For, KY, it was 40 minutes for lead, not dread.

[pppggg]

UCONN was quicker, more instense and they got most of the 50-50 balls. KY looked for the most part like they had lead in their sneakers. It's one thing to talk about 40 minutes of dread. It'an entirely different thing to do it againts a team like UCONN.

To me, the best thing about the games was showing KY what 40 minutes of dread was really like. They looked shell shocked at the end of the game.

UCONN doesn't talk the talk but they do walk the walk.

 

[Bestiarius]

Oh, it's just 40 minutes of dread. I thought he meant 40 minutes of dreadlocks. I was wondering why I didn't see many dreads.

 

[Drumguy]

I was thinking "40 minutes of what?"

 

[meyers7]

UCONN to KY

"40 minutes of dread? THIS is how it's done."

 

[rbny1]

I thought they were very quick, energetic and disruptive in the first four or five minutes of the game. Then suddenly UConn adjusted, or Kentucky stopped being aggressive - or something happened to change the game entirely. After that, "four minutes of dread" turned into "36 minutes of UConn sped ahead instead."

 

[Aluminny69]

Well, let's be honest here. The game was even for the first eleven minutes. Then UConn, thanks to Bria Hartley and Mo Jefferson, broke the game open. Then, there was a brief five minute period in the second half, after the game had been decided, that Kentucky was being disruptive. So, let's give them credit for 16 minutes of dread. Not enough, though.

 

[alexrgct]

As I said in the game thread, UConn's strength and conditioning program is second-to-none in WCBB. It is very, very rare to gas a Uconn team, and when I've seen it happen, it's because you have a player like BG who is exhausting to go up against. UK simply doesn't have that kind of player.

 

[vtcwbuff]

I think the KY "dread" was over rated. Sort of like the 55 at Rutgers. One dimensional basketball and good teams adjust and overcome.
They had a lot of success in the first 10 minutes but I believe that was due more to typical UConn "schizophrenic" play than it was KY defense.

 

[EricLA]

I thought they were very quick, energetic and disruptive in the first four or five minutes of the game. Then suddenly UConn adjusted, or Kentucky stopped being aggressive - or something happened to change the game entirely. After that, "four minutes of dread" turned into "36 minutes of UConn sped ahead instead."

I actually thought it lasted a bit longer - maybe 10 minutes or so. Once Kentucky took the lead at 23-22, UCONN rattled off 17 unanswered points and went on a 39-10 run spanning the remaining first half and first 5-10 minutes of the 2nd half. We got the lead up to 36 at one point.

I do think if Kentucky can have that kind of energy and play it for 40 minutes, they could be a great team. The unfortunate thing for them is that they were playing out of their minds, and barely had a 1 point lead against UCONN. One slip up of a 4 minute stretch and the game was essentially over (of course, for them, the slip up lasted more like 20 minutes, not 4...). Usually the only way to beat UCONN is to play great for 40 minutes and have zero "4-minute" stretches where they completely lose focus. As we say, UCONN can put points up in a hurry.

 

[hoopfan515]

I think having faced Notre Dame's pressure 3 times already this season certainly helped. Our guards had all been tested before.

 

[Husky68]

I think having faced Notre Dame's pressure 3 times already this season certainly helped. Our guards had all been tested before.

The difference was:
1. When Doty in game can not play as makes Uconn very unathletic. As PG she can not dribble, lead fast break or pass. Proved this in 2nd ND game and again against Kentucky. She could not advance ball down court, threw ball out of bounds for no reason, mishandled ball where others got turnovers, missed on several rebounds she should have gotten (1 almost hit her in the face, she had to duck). Then she sat.
2. MJ is the real deal. You telling me that Doty has been outplaying her in practice the entire regular season. Not buying it. Everyone else looks like they are in snow shoes. Her and Banks should have been getting a lot of burn to get them ready for this. Luckily MJ is so good that even without adequate game experience she was best player on the court.
3. With MJ on court Hartley becomes a 2 guard with good ball skills vs. a PG with terrible skills. She isn't good penetrator and dish player but very good catch and shoot/go player - her and KML are very good at this. She also slowed down on her layup attempts and let ball go softly - go quick but don't rush. Just picture last 3 ND games and Baylor game with Diggins and Sims stealing balls from Hartley and getting her to walk and throw ball away - now see Diggins having to chase MJ and now McBride has to chase Hartley - big difference. Part of winning time execution is getting other team tired (like the Kemba team did).
4. Uconn turned down several "bad" passing oppotunities, especially Dolson. Faris did a couple but most others did not. Need this against ND.
5. Good player rotations made for good ball handling, no one got tired as good subbing.
6. Did not try to go through Dolson. Name one WCBB team that is trying to focus on using center to go through as offense. Griner and O sister are recipeints of offense geared to get them the ball and finish, not get the ball and make plays for others.
7 Uconn has super talent. Stokes gets minimal playing time and would start at center on any other team still in the tournament (ND would move Anchowa). Tuck would be the best big on Kentucky. MJ looks like the best PG not named Sims or without 300,000 twitter followers. Hartley is a top 5 shooting guard. And these are the reserves.

ND will try and harass Doty when she is in and get free points, same with Hartley at point. With MJ they will try and post her up with Diggins and McBride to get Geno to take her out - big mistake if he does. Play Dolson like a center, little or no Doty, lot of MJ, good sub pattern (ND plays only 6) and should win going away if ND beats Duke.

 

[Icebear]

And yet Geno thinks you don't have a clue and plays Caroline. Caroline played excellent minutes yesterday and put us ahead to stay.

 

[Samanthabrown3]

Well, let's be honest here. The game was even for the first eleven minutes. Then UConn, thanks to Bria Hartley and Mo Jefferson, broke the game open.

It felt to me as though the game changed when Bria and Caroline were in there, doing their upperclassman cool game. The younger players seemed to have playoff nerves. The junior and senior leaders were more like, We've done this before. Follow us.

 

[Rb335]

The thing I find funny with some programs such as Kentucky and Rutgers and Texas A&M. They preach their amazing defense and always have subpar offense, therefore relying on their defense to win games and stay competitive as a program. It is always awkward when Uconn is heralded for being an offensive powerhouse, yet their defense is better than programs that put all of their eggs in the defense basket.

Kentucky, "40 minutes of dread" and pressure that will cause uconn to lose. Too bad uconn had superior defense and your defense let up 80 plus points. Also, our offense was heads and shoulders above Kentucky.

Time for some of these programs on the verge of breaking through to take a look at uconn, as they are the most steady program. You need to have lockdown defense, but that can't be your only tool. Offense and conditioning.

I think last night, Kentucky got a healthy dose of "40 minutes of dread".

 

[Bestiarius]

Thanks H68, lots of food for thought. I'm exhausted just reading through all your points and suggestions!

 

[msf22b]

2. MJ is the real deal. You telling me that Doty has been outplaying her in practice the entire regular season. Not buying it. Everyone else looks like they are in snow shoes. Her and Banks should have been getting a lot of burn to get them ready for this. Luckily MJ is so good that even without adequate game experience she was best player on the court...Husky68,


Mo came in, made a few nervous plays (like unwisely trying to elude a double) and then looked like the best guard on the floor for long stretches.
Aside from her skill in eluding the press, she creates a huge amount of space with her side to side movement.
And UConn is great in creating easy shots when space is created.
Her quickness to the hoop, often when it looks like nothing is there is unique.
She doesn't have a lot of assists yet because often it's the semi-open person she passes to who has a better opportunity to pass for an easy 2 or 3.
Put her on Diggins.
We're watching the evolution of a monster talent.