kaitlyn come off the bench. Let Paige bring the ball up, or Azzi or even Morgan sometimes. It's Morgan's time for the big time. jGo Huskies

 

[BobbyJ]

Surely, you are not arguing that USC‘s or Notre Dame’s rosters are better than ours? Yes, Hidalgo was the best player on the court in that game and JuJu played better as well. However, that is a far cry from establishing that their respective rosters are better than ours! I would say we are obviously not playing as well as I would have hoped this season (so far) but that does not negate the fact that we have the best roster in the country! What this team (imo) is missing, is attitude!
I think it is abundantly clear we have no swagger! I am hoping that we can get Azzi and Aubrey back soon, that Morgan keepscontributing/improving, that Paige gets pissed and starts playing much more aggressively! Finally, we desperately need either Jana or Ice (or both) to step up and give us consistent post play!
This season is far from over! As I recall, we were in much worse shape last season and came within a moving screen/inappropriate call, of being in the finals last year! This too shall pass, and we will be a better team for it! I still like our chances to be in position to win #12 this season! You really cannot ask for more than that in a sport that currently has more really good teams in it than I’ve seen in a very long time! Perhaps ever!

Pretty rosters stocked with kids that had high HS rankings given to them by some guy at a website mean nothing if they don't win big games or NCs against tough, physical competition. They just look good on paper. It takes kids with legit talent that can make shots and plays under real pressure to do that. We'll find out in about 3 months if UConn has enough of those type players.

 

[Classof87]

We all remember that last year’s team with basically six players that came within a whisker of defeating Iowa and making it to the NCAA finals. With a loaded roster of 14 players for this season, the expectation of many of us was that this was going to be our season to win the 12th national crown. The results thus far have been disappointing with two losses against the team’s most formidable opponents.

Our vaunted depth has proven to be much less than anticipated. The Huskies started with 14 players, but 3 (Ducharme, Patterson, and Griffin) are out, 1 has had an injury ridden career (Fudd), and 2 (Samuels and Ziebel) are not currently part of the rotation. We are left then with 2 superb players (Bueckers and Strong), 1 5th year senior who has been inconsistent (Chen), 2 “centers” (Brady and El Afry) who have not performed up to expectations and were non-factors against USC, and 3 serviceable players (Arnold, Chelli, Shade).

The optimists say, wait until Fudd and Griffin get back. Unfortunately, Azzi has been injured and unable to play for much of her UConn career and can we really expect that we will finally see her healthy enough to play to her potential? Griffin has lost two years to injury and we can hope, but can we expect, that when she returns that she will be the player that she has been in the past? Here are two big question marks.

Second, the team does not have a reliable center and we can only hope that beating up a series of weak Big East teams will help rectify this problem. Yes, El Afry is only a first year player and Brady is a sophomore with not a great deal of experience, but I remember freshmen Tina Charles and Stephanie Dolson who had much stronger first years.

Third, our team’s defense against the three against both Notre Dame and Southern California has been abysmal. How many open threes have these two opponents hit against our Huskies? Far too many. While on the other hand, both of these teams have been effective in defending the three. Both games were lost because of the team’s inability to hit long range shots.

Although the Huskies had a chance to win both games, in both, our opponents were the better teams and their best player out played our best player due to ND and USC’s strong defensive work against Bueckers.

Can the situation be turned around? The games at Tennessee and at South Carolina in February will answer this question. And the answer is, of course, yes, BUT, the team’s defense and rebounding must improve, the Huskies will have to be able to score from long range, there has to be marked improvement of the inside game, and we need more than two reliable scorers. If, and it is a big if, both Fudd and Griffin return to full strength, then a final four and national championship become real possibilities, otherwise?

I think we have a good chance of returning to the FF, but it is contingent on a few things:
1) A healthy Azzi Fudd. If she can stay healthy, it is a VERY different UConn team. Having the additional 3 pt threat will open up opportunities in the paint. If she continues to miss 4 and 5 game stretches every time she tweaks a knee, it will hard for the team to really gel and become a well oiled machine.
2) Aubrey Griffin being able to contribute after returning from her ACL tear. I have yet to see any athlete come back from an ACL injury and simply pick up right where they left off. She's going to need a lot of time to get her feet under her and trust the knee. Fortunately the Big East season should provide ample opportunity for her to regain form, by the time March comes around, she could become a part of a 8 player rotation.
3) Ice being able to hold down the paint. I think it's unfair to criticize her play; prior to coming to UConn, she wasn't really a back to the basket post player or low post defender - skills that she has had to learn on the fly here. We need to give her time to continue to develop those skills. As much as she has potential, Al Afry is still a raw talent. I love it when she is able to impact the game, but I don't think we can pencil her in for (as an example) 7 pts, 5 RBs, and 2 blocks every game just yet.
4) KK & Ash contributing off the bench. These two sophomores need to be counted on to come in and make an impact - hitting open shots, defending, and playing defense. They both seem to do really well when they start, but not as much when they come off the bench. It's a different mentality, and we have to have their contributions if we're going to the FF.

On a separate note, I think we are a little better of a team when KK is running the team instead of Chen. Not saying Chen isn't fitting in, but I think KK is able to push the pace better.

Go Huskies!!!!

 

[ERWUC65]

I think we have a good chance of returning to the FF, but it is contingent on a few things:
1) A healthy Azzi Fudd. If she can stay healthy, it is a VERY different UConn team. Having the additional 3 pt threat will open up opportunities in the paint. If she continues to miss 4 and 5 game stretches every time she tweaks a knee, it will hard for the team to really gel and become a well oiled machine.
2) Aubrey Griffin being able to contribute after returning from her ACL tear. I have yet to see any athlete come back from an ACL injury and simply pick up right where they left off. She's going to need a lot of time to get her feet under her and trust the knee. Fortunately the Big East season should provide ample opportunity for her to regain form, by the time March comes around, she could become a part of a 8 player rotation.
3) Ice being able to hold down the paint. I think it's unfair to criticize her play; prior to coming to UConn, she wasn't really a back to the basket post player or low post defender - skills that she has had to learn on the fly here. We need to give her time to continue to develop those skills. As much as she has potential, Al Afry is still a raw talent. I love it when she is able to impact the game, but I don't think we can pencil her in for (as an example) 7 pts, 5 RBs, and 2 blocks every game just yet.
4) KK & Ash contributing off the bench. These two sophomores need to be counted on to come in and make an impact - hitting open shots, defending, and playing defense. They both seem to do really well when they start, but not as much when they come off the bench. It's a different mentality, and we have to have their contributions if we're going to the FF.

On a separate note, I think we are a little better of a team when KK is running the team instead of Chen. Not saying Chen isn't fitting in, but I think KK is able to push the pace better.

Go Huskies!!!!

Regarding #3, for Ice to earn her minutes she has to find the confidence to take those shots at the top of the key as she is always open. She has made them before, maybe against lesser teams, but against the likes of ND and USC she freezes and always looks to pass. Got to have at least 10 points here and a threat to shoot so the other team has to cover, freeing up the others. She is decent on rebounding and defending, again would be a lot better with more confidence. She is in great shape, can run the floor, so physically just fine. Maybe the BE games will be just what the doctor (head) ordered. Regarding the separate note, I like the mix and no one questions that KK is the better defender and more aggressive, but she just doesn't have the experience and game savvy of Chen when it comes to directing an offense. Yes, I would like to see more from Chen, not sure why she seem overly cautious and reserved when we need more from our point guard position. In lieu of having all their notable skills in one person, we have to trust Geno to know how to mix the soup.