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Message: [QUOTE="JoePgh, post: 1999210, member: 1131"] The "struggle" against Tulsa was certainly not with the offense -- that was purring. Nor was it with the interior defense or the defensive aggression -- UConn got many turnovers and generated a ton of points off turnovers. The closeness of certain parts of the game was due to Tulsa hitting a large volume of 3-point shots, and UConn doing very little to effectively defend the 3-point line. Geno attributed that to wear-and-tear at the end of a 5-day road trip. However, it has happened before -- remember last year when DePaul hit 13 of 17 3's in the first half, which resulted in a 1-point margin (as I recall) at halftime? And the Dayton Elite 8 game two years ago, in the first half, was also similar. On the other hand, in the NCAA Final against Syracuse, which was known for jacking up 3's as a major part of its offensive strategy, UConn defended the 3-point line very well. It seems to come down to the adrenalin that is flowing to make the physical effort to defend the three-point line. Most likely it will be there in "big games", but it is concerning that it is so inconsistent. [/QUOTE]