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Message: [QUOTE="oldude, post: 2994396, member: 7511"] Fifteen games into the season, as always, we here on the BY have dissected UConn’s strengths and weaknesses ad nauseum. What we haven’t really discussed is how opposing teams are game planning when they face the Huskies. Over the years, the conventional wisdom has been that you have to score with UConn to have a chance to beat them. In recent years, only ND in last year’s national semifinal, by a single basket in OT, defeated the Huskies in an up-tempo game. UConn’s ability to run, shoot, pass and score in transition usually breaks open up-tempo games at some point. Against up-tempo DePaul, UConn won by 36 pts. Even mighty ND, most often cited as a team that can score with UConn, eventually broke in an up-tempo game in South Bend, losing by 18. What we are seeing far more of this season is teams “letting the air out of the ball” when playing the Huskies by slowing down the tempo with deliberate offensive possessions, forcing UConn to run their half-court offense and avoiding at all costs the tendency to get into a “running game” with the Huskies. St Johns and OK both challenged UConn with such a strategy. Kim Mulkey’s Lady Bears implemented that strategy to perfection in defeating the Huskies in Waco, avoiding any possibility that Brown and Cox would have to run the court with UConn’s well-conditioned players. Even a depleted USF, a team with a history of getting blown out in up-tempo matchups vs UConn, slowed down the tempo significantly yesterday to hang close with the Huskies. Going forward the Huskies can expect a steady diet of teams walking the ball up the court, slowing the tempo and forcing the Huskies to run their half court offense. The response from UConn needs to be all about effort and patience. UConn needs to dig in and play fierce defense, as they did yesterday after Geno sent the starters a message by sitting them down, forcing 22 USF turnovers. UConn also needs to work harder to rebound effectively at both ends of the court. Finally, the Huskies must be patient with their offense. One of the comments that Geno has made to this team on multiple occasions is that if they run their offense, eventually good shots will come. BY’ers need to be prepared. There are going to be more of these types of game as the season goes on. We are not going to see very many high scoring UConn blowouts. This season is going to remind a lot of fans of the early days of the old Big East, when games were physical, often ugly and low scoring affairs. [/QUOTE]

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